#260 The powerful blessing and meaning of Aditya Hridayam
Aditya Hrdayam Stotram is a devotional chant dedicated to Surya Bhagavan and occurs in Srimad Ramayana authored by Adikavi Valmiki. The Ramayana is divided into six volumes (kanda) called Bala, Ayodhya, Aranya, Kishkindha, Sundara and Yuddha.
Aditya Hridayam consists of 31 verses and is found in the 107th chapter of Yuddha Kanda of the Ramayana. It was narrated to Lord Rama by Sage Agastya to bless and bestow victory in the battle against Ravana. Aditya means ‘Sun’ and Hridayam means ‘heart or the essence’. Aditya that is at the core of you. You are the light of all lights, that by which everything is illumined.
Our modern science orientation made us look upon the Sun as a mere shining ball of fire. Aditya Hridayam helps us see the presiding deity, Surya as Bhagavan and indeed Vishvarupa, the cosmic form.
We hear the chant, the meaning of the verses and dwell on the meaning of some of the words.
The context was the fierce battle between Sri Rama and Ravana. As it is said – ramaravanayoryuddham ramaravanayoriva – The Battle between Sri Rama and Ravana can be compared only with the battle between Sri Rama and Ravana.
Ravana was fighting the war on his home turf, Lanka and had sthanabala, the special advantage that he gets when fighting in his own territory besides being one of the most powerful warriors on earth. Sri Rama came from a faraway place, was fighting a war in a distant land, had just put together a quick army largely of vaanaras and was distressed by his wife Devi Sita’s kidnapping and being held hostage. Ravana faced Sri Rama once at the very beginning of the war but quickly retreated and sent his warrior chiefs. When the key chiefs including his brother Kumbhakarna had been slain, he comes to the battlefield.
tato yuddha parishrantam samare chintaya sthitam |
ravanam chagrato drishtva yuddhaya samupasthitam || 1
daiva taishcha samagamya drashtu mabhya gato ranam |
upagamya bravidramam agastyo bhagavan rishihi || 2
At that time, Sri Rama, is very much exhausted in the battle-field. He is faced with worry while facing Ravana who is duly prepared for the war.
The glorious sage Agastya, who had come in the company of devas to witness the encounter (battle) now spoke to Rama as follows:
Side note – Throughout the Ramayana, SrI Rama’s different emotions including worry have been described.
He did not become less of Bhagavan by having emotions.
As is the form so is the guna dharma of the form.
rama rama mahabaho shrnu guhyam sanatanam |
yena sarvanarin vatsa samare vijayishyasi || 3
‘O Rama’, ‘O Rama’ you are a mighty armed warrior. Listen carefully to the eternal secret by which, ‘O my child’, you shall conquer all your enemies on the battle field and have victory.
Guhyam sanatanam is implies a mantra which is Sanatana, eternal which has its origin in the Vedas.
aditya-hridayam punyam sarva shatru-vinashanam |
jayavaham japen-nityam akshayyam paramam shivam || 4
Aditya Hridayam is very auspicious by which you will vanquish all the enemies.
Recitation of this Stotra will help you gain victory as it is immortal and never declines and is most auspicious.
The Bhagavad Gita in the Mahabharata as well as the Aditya Hridayam in Ramayana are revealed in the battlefield emphasising that that it is for the people who are engaged in the battle of life.
Sarvashatru vinashanam is an indication for vanquishing all inimical forces that are opposed to our well-being.
External enemies are in the form of various obstacles in our progress. The internal enemies are kama (binding desire), krodha (anger), lobha (greed), moha (craving born of confusion), mada (arrogance) and matsarya (jealousy).
How can these be called enemies when we did not create them but rather have been given these states by Bhagavan?
Surely, he cannot give us certain states and then ask us to destroy them. Is n’t it?
It is only when these emotional states become so excessive that we become enslaved by them, our independence is lost and we end up going against dharma.
Generally, phala-sruti, the results of chanting a Stotram or a suktam are given at the end. Here Rishi Agastya tells this before the rest of the Stotram lifting Sri Rama’s spirits.
sarvamangala-mangalyam sarva papa pranashanam |
chintashoka-prashamanam ayurvardhana-muttamam || 5
This Stotra is the most auspicious among the auspicious verses. It will destroy all paapa, dispel all doubts, alleviate worry and sorrow. It increases the longevity of life. It is exceedingly good.
sarvamangala-mangalyam – Since there are so many auspicious things in the world – tilak, Ganga, svastika, what could be the best among all?
