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Lyrics with meaning
The complete Surya Chalisa – two opening dohas, forty chaupais, and a closing doha. A short English meaning sits below every verse. Toggle the script to read in Devanagari, romanized, or both side-by-side.
कनक बदन कुण्डल मकर, मुक्ता माला अङ्ग। पद्मासन स्थित ध्याइये, शंख चक्र के सङ्ग॥
Kanak badan kundal makar, mukta mala ang. Padmasan sthit dhyaiye, shankh chakra ke sang.
Body of gold, makara-shaped earrings, pearl garland on his form. Seated in lotus posture, meditate on him with his conch and discus.
जय सविता जय जयति दिवाकर। सहस्रांशु सप्ताश्व तिमिरहर॥
Jai Savita jai jayati Divakar. Sahasranshu saptashva timirahar.
Hail Savita, hail and victory to Divakar. Thousand-rayed, seven-horsed, destroyer of darkness.
भानु पतंग मरीची भास्कर। सविता हंस सुनूर विभाकर॥
Bhanu Patang Marichi Bhaskar. Savita Hans sunoor Vibhakar.
Bhanu, Patang, Marichi, Bhaskar. Savita, Hansa of beautiful radiance, Vibhakar.
विवस्वान आदित्य विकर्तन। मार्तण्ड हरिरूप विरोचन॥
Vivasvan Aditya Vikartan. Martand Hari-roop Virochan.
Vivasvan, Aditya, Vikartan. Martand, Hari-form, Virochan – all your names.
अम्बरमणि खग रवि कहलाते। वेद हिरण्यगर्भ कह गाते॥
Ambar-mani khag ravi kehlate. Ved Hiranyagarbh kah gate.
Sky-jewel, the bird (khag), Ravi – you are called by these names. The Vedas sing of you as Hiranyagarbha.
सहस्रांशु प्रद्योतन कहि कहि। मुनिगन होत प्रसन्न मोदलहि॥
Sahasranshu Pradyotan kahi kahi. Munigan hot prasanna mod-lahi.
Saying 'thousand-rayed Pradyotan' again and again. The sages become joyfully pleased.
अरुण सदृश सारथी मनोहर। हाँकत हय साता चढ़ि रथ पर॥
Arun sadrish sarathi manohar. Hankat hay saata chadhi rath par.
The captivating charioteer, Aruna-like in appearance. Driving the seven horses upon the chariot.
मंडल की महिमा अति न्यारी। तेज रूप केरी बलिहारी॥
Mandal ki mahima ati nyari. Tej roop keri balihari.
The glory of your mandala is wholly unique. Your radiant form – I offer myself in sacrifice to it.
उच्चैः श्रवा सदृश हय जोते। देखि पुरंदर लज्जित होते॥
Ucchaihshrava sadrish hay jote. Dekhi Purandar lajjit hote.
Yoking horses like the celestial Uchchaihshrava. Seeing them, Indra (Purandara) feels shame.
मित्र, मरीचि, भानु, अरुण, भास्कर। सविता, सूर्य, अर्क, खग, कलिकर पूषा, रवि॥
Mitra, Marichi, Bhanu, Arun, Bhaskar. Savita, Surya, Arka, Khaga, Kalikar Pusha, Ravi.
Mitra, Marichi, Bhanu, Arun, Bhaskar. Savita, Surya, Arka, Khaga, Kalikar-Pusha, Ravi. (The first ten of the twelve names of Surya.)
आदित्य नाम लै हिरण्यगर्भाय नमः कहिकै। द्वादस नाम प्रेम सो गावें मस्तक बारह बार नवावै॥
Aditya naam lai Hiranyagarbhay namah kahikai. Dvadas naam prem so gaven mastak barah baar navavai.
Saying Aditya, then 'Hiranyagarbhaya namah.' Singing the twelve names with love, bow the head twelve times.
चार पदारथ सो जन पावै। दुःख दारिद्र अघ पुञ्ज नसावै॥
Char padarath so jan pavai. Dukh daridra agh punj nasavai.
Such a person receives the four fruits of life. Sorrow, poverty, and the heap of sin are destroyed.
नमस्कार को चमत्कार यह। विधि हरिहर कौ कृपासार यह॥
Namaskar ko chamatkar yah. Vidhi Harihar kau kripa-saar yah.
This is the miracle of bowing to Surya. This is the essence of the grace of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva.
सेवै भानु तुमहिं मन लाई। अष्टसिद्धि नवनिधि तेहिं पाई॥
Sevai Bhanu tumhin man lai. Ashtasiddhi navnidhi tehin pai.
Whoever serves Bhanu with focused mind. Receives the eight siddhis and nine treasures.
