Text, Meaning & Explanation
ततो युद्धपरिश्रान्तं समरे चिन्तया स्थितम् ।
रावणं चाग्रतो दृष्ट्वा युद्धाय समुपस्थितम् ॥१॥
Roman Transliterationtato yuddhaparishraantam samare chintayaa sthitam |
raavanam chaagrato drishtvaa yuddhaaya samupasthitam ||1||tato yuddhapariśrāntaṃ samare cintayā sthitam |
rāvaṇaṃ cāgrato dṛṣṭvā yuddhāya samupasthitam ||1||
Meaning
Exhausted by battle, Rama stands absorbed in thought while Rāvaṇa faces him prepared for combat.Exhausted by battle, Rama stands absorbed in thought while Rāvaṇa faces him prepared for combat.Exhausted by battle, Rāma stands absorbed in thought while Rāvaṇa faces him prepared for combat.
Explanation
The text opens with vulnerability rather than instant triumph. Even an epic hero reaches a moment when strength and reflection must be brought together; the scene explains why a teaching about light follows.
दैवतैश्च समागम्य द्रष्टुमभ्यागतो रणम् ।
उपागम्याब्रवीद्राममगस्त्यो भगवान् ऋषिः ॥२॥
Roman Transliterationdaivataishcha samaagamya drashtumabhyaagato ranam |
upaagamyaabraveedraamamagastyo bhagavaan rishih ||2||daivataiśca samāgamya draṣṭumabhyāgato raṇam |
upāgamyābravīdrāmamagastyo bhagavān ṛṣiḥ ||2||
Meaning
The revered sage Agastya, arriving with divine witnesses to the battle, approaches Rama and speaks.The revered sage Agastya, arriving with divine witnesses to the battle, approaches Rama and speaks.The revered sage Agastya, arriving with divine witnesses to the battle, approaches Rāma and speaks.
Explanation
Agastya enters as a teacher, not another combatant. The presence of the gods frames the counsel as part of the Rāmāyaṇa's sacred narrative, not as a dated historical report.
राम राम महाबाहो शृणु गुह्यं सनातनम् ।
येन सर्वानरीन् वत्स समरे विजयिष्यसि ॥३॥
Roman TransliterationRama Rama mahaabaaho shrinu guhyam sanaatanam |
yena sarvaanareen vatsa samare vijayishyasi ||3||rāma rāma mahābāho śṛṇu guhyaṃ sanātanam |
yena sarvānarīn vatsa samare vijayiṣyasi ||3||
Meaning
Agastya addresses mighty-armed Rama and asks him to hear an enduring hidden teaching through which he will overcome enemies in battle.Agastya addresses mighty-armed Rama and asks him to hear an enduring hidden teaching through which he will overcome enemies in battle.Agastya addresses mighty-armed Rāma and asks him to hear an enduring hidden teaching through which he will overcome enemies in battle.
Explanation
The tender address vatsa, child, contrasts with the martial setting. Guhya signals valued knowledge; it does not by itself authorize a secret initiation procedure for readers.
आदित्यहृदयं पुण्यं सर्वशत्रुविनाशनम् ।
जयावहं जपेन्नित्यमक्षय्यं परमं शिवम् ॥४॥
Roman Transliterationaadityahridayam punyam sarvashatruvinaashanam |
jayaavaham japennityamakshayyam paramam shivam ||4||ādityahṛdayaṃ puṇyaṃ sarvaśatruvināśanam |
jayāvahaṃ japennityamakṣayyaṃ paramaṃ śivam ||4||
Meaning
He praises Āditya Hṛdayam as sacred, victory-bringing, enemy-dispelling, enduring and supremely auspicious, to be remembered regularly.
Explanation
These are assertions spoken in the epic. A devotional reader may hear 'enemies' also as obstacles within, yet that is a later interpretive application rather than a literal replacement for the battlefield context.
सर्वमङ्गलमङ्गल्यं सर्वपापप्रणाशनम् ।
चिन्ताशोकप्रशमनमायुर्वर्धनमुत्तमम् ॥५॥
Roman Transliterationsarvamangalamangalyam sarvapaapapranaashanam |
chintaashokaprashamanamaayurvardhanamuttamam ||5||sarvamaṅgalamaṅgalyaṃ sarvapāpapraṇāśanam |
cintāśokapraśamanamāyurvardhanamuttamam ||5||
Meaning
The hymn is called auspicious among auspicious things, dissolving wrongdoing and grief, quieting worry, and supporting longevity.
Explanation
The language expresses a traditional blessing rather than a clinical effect. The printed maṅgalya reading has a familiar alternative māṅgalya; these are not silently conflated in the draft.
रश्मिमन्तं समुद्यन्तं देवासुरनमस्कृतम् ।
पूजयस्व विवस्वन्तं भास्करं भुवनेश्वरम् ॥६॥
Roman Transliterationrashmimantam samudyantam devaasuranamaskritam |
poojayasva vivasvantam bhaaskaram bhuvaneshvaram ||6||raśmimantaṃ samudyantaṃ devāsuranamaskṛtam |
pūjayasva vivasvantaṃ bhāskaraṃ bhuvaneśvaram ||6||
Meaning
Rama is asked to revere the rising, ray-bearing Sun, Vivasvat and Bhāskara, honoured by divine and asura beings, the lord of the worlds.Rama is asked to revere the rising, ray-bearing Sun, Vivasvat and Bhāskara, honoured by divine and asura beings, the lord of the worlds.Rāma is asked to revere the rising, ray-bearing Sun, Vivasvat and Bhāskara, honoured by divine and asura beings, the lord of the worlds.