Adi Shankaracharya in the Brahmasutra Bhashya offers a verse, –
Atikalyanrupatvaat nityakalyaanasamshrayaah
Smartrnaam varadatvaacha brahman tanmangalam param ll
That Brahman is in the form of supreme auspiciousness. It is the eternal refuge of all auspiciousness. People who dwell upon it are blessed by it. Hence that Brahman is the limitless auspiciousness.
Everything becomes auspicious because Brahman is its very basis.
sarva papa pranashanam – When the devotee contemplates upon Aditya in his heart, all internal enemies due to which one does paapa, acts of adharma disappear and the mind is purified thus taking the devotee to clearly seeing Brahman as oneself.
chintashoka-prashamanam – We are insecure either due to chinta, worry and fear about the future and the other is sorrow about the past. Repetitive thoughts of What will happen? What will happen? and Why did it happen? Why did it happen? keep us preoccupied.
This is not a condemnation of human nature but a recognition of a fact and responding to the situation. Bhagavan as Aditya blesses us with grace.
Ayurvardhanam uttamam – Aditya Hridayam is not a replacement for good nutrition, exercise, sleep and rest. However, it is the best remedy for longevity as by chanting its verses we will have more punya, less stress and we will develop the persistence and consistency to stick to healthy habits.
rashmi mantam samudyantam devasura-namaskritam |
pujayasva vivasvantam bhaskaram bhuvaneshvaram || 6
Worship the one who has these luminous rays. As he rises swiftly even devas and asuras worship him. He dispels darkness. He is the ultimate source of all wealth.
pujayasva vivasvantam Rishi Agastya is telling Sri Rama to worship Surya. What to speak of people like us who barely even look up at Surya because we are just too busy. Yet he continues to bless us!
devasura-namaskritam Even the devas and asuras worship him. At the adhidaivika level, they meditate on Surya in the solar orb. At the adhibhautika level, centred on the panchamahabhutas, the devas and asuras seek help for winning over the other. At the adhyatmika level, centred on one’s body-mind, devas are also sense organs. Aditya blesses the sense organs and the organs of action to perform their respective functions.
Devas are luminous beings who bless others and Asuras are beings who revel in pleasure and are given to adharma due to it. (asushu ramante iti). Sounds a bit like some of us.
Bhaskaram The Sun soaks the world with his light. The illumination is two fold the outer in which we are able to see all objects; the inner, the light of awareness in which all knowledge takes place. Aditya abides in the cave of the heart of the seeker as the awareness that is Atma and illuminates all the thoughts and emotions of the mind.
Bhuvaneshvaram the overlord of all the worlds. The entire universe is nourished by the Cosmic Being who abides in the solar orb.
sarva devatmako hyesha tejasvi rashmi-bhavanah |
esha devasura gananlokan pati gabhastibhih || 7
Indeed, He is the very embodiment of all Gods. He is self-luminous and sustains all with his rays. He nourishes and energizes the inhabitants of all the worlds as well as the host ofdevas and asuras by his Rays.
Esha This Aditya Bhagavan,is in front of you, wherever you travel in the world. Then how can you say that Bhagavan is not around? In one of the podcasts, where I was interviewed, the podcaster asked me ‘ Have you seen God’? I said ‘Yes, I see you’. She was stunned and shy and curious all at once. We drop the idea that Bhagavan has only one form with the shankha, gada, chakra etc. It is helpful to worship but can condition one such that Bhagavan becomes acceptable only in that form.
sarva devatmako Aditya is Hiranyagarbha, the Cosmic being. All other devatas like Indra, Agni, Varuna are many limbs of that Cosmic Being, with every devata being an expression of the universal shakti.
As our beloved Pujya Swamiji said once, There is no one God or many Gods. There is only God.
tejasvi rashmi-bhavanah Aditya creates and sustains life – the blades of grass sprout, the plants bear flowers and fruits, all animals are sustained by the plants. The process of creation unfolds because of its rays. All beings get their energy from the Sun.
A mantra of Vajasaneya Samhita teaches us – mitrasya chakshusha Sarvani bhutaani sameekshantaam – May you have the vision of the Sun towards all forms.
The Sun is impartial. It shines equally on a terrorist and a humanitarian, on the pristine mountain stream and the stinking, sewage waters.
esha brahma cha vishnush cha shivah skandah prajapatihi |
mahendro dhanadah kalo yamah somo hyapam patihi || 8
He is Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, Skanda, Prajapati, the mighty Indra, Kubera, Kala (eternal time), Yama, Soma (the moon god that nourishes), and Varuna (the lord of sea and ocean).
