Shloka 75

Sūrya-stava: Dhaumya’s Counsel and the Aṣṭaśata-nāma of Sūrya

Devanagari script

इमं स्तवं प्रयतमना: समाधिना पठेदिहान्यो5पि वरं समर्थयन्‌ | तत्‌ तस्य दद्याच्च रविर्मनीषितं तदाप्रुयाद्‌ यद्यपि तत्‌ सुदुर्लभम्‌,जो कोई अन्य पुरुष भी मनको संयममें रखकर चित्तवृत्तियोंको एकाग्र करके इस स्तोत्रका पाठ करेगा, वह यदि कोई अत्यन्त दुर्लभ वर भी माँगे तो भगवान्‌ सूर्य उसकी उस मनोवांछित वस्तुको दे सकते हैं

Transliteration

imaṃ stavaṃ prayatamanāḥ samādhinā paṭhed ihānyo 'pi varaṃ samarthayan | tat tasya dadyāc ca ravir manīṣitaṃ tad āpnuyād yady api tat sudurlabham ||

Translation

Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Even another person, if he recites this hymn here with a disciplined mind and with meditative concentration, may ask for a boon—even one exceedingly hard to obtain. The Sun (Ravi), pleased by that focused devotion, can grant him the desired object; thus he attains it, though it be very rare.

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'imaṃ stavam', 'definition': 'this hymn of praise'}, {'term': 'prayatamanāḥ', 'definition': 'with a restrained/collected mind

• mentally disciplined'}, {'term': 'samādhinā', 'definition': 'with samādhi

• concentrated meditative absorption'}, {'term': 'paṭhet', 'definition': 'should recite/read'}, {'term': 'iha', 'definition': 'here (in this context/world/occasion)'}, {'term': "anyo 'pi", 'definition': 'even another person (anyone else as well)'}, {'term': 'varam', 'definition': 'a boon, desired grant'}, {'term': 'samarthayan', 'definition': 'seeking/asking for

• putting forward (a request)'}, {'term': 'raviḥ', 'definition': 'Ravi, the Sun-god'}, {'term': 'manīṣitam', 'definition': 'the wished-for, intended, desired object'}, {'term': 'āpnuyāt', 'definition': 'would obtain/attain'}, {'term': 'sudurlabham', 'definition': 'very difficult to obtain

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Ravi (Sūrya, the Sun-god)
• stava (hymn)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Focused recitation joined with mental discipline and meditative concentration makes devotion effective; divine grace (here, the Sun) can grant even rare and difficult aims when approached with steadiness and sincerity.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana explains the fruit (phalaśruti) of a Sun-hymn: anyone who recites it with concentrated mind may request a boon, and Ravi is capable of granting the desired object, even if it is extremely hard to obtain.