Explanation
The verse shifts attention from turmoil toward a shared cosmic light. Devāsura-namaskṛtam is especially broad: the radiant source is pictured as worthy of recognition even across opposing camps.
सर्वदेवात्मको ह्येष तेजस्वी रश्मिभावनः ।
एष देवासुरगणाँल्लोकान् पाति गभस्तिभिः ॥७॥
Roman Transliterationsarvadevaatmako hyesha tejasvee rashmibhaavanah |
esha devaasuraganaam̐llokaan paati gabhastibhih ||7||sarvadevātmako hyeṣa tejasvī raśmibhāvanaḥ |
eṣa devāsuragaṇām̐llokān pāti gabhastibhiḥ ||7||
Meaning
The radiant Sun is praised as embodying all gods and sustaining divine beings, asuras and worlds by his rays.
Explanation
Sarvadevātmaka is a theological statement of encompassing divinity. It need not erase the distinct stories and ritual identities of the deities named next.
एष ब्रह्मा च विष्णुश्च शिवः स्कन्दः प्रजापतिः ।
महेन्द्रो धनदः कालो यमः सोमो ह्यपां पतिः ॥८॥
Roman Transliterationesha Brahma cha vishnushcha shivah skandah prajaapatih |
mahendro dhanadah kaalo yamah somo hyapaam patih ||8||eṣa brahmā ca viṣṇuśca śivaḥ skandaḥ prajāpatiḥ |
mahendro dhanadaḥ kālo yamaḥ somo hyapāṃ patiḥ ||8||
Meaning
The Sun is acclaimed as Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, Skanda, Prajāpati, Indra, Kubera, Time, Yama, Soma and the lord of waters.The Sun is acclaimed as Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, Skanda, Prajāpati, Indra, Kubera, Time, Yama, Soma and the lord of waters.The Sun is acclaimed as Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Śiva, Skanda, Prajāpati, Indra, Kubera, Time, Yama, Soma and the lord of waters.
Explanation
Rather than arguing that one temple tradition must subordinate the others, the verse draws their cosmic functions into one vision of solar splendour.
पितरो वसवः साध्या ह्यश्विनौ मरुतो मनुः ।
वायुर्वह्निः प्रजाप्राण ऋतुकर्ता प्रभाकरः ॥९॥
Roman Transliterationpitaro vasavah saadhyaa hyashvinau maruto manuh |
vaayurvahnih prajaapraana ritukartaa prabhaakarah ||9||pitaro vasavaḥ sādhyā hyaśvinau maruto manuḥ |
vāyurvahniḥ prajāprāṇa ṛtukartā prabhākaraḥ ||9||
Meaning
He is associated with the ancestors, Vasus, Sādhyas, Aśvins, Maruts, Manu, wind and fire, and is the breath of beings, maker of seasons and giver of light.
Explanation
The names move between ancestral, atmospheric and living orders. Ṛtukartā links the hymn's poetic theology to the recognizable rhythm of changing seasons.
आदित्यः सविता सूर्यः खगः पूषा गभस्तिमान् ।
सुवर्णसदृशो भानुर्हिरण्यरेता दिवाकरः ॥१०॥
Roman Transliterationaadityah savitaa sooryah khagah pooshaa gabhastimaan |
suvarnasadrisho bhaanurhiranyaretaa divaakarah ||10||ādityaḥ savitā sūryaḥ khagaḥ pūṣā gabhastimān |
suvarṇasadṛśo bhānurhiraṇyaretā divākaraḥ ||10||
Meaning
He is Āditya, Savitṛ, Sūrya, sky-traveller, nourisher and bearer of rays: gold-like Bhānu, golden-seeded and maker of day.
Explanation
Each epithet highlights a different quality—origin, movement, nourishment, radiance and generative power. The printed hiraṇyaretā differs from some popular viśvaretā readings.
हरिदश्वः सहस्रार्चिः सप्तसप्तिर्मरीचिमान् ।
तिमिरोन्मथनः शम्भुस्त्वष्टा मार्तण्ड अंशुमान् ॥११॥
Roman Transliterationharidashvah sahasraarchih saptasaptirmareechimaan |
timironmathanah shambhustvashtaa maartanda amshumaan ||11||haridaśvaḥ sahasrārciḥ saptasaptirmarīcimān |
timironmathanaḥ śambhustvaṣṭā mārtaṇḍa aṃśumān ||11||
Meaning
He is praised as bearing swift horses and countless rays, dispelling darkness, and as Śambhu, Tvaṣṭṛ, Mārtaṇḍa and Aṃśumān.
Explanation
Seven horses are a traditional image of solar motion, not a zoological claim. The unusual printed spelling and division around mārtaṇḍa aṃśumān need a Sanskrit specialist's review before final canonical approval.
हिरण्यगर्भः शिशिरस्तपनो भास्करो रविः ।
अग्निगर्भोऽदितेः पुत्रः शङ्खः शिशिरनाशनः ॥१२॥
Roman Transliterationhiranyagarbhah shishirastapano bhaaskaro ravih |
agnigarbho’diteh putrah shankhah shishiranaashanah ||12||hiraṇyagarbhaḥ śiśirastapano bhāskaro raviḥ |
agnigarbho'diteḥ putraḥ śaṅkhaḥ śiśiranāśanaḥ ||12||
Meaning
He is Hiraṇyagarbha, Śiśira, Tapana, Bhāskara, Ravi, fire-bearing Aditi's son, Śaṅkha and dispeller of winter cold.
Explanation
The contrast between śiśira (coolness) and tapan (heat) shows the hymn's expansive vocabulary. Śaṅkha is an uncommon solar epithet; a confident interpretation requires contextual commentary.
व्योमनाथस्तमोभेदी ऋग्यजुःसामपारगः ।
घनवृष्टिरपां मित्रो विन्ध्यवीथी प्लवङ्गमः ॥१३॥
Roman Transliterationvyomanaathastamobhedee rigyajuhsaamapaaragah |
ghanavrishtirapaam mitro vindhyaveethee plavangamah ||13||vyomanāthastamobhedī ṛgyajuḥsāmapāragaḥ |
ghanavṛṣṭirapāṃ mitro vindhyavīthī plavaṅgamaḥ ||13||
Meaning
He is sky-lord and darkness-piercer, versed in Ṛg, Yajus and Sāman, bringing rain, befriending waters and travelling the Vindhya course.
Explanation
The verse joins Vedic learning to weather and celestial travel. The Vindhya route is an older cosmographic image; one should not extract precise modern orbital calculations from it.
आतपी मण्डली मृत्युः पिङ्गलः सर्वतापनः ।
कविर्विश्वो महातेजा रक्तः सर्वभवोद्भवः ॥१४॥
Roman Transliterationaatapee mandalee mrityuh pingalah sarvataapanah |
kavirvishvo mahaatejaa raktah sarvabhavodbhavah ||14||ātapī maṇḍalī mṛtyuḥ piṅgalaḥ sarvatāpanaḥ |
kavirviśvo mahātejā raktaḥ sarvabhavodbhavaḥ ||14||
Meaning
He is warmth, the solar disk, death, tawny colour, universal heat, seer, world, mighty light, redness and origin of beings.
Explanation
An apparently severe title such as mṛtyuḥ belongs alongside life-giving epithets: change, ending and renewal are gathered under one image. Kavi means seer or wise poet here, not only a modern author.
नक्षत्रग्रहताराणामधिपो विश्वभावनः ।
तेजसामपि तेजस्वी द्वादशात्मन्नमोऽस्तु ते ॥१५॥
Roman Transliterationnakshatragrahataaraanaamadhipo vishvabhaavanah |
tejasaamapi tejasvee dvaadashaatmannamo’stu te ||15||nakṣatragrahatārāṇāmadhipo viśvabhāvanaḥ |
tejasāmapi tejasvī dvādaśātmannamo'stu te ||15||
Meaning
Salutations to the ruler of stars and planets, sustainer of the world, brightest among the bright, addressed as the one of twelve forms.
Explanation
Dvādaśātman is commonly related to twelve Ādityas or the twelvefold annual cycle, depending on commentary. This is devotional cosmology, not a modern astronomical taxonomy.
नमः पूर्वाय गिरये पश्चिमे गिरये नमः ।
ज्योतिर्गणानां पतये दिनाधिपतये नमः ॥१६॥
Roman Transliterationnamah poorvaaya giraye pashchime giraye namah |
jyotirganaanaam pataye dinaadhipataye namah ||16||namaḥ pūrvāya giraye paścime giraye namaḥ |
jyotirgaṇānāṃ pataye dinādhipataye namaḥ ||16||
Meaning
Homage to the Sun associated with the eastern and western mountains, to the leader of luminous bodies and ruler of the day.
Explanation
Sunrise and sunset are represented through eastern and western mountains. The printed paścime giraye is unusual compared with paścimāyādraye and remains a flagged variant.
जयाय जयभद्राय हर्यश्वाय नमो नमः ।
नमो नमः सहस्रांशो आदित्याय नमो नमः ॥१७॥
Roman Transliterationjayaaya jayabhadraaya haryashvaaya namo namah |
namo namah sahasraamsho aadityaaya namo namah ||17||jayāya jayabhadrāya haryaśvāya namo namaḥ |
namo namaḥ sahasrāṃśo ādityāya namo namaḥ ||17||
Meaning
Repeated homage to the victorious and welfare-giving one, to the green-horsed Sun and Āditya with a thousand rays.
Explanation
Repeated namaḥ creates the cadence of a litany. The point is gratitude and attentiveness, not a mechanical rule that a numerical repetition guarantees victory.
नम उग्राय वीराय सारङ्गाय नमो नमः ।
नमः पद्मप्रबोधाय मार्ताण्डाय नमो नमः ॥१८॥
Roman Transliterationnama ugraaya veeraaya saarangaaya namo namah |
namah padmaprabodhaaya maartaandaaya namo namah ||18||nama ugrāya vīrāya sāraṅgāya namo namaḥ |
namaḥ padmaprabodhāya mārtāṇḍāya namo namaḥ ||18||
Meaning
Salutations to the fierce, heroic, swift-moving Sāraṅga and to Mārtaṇḍa, who awakens lotuses.
Explanation
Lotus awakening offers a gentle counterweight to martial adjectives. Sāraṅga has multiple senses; the contextual solar sense should be discussed without claiming universal agreement.
ब्रह्मेशानाच्युतेशाय सूर्यायादित्यवर्चसे ।
भास्वते सर्वभक्षाय रौद्राय वपुषे नमः ॥१९॥
Roman Transliterationbrahmeshaanaachyuteshaaya sooryaayaadityavarchase |
bhaasvate sarvabhakshaaya raudraaya vapushe namah ||19||brahmeśānācyuteśāya sūryāyādityavarcase |
bhāsvate sarvabhakṣāya raudrāya vapuṣe namaḥ ||19||
Meaning
He is praised as lord of Brahma, Īśāna and Acyuta, radiant Sūrya, shining and also all-consuming in terrible form.He is praised as lord of Brahma, Īśāna and Acyuta, radiant Sūrya, shining and also all-consuming in terrible form.He is praised as lord of Brahmā, Īśāna and Acyuta, radiant Sūrya, shining and also all-consuming in terrible form.
Explanation
The worshipper sees divine brilliance as both nurturing and overwhelming. The combination of these epithets is a poetic assertion of sovereignty, not a claim that other deities lack distinct traditions.
तमोघ्नाय हिमघ्नाय शत्रुघ्नायामितात्मने ।
कृतघ्नघ्नाय देवाय ज्योतिषां पतये नमः ॥२०॥
Roman Transliterationtamoghnaaya himaghnaaya shatrughnaayaamitaatmane |
kritaghnaghnaaya devaaya jyotishaam pataye namah ||20||tamoghnāya himaghnāya śatrughnāyāmitātmane |
kṛtaghnaghnāya devāya jyotiṣāṃ pataye namaḥ ||20||
Meaning
Homage to the destroyer of darkness, frost, hostility and ingratitude, boundless in nature and lord of lights.
Explanation
The string of ghna epithets conveys fierce removal. A modern educational reading may emphasize moral clarity, but should not instruct hostility toward real people.
तप्तचामीकराभाय वह्नये विश्वकर्मणे ।
नमस्तमोऽभिनिघ्नाय रुचये लोकसाक्षिणे ॥२१॥
Roman Transliterationtaptachaameekaraabhaaya vahnaye vishvakarmane |
namastamo’bhinighnaaya ruchaye lokasaakshine ||21||taptacāmīkarābhāya vahnaye viśvakarmaṇe |
namastamo'bhinighnāya rucaye lokasākṣiṇe ||21||
Meaning
Homage to the fire-like radiance of molten gold, maker of the world, dispeller of darkness and witness of human life.
Explanation
Lokasākṣin, witness of the world, joins illumination to accountability: actions unfold before a light that nothing in the imagery hides from.
नाशयत्येष वै भूतं तदेव सृजति प्रभुः ।
पायत्येष तपत्येष वर्षत्येष गभस्तिभिः ॥२२॥
Roman Transliterationnaashayatyesha vai bhootam tadeva srijati prabhuh |
paayatyesha tapatyesha varshatyesha gabhastibhih ||22||nāśayatyeṣa vai bhūtaṃ tadeva sṛjati prabhuḥ |
pāyatyeṣa tapatyeṣa varṣatyeṣa gabhastibhiḥ ||22||
Meaning
The lord is described as dissolving and again creating beings; through his rays he dries, heats and makes rain possible.
Explanation
The stanza connects the life cycle with water and heat. It is a religious picture informed by environmental observation, not a literal scientific account of every rainfall.
एष सुप्तेषु जागर्ति भूतेषु परिनिष्ठितः ।
एष एवाग्निहोत्रं च फलं चैवाग्निहोत्रिणाम् ॥२३॥
Roman Transliterationesha supteshu jaagarti bhooteshu parinishthitah |
esha evaagnihotram cha phalam chaivaagnihotrinaam ||23||eṣa supteṣu jāgarti bhūteṣu pariniṣṭhitaḥ |
eṣa evāgnihotraṃ ca phalaṃ caivāgnihotriṇām ||23||
Meaning
Remaining present in creatures, he is awake while they sleep; the text identifies him with Agnihotra and its fruits.
Explanation
The contrast between waking and sleeping invites contemplation of continuing cosmic order. Agnihotra is mentioned as sacred imagery, not expanded into an unsourced do-it-yourself fire ritual.
वेदाश्च क्रतवश्चैव क्रतूनां फलमेव च ।
यानि कृत्यानि लोकेषु सर्व एष रविः प्रभुः ॥२४॥
Roman Transliterationvedaashcha kratavashchaiva kratoonaam phalameva cha |
yaani krityaani lokeshu sarva esha ravih prabhuh ||24||vedāśca kratavaścaiva kratūnāṃ phalameva ca |
yāni kṛtyāni lokeṣu sarva eṣa raviḥ prabhuḥ ||24||
Meaning
The hymn identifies the Vedas, rites, their results and duties in the world with the all-pervading lord Ravi.
Explanation
The perspective is integrative: knowledge, action and consequences are held together. The verse does not provide a ritual manual despite mentioning sacrifice.
एनमापत्सु कृच्छ्रेषु कान्तारेषु भयेषु च ।
कीर्तयन् पुरुषः कश्चिन्नावसीदति राघव ॥२५॥
Roman Transliterationenamaapatsu krichchhreshu kaantaareshu bhayeshu cha |
keertayan purushah kashchinnaavaseedati raaghava ||25||enamāpatsu kṛcchreṣu kāntāreṣu bhayeṣu ca |
kīrtayan puruṣaḥ kaścinnāvasīdati rāghava ||25||
Meaning
Agastya assures Rāghava that one praising this deity in danger, hardship, wilderness or fear will not collapse in despair.
Explanation
This is an assurance within devotion, not evidence that recitation eliminates physical danger. Practical protection, medical care and wise decisions still matter.