People think that Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva are literally different beings.
The Taittiriya Upanishad defines God as
yato va imaani bhutaani jayante l Yena jaataani jivanti l
Yat prayantyabhisamvishanti l tadvijijnasasva l tad brahmeti.
The Ultimate being is the One who has the function of manifesting all beings, the one who has the function of sustaining all the beings and the one into whom all beings resolve.
These functions get different names. Like in the human body, there are different organs like the heart, the liver, the lungs which have different functions while being a part of the one being.
This verse refers to Aditya being the Ultimate being and hence having different manifestations and functions.
Brahma has the function of creation and manifestation.
Vishnu has the function of sustenanace.
Shiva has the function of resolution.
Skanda in the form of power, Prajapati in the form of Manu who carries the creation forward.
Then, the mighty Indra – the king of the devas, Dhanadah – the devata of wealth in the form of all resources, Kala, the devata of time, Yama – the devata that brings about death according to one’s karma phala, Soma (the moon god that nourishes), and Varuna – Apam patih (the lord of sea and ocean).
Is n’t it lovely that the Indian Navy ‘s motto is शं नो वरुणः . Shaṁ No Varunaḥ ‘May the Lord of Water be auspicious unto us’
pitaro vasavah sadhya hyashvinau maruto manuh |
vayurvahnih praja-prana ritukarta prabhakarah || 9
Indeed, he is Pitrs (ancestors, manes), the eight Vasus, the Sadhyas, the twin Aswins (physicians of Gods), the Maruts, the Manu, Vayu (the wind God), Agni (the fire God), Prana (the Life breath of all beings). The Sun illumines everything, and causes the seasons.
Pitrs are our ancestors. The Sun with the name Aryaman represents all the pitrs. Usually ancestral rites known as shraadha karma are performed when the sun is at its full brilliance, namely at noon.
Vasus are a group of 8 devatas, Agni being one of them.
Sadhyas are another group of devas.
Ashwinau – the two devas are the divine physicians and healers
Marutah – constitute a group of 49 devatas. Together, they constitute Vayu which keeps moving all the time.
Manu is the one who knows everything. The fourth chapter of the Gita opens with –
श्री भगवानुवाच
इमं विवस्वते योगं प्रोक्तवानहमव्ययम्।
विवस्वान् मनवे प्राह मनुरिक्ष्वाकवेऽब्रवीत्।।4.1।।
I gave this knowledge at the time of creation to Vivasvan, Surya Bhagavan who in turn gave it to Manu and who in turn gave it to Ikshavaku.
Rishi Agastya was teaching Sri Rama to propitiate his own ancestor from the Suryavamsha dynasty or the Solar clan – Vivasvan.
The human being – manushya or maanav is named after Manu who is the son of Sun.
Praja-praana – The body is alive because of prana which has its origin in Brahman.
Beautifully explained in the Kathopanishad 2-2-1,
Na pranena naapaanena martyo kascana
Itarena tu jivanti yasminnetavupashritau
No person is alive because of prana, inhalation and apana, exhalation. All living beings are alive because of that Brahman from which it originates.
The last two verses help us appreciate Surya as Vishvarupa – the entire cosmic form. The world is not separate from its cause that is Bhagavan. Our bhakti blossoms when we grow in our love for one form which extends to all forms. The love which was reserved for Surya Bhagavan as distinct from other devas expands because we now see Surya Bhagavan as vishvarupa, the entire cosmic form.
adityah savita suryah khagah pusha gabhastiman |
suvarnasadrisho bhanur-hiranyareta divakarah || 10
He is the Son of Aditi (the mother of creation). He is Surya who travels in the outer space, He is the one who nourishes, the possessor of multiple rays. He shines golden yellow (early in the morning). He is the cosmic seed of the universe and causes daybreak (thereby dispelling darkness).
haridashvah sahasrarchih saptasapti-marichiman |
timironmathanah shambhu-stvashta martanda amshuman || 11
He is the One who pervades all the ten directions with his rays. He has seven horses yoked to his chariot, shines with brilliant light having infinite rays. He dispels darkness. He is the giver of happiness and prosperity. He eliminates suffering. With his rays he breathes life into an otherwise insentient egg of the universe.
