There are many beautiful Hindu prayers to Sūrya, the Sun God, ranging from very short daily mantras to longer stotras. The most commonly used are:
1. Sūrya Gāyatrī
ॐ भास्कराय विद्महे
महाद्युतिकराय धीमहि
तन्नः सूर्यः प्रचोदयात् ॥
Om Bhāskarāya Vidmahe
Mahādyutikarāya Dhīmahi
Tanno Sūryaḥ Prachodayāt.
We meditate upon Bhāskara, the radiant One.
May that Sun, the great source of light, illuminate and guide our intellect.
2. Āditya Hṛdayam
The celebrated prayer to Sūrya in the Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa. Sage Agastya teaches it to Rama on the battlefield before his final encounter with Ravana.
It begins:
ततो युद्धपरिश्रान्तं समरे चिन्तया स्थितम् ।
रावणं चाग्रतो दृष्ट्वा युद्धाय समुपस्थितम् ॥
Seeing Rama exhausted in battle and Ravana standing before him, ready for combat…
And then Agastya teaches Rama the Āditya Hṛdayam, praising Sūrya as the visible manifestation of the Divine, the source of life, energy and light.
This is perhaps the most profound traditional prayer to Sūrya.
3. Simple Sūrya Mantra
ॐ सूर्याय नमः ।
Om Sūryāya Namaḥ
Salutations to Sūrya.
You can chant it while offering water to the rising Sun.
4. The 12 Āditya Names
During Sūrya Namaskāra, the Sun is traditionally invoked through twelve names:
ॐ मित्राय नमः — Om Mitrāya Namaḥ
ॐ रवये नमः — Om Ravaye Namaḥ
ॐ सूर्याय नमः — Om Sūryāya Namaḥ
ॐ भानवे नमः — Om Bhānave Namaḥ
ॐ खगाय नमः — Om Khagāya Namaḥ
ॐ पूष्णे नमः — Om Pūṣṇe Namaḥ
ॐ हिरण्यगर्भाय नमः — Om Hiraṇyagarbhāya Namaḥ
ॐ मरीचये नमः — Om Marīcaye Namaḥ
ॐ आदित्याय नमः — Om Ādityāya Namaḥ
ॐ सवित्रे नमः — Om Savitre Namaḥ
ॐ अर्काय नमः — Om Arkāya Namaḥ
ॐ भास्कराय नमः — Om Bhāskarāya Namaḥ
5. A very familiar morning verse
आदिदेव नमस्तुभ्यं प्रसीद मम भास्कर ।
दिवाकर नमस्तुभ्यं प्रभाकर नमोऽस्तु ते ॥
Ādideva namastubhyaṁ, prasīda mama Bhāskara
Divākara namastubhyaṁ, Prabhākara namo'stu te.
O primordial Divine One, O Bhāskara, I bow to you.
O maker of the day, O giver of light, my salutations to you.
A simple, complete morning Sūrya worship sequence that can be followed after bathing, especially at sunrise. There are many regional and sampradāya variations; this is a traditional, devotional sequence rather than a claim that there is only one prescribed order.
Sūrya Pūjā — A Morning Sequence
1. Begin with remembrance
Stand facing the rising Sun, preferably in the morning. Join your palms and remember the Divine as the source of light, life and consciousness.
ॐ सूर्याय नमः ।
Om Sūryāya Namaḥ.
Meaning:
Salutations to Sūrya, the radiant Sun God.
You may repeat this 3 times.
2. Offer Arghya to Sūrya
Take clean water in both hands or in a small vessel and slowly offer it toward the Sun, allowing the water to flow through your joined palms.
A traditional arghya mantra is:
ॐ आदित्याय नमः ।
Om Ādityāya Namaḥ.
Meaning:
Salutations to Āditya, the Divine Sun.
You may offer water three times, reciting the mantra each time.
Another beautiful longer prayer while offering water is:
आदिदेव नमस्तुभ्यं
प्रसीद मम भास्कर ।
दिवाकर नमस्तुभ्यं
प्रभाकर नमोऽस्तु ते ॥
Ādideva namastubhyaṁ
Prasīda mama Bhāskara
Divākara namastubhyaṁ
Prabhākara namo'stu te.
Meaning:
O Primordial Divine One, I bow to You.
O Bhāskara, be gracious to me.
O Maker of the day, I bow to You.
O Giver of light, my salutations to You.
3. The Twelve Names of Sūrya
These twelve names are traditionally associated with Sūrya Namaskāra. They are beautiful to recite while mentally contemplating the different aspects of the Sun.
1. Mitra — Friend of all
ॐ मित्राय नमः ।
Om Mitrāya Namaḥ.
Salutations to the Friend of all beings.
2. Ravi — The Radiant One
ॐ रवये नमः ।
Om Ravaye Namaḥ.
Salutations to the One who shines and illumines.
3. Sūrya — The Divine Sun
ॐ सूर्याय नमः ।
Om Sūryāya Namaḥ.
Salutations to the radiant Lord who dispels darkness.
4. Bhānu — The Shining One
ॐ भानवे नमः ।
Om Bhānave Namaḥ.
Salutations to the One who radiates light.