पूजयस्वैनमेकाग्रो देवदेवं जगत्पतिम् ।
एतत् त्रिगुणितं जप्त्वा युद्धेषु विजयिष्यसि ॥२६॥
Roman Transliterationpoojayasvainamekaagro devadevam jagatpatim |
etat trigunitam japtvaa yuddheshu vijayishyasi ||26||pūjayasvainamekāgro devadevaṃ jagatpatim |
etat triguṇitaṃ japtvā yuddheṣu vijayiṣyasi ||26||
Meaning
He urges Rama to worship the lord of the world with a focused mind and says threefold recitation will bring victory in battle.He urges Rama to worship the lord of the world with a focused mind and says threefold recitation will bring victory in battle.He urges Rāma to worship the lord of the world with a focused mind and says threefold recitation will bring victory in battle.
Explanation
The threefold instruction belongs to Agastya's battle counsel. The editorial page reports it without laying out prescriptive practice steps or claiming infallible results.
अस्मिन् क्षणे महाबाहो रावणं त्वं वधिष्यसि ।
एवमुक्त्वा तदाऽगस्त्यो जगाम च यथागतम् ॥२७॥
Roman Transliterationasmin kshane mahaabaaho raavanam tvam vadhishyasi |
evamuktvaa tadaa’gastyo jagaama cha yathaagatam ||27||asmin kṣaṇe mahābāho rāvaṇaṃ tvaṃ vadhiṣyasi |
evamuktvā tadā'gastyo jagāma ca yathāgatam ||27||
Meaning
Agastya declares that Rama will defeat Rāvaṇa at that moment and then departs as he came.Agastya declares that Rama will defeat Rāvaṇa at that moment and then departs as he came.Agastya declares that Rāma will defeat Rāvaṇa at that moment and then departs as he came.
Explanation
The teacher's role is complete before the battle resumes. This verse also signals that direct instruction ends and narrative reporting begins.
एतच्छ्रुत्वा महातेजा नष्टशोकोऽभवत्तदा ।
धारयामास सुप्रीतो राघवः प्रयतात्मवान् ॥२८॥
Roman Transliterationetachchhrutvaa mahaatejaa nashtashoko’bhavattadaa |
dhaarayaamaasa supreeto raaghavah prayataatmavaan ||28||etacchrutvā mahātejā naṣṭaśoko'bhavattadā |
dhārayāmāsa suprīto rāghavaḥ prayatātmavān ||28||
Meaning
Hearing the teaching, Rāghava loses his sorrow, becomes joyful and composed, and holds the words in his mind.
Explanation
The poem marks a change of disposition before any new external action. This is one of its most accessible literary insights: attention can precede resolve.
आदित्यं प्रेक्ष्य जप्त्वा तु परं हर्षमवाप्तवान् ।
त्रिराचम्य शुचिर्भूत्वा धनुरादाय वीर्यवान् ॥२९॥
Roman Transliterationaadityam prekshya japtvaa tu param harshamavaaptavaan |
triraachamya shuchirbhootvaa dhanuraadaaya veeryavaan ||29||ādityaṃ prekṣya japtvā tu paraṃ harṣamavāptavān |
trirācamya śucirbhūtvā dhanurādāya vīryavān ||29||
Meaning
After contemplating Āditya and reciting, Rama rejoices, performs ācamana three times and takes up his bow.After contemplating Āditya and reciting, Rama rejoices, performs ācamana three times and takes up his bow.After contemplating Āditya and reciting, Rāma rejoices, performs ācamana three times and takes up his bow.
Explanation
These actions are narrated as Rama's behavior, not a general prescription to stare at the Sun. Direct solar viewing can damage the eyes; no such instruction is given here.These actions are narrated as Rama's behavior, not a general prescription to stare at the Sun. Direct solar viewing can damage the eyes; no such instruction is given here.These actions are narrated as Rāma's behavior, not a general prescription to stare at the Sun. Direct solar viewing can damage the eyes; no such instruction is given here.
रावणं प्रेक्ष्य हृष्टात्मा युद्धाय समुपागमत् ।
सर्वयत्नेन महता वधे तस्य धृतोऽभवत् ॥३०॥
Roman Transliterationraavanam prekshya hrishtaatmaa yuddhaaya samupaagamat |
sarvayatnena mahataa vadhe tasya dhrito’bhavat ||30||rāvaṇaṃ prekṣya hṛṣṭātmā yuddhāya samupāgamat |
sarvayatnena mahatā vadhe tasya dhṛto'bhavat ||30||
Meaning
Rama sees Rāvaṇa and advances to battle with a joyful, determined mind, firmly resolved to defeat him.Rama sees Rāvaṇa and advances to battle with a joyful, determined mind, firmly resolved to defeat him.Rāma sees Rāvaṇa and advances to battle with a joyful, determined mind, firmly resolved to defeat him.
Explanation
Resolve is accompanied by sarvayatna, all-out effort. The narrative does not substitute words for action; it combines reverence, regained confidence and exertion.
अथ रविरवदन्निरीक्ष्य रामं मुदितमनाः परमं प्रहृष्यमाणः ।
निशिचरपतिसंक्षयं विदित्वा सुरगणमध्यगतो वचस्त्वरेति ॥३१॥
Roman Transliterationatha raviravadannireekshya raamam muditamanaah paramam prahrishyamaanah |
nishicharapatisamkshayam viditvaa suraganamadhyagato vachastvareti ||31||atha raviravadannirīkṣya rāmaṃ muditamanāḥ paramaṃ prahṛṣyamāṇaḥ |
niśicarapatisaṃkṣayaṃ viditvā suragaṇamadhyagato vacastvareti ||31||
Meaning
The Sun, standing among divine beings, rejoices on seeing Rama and foreseeing the downfall of the night-roamer king; he urges haste.The Sun, standing among divine beings, rejoices on seeing Rama and foreseeing the downfall of the night-roamer king; he urges haste.The Sun, standing among divine beings, rejoices on seeing Rāma and foreseeing the downfall of the night-roamer king; he urges haste.
