Surya Chalisa
सूर्य चालीसा in English · English
Origin & Story
Traditional Hindi devotional hymn · Traditional · Devotional era
The Surya Chalisa, also called the Bhanu Chalisa, is a forty-verse Hindi hymn to the Sun God — the visible deity (pratyaksha devata) worshipped since Vedic times as the source of life, light and health. It garlands Surya's twelve names and forms, sets a protective shield of his rays over every limb, and promises vitality and the washing-away of sin to all who greet the rising sun with its verses.
✦ As told in scripture
The Chalisa promises that singing the Sun's twelve names destroys the sins of a thousand births, that his ray-armour shields every limb so 'no fear remains anywhere in the world', and that even ringworm and leprosy never touch the devoted reciter — echoing the Aditya Hridaya, by which Sage Agastya armed Rama to vanquish Ravana.
Listen & Chant Along
Complete Text with Meaning
Tap any line — or the ▶ button — to hear it recited
Kanaka badana kundala makara,mukta mala anga Padmasana sthita dhyaie,shamkha chakra ke sanga
Meaning:Of golden body, with makara-shaped earrings and a pearl garland upon his limbs — meditate upon him seated in the lotus posture, with conch and discus.
Jaya savita jaya jayati divakara!sahasramshu! saptashva timirahara
Meaning:Victory, O Savita; victory, victory, O Diwakar (day-maker)! O thousand-rayed, seven-horsed remover of darkness!
Bhanu! patamga! marichi! bhaskara!savita hamsa! sunura vibhakara
Meaning:O Bhanu! Patanga! Marichi! Bhaskara! Savita! Hamsa! O radiant maker of light!
Vivasvana! aditya! vikartanamartanda harirupa virochana
Meaning:O Vivasvan! Aditya! Vikartana! Martanda, of Hari's form, Virochana!
Ambaramani! khaga! ravi kahalateveda hiranyagarbha kaha gate
Meaning:Jewel of the sky (Ambaramani), bird of the heavens (Khaga), you are called Ravi; the Vedas sing you as Hiranyagarbha.
Sahasramshu pradyotana, kahikahimunigana hota prasanna modalahi
Meaning:Calling 'thousand-rayed, all-illuminating', the sages grow joyful and attain delight.
Aruna sadrisha sarathi manoharahamkata haya sata chaढ़i ratha para
Meaning:Your charming charioteer, like Aruna, drives the seven horses, mounted upon the chariot.
Mamdala ki mahima ati nyariteja rupa keri balihari
Meaning:The glory of your orb is most wondrous; I am a sacrifice to your form of splendour.
Uchchaihshrava sadrisha haya jotedekhi purandara lajjita hote
Meaning:Yoking horses like Uchchaihshravas, even Indra (Purandara) is put to shame at the sight.
Mitra marichi bhanu aruna bhaskarasavita surya arka khaga kalikara
Meaning:Mitra, Marichi, Bhanu, Aruna, Bhaskara; Savita, Surya, Arka, Khaga, the maker of the ages —
Pusha ravi aditya nama laihiranyagarbhaya namah kahikai
Meaning:— taking the names Pusha, Ravi, Aditya, and saying 'Hiranyagarbhaya Namah',
Dvadasa nama prema som gavaimmastaka baraha bara navavaim
Meaning:— singing these twelve names with love, and bowing the head twelve times,
Chara padaratha jana so pavaiduhkha daridra agha pumja nasavai
Meaning:— that devotee attains the four aims of life; sorrow, poverty and heaps of sin are destroyed.
Namaskara ko chamatkara yahavidhi harihara ko kripasara yaha
Meaning:This is the miracle of the salutation — it is the very essence of the grace of Brahma, Hari and Hara.
Sevai bhanu tumahim mana laiashtasiddhi navanidhi tehim pai
Meaning:Whoever serves you, Bhanu, with a devoted mind, attains the eight siddhis and the nine treasures.
Baraha nama uchcharana karatesahasa janama ke pataka tarate
Meaning:Reciting the twelve names, the sins of a thousand births are wiped away.
Upakhyana jo karate tavajanaripu som jamalahate sotehi chhana
Meaning:The devotee who recounts your glory overcomes the enemy in that very moment, as if by Yama.
Dhana suta juta parivara badha़tu haiprabala moha ko phamda katatu hai
Meaning:His wealth, sons and family increase; the strong noose of delusion is cut away.
Arka shisha ko raksha karateravi lalata para nitya biharate
Meaning:May Arka protect my head; may Ravi ever abide upon my forehead.
Surya netra para nitya virajatakarna desa para dinakara chhajata
Meaning:May Surya ever rest upon my eyes; may Dinakar shade the region of my ears.
Bhanu nasika vasakarahunitabhaskara karata sada mukhako hita
Meaning:May Bhanu ever dwell upon my nose; may Bhaskara ever do good to my mouth.
Omtha rahaim parjanya hamarerasana bicha tikshna basa pyare
Meaning:May Parjanya abide upon my lips; may the sharp-rayed one dwell upon my tongue, dear one.