Saptasaptih – one who has seven horses. In school while studying Geography we got the impression that the sun was stationary and the planets were revolving around it. Later we learnt that the sun too travels across the milky way as well as the planets revolving around it. The Vedas symbolically present the sun as a chariot of seven horses.
The Taittiriya Aranyaka 3.11 says that seven horses draw the chariot of one wheel. It is indeed only one horse with 7 different names. The wheel has 3 hubs. Nothing can destroy this immortal wheel. All life in this world exists because of those horses and that wheel.
The wheel is the cycle of time. The three hubs are past, present, and the future. The 7 horses are the 7 rays of the spectrum of the composite visible light.
The Veda thousands of years before Issac Newton spoke of the color spectrum – Red, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange and violet are the seven rays of the sun that reach this earth from the outer space, providing energy to all life forms, yet not causing any harm to them.
The 7 rays originate from a single composite ray meaning the composite nature of sunlight is metaphorically presented as a single horse.
Marichimaan, timironmathanah, amshuman are words to describe the brilliance of the sun.
Shambhu – The Sun is the source of all comfort and happiness. It is our experience that the rising Sun dispels our inertia, fills us with freshness and generally makes us happy.
Lotuses bloom, plants make their food, humans are able to generate vitamin D in the body and make bones stronger and everyone gets to delight in working. In fact, one of the many simple remedies for a person suffering from clinical depression is some exposure to sunlight and movement.
And so, he is tvashta, who alleviates the suffering of his devotees.
Martanda – Ishvara as the Sun breathes life into the universe of forms.
hiranyagarbhah shishira stapano bhaskaro ravihi |
agni garbho’diteh putrah shankhah shishira nashanaha || 12
He is Hiranyagarbha, the Cosmic being. He causes comfort and discomfort with his rays. He rises boisterously and brings forth the daybreak. He is all fire in the core. He is the son of Aditi, the all pervading Brahman of infinite Ananda. He casts off the cold.
Hiranyagarbha literally translates as golden womb refers to the cosmic intelligence, the subtlest form that first manifested from Brahman, the limitless being. It is this intelligence that pervades all forms. This Hiranyagarbha clearly manifests as the Sun before us and is often meditated upon in the solar orb of the Sun.
The Sun is shishirah, comfortably warm in the mornings and tapanah, quite hot in the afternoon.
He is Ravih – rauti iti ravih meaning the one who makes a loud sound.
The Chandogya Upanishad (1-5-1) says that as the Sun moves, the sound of Om emerges from that movement. Why can we not hear it? Because we are at a distance of 8x60x86000 miles away from the Sun. Even its light takes 8 minutes to teach the earth.
Agnigarbha – The core of the Sun is the hottest. It is said that nuclear reactions equivalent to billions of hydrogen bombs are taking place every second.
vyomanathastamobhedi rigyajussamaparagaha |
ghanavrishtirapam mitro vindhya-vithiplavangamaha || 13
He is the Lord of the sky, remover of darkness. the master of the three Vedas – Rg, Yaju, Sama. He causes abundant rain. He is a friend of the waters (Varuna) and. He swiftly courses in the direction South of Vindhya-mountains.
Space is created along with the galaxies from Hiranyagarbha.
Vyomanatha – Surya is the Lord of the interstellar space.
Tamobhedi – Tamas guna expresses itself in beings as laziness and inertia of the physical body, dullness and confusion in the mind. Worship of Surya removes excessive tamas.
Rigyajussamaparagaha – Aditya is the scholar and master of the three Vedas. Also as the ultimate reality he is revealed in the Vedas.
Ghanavrishtir-apam mitro – The Sun causes the evaporation of billions of gallons of water from the seas, holds all of that water in the skies and when the time comes, the water descends as rain onto the earth.
The Sun is the mitra, friend of the waters. Apam, water is born of Agni. The Sun helps to transfer water from the ocean to the lakes and rivers after purifying them from salts by the process of evaporation.
vindhya-vithiplavangamaha – He moves swiftly through the interstellar space.
atapi mandali mrityuh pingalah sarvatapanaha |
kavirvishvo mahatejah raktah sarva bhavodbhavaha || 14
The Sun, the burning orb of light and heat, is honey colored and red in hue while rising in the east. Later he becomes very hot and brilliant and causes widespread discomfort with excessive heat. As the Lord of death, he knows the past, the present and the future of all beings. All creation has manifested from him.
atapi mandali He causes immense heat and is a burning orb of light and energy.
mrityuh – He is the lord of death
pingalah sarvatapanaha – He appears honey colored in the morning and in the summer particularly he heats up and burns all.
