Surya ArghyaHow to Offer Water to Surya Dev

What Surya arghya is

Arghya is water offered with reverence, and Surya arghya is the daily offering of water to the rising sun. Surya is called pratyaksha devata — the one god everyone can see — and offering water to him at sunrise is among the oldest daily practices in Hindu life: sages bathed in a river at dawn and then offered water to the sun with cupped hands or a copper vessel. It is a small ritual, a few minutes long, but it is meant to be done every day, which is where its value lies.

What you need

• A copper lota (tamba) — copper is the metal traditionally used for Surya.
• Clean water, with a little Ganga jal if you have it.
• A pinch of red chandan or kumkum, a few grains of akshat (unbroken rice), and a red flower — red is Surya's colour, and red karaveer (oleander) is the flower most often named.
• A second vessel or a plant pot to catch the water (see the precautions below).

How to offer arghya, step by step

1. Bathe first and put on clean clothes, before or right at sunrise.
2. Fill the copper lota and add the chandan or kumkum, akshat and the red flower.
3. Stand facing east, towards the rising sun.
4. Hold the lota in both hands and raise it to about head height.
5. Pour slowly in a thin, steady stream while chanting the arghya mantra, and look at the sun through the falling water rather than directly at it. Many people offer the water in three pours.
6. Catch the water in a vessel or let it fall into a plant, so it does not run around your feet. Afterwards pour it on a plant.
7. Finish with a namaskar — touch the water and the earth, then your forehead and eyes, and bow once to Surya.

The mantra to chant

The arghya mantra is "Om Ehi Surya Sahasransho Tejorashe Jagatpate, Anukampaya Mam Bhaktya Grihanarghyam Divakara" — "Come, O Surya, thousand-rayed, mass of radiance, lord of the world; have compassion on me, and accept this arghya offered with devotion, O Divakara." Tradition places it in the Narada Purana. If a full verse is too much to begin with, "Om Ghrini Suryaya Namah" or simply "Om Suryaya Namah" is enough — chanted with attention while the water falls.

Benefits

• A steady start to the day: the practice asks you to be up, bathed and still at sunrise, every day — most people notice this discipline first.
• Surya in the horoscope: in jyotish, Surya governs vitality, confidence, a father's support and standing with authority. Daily arghya is the first remedy suggested when Surya is weak or troubled by Shani, Rahu or Ketu.
• Tradition and scripture: Surya worship is associated with health and with victory in hard struggles — the Aditya Hridayam was taught to Shri Ram before his battle with Ravana.
• A moment of gratitude to the source of the light and warmth every living thing depends on.

Precautions

• The offered water must not touch your feet. It has been offered to a deity; let it fall into a vessel or a plant pot, then pour it on a plant.
• Never offer it onto a path or passage where people walk — choose a clean spot.
• Offer it early. The first rays are considered best; once the sun is high and harsh, the moment has passed.
• Don't stare at the sun. Look at it through the stream of water, not directly.
• Use a copper vessel if you can, and bathe before offering.
• If the sun is hidden by cloud or buildings, still face east and offer the water at a clean place — the offering is valid.

Best days

Every day is right, but Sunday, Surya's own day, is the most common day to begin. Makar Sankranti and Chhath Puja are the great festivals of arghya. For a longer practice, add the Surya Chalisa.