Surya Namaskar Mantra with Meaning & Scientific Significance

The Yoga of Surya namaskar is incomplete without the proper chant of Surya Namaskar Mantra. The 12 Namaskar-Mantra & the 12 Beej-Mantra of Surya Dev is a way of thanking the Sun for making life sustainable on this beautiful planet. These Chants of Sun salutation not only have their spiritual significance, but they also have physiological & physical benefits. Understanding the meaning & the intent of all 12 Surya Namaskar mantras is bound to improve your mental health and lead the way to a more holistic practice of this incredible form of Yoga.

Surya Beej Mantra

The powerful Surya Beej mantra has the magnificent power to give positive vibrations. It provides a life of abundance & fame with prosperity & austerity. Also, it has the healing energies to remove diseases and negative impacts.

The Scientific view of Surya Namaskar Mantra

Chanting “Mantra” or hymns is an integral part of Yoga in the ancient Indian meditation styles. ‘Mantra’ is a word of Sanskrit that literally translates to ‘relishing the stress of mind.’ Much research has been done around the topic, and the results are the same as told in ancient texts. The chanting of these mantras produces a neuro-linguistic effect. In simpler terms, which means that when pronounced correctly, the vibrations produced by the sound of a mantra help bring back the human body into the natural state of resonance.  Scientists call this the Psycholinguistic effect (PLE).

It has been found that the sounds of specific mantras chanting will cause the left and right hemispheres of the brain to synchronize. It also helps oxygenate the brain, reduce our heart rate, blood pressure, and help create calm, brainwave activity.

The 12 Surya Namaskar Mantra

The 12 Surya Namaskar Mantra in the correct sequence is as follows :

1. Aum Mitraya Namah
2. Aum Ravaye Namah
3. Aum Suryaye Namah
4. Aum Bhanave Namah
5. Aum Khagaya Namah
6. Aum Pushnye Namah
7. Aum Hiranyagarbhaya Namah
8. Aum Marichaye Namah
9. Aum Adityaya Namah
10. Aum Savitre Namah
11. Aum Arkaya Namah
12. Aum Bhaskaraya Namah

The 12 Surya Namaskar Beej Mantra

The 12 Surya Namaskar Beej Mantra in the correct sequence is as follows :

1. Aum hrām
2. Aum hrīm
3. Aum hrūm
4. Aum hraim
5. Aum hraum
6. Aum hraḥ
7. Aum hrām
8. Aum  hrīm
9. Aum hrūm
10. Aum hraim
11. Aum hraum
12. Aum hraḥ

Meaning & Significance of Surya Namaskar Mantras

1. Aum Mitraye Namah

Meaning: Salutations to the one who is a friend to all.

Explanation: “Mitraye” is a Sanskrit term that translates to Friend in English. This Mantra symbolizes Sun as a true friend of all. It provides energy, nourishment, & enlightenment to all the living without any discrimination.

2. Aum Ravaye Namah

Meaning: Salutations to The shining one, the radiant one.

Explanation: This Mantra denotes the purity & brilliance of the Sun and asks the radiant Sunlight to bless us with divine thoughts.

3. Aum Suryaye Namah

Meaning: Salutations to The dispeller of darkness, responsible for generating activity.

Explanation: The rising Sun clears our mind & wipes out all the negative thoughts from our consciousness. We request the Sun God to increase our productivity during this day & kill the laziness.

4. Aum Bhanave Namah

Meaning: Salutations to the one who illuminates everything.

Explanation: The morning sunlight not only remove the darkness of the night, but it is also the dispeller of the negativity inside our mind. We request SuryaDev (Sun-God) to remove mental blocks, fears and overcome the limitations.

5. Aum Khagaya Namah

Meaning: Salutations to the all-pervading one, one who moves through the sky.

Explanation: This Mantra symbolizes the adaptability of situations & growth over time. It tells us that we should keep moving in the right direction, similar to the Sun who always keeps changing its position according to time.

6. Aum Pushnye Namah

Meaning: Salutations to the Giver of nourishment and fulfillment.

Explanation:  Sun is the most significant energy source for all the species living on the planet earth and the one without whom any growth is impossible. So, by chanting this Mantra, we seek the energy and nourishment from the Sun for strength & vitality.

7. Aum Hiranyagarbhaya Namah

Meaning: Salutations to One who has a golden colored brilliance.

Explanation: The Sun is a celestial body that is the reason behind all the minerals & precious compounds. By chanting this Mantra, we ask for the blessing of creativity & prosperity from the source of life.

8. Aum Marichaye Namah

Meaning: Salutations to the Giver of light with infinite rays.

Explanation: This Mantra signifies the unlimited amount of wisdom & enlightenment that humanity can seek & get by following the correctly guided path. It motivates us to choose wisely among the right & wrong.

9. Aum Adityaya Namah

Meaning: Salutations to The son of Aditi, the cosmic divine mother.

Explanation: All of the living species on the earth have originated from the same cosmic mother nature. This Mantra tells us that although we are different in many ways, there is the same unique energy flowing inside us that binds us together. It implies the resonance between everything and the universe.

10. Aum Savitre Namah

Meaning: Salutations to the one who is responsible for life.

Explanation: Sun is one of the most significant factors that make life possible on this earth.This Mantra makes us realize the virtues of gratitude, Kindness, care & love. It teaches us to be thankful for everything that we often take for granted.

11. Aum Arkaya Namah

Meaning: Salutations to the one who is worthy of praise and glory.

Explanation: We should be grateful for all the big & small positive aspects of our life. This Mantra teaches us the power of openness & positive affirmations.

12. Aum Bhaskaraya Namah

Meaning: Salutations to the Giver of wisdom and cosmic illumination.

Explanation: In the end, we pay our utmost respect to the one who has blessed us with the knowledge & understanding of the universe. This Mantra marks our first steps towards the journey of enlightenment & salvation.

The Sun represents vitality, vigor, courage, willpower, authority & royalty. By performing this Surya namaskar yoga, it is very much evident to implant these qualities in your life and nurtures them with the grace of Surya. Moreover, when you incorporate these Vedic chanting correctly with the Yoga poses, the benefits increase manifolds. It doesn’t remain limited to only the physical aspects. Instead, it becomes able to give you immense mental powers and strength, ease stress, and take you to a higher level of consciousness.

Relevant Citations & scientific research papers

1. Mantra meditation for mental health in the general population: A systematic review – European Journal of Integrative Medicine, Volume 23, 2018, Pages 101-108, ISSN 1876-3820, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eujim.2018.09.010
2. The ‘Magical’ Language of Mantra – Patton E. Burchett, Journal of the American Academy of Religion, Volume 76, Issue 4, December 2008, Pages 807–843, https://doi.org/10.1093/jaarel/lfn089
3. Effectiveness of Vedic chanting on cognitive impairments in an ADHD child: A case study – VK, K., & Chaube, N. (2021) Spirituality in Clinical Practice, 8(1), 51–64. https://doi.org/10.1037/scp0000247
4. Time-Frequency Analysis of Chanting Sanskrit Divine Sound “OM” Mantra – IJCSNS International Journal of Computer Science and Network Security, VOL.8 No.8, August 2008
5. The effect of mantra chanting on the performance IQ of children – Chamoli, Deepika; Kumar, Rita; Singh, Abha; Kobrin, Neil.Indian Journal of Positive Psychology; Hisar Vol. 8, Iss. 3,  (Sep 2017): 288-290.