17 sooryakaantam janya
Aa: S R1 G3 M1 P M1 D2 N3 S
Av: S N3 D2 N2 D2 P M1 G3 R1 S

taaLam: catushra jati dhruvam
Composer: Muttuswaamee Dikshitar
Language:

pallavi

sUryamUrtE namOstutE sundara chAyAdhi patE

anupallavi

kArya kAraNAtmaka jagatprakAsa simhA rAsyadhipatE
AryavinutatEjasphUrtE ArogyAdiphaladakIrtE

caraNam

sArasamitra mitra bhAnO sahasrakiraNa karNasUnO
krUra pApahara krusAnO guruguha modita svabhAnO
sUri janeDita sudinamaNE somAdi graha sikhAmaNE
dhIrArcita karma sAkSiNE divyatara saptAsva rathinE
saurAshTrArNa mantrAtmanE sauvarNa svarUpAtmanE
bhAratIsa hariharAtmanE bhukti mukti vitaraNAtmanE

Meaning:

By Aparna from Neccheli (original article here, reproduced with permission)

Carnatic Compositions - The Essence and Embodiment
-Aparna Munukutla Gunupudi

sUryamUrtE - Oh sun
namOstutE - salutations to you
Sundara - beautiful
chAyAdhi patE - lord of the Chaya (shadow)
kArya - actions/work
kAraNAtmaka - intend to cause
jagatprakAsa - lights up the world
simhA rAsya - zodiac sign of leo
adhipatE - lord/commander
Aryavinuta - praised by scholars
tEjasphUrtE - full of radiance
ArogyAdi - health and wellbeing
phaladakIrtE - provider
sArasamitra - a friend of lotuses
mitra - a friend
bhAnO - Sun
sahasra kiraNa - one with one thousand rays
karNasUnO - has KarNa as his son
krUra pApahara - remover of the evil
krusAnO - burns everything with heat
Guruguha - Guruguha, Deekshitar’s signature
Modita - praised
svabhAnO - self radiant
sUri janeDita - praised by learned
sudinamaNE - a gem for a good/sunny day
somAdi graha - moon and other planets
sikhAmaNE - crown jewel
dhIrArcita - worshiped by righteous
karma sAkSiNE - witnesses the actions of the world
Divyatara - very powerful
saptAsva - seven horses
rathinE - rides the chariot
saurAshTrA - solar
ArNa - red
mantrAtmanE - contains the power
sauvarNa - golden
svarUpAtmanE - possesses the form
bhAratIsa - Brahma (the lord of BhArati)
Hari - Hari/VishNu
Hara - Hara/Siva
AtmanE - embodiment
bhukti - food
mukti - salvation
vitaraNAtmanE - provider

Summary:

My salutations to the Sun god, who is the lord of beautiful shadow. He is the cause of the activities, illuminates the world, is the lord of the zodiac sign Leo, is radiant, is provider of health and crops and he is praised by the scholars. He is a friend of lotuses and a friend to everybody. He shines with a million rays and has KarNa as his son. He is self effulgent, removes and burns up the evil and pleases Guruguha. He is praised by the learned and he is the jewel for the day. He is the crown jewel among the moon and other planets. He is worshiped by the righteous and he witnesses all the activities during the day and rides the chariot that is driven by seven powerful horses. He has the golden form with the most powerful solar energy, provides food and salvation to one and all and is the embodiment of Brahma, VishNu and Siva.

This is first and foremost krithi of the navagraha (nine planets) krithis of Deekshitar as Sun is the king of the planets! Deekshitar starts with offering salutations to Sun god, who is the most powerful and visible god (pratyaksha daivam) in Hindu mythology. Evershining Sun plays a crucial role in the atmospheric conditions, and is essential for life and growth of crops. It is customary to pay oblation with pure water to the Sun early in the morning to bestow good health. Many yoga practitioners perform Sun salutations facing the Sun in the morning, which is comprised of twelve different poses along with chanting the twelve names of Sun – Mitra, Ravi, Bhanu, Khaga, Poosha, Hiranyagarbha, Mareechi, Aditya, Arka, Soorya, Savitru and Bhaskara. Morning sun is supposed to be very healthy and is good for improving vision. Just as the composer described, the Sun is the provider of energy, which is evident in the present world with many industries powered by solar energy. Sun is also a cleanser and remover of evil, for example viruses and bacteria do not grow in the hot sun. While we can not list all the benefits of the Sun in a small essay, we sure can say that a sunny day is always a cheerful and energetic day as opposed to a cloudy day that brings gloom and depression. This krithi is a gem and packed with a lot of positive energy. If one sings or hears this song every Sunday, it will provide good health and happiness. Enjoy!

Notation:

Other information:
Lyrics contributed by Lakshman Ragde. Meaning contributed by Aparna Gunupudi via Neccheli.