Sanskrit · Yoga · Vedic Heritage
Surya Namaskar Meaning in Sanskrit — All 12 Poses Explained Word by Word
8 min read · VedaLingo Editorial
300 million people perform Surya Namaskar every day. Most think it is exercise. It is not. It is a moving Vedic prayer — twelve Sanskrit salutations to twelve different aspects of the Sun, drawn from one of humanity's oldest texts, the Rig Veda. Every pose has a name. Every name has a mantra. Every mantra invokes a specific face of the Sun.
This is what most practitioners are never told. Let's fix that.
What Does "Surya Namaskar" Mean?
Break it down: Sūrya (सूर्य) is the Sanskrit word for the Sun — specifically, "the one who induces activity." Namaskāra (नमस्कार) means salutation — from namas (bowing, reverence) + kāra (act of doing). Together: a formal, reverent salutation to the Sun.
But the sequence does not salute just one Sun. It salutes twelve — the Dvādaśa Āditya (द्वादश आदित्य), twelve solar aspects named across the Rig Veda, each representing a different power the Sun holds over the cosmos and over life.
The Vedic Source: Āditya Hṛdayam
These twelve names are codified in the Āditya Hṛdayam — "Heart of the Sun" — a hymn embedded in the Yuddha Kāṇḍa of Vālmīki's Rāmāyaṇa. The sage Agastya appears before Rāma on the battlefield and teaches him these twelve solar names to invoke before battle with Rāvaṇa. They are ancient before the Rāmāyaṇa — the names themselves originate in the Rig Veda. Surya Namaskar is their embodied form.
All 12 Poses — Sanskrit Name, Mantra & Meaning
प्रणामासन
praṇāmāsana
Prayer Pose
Meaning: "Bowing pose" — prāṇa (reverence) + āsana (seat)
oṃ mitrāya namaḥ
Invokes: Mitra — the Sun as universal friend, the one who binds the cosmos in friendship
हस्तउत्तानासन
hastottānāsana
Raised Arms Pose
Meaning: "Raised hand pose" — hasta (hand) + uttāna (stretched upward)
oṃ ravaye namaḥ
Invokes: Ravi — the shining one, radiance that fills every direction
हस्तपादासन
hastapādāsana
Standing Forward Fold
Meaning: "Hand-to-foot pose" — hasta (hand) + pāda (foot)
oṃ sūryāya namaḥ
Invokes: Sūrya — the one who induces activity, who sets all life in motion
अश्वसञ्चालनासन
aśvasañcālana-āsana
Equestrian Pose
Meaning: "Horse-stepping pose" — aśva (horse) + sañcālana (moving forward)
oṃ bhānave namaḥ
Invokes: Bhānu — the luminous one, dazzling brilliance of the mid-sky sun
दण्डासन
daṇḍāsana
Plank Pose
Meaning: "Staff pose" — daṇḍa (staff or rod), the body held rigid as a rod
oṃ khagāya namaḥ
Invokes: Khaga — "sky-mover", the one who traverses the heavens unceasingly
अष्टाङ्गनमस्कार
aṣṭāṅga-namaskāra
Eight-Limbed Salute
Meaning: "Eight-limb salutation" — aṣṭa (8) + aṅga (limb) + namaskāra (salutation)
oṃ pūṣṇe namaḥ
Invokes: Pūṣan — the nourisher of all life, the force that sustains every living being
भुजङ्गासन
bhujaṅgāsana
Cobra Pose
Meaning: "Serpent pose" — bhujaṅga (serpent/cobra), the rising hood of the cobra
oṃ hiraṇyagarbhāya namaḥ
Invokes: Hiraṇyagarbha — "the golden womb", the cosmic source from which all creation emerges
अधोमुखश्वानासन
adho-mukha-śvānāsana
Downward-Facing Dog
Meaning: "Downward-face dog pose" — adhas (down) + mukha (face) + śvāna (dog)
oṃ marīcaye namaḥ
Invokes: Marīci — "ray of light", grandfather of the solar dynasty, light dispersed across creation
अश्वसञ्चालनासन
aśvasañcālana-āsana
Equestrian Pose (second side)
Meaning: Same as pose 4, now the opposite leg steps forward — the cycle turns
oṃ ādityāya namaḥ
Invokes: Āditya — "son of Aditi (infinity)", the Sun as child of the boundless, infinite cosmos
हस्तपादासन
hastapādāsana
Standing Forward Fold (second)
Meaning: Same as pose 3 — hands return to feet as the sequence mirrors itself
oṃ savitre namaḥ
Invokes: Savitr — "the vivifier", the one who brings forth life from seed, who animates matter
हस्तउत्तानासन
hastottānāsana
Raised Arms Pose (second)
Meaning: Same as pose 2 — arms sweep back up, heart opens toward the sky
oṃ arkāya namaḥ
Invokes: Arka — "worthy of praise", the Sun as the supreme object of adoration and worship
प्रणामासन
praṇāmāsana
Prayer Pose (closing)
Meaning: The sequence closes where it began — the circle is complete
oṃ bhāskarāya namaḥ
Invokes: Bhāskara — "the one who causes light (bhā)", the ultimate source behind all illