Principal Upanishads

Minor Upanishads

Surya Upanishad

Om ! O Devas, may we hear with our ears what is auspicious; May we see with our eyes what is auspicious, O ye worthy of worship ! May we enjoy the term of life allotted by the Devas, Praising them with our body and limbs steady ! May the glorious Indra bless us ! May the all-knowing Sun bless us ! May Garuda, the thunderbolt for evil, bless us ! May Brihaspati grant us well-being !

Om ! Let there be Peace in me ! Let there be Peace in my environment ! Let there be Peace in the forces that act on me !

Now we shall expound Atharvangiras in relation to the sun: The seer is Brahma, metre Gayatri, Aditya the deity, ‘Hamsas so’ham with Agni and Narayana is the seed, the power is hrillekha or hrim, the pin is the power in the process of unfolding the sky etc., the application is its use in repetition for winning the four human goals. The six limbs consist of the seed with six vowels added.

He indeed is a Brahmana who thus knows the golden Narayana with the blessed sun, impeller of the time-wheel, having four arms and two lotuses, showing promise of refuge and boon, mounted on the sun chariot, set in the red lotus.

Om, Earth, middle region and sky; we meditate on the adorable splendour of Savitar who may inspire our thoughts. The sun is the self of the world, moving as well as un-moving. From Surya indeed are these creatures born, the Yajna, Parjanya, food and spirit.

I bow to you Aditya; you are the agent himself, the manifest Brahman, Rudra, Vishnu, Rig-Veda etc., as well as all the chandas (Metre-Vedas).

From Aditya is born Vayu, Bhumi, water, fire, sky, directions, Devas, Vedas; the sun scorches this sphere; this sun is Brahman, the inner organ, mind, intellect, mind-stuff and Ego, Prana etc., (the five airs), the five sense organs and five motor organs, sound, touch, form, taste and smell; speech, taking (with the hands) release (of the bowels), joy.

I bow to Mitra, Bhanu, (protect me from death), to the shining one, the cause of the universe.

All creatures are born of Surya and are protected by him, dissolve in him – I am Surya himself. The divine Savitar is our eye the Parvata (spirit of the Time-periods), may be vouchsafe our eye.

We know the sun, meditate on the thousand-rayed; may the sun inspire us.
Savitar is before us as well as behind, above and below. May he grant us omnipresence and long life !

Brahman is the single syllable Om, “Ghrini’ has two syllables, ‘Surya’ also, ‘Aditya’ has three. This is the mantra of eight syllables.

He who recites this everyday is a Brahmana, facing sun while reciting he is released from the fear of great diseases, his poverty perishes. He becomes free from the sins of eating forbidden food, forbidden sex-relation, conversation with fallen (men), of wrong converse.

At midday he shall recite facing the sun and he is released from the five great sins.

He should not impart this Savitri Vidya to just anyone. He who recites at dawn becomes fortunate, gets live-stock, masters Vedas; reciting during the three periods (dawn etc.,) he gets the fruit of a hundred Yagas, reciting when the sun has risen to eighteen fingers, conquers death.
This is the Upanishad.

Here ends the Suryopanishad, included in the Atharva-Veda.

Translated by Dr. A. G. Krishna Warrier
Published by The Theosophical Publishing House, Chennai