बारह नाम उच्चारन करते। सहस जनम के पातक टरते॥
Barah naam uchcharan karte. Sahas janam ke patak tarte.
Whoever recites the twelve names. The sins of a thousand births are wiped away.
उपाख्यान जो करते तव जन। रिपु सों जमलहते सोतेहि छन॥
Upakhyan jo karte tav jan. Ripu son jamlahte sotehi chhan.
Those who narrate your story, your devotees. Their enemies are vanquished even at that very moment.
छन सुत जुत परिवार बढतु है। प्रबल मोह को फँद कटतु है॥
Chhan sut jut parivar badhatu hai. Prabal moh ko phand katatu hai.
In an instant, family with sons and grandsons grows. The strong noose of delusion is cut.
अर्क शीश को रक्षा करते। रवि ललाट पर नित्य बिहरते॥
Arka shish ko raksha karte. Ravi lalat par nitya biharte.
Arka protects the head. Ravi constantly resides on the forehead. (The beginning of the Surya-Kavach – placement of Surya's names across the body.)
सूर्य नेत्र पर नित्य विराजत। कर्ण देस पर दिनकर छाजत॥
Surya netra par nitya virajat. Karn des par dinkar chhajat.
Surya constantly resides on the eyes. Dinkar adorns the region of the ears.
भानु नासिका वास करहु नित। भास्कर करत सदा मुख कौ हित॥
Bhanu nasika vas karahu nit. Bhaskar karat sada mukh kau hit.
Bhanu always dwells in the nose. Bhaskar always benefits the mouth.
ओंठ रहैं पर्जन्य हमारे। रसना बीच तीक्ष्ण बस प्यारे॥
Onth rahain Parjanya hamare. Rasana beech teekshna bas pyare.
Parjanya rests on our lips. The sharp one (Teekshna) dwells on the tongue.
कंठ सुवर्ण रेत की शोभा। तिग्मतेजस: कांधे लोभा॥
Kanth Suvarn-ret ki shobha. Tigmatejas kandhe lobha.
Suvarn-ret adorns the throat. Tigmatejas adds beauty to the shoulders.
पूषां बाहू मित्र पीठहिं पर। त्वष्टा-वरुण रहम सुउष्णकर॥
Pusha bahu Mitra peethahin par. Tvashta-Varun raham sah-ushnakar.
Pusha rests on the arms, Mitra on the back. Tvashta and Varuna grace the warm one.
युगल हाथ पर रक्षा कारन। भानुमान उरसर्म्म सुउदरचन॥
Yugal hath par raksha karan. Bhanuman ur sarmm su-udar charan.
On the two hands he stands as protector. Bhanuman on the chest, on the noble belly the Charan.
बसत नाभि आदित्य मनोहर। कटि मंह हँस रहत मन मुदभर॥
Basat nabhi Aditya manohar. Kati mahan hans rahat man mud-bhar.
The captivating Aditya dwells in the navel. The Hansa rests at the waist, the mind full of joy.
जंघा गोपति सविता बासा। गुप्त दिवाकर करत हुलासा॥
Jangha Gopati Savita basa. Gupt Divakar karat hulasa.
Gopati Savita resides on the thighs. The hidden Divakar gives delight.
विवस्वान पद की रखवारी। बाहर बसते नित तम हारी॥
Vivasvan pad ki rakhwari. Bahar baste nit tam-hari.
Vivasvan guards the feet. Outside, the destroyer of darkness always resides.
सहस्रांशु सर्वांग सम्हारै। रक्षा कवच विचित्र विचारे॥
Sahasranshu sarvang samhare. Raksha kavach vichitra vichare.
Sahasranshu protects the entire body. The protective armour is wonderfully complete.
अस जोजन अपने मन माहीं। भय जग बीज करहुँ तेहि नाहीं॥
As yojan apne man mahin. Bhay jag beej karahun tehi nahin.
Whoever holds this yojan (placement) in their mind. The seed of fear in the world cannot touch them.
दरिद्र कुष्ट तेहिं कबहुँ न व्यापै। जोजन याको मनमहं जापै॥
Daridra kushta tehin kabahun na vyapai. Yojan yako manmahan jaapai.
Poverty and disease never afflict the one. Who chants this yojan in their mind. (A verse of devotional faith, not a replacement for medical care.)
अंधकार जग का जो हरता। नव प्रकाश से आनन्द भरता॥
Andhakar jag ka jo harta. Nav prakash se anand bharta.
The destroyer of the world's darkness. Filling all with new light and joy.
ग्रह गन ग्रसि न मिटावत जाही। कोटि बार मैं प्रनवौं ताही॥
Grah gan grasi na mitavat jahi. Koti baar main pranavon tahi.
Whom even the eclipse-causing planets cannot diminish. To him I bow ten million times.