kavi – Surya is all-knowing and hence knows the past, the present and the future.
vishvo – The Vishnu sahasranama starts with this word – Vishvam, world of names and forms. Is n’t the Sahasranama about Vishnu? Yes. Where the world of names and forms is, there alone Bhagavan is. The world is not separate from Bhagavan.
mahatejah raktah sarva bhavodbhavaha – He is the one who has great brilliance and is the source of all creation.
nakshatra grahataranam-adhipo vishva-bhavanah |
tejasamapi tejasvi dvadashatman namo’stu te || 15
He is the lord of the constellations, stars and planets and the origin of every thing in the universe. Salutations to Aditya who appears in twelve forms (in the shape of twelve months of the year) and whose glory is described in his twelve names.
nakshatra grahataranam-adhipo – From the standpoint of perception, of all the luminous bodies in the sky, Surya is king of all the constellations, planets and stars.
In astrology, Surya is also known as Atmakaraka and depending on where it is in the chart and its degrees, it indicates the power and respect the person has in society.
vishva-bhavanah – He is the origin of everything in the universe.
tejasamapi tejasvi – He is the most luminous of them all.
dvadashatman namo’stu te – O Sun of 12 forms, my namaskar to you. Astrologically the Sun enters a new house every month. It has different names due to different forms in these 12 houses – Vishnu, Shakra, Aryama, Dhaata, Tvashta, Pusha, Vivasvaan, Savita, Mitra, Varuna, Amsha and Bhaga.
Every form and every month is the presence of Bhagavan.
namah purvaya giraye pashchimayadraye namah|
jyotirgananam pataye dinaadhipataye namah || 16
Namah unto the eastern mountains on which the Sun rises and also unto the Western mountain. Namah to the Sun who is the overlord of the day. He is the overlord of the day and the king of all the groups of luminous bodies in the sky.
From verses 17 onwards the words are in fourth case meaning a suffix is added to the word which indicates for. Bhadra is auspicious. Bhadraya means for the one who is auspicious. Many such words where aya is added to the word. Unto the being
Jayaya jaya bhadraya haryashvaya namo namah |
namo namah sahasramsho adityaya namo namah || 17
Oh! Lord of thousand rays, son of Aditi, Namah to you, the bestower of victory, auspiciousness and prosperity, Namah to you who pervade the quarters with your infinite rays.
nama ugraya viraya sarangaya namo namah |
namah padma prabodhaya martandaya namo namah || 18
Namah again and again to the ferocious and powerful Sun, who travels the skies swiftly, causing the lotuses to bloom.
Aditya as Atma causes the heart of the devotee to blossom. Padma also means wealth because the Goddess of Wealth, Lakshmi is called Padma since the lotus happens to be her abode. Aditya blesses the devotee with prosperity.
brahmeshanachyuteshaya suryayadityavarchase |
bhasvate sarva bhakshaya raudraya vapushe namaha || 19
Namah unto Brahman who is the Lord even of Brahma, Ishaana that is Shiva and Achyutah who is Vishnu. Namah to Surya who shines as Aditya(by his power and effulgence). He is both the illuminator and devourer of all and has a form that is fierce like Rudra.
tamoghnaya himaghnaya shatrughnayamitatmane |
kritaghnaghnaya devaya jyotisham pataye namaha || 20
Namah unto the one who dispels darkness, who removes the cold, who destroys the enemies, and who punishes the ungrateful. He is beyond all limitations. He is the lord of all luminous bodies.
Shatrughnaya – the one who destroys enemies both external and internal enemies as we have seen earlier.
Amitatmane – Namah unto the one who has no mitah – no limits or boundaries of time and space.
Krtajna means kṛtam jaanati iti krtajna – the one who knows and remembers what has been done i.e. the person is grateful. Then there are people who are entitled and arrogant and since they tend to adharma much like Ravana they get destroyed.
Taptacami karabhaya vahnaye vishvakarmane |
namastamo’bhinighnaya ravaye (rucaye) lokasakshine || 21
Namah to the Lord shining like molten gold. Namah to the creator, the cause of all activity and creation in the world. Namah to the one who destroys the darkness of ignorance, and who is the cosmic witness of all punya and paapa of all.