Explanation
The final verse returns to the cosmic audience introduced at the start. Its poetic blessing closes a coherent thirty-one-verse episode rather than a free-standing string of names.
इत्यार्षे श्रीमद्रामायणे वाल्मीकीये आदिकाव्ये युद्धकाण्डे सप्तोत्तरशततमः सर्गः ॥१०७॥
Roman Transliterationityaarshe shreemadraamaayane vaalmeekeeye aadikaavye yuddhakaande saptottarashatatamah sargah ||107||ityārṣe śrīmadrāmāyaṇe vālmīkīye ādikāvye yuddhakāṇḍe saptottaraśatatamaḥ sargaḥ ||107||
Meaning
The colophon closes the one-hundred-and-seventh sarga of the Yuddha Kāṇḍa in this edition of the Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa.
Explanation
This is an editorial closing formula in the selected edition, not verse 32 of Āditya Hṛdayam. Other recensions number the same passage sarga 105.
Context & Usage
Edition notice: 31 verses and a separate chapter colophon from a digital transcription reporting the Govindarāja-commentary Yuddhakāṇḍa sarga 107 print. The old scan itself has NOT yet been independently collated. educational edition only. 1 2
Context, textual boundaries and interpretation
The hymn is part of the Yuddhakāṇḍa of the Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa. A battle-worn Rama encounters Agastya, who turns his attention towards the Sun's encompassing light before the decisive encounter with Rāvaṇa. . A battle-worn Rāma encounters Agastya, who turns his attention towards the Sun's encompassing light before the decisive encounter with Rāvaṇa. Verses 1–2 set the scene; 3–27 present Agastya's address and praise; 28–31 return to Rama's altered disposition and the unfolding narrative. The text is thus a complete episode, not merely a list of divine names. return to Rāma's altered disposition and the unfolding narrative. The text is thus a complete episode, not merely a list of divine names. 1 3
Āditya names the Sun in his connection with Aditi, while hṛdaya suggests an inward core or essence. The passage moves from immediate fear to a vast vocabulary of radiance, time, seasonal order and shared divinity. When it calls Sūrya the very form of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva (verse 8), that is devotional theology, not a requirement that every Hindu tradition adopt a single sectarian formulation. The statements about victory, fear, merit and long life belong to the narrative and to traditional praise. They are suggests an inward core or essence. The passage moves from immediate fear to a vast vocabulary of radiance, time, seasonal order and shared divinity. When it calls Sūrya the very form of Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva (verse 8), that is devotional theology, not a requirement that every Hindu tradition adopt a single sectarian formulation. The statements about victory, fear, merit and long life belong to the narrative and to traditional praise. They are not guaranteed medical, psychological or protective outcomes. Verse 29 describes Rama turning toward the Sun; it does not recommend unsafe direct Sun-gazing or supply a new ritual procedure. . Verse 29 describes Rāma turning toward the Sun; it does not recommend unsafe direct Sun-gazing or supply a new ritual procedure. Recensions: The reported Govindarāja print's sarga number is 107; the separate digital Valmiki Ramayana site numbers the 31-verse episode 105. The selected spelling in verse 5 is maṅgalyaṃ, with māṅgalyaṃ widespread elsewhere; verse 16 gives paścime giraye rather than paścimāyādraye. The original passage above retains one reading while variants remain distinct. Historical image collation and specialist proofreading are pending. 1 3 4
What the structure reveals
Light and discernment: rays overcoming darkness supply a natural image for clarity, without reducing an ancient hymn to motivational slogans. Time and change: references to seasons, rain, death and renewal show the Sun as a focus for contemplating the whole cycle of life. Devotion and effort: Rama's return to action after receiving counsel makes the ending as important as the initial promise of success. Rāma's return to action after receiving counsel makes the ending as important as the initial promise of success. Source and rights note: All 31 verses of the selected digital reading are represented here, but this is not a page-by-page verified transcription of the historical DjVu scan. The IAST is a new algorithmic transliteration needing Sanskrit review; English and Hindi interpretations are newly authored editorial prose. The modern comparison editors' translations have not been republished. 1 2
Frequently asked questions
Is this merely a list of Sūrya's names? No. It begins with an exhausted Rama, delivers Agastya's counsel and concludes with Rama's return to battle. No. It begins with an exhausted Rāma, delivers Agastya's counsel and concludes with Rāma's return to battle. How many verses are in this edition? Thirty-one numbered verses, followed by a separate colophon (not verse 32). Why do references say sarga 105 or 107? Chapter numbering differs among textual recensions; internal numbering of the hymn remains 1–31 here. Does reciting it guarantee victory or cure distress? The language is an in-story traditional promise, not a verified or universal outcome. Is looking straight at the Sun part of the instruction? No. The account of Rama's actions is not a safe-sun-viewing recommendation. No. The account of Rāma's actions is not a safe-sun-viewing recommendation.
Additional passage commentary
These original explanatory paragraphs are aligned to the numbered Sanskrit units; they are not copied from the online modern translations.