मन्द सदृश सुत जग में जाके। धर्मराज सम अद्भुत बाँके॥
Mand sadrish sut jag mein jaake. Dharmaraj sam adbhut banke.
Whose son in the world is the slow one (Shani). And the wonderful Dharmaraj (Yama, also Surya's son) – an extraordinary one. (Surya's sons: Shani and Yama, both navagraha-related deities.)
धन्य-धन्य तुम दिनमनि देवा। किया करत सुरमुनि नर सेवा॥
Dhanya-dhanya tum dinmani Deva. Kiya karat sur-muni nar seva.
Blessed, blessed are you, the day-jewel god. Gods, sages, and humans all serve you.
भक्ति भावयुत पूर्ण नियम सों। दूर हटत सो भव के भ्रम सों॥
Bhakti bhav-yut puran niyam son. Door hatat so bhav ke bhram son.
With devotion and full discipline. One moves far from the delusion of worldly existence.
परम धन्य सो नर तनधारी। हैं प्रसन्न जेहि पर तम हारी॥
Param dhanya so nar tan-dhari. Hain prasanna jehi par tam-hari.
Most blessed is that human being. Upon whom the destroyer of darkness is pleased.
अरुण माघ मंह सूर्य फाल्गुन। मध वेदांग नाम रवि उदयन॥
Arun Magh mahan Surya Phalgun. Madh Vedang naam Ravi udayan.
In Magh he is Aruna; in Phalgun, Surya. In Chaitra (Madh) he rises with the name Vedanga. (The twelve monthly names of Surya across the year.)
भानु उदय वैसाख गिनावै। ज्येष्ठ इन्द्र आषाढ़ रवि गावै॥
Bhanu uday Vaisakh ginavai. Jyeshtha Indra Ashadh Ravi gavai.
Bhanu rises in Vaisakh. In Jyeshtha he is Indra; in Ashadh, Ravi.
यम भादों आश्विन हिमरेता। कातिक होत दिवाकर नेता॥
Yam Bhadon Ashwin Himreta. Kartik hot Divakar neta.
In Bhadon he is Yama; in Ashwin, Himreta. In Kartik he becomes Divakar, the leader.
अगहन भिन्न विष्णु हैं पूसहि। पुरुष नाम रवि हैं मलमासहिं॥
Aghan bhinna Vishnu hain pushahi. Purush naam Ravi hain malmasahin.
In Aghan (Margshirsha) he is the distinct Vishnu; in Pus, the same form. In the malmas (intercalary month), Ravi is named 'Purush.'
जो यह पाठ करै नित प्रातः। होय सिद्धि अनुपम सब बातः॥
Jo yah paath karai nit pratah. Hoy siddhi anupam sab batah.
Whoever recites this paath every morning. Achieves incomparable success in all matters.
भानु चालीसा प्रेम युत, गावहि जे नर नित्य। सुख सम्पत्ति लहै विविध, होंहि सदा कृतकृत्य॥
Bhanu Chalisa prem yut, gavahi je nar nitya. Sukh sampatti lahai vividh, honhi sada kritakritya.
Whoever sings the Bhanu Chalisa with love every day. Receives various happiness and prosperity, and always remains successful.
Why this chalisa
What the Surya Chalisa is recited for, and what people turn to it for.
Anchor for Surya Namaskar
Many devotees recite the Chalisa as part of the daily Surya Namaskar practice at sunrise – often standing facing east, after offering arghya (water) from a copper kalash. Verse 14 promises that reciting the twelve names wipes away the sins of a thousand births. Pair with the twelve-name Surya Mantra for the complete practice.
Centrepiece of Ratha Saptami and Chhath Puja
Ratha Saptami in Magh (January-February) is the symbolic birthday of Surya – many homes recite the Chalisa twelve times through the day (one for each of the twelve names). Chhath Puja in Kartik (October-November) is the major Surya festival of Bihar, eastern UP, and Jharkhand – four days of fasting, sunrise and sunset arghya at the river ghat, with the Chalisa as the central recitation alongside the Chhath songs.
Companion to navagraha worship
Surya is the chief of the navagraha (the nine planetary deities). Verse 32 names Mand (slow one – Shani) and Dharmaraj (Yama) as his sons – the latter associated with afterlife and karma. The Chalisa anchors the navagraha worship: many devotees recite it on Sundays alongside the Shani Chalisa on Saturdays for the sun-Saturn axis. For navagraha shanti, the older practice is one Chalisa per planet on the appropriate weekday.
Help during illness and for vitality
Verses 17-29 narrate the Surya Kavach – the protective placement of Surya's names across the body. Verse 29 says directly: poverty and disease never afflict the one who chants this yojan in their mind. Many devotees recite the Chalisa daily during stretches of illness, especially for matters of the heart, the eyes, and the bones. (This is a verse of devotional faith, not a replacement for medical care.)
