आरती · Surya
Om Jai Surya Bhagwan
ॐ जय सूर्य भगवान
The "Om Jai Surya Bhagwan" Aarti is the classical devotional song sung in the worship of Surya Dev, the Sun God — the visible, manifest form of the Divine who gives life to all creation. Surya is worshipped as the supreme physician (Arogyadata), the enemy of all disease, the source of vitality, and the lord of the solar dynasty from which Lord Rama descended. This Aarti is sung at sunrise on Sundays, during Chhath Puja, and on Makar Sankranti — the devotee standing before the sun with folded hands, offering the lamp of their devotion to the cosmic lamp that illuminates the entire universe.
Hindi · 7 stanzas
Frequently Asked Questions about Om Jai Surya Bhagwan
When should the Surya Aarti be performed?
The Surya Aarti is ideally performed at sunrise on Sunday (Ravivaar, the day of the Sun). The devotee should bathe before sunrise, wear clean clothes (preferably in red or orange, the colors of Surya), and perform the Aarti while facing the rising sun. Offering arghya — water poured from a copper vessel toward the sun — while reciting the Aarti is the traditional practice. Chhath Puja and Makar Sankranti are the most important annual occasions for this worship.
What is the practice of offering Arghya to the Sun?
Arghya is the offering of water to the sun during its worship. Traditionally, the devotee holds a copper vessel (lota) filled with water, red flowers, rice, and red sandalwood, and pours it slowly toward the rising or setting sun while chanting Surya mantras or the Aditya Hridayam. The water creates a prism-like effect that allows the devotee to look at the sun through the stream without direct eye damage, and the act symbolizes returning to the sun a portion of the water-energy it has given to the earth. This practice is central to both the Chhath Puja tradition and daily Vedic sunrise worship.
What is the connection between Chhath Puja and Surya worship?
Chhath Puja is one of the most ancient and demanding of Hindu festivals, devoted entirely to the worship of Surya Dev and Chhathi Maiya (the sixth-day goddess who protects children). Over four days, devotees (primarily women) observe strict fasting and purification, culminating in standing in river or lake water to offer arghya to the setting sun (Sanjhiya Arghya) and then to the rising sun the next morning (Bhorwa Arghya). The festival has deep roots in the Vedic tradition of sun worship and is particularly beloved in Bihar, Jharkhand, and eastern UP, though it is now observed globally by diaspora communities.
What is the relationship between Surya Namaskar and the Surya Aarti?
Surya Namaskar (sun salutation) is the yogic form of sun worship — a sequence of 12 physical postures performed facing the rising sun at dawn, synchronized with specific mantras that name and praise the sun. The Surya Aarti is the devotional-worship form of the same practice. Together, they represent the complete worship of Surya: the Namaskar addresses the Sun through the body and yogic practice, while the Aarti addresses the Sun through devotional song and the offering of the lamp's flame. Both are ideally performed at sunrise, and together they constitute one of the most holistic morning spiritual practices in the Hindu tradition.
What are the benefits of performing the Surya Aarti?
Regular Surya Aarti is believed to bestow robust physical health, clear eyesight, strong bones, radiant skin, and high energy levels. It is also said to remove the negative effects of the sun's placement in one's astrological birth chart (Surya dosha). On a deeper level, Surya worship purifies the intellect, instills self-confidence, removes procrastination and laziness, and gradually leads the devotee toward the light of spiritual knowledge — since the outer Sun is the symbol of the inner Sun (Atman), which is the true self within every being.