Verse 1
Meaning: Exhausted by battle, Rama stands absorbed in thought while Rāvaṇa faces him prepared for combat. Exhausted by battle, Rāma stands absorbed in thought while Rāvaṇa faces him prepared for combat. Reading note: The text opens with vulnerability rather than instant triumph. Even an epic hero reaches a moment when strength and reflection must be brought together; the scene explains why a teaching about light follows.
Verse 2
Meaning: The revered sage Agastya, arriving with divine witnesses to the battle, approaches Rama and speaks. The revered sage Agastya, arriving with divine witnesses to the battle, approaches Rāma and speaks. Reading note: Agastya enters as a teacher, not another combatant. The presence of the gods frames the counsel as part of the Rāmāyaṇa's sacred narrative, not as a dated historical report.
Verse 3
Meaning: Agastya addresses mighty-armed Rama and asks him to hear an enduring hidden teaching through which he will overcome enemies in battle. Agastya addresses mighty-armed Rāma and asks him to hear an enduring hidden teaching through which he will overcome enemies in battle. Reading note: The tender address vatsa, child, contrasts with the martial setting. Guhya signals valued knowledge; it does not by itself authorize a secret initiation procedure for readers.
Verse 4
Meaning: He praises Āditya Hṛdayam as sacred, victory-bringing, enemy-dispelling, enduring and supremely auspicious, to be remembered regularly. Reading note: These are assertions spoken in the epic. A devotional reader may hear 'enemies' also as obstacles within, yet that is a later interpretive application rather than a literal replacement for the battlefield context.
Verse 5
Meaning: The hymn is called auspicious among auspicious things, dissolving wrongdoing and grief, quieting worry, and supporting longevity. Reading note: The language expresses a traditional blessing rather than a clinical effect. The printed maṅgalya reading has a familiar alternative māṅgalya; these are not silently conflated in the draft.
Verse 6
Meaning: Rama is asked to revere the rising, ray-bearing Sun, Vivasvat and Bhāskara, honoured by divine and asura beings, the lord of the worlds. Rāma is asked to revere the rising, ray-bearing Sun, Vivasvat and Bhāskara, honoured by divine and asura beings, the lord of the worlds. Reading note: The verse shifts attention from turmoil toward a shared cosmic light. Devāsura-namaskṛtam is especially broad: the radiant source is pictured as worthy of recognition even across opposing camps.
Verse 7
Meaning: The radiant Sun is praised as embodying all gods and sustaining divine beings, asuras and worlds by his rays. Reading note: Sarvadevātmaka is a theological statement of encompassing divinity. It need not erase the distinct stories and ritual identities of the deities named next.
Verse 8
Meaning: The Sun is acclaimed as Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, Skanda, Prajāpati, Indra, Kubera, Time, Yama, Soma and the lord of waters. The Sun is acclaimed as Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Śiva, Skanda, Prajāpati, Indra, Kubera, Time, Yama, Soma and the lord of waters. Reading note: Rather than arguing that one temple tradition must subordinate the others, the verse draws their cosmic functions into one vision of solar splendour.
Verse 9
Meaning: He is associated with the ancestors, Vasus, Sādhyas, Aśvins, Maruts, Manu, wind and fire, and is the breath of beings, maker of seasons and giver of light. Reading note: The names move between ancestral, atmospheric and living orders. Ṛtukartā links the hymn's poetic theology to the recognizable rhythm of changing seasons.
Verse 10
Meaning: He is Āditya, Savitṛ, Sūrya, sky-traveller, nourisher and bearer of rays: gold-like Bhānu, golden-seeded and maker of day. Reading note: Each epithet highlights a different quality—origin, movement, nourishment, radiance and generative power. The printed hiraṇyaretā differs from some popular viśvaretā readings.
Verse 11
Meaning: He is praised as bearing swift horses and countless rays, dispelling darkness, and as Śambhu, Tvaṣṭṛ, Mārtaṇḍa and Aṃśumān. Reading note: Seven horses are a traditional image of solar motion, not a zoological claim. The unusual printed spelling and division around mārtaṇḍa aṃśumān need a Sanskrit specialist's review before final canonical approval.
Verse 12
Meaning: He is Hiraṇyagarbha, Śiśira, Tapana, Bhāskara, Ravi, fire-bearing Aditi's son, Śaṅkha and dispeller of winter cold. Reading note: The contrast between śiśira (coolness) and tapan (heat) shows the hymn's expansive vocabulary. Śaṅkha is an uncommon solar epithet; a confident interpretation requires contextual commentary.
Verse 13
Meaning: He is sky-lord and darkness-piercer, versed in Ṛg, Yajus and Sāman, bringing rain, befriending waters and travelling the Vindhya course. Reading note: The verse joins Vedic learning to weather and celestial travel. The Vindhya route is an older cosmographic image; one should not extract precise modern orbital calculations from it.
Verse 14
Meaning: He is warmth, the solar disk, death, tawny colour, universal heat, seer, world, mighty light, redness and origin of beings. Reading note: An apparently severe title such as mṛtyuḥ belongs alongside life-giving epithets: change, ending and renewal are gathered under one image. Kavi means seer or wise poet here, not only a modern author.
Verse 15
Meaning: Salutations to the ruler of stars and planets, sustainer of the world, brightest among the bright, addressed as the one of twelve forms. Reading note: Dvādaśātman is commonly related to twelve Ādityas or the twelvefold annual cycle, depending on commentary. This is devotional cosmology, not a modern astronomical taxonomy.