5. Khaga — The One who moves through the sky
ॐ खगाय नमः ।
Om Khagāya Namaḥ.
Salutations to the One who traverses the heavens.
6. Pūṣan — The Nourisher
ॐ पूष्णे नमः ।
Om Pūṣṇe Namaḥ.
Salutations to the One who nourishes and sustains all life.
7. Hiraṇyagarbha — The Golden Cosmic Womb
ॐ हिरण्यगर्भाय नमः ।
Om Hiraṇyagarbhāya Namaḥ.
Salutations to the Golden Cosmic Source from which creation arises.
8. Marīci — Lord of the Rays
ॐ मरीचये नमः ।
Om Marīcaye Namaḥ.
Salutations to the One whose rays spread throughout the universe.
9. Āditya — Son of Aditi
ॐ आदित्याय नमः ।
Om Ādityāya Namaḥ.
Salutations to Āditya, the radiant son of Aditi.
10. Savitṛ — The Divine Impeller
ॐ सवित्रे नमः ।
Om Savitre Namaḥ.
Salutations to Savitṛ, the divine source who impels and inspires all life.
11. Arka — The Radiant One
ॐ अर्काय नमः ।
Om Arkāya Namaḥ.
Salutations to the One who shines with splendour.
12. Bhāskara — The Giver of Light
ॐ भास्कराय नमः ।
Om Bhāskarāya Namaḥ.
Salutations to the One who produces and spreads light.
4. Sūrya Gāyatrī
After the twelve names, you may sit quietly and chant the Sūrya Gāyatrī:
ॐ भास्कराय विद्महे
महाद्युतिकराय धीमहि ।
तन्नः सूर्यः प्रचोदयात् ॥
Om Bhāskarāya Vidmahe
Mahādyutikarāya Dhīmahi
Tannaḥ Sūryaḥ Prachodayāt.
Meaning:
We contemplate Bhāskara, the radiant One.
We meditate upon the great illuminator.
May Sūrya inspire and illumine our intellect.
This is especially beautiful in the morning because the prayer moves from physical light to inner light.
5. A prayer for health, strength and well-being
आदित्यं प्राप्य यत् पापं
नश्यत्येव न संशयः ।
सर्वरोगप्रशमनं
आदित्यस्य नमोऽस्तु ते ॥
Ādityaṁ prāpya yat pāpaṁ
Naśyatyeva na saṁśayaḥ
Sarvaroga-praśamanaṁ
Ādityasya namo'stu te.
Meaning:
Whatever darkness and wrongdoing are overcome by approaching Āditya, so indeed it is said.
To the Divine Sun, who is invoked for the removal of affliction, I offer my salutations.
For a simple daily practice, you need not make the prayer elaborate. Devotion and regularity matter more than length.
6. Āditya Hṛdayam — the great Sūrya prayer
If you want a longer prayer, the Āditya Hṛdayam from the Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa is the most celebrated choice.
Sage Agastya teaches it to Śrī Rāma when Rama is exhausted before the decisive battle with Rāvaṇa.
The central teaching is wonderfully suited to morning worship: Sūrya is not merely the physical Sun, but a visible manifestation of the Divine presence that sustains the universe.
Its famous opening is:
ततो युद्धपरिश्रान्तं
समरे चिन्तया स्थितम् ।
रावणं चाग्रतो दृष्ट्वा
युद्धाय समुपस्थितम् ॥
Tato yuddha-pariśrāntaṁ
Samare cintayā sthitam
Rāvaṇaṁ cāgrato dṛṣṭvā
Yuddhāya samupasthitam.
Then, seeing Rama exhausted from battle, standing absorbed in thought, and seeing Ravana before him, ready for combat…
Agastya then says:
आदित्यहृदयं पुण्यं
सर्वशत्रुविनाशनम् ।
जयावहं जपेन्नित्यम्
अक्षयं परमं शिवम् ॥
Āditya-hṛdayaṁ puṇyaṁ
Sarva-śatru-vināśanam
Jayāvahaṁ japennityam
Akṣayaṁ paramaṁ śivam.
This sacred Āditya Hṛdayam destroys all that stands as an enemy; it brings victory, is eternal and supremely auspicious.
A very simple daily version
If you want something that can realistically become a daily morning habit, I would suggest:
1. Face the Sun
ॐ सूर्याय नमः ।
Om Sūryāya Namaḥ.
2. Offer water three times
ॐ आदित्याय नमः ।
Om Ādityāya Namaḥ.
3. Recite the 12 names
Mitrāya → Ravaye → Sūryāya → Bhānave → Khagāya → Pūṣṇe → Hiraṇyagarbhāya → Marīcaye → Ādityāya → Savitre → Arkāya → Bhāskarāya.
4. Chant Sūrya Gāyatrī once or three times.
5. End with:
ॐ भास्कराय नमः ।
Om Bhāskarāya Namaḥ.
Salutations to the Giver of Light.
And then pause for a few moments and simply look at the morning light with gratitude.
That last moment is important. Sūrya worship is not only asking the Sun for health or prosperity. It is an acknowledgement: “Without this light, I could not see, breathe, grow, think or live.” The physical Sun becomes a doorway to gratitude for the Divine source behind all life.
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