Kamtha suvarna reta ki shobhatigma tejasah kamdhe lobha
Meaning:The beauty of gold-sand upon my throat; may the fiercely radiant one delight upon my shoulders.
Pusham bahu mitra pithahim paratvashta varuna rahata suushnakara
Meaning:Pusha upon my arms, Mitra upon my back; Tvashta and Varuna remain, giving gentle warmth.
Yugala hatha para raksha karanabhanumana urasarma suudarachana
Meaning:Protection upon both my hands; Bhanuman warm upon my chest and belly.
Basata nabhi aditya manoharakatimamha, rahata mana mudabhara
Meaning:The charming Aditya dwells at my navel; at my waist he remains, filling the mind with joy.
Jamgha gopati savita basagupta divakara karata hulasa
Meaning:Gopati Savita dwells upon my thighs; the hidden Diwakar brings gladness.
Vivasvana pada ki rakhavaribahara basate nita tama hari
Meaning:Vivasvan guards my feet; ever dwelling without, the remover of darkness.
Sahasramshu sarvamga samharairaksha kavacha vichitra vichare
Meaning:The thousand-rayed one guards all my limbs — a wondrous, well-conceived armour of protection.
Asa jojana apane mana mahimbhaya jagabicha karahum tehi nahim
Meaning:Whoever contemplates this in the mind has no fear anywhere in the world.
Dadru kushtha tehim kabahu na vyapaijojana yako mana mamha japai
Meaning:Ringworm and leprosy never afflict the one who recites this within the mind.
Amdhakara jaga ka jo haratanava prakasha se ananda bharata
Meaning:He who removes the darkness of the world and fills it with new light and bliss,
Graha gana grasi na mitavata jahikoti bara maim pranavaum tahi
Meaning:— whom the planets can neither grasp nor extinguish — to him I bow a crore of times.
Mamda sadrisha suta jaga mem jakedharmaraja sama adbhuta bamke
Meaning:Whose son, like Manda (Shani), is in the world; wondrous and noble, like Dharmaraja (Yama) —
Dhanya-dhanya tuma dinamani devakiya karata suramuni nara seva
Meaning:— blessed, blessed are you, O jewel of the day, O Deva; gods, sages and men ever serve you.
Bhakti bhavayuta purna niyama somdura hatataso bhavake bhrama som
Meaning:With devotion and full observance of the rules, one moves far from the delusions of worldly existence.
Parama dhanya som nara tanadharihaim prasanna jehi para tama hari
Meaning:Most blessed is the embodied soul upon whom the remover of darkness is pleased.
Aruna magha maham surya phalgunamadhu vedamga nama ravi udayana
Meaning:Aruna in Magha, Surya in Phalguna; Madhu (in Chaitra), Vedanga is the name of the rising Ravi;
Bhanu udaya baisakha ginavaijyeshtha indra ashadha़ ravi gavai
Meaning:— counted as Bhanu rising in Vaisakha; in Jyeshtha Indra, in Ashadha he is sung as Ravi;
Yama bhadom ashvina himaretakatika hota divakara neta
Meaning:— Yama in Bhadrapada, in Ashwin 'Himreta'; in Kartik, Diwakar is the leader;
Agahana bhinna vishnu haim pusahimpurusha nama ravi haim malamasahim
Meaning:— in Agahan 'Bhinna', Vishnu in Pausha; in the intercalary month his name is 'Purusha'.
Bhanu chalisa prema yuta,gavahim je nara nitya Sukha sampatti lahi bibidha,homhim sada kritakritya
Meaning:Whoever sings the Bhanu (Surya) Chalisa daily with love attains varied happiness and prosperity, and is ever fulfilled.
Word-by-Word Meaning
Click any word to hear its pronunciation
Benefits of Chanting सूर्य चालीसा
The Surya Chalisa invokes Lord Surya, the Sun God, for health, vitality, energy, confidence and success.
Recites the twelve sacred names (Dvadasa Aditya) of the Sun, whose chanting is said to wipe away the sins of a thousand births.
Includes a body-part 'kavach' invoking the Sun's protection over head, eyes, ears, limbs and the whole body.
Traditionally chanted to strengthen a weak Sun in the horoscope and to relieve skin ailments and eye troubles.
Most powerful at sunrise on Sunday (Ravivar), while offering water (Arghya) to the rising sun.
Bestows the eight siddhis, nine treasures, and the four aims of life upon the devoted.
How to Chant सूर्य चालीसा
At sunrise after bathing, face east and offer water (Arghya) to the sun from a copper vessel while reciting. Then recite the Surya Chalisa with devotion, ideally chanting the twelve names and bowing twelve times. Sunday is most auspicious; observing it with a single meal (and avoiding salt) deepens the practice.
Frequently Asked Questions
You May Also Like
ॐ
Read the full सूर्य चालीसा with verse-by-verse meaning, or explore more sacred texts