Verse 16
Meaning: Homage to the Sun associated with the eastern and western mountains, to the leader of luminous bodies and ruler of the day. Reading note: Sunrise and sunset are represented through eastern and western mountains. The printed paścime giraye is unusual compared with paścimāyādraye and remains a flagged variant.
Verse 17
Meaning: Repeated homage to the victorious and welfare-giving one, to the green-horsed Sun and Āditya with a thousand rays. Reading note: Repeated namaḥ creates the cadence of a litany. The point is gratitude and attentiveness, not a mechanical rule that a numerical repetition guarantees victory.
Verse 18
Meaning: Salutations to the fierce, heroic, swift-moving Sāraṅga and to Mārtaṇḍa, who awakens lotuses. Reading note: Lotus awakening offers a gentle counterweight to martial adjectives. Sāraṅga has multiple senses; the contextual solar sense should be discussed without claiming universal agreement.
Verse 19
Meaning: He is praised as lord of Brahma, Īśāna and Acyuta, radiant Sūrya, shining and also all-consuming in terrible form. He is praised as lord of Brahmā, Īśāna and Acyuta, radiant Sūrya, shining and also all-consuming in terrible form. Reading note: The worshipper sees divine brilliance as both nurturing and overwhelming. The combination of these epithets is a poetic assertion of sovereignty, not a claim that other deities lack distinct traditions.
Verse 20
Meaning: Homage to the destroyer of darkness, frost, hostility and ingratitude, boundless in nature and lord of lights. Reading note: The string of ghna epithets conveys fierce removal. A modern educational reading may emphasize moral clarity, but should not instruct hostility toward real people.
Verse 21
Meaning: Homage to the fire-like radiance of molten gold, maker of the world, dispeller of darkness and witness of human life. Reading note: Lokasākṣin, witness of the world, joins illumination to accountability: actions unfold before a light that nothing in the imagery hides from.
Verse 22
Meaning: The lord is described as dissolving and again creating beings; through his rays he dries, heats and makes rain possible. Reading note: The stanza connects the life cycle with water and heat. It is a religious picture informed by environmental observation, not a literal scientific account of every rainfall.
Verse 23
Meaning: Remaining present in creatures, he is awake while they sleep; the text identifies him with Agnihotra and its fruits. Reading note: The contrast between waking and sleeping invites contemplation of continuing cosmic order. Agnihotra is mentioned as sacred imagery, not expanded into an unsourced do-it-yourself fire ritual.
Verse 24
Meaning: The hymn identifies the Vedas, rites, their results and duties in the world with the all-pervading lord Ravi. Reading note: The perspective is integrative: knowledge, action and consequences are held together. The verse does not provide a ritual manual despite mentioning sacrifice.
Verse 25
Meaning: Agastya assures Rāghava that one praising this deity in danger, hardship, wilderness or fear will not collapse in despair. Reading note: This is an assurance within devotion, not evidence that recitation eliminates physical danger. Practical protection, medical care and wise decisions still matter.
Verse 26
Meaning: He urges Rama to worship the lord of the world with a focused mind and says threefold recitation will bring victory in battle. He urges Rāma to worship the lord of the world with a focused mind and says threefold recitation will bring victory in battle. Reading note: The threefold instruction belongs to Agastya's battle counsel. The editorial page reports it without laying out prescriptive practice steps or claiming infallible results.
Verse 27
Meaning: Agastya declares that Rama will defeat Rāvaṇa at that moment and then departs as he came. Agastya declares that Rāma will defeat Rāvaṇa at that moment and then departs as he came. Reading note: The teacher's role is complete before the battle resumes. This verse also signals that direct instruction ends and narrative reporting begins.
Verse 28
Meaning: Hearing the teaching, Rāghava loses his sorrow, becomes joyful and composed, and holds the words in his mind. Reading note: The poem marks a change of disposition before any new external action. This is one of its most accessible literary insights: attention can precede resolve.
Verse 29
Meaning: After contemplating Āditya and reciting, Rama rejoices, performs ācamana three times and takes up his bow. After contemplating Āditya and reciting, Rāma rejoices, performs ācamana three times and takes up his bow. Reading note: These actions are narrated as Rama's behavior, not a general prescription to stare at the Sun. Direct solar viewing can damage the eyes; no such instruction is given here. These actions are narrated as Rāma's behavior, not a general prescription to stare at the Sun. Direct solar viewing can damage the eyes; no such instruction is given here.
Verse 30
Meaning: Rama sees Rāvaṇa and advances to battle with a joyful, determined mind, firmly resolved to defeat him. Rāma sees Rāvaṇa and advances to battle with a joyful, determined mind, firmly resolved to defeat him. Reading note: Resolve is accompanied by sarvayatna, all-out effort. The narrative does not substitute words for action; it combines reverence, regained confidence and exertion.
Verse 31
Meaning: The Sun, standing among divine beings, rejoices on seeing Rama and foreseeing the downfall of the night-roamer king; he urges haste. The Sun, standing among divine beings, rejoices on seeing Rāma and foreseeing the downfall of the night-roamer king; he urges haste. Reading note: The final verse returns to the cosmic audience introduced at the start. Its poetic blessing closes a coherent thirty-one-verse episode rather than a free-standing string of names.
Colophon and edition identity
Meaning: The colophon closes the one-hundred-and-seventh sarga of the Yuddha Kāṇḍa in this edition of the Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa. Reading note: This is an editorial closing formula in the selected edition, not verse 32 of Āditya Hṛdayam. Other recensions number the same passage sarga 105.