Due to our ignorance, we thrive on what I did. Rishi Agastya says that the capacity for all karma, was given to you by Bhagavan, whether it is the ant crawling, the cheetah running, the person climbing a mountain.
nashayat yesha vai bhutam tadeva srijati prabhuh|
payatyesha tapatyesha varshatyesha gabhastibhih || 22
Namah to the Lord who creates the universe, protects its, and finally resolves all into his being. Namah to Him who heats up the world with his rays and thus causes rain.
Bhagavan Krishna says that तपाम्यहमहं वर्षं निगृह्णाम्युत्सृजामि च। 9.19
I heat up the world and I withhold and release rain.
esha supteshu jagarti bhuteshu parinishthitaha |
esha evagnihotram cha phalam chaivagnihotrinam || 23
This Sun abiding in all the living beings keeps awake when they are asleep. Indeed he is the Agnihotra, the fire ritual and the fruit gained by the worshipper of the Agnihotra.
The Sun is not a watchman who is awake while you are sleeping. The reference here is to the Sun that abides as the Atma who is in and through all states of experience – waking, dream and deep sleep. In different stotrams there will always be svarupa words which point to the unchanging intrinsic nature of the Atma.
In the Vedic lifestyle, householders would perform the fire ritual of agnihotra twice a day making offerings of ghee as a duty. It is Bhagavan Surya who bestows the perfomer of Agnihotra with punya to go to svarga. Or one can be in svarga while living on earth if sees that one was free all along.
devashcha kratavashcaiva kratunam phalam eva cha |
yani krityani lokeshu sarva esha ravih prabhuh || 24
The Sun alone manifests as all the devas, the Vedic rituals, and the fruits obtained by performing the rituals. This Lord alone expresses himself in all the activities of all the life forms of all the worlds.
The different Devas are all limbs of the Cosmic being and all shaktis are also his manifestations.
ena-mapatsu krichchreshu kantareshu bhayeshu cha |
kirtayan purushah kashchinnavasidati raghava || 25
Listen Oh Rama! Oh Raghava, of the Raghu dynasty, any person, singing the glories of Surya will not come to grief (or lose heart) even if such a person finds himself in calamities, in difficult situations, while lost in the wilderness, and when beset with fear.
So reassuring this is! We will see the truth of this only when we try chanting Aditya Hridayam.
pujayasvaina-mekagro devadevam jagatpatim |
etat trigunitam japtva yuddheshu vijayishyasi || 26
The Sun is the Lord of the universe, the God of all Gods. Worship him with a single pointed mind. By reciting the Aditya-Hridayam thrice, you will emerge victorious in the battle.
asmin kshane mahabaho ravanam tvam vadhishyasi |
evamuktva tada’gastyo jagama cha yathagatam || 27
O mighty armed one, you shall triumph over Ravana this very moment. After blessing Lord Rama thus, Rishi Agastya went the way he came.
etachchrutva mahateja nashtashoko’bhavattada |
dharayamasa suprito raghavah prayatatmavan || 28
Having heard this, that great warrior Raghava, feeling greatly delighted, became free from grief. He was very happy. With a composed mind and mastery, he retained this in his memory, ready to chant the Aditya Hridayam.
adityam prekshya japtva tu param harshamavaptavan |
trirachamya shuchirbhutva dhanuradaya viryavan || 29
Having performed Achamanam (sipping water thrice) and being purified, Rama gazing at the sun with devotion, recited the hymn Aditya Hridayam thrice snd became intensely joyous. He lifted his bow.
ravanam prekshya hrishtatma yuddhaya samupagamat |
sarvayatnena mahata vadhe tasya dhrito’bhavat || 30
Lord Rama looked at Ravana, and his heart was filled with joy. He proceeded forward to gain victory. put forth all his effort with a determination to kill him. (Ravana)
Before Rishi Agastya shared this, Sri Rama was worried and exhausted. Just hearing this and seeing the meaning, he was filled with hope, vigour and renewed courage to fight the last leg of the battle.
atha ravi-ravadan-nirikshya ramam
mudita manah paramam prahrishyamanaha |
nishicharapati-sankshayam viditva
suragana-madhyagato vachastvareti || 31
The Sun was in the midst of other devas. He saw Sri Rama and his heart was filled with joy. Foreseeing the impending destruction of Ravana a delighted Aditya, exclaimed ‘Hurry up’ or ‘Be quick’.
Suddenly the clouds parted and the sunlight fell upon Rama. The Sun showered his grace on him. And as they say the rest was history or rather Itihaasa.
Such is the beauty of prayer that it fortifies, energises and blesses the devotees all the way, even when the devotee is none other than Sri Rama.
Jai Shree Rama.
