Surya Mantra

When it is sung or recited

When it is recited: at sunrise, on Sundays and during Surya Namaskar. The arghya mantra is said while offering water to the Sun. Many families do this in the morning facing east.

Repetitions: In Surya Namaskar, one name is said with each of the twelve steps.

Meaning

'Om Suryaya Namah' means salutations to Surya, the Sun. In Surya Namaskar the Sun is greeted by twelve of his names in turn: Mitra (friend to all), Ravi (cause of change), Surya (one who sets all activity going), Bhanu (one who spreads light), Khaga (one who moves in the sky), Pushan (nourisher of all), Hiranyagarbha (golden womb, with golden rays), Marichi (possessor of rays), Aditya (son of Aditi), Savitri (source of all things), Arka (one worthy of worship) and Bhaskara (cause of brilliance). Each mantra simply means salutations to the Sun under that name. The arghya mantra invites the Sun, with a thousand rays, a mass of radiance and lord of the world, to kindly accept the offering of water.

Please note

The twelve names are usually said in the plain form 'Om Mitraya Namah' and so on. Some traditions add a seed sound before each name, in this order: Hram, Hrim, Hrum, Hraim, Hraum, Hrah, and then the same six again, for example 'Om Hram Mitraya Namah'. The arghya verse is found in the Bhavishya Purana, where it is used to invite the Sun with an offering of water. Its second line is worded differently in some books; another old text reads 'anukampaya mam deva grihanarghyam namostu te'. For correct pronunciation, ask a scholar or your family priest.

Text compared with: hi.wikipedia.org, en.wikipedia.org, sanskritdocuments.org, sa.wikisource.org, darshya.pages.dev. A comparison with printed editions is still in progress. Wording differs between sources, so follow your priest’s version.