Companion to Hanuman worship
Hanuman is traditionally the disciple of Surya – he learned the Vedas and the arts from his solar guru. Many homes recite the Surya Chalisa alongside the Hanuman Chalisa at sunrise. The pairing is especially common in homes that keep a daily morning sadhana practice.
Companion to Vedic mantra practice
The Surya Chalisa is the most accessible link between household worship and the older Vedic Surya tradition. Verse 4 names Surya as Hiranyagarbha – the Vedic golden-womb. The Chalisa pairs naturally with the Gayatri Chalisa (the Gayatri mantra is a Surya mantra) and the daily sandhya practice. For Sanskrit study, the twelve-names verse (chaupai 9) is the simplest Surya mantra to memorise.
Origin
The Surya Chalisa carries no clear signature line. Many published copies attribute it simply to "tradition" – an honesty worth preserving. By language and style the text is generally placed in the 18th-19th century CE, written in a Hindi with strong Sanskrit influence (the twelve-name list in chaupais 9-10 is essentially a Sanskrit shloka rendered into the Hindi-Awadhi prosody). The Chalisa's structure is unusual in containing a complete Surya Kavach (the limb-by-limb protective placement, verses 17-29) – a feature drawn directly from the older Sanskrit Surya literature.
The text does not record a date of composition. The Chalisa is the most direct household-level connection to the older Aditya Hridaya Stotram (the Surya hymn from the Yuddha Kanda of Valmiki Ramayana, given by sage Agastya to Ram before the final battle with Ravana). Both texts share the listing of twelve names, the seven-horse chariot iconography, and the dispelling-of-darkness symbolism. The Chalisa itself was likely composed when devotees wanted a Hindi-language version of the Aditya Hridaya for daily recitation.
Surya himself is the visible deity of the Vedic tradition – the only Hindu god worshipped through his physical form, the Sun in the sky. Iconographically he is depicted golden-bodied (opening doha), with makara-shaped earrings and a pearl garland, seated in lotus posture, holding a conch and discus, riding a chariot drawn by seven horses driven by his charioteer Aruna. His sons named in the Chalisa are Shani (Mand, the slow one – chaupai 32) and Yama (Dharmaraj). The seven-horse chariot represents the seven days of the week or the seven colours of light. The Konark Sun Temple in Odisha is his most famous shrine in India.
The Chalisa's wider companions are the Shani Chalisa (his son), the Hanuman Chalisa (Hanuman is Surya's disciple), the Gayatri Chalisa (the Gayatri mantra is a Surya mantra), and the wider Aditya Hridaya Stotram from Valmiki's Ramayana. Many homes recite the Surya Chalisa daily at sunrise and the Aditya Hridaya on Sundays.
How to recite
A simple, sustainable approach. Nothing here is a hard rule – devotion shapes the form, not the other way around.
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Preparation
Bathe at sunrise if you can. Wear clean clothes – traditionally orange, red, or yellow, the colours of Surya. Stand or sit facing east, ideally where you can see the rising sun. The traditional offering is arghya – water poured from a copper kalash facing the sun, with red flowers and a pinch of red sandalwood paste. None of this is strictly required.
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Posture and start
Stand or sit facing east. Take a moment of silence. If reciting on Sunday, on Ratha Saptami, on Chhath Puja, or for a specific intention (illness recovery, vitality, navagraha shanti), offer a brief sankalp. Begin with the opening doha (Kanak badan kundal makar...) slowly while gazing in the direction of the sunrise.
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Recitation
Move through the forty chaupais without rushing. Verses 1-8 establish Surya's many names and chariot iconography. Verses 9-10 are the twelve-names list – often slowed down particularly. Verses 17-29 are the Surya Kavach – placing Surya across the body. Verses 36-39 list the twelve monthly names of Surya across the Hindu year. End with the closing doha. The full recitation takes about seven minutes.
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After
Sit quietly with eyes closed for a moment. Many people end with the bija mantra Om Hraam Hreem Hraum Sah Suryaya Namah recited 11 or 21 times. Pour the arghya from the copper kalash to the ground while facing east. Some traditions also do twelve Surya Namaskar sun salutations after the Chalisa.
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Daily practice and special days
One paath a day at sunrise is the standard daily practice. Sundays are especially auspicious. Ratha Saptami in Magh (January-February) is the symbolic birthday of Surya – twelve paaths through the day is traditional. Chhath Puja in Kartik (October-November) is the major Surya festival – four days of fasting and sunrise/sunset arghya. Makar Sankranti, Karka Sankranti, and the Margashirsha Surya Bhajan Tuesdays are other major recitation days.