Sūrya Arghya Mantra

Sūrya Arghya Mantra, “the arghya mantra of Sūrya”

The Sūrya arghya mantra is five verses with which arghya is offered to Bhagavān Sūrya after the bath and the tarpaṇa (water offerings to the devas, ṛshis and pitṛs). In seventeen names it salutes him as the form of all, the friend of Vishṇu, of a thousand rays, the master of the world who knows all good and evil deeds. Śrī Kṛshṇa gives it to King Yudhishṭhira in the Uttara Parva of the Bhavishya Purāṇa, in the rule of bathing and tarpaṇa.

The setting

After bathing, the bather offers tarpaṇa to the devas, to the ṛshis Marīci, Atri, Aṅgiras and the rest, to the pitṛs, and to his own departed father, grandfather and mother’s father, and releases water for all who were or were not his kin in any birth. Then he sips water by rule, forms a lotus of flowers and akshata before him, and, carefully pronouncing the names of Sūrya Deva, offers arghya with akshata, flowers and water mixed with red sandal.

The mantra

नमस्ते विश्वरूपाय नमस्ते विष्णुसखाय वै॥
सहस्त्ररश्मये नित्यं नमस्ते सर्वतेजसे।
नमस्ते सर्ववपुषे नमस्ते सर्वशक्तये ।।
जगत्स्वामिन् नमस्तेऽस्तु दिव्यचन्दनभूषित।
पद्मनाभ नमस्तेऽस्तु कुण्डलाङ्गदधारिणे ।।
नमस्ते सर्वलोकेश सर्वासुरनमस्कृत ।
सुकृतं दुष्कृतं चैव सम्यग्जानासि सर्वदा।।
सत्यदेव नमस्तेऽस्तु सर्वदेव नमोऽस्तु ते।
दिवाकर नमस्तेऽस्तु प्रभाकर नमोऽस्तु ते ।।

namaste viśvarūpāya namaste vishṇusakhāya vai ||
sahastraraśmaye nityaṃ namaste sarvatejase |
namaste sarvavapushe namaste sarvaśaktaye ||
jagatsvāmin namaste’stu divyacandanabhūshita |
padmanābha namaste’stu kuṇḍalāṅgadadhāriṇe ||
namaste sarvalokeśa sarvāsuranamaskṛta |
sukṛtaṃ dushkṛtaṃ caiva samyag jānāsi sarvadā ||
satyadeva namaste’stu sarvadeva namo’stu te |
divākara namaste’stu prabhākara namo’stu te ||

Namaskāra to you, whose form is the universe; namaskāra to you, friend of Vishṇu; to you of a thousand rays, always; namaskāra to you, the radiance of all. Namaskāra to you who bear every form; namaskāra to you, all-powerful. Master of the world, adorned with divine sandal, namaskāra to you. Padmanābha, wearer of earrings and armlets, namaskāra to you. Īśa of all the lokas, bowed to by all the devas, namaskāra to you: you always know fully every good and every evil deed. Satyadeva, namaskāra to you; Sarvadeva, namaskāra to you; Divākara, namaskāra to you; Prabhākara, namaskāra to you.

Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Uttara Parva, Chapter 123

The seventeen names

  1. Viśvarūpa, whose form is the universe
  2. Vishṇusakha, friend of Bhagavān Vishṇu
  3. Sahasraraśmi, of a thousand rays
  4. Sarvateja, the radiance of all
  5. Sarvavapu, who bears every form
  6. Sarvaśakti, the all-powerful
  7. Jagatsvāmin, master of the world
  8. Divyacandanabhūshita, adorned with divine sandal
  9. Padmanābha, of the lotus navel
  10. Kuṇḍalāṅgadadhārin, wearer of earrings and armlets
  11. Sarvalokeśa, lord of all the lokas
  12. Sarva-sura-namaskṛta, bowed to by all the devas
  13. The knower of every good and evil deed
  14. Satyadeva, the deva of truth
  15. Sarvadeva, the deva of all
  16. Divākara, the maker of day
  17. Prabhākara, the maker of light

Having bowed to Sūrya Deva so, the bather walks round three times, touches a dvija, a cow and gold, and goes home to worship the image of the deva there.

Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Uttara Parva, Chapter 123

Sources

  • Bhavishya Purāṇa, Uttara Parva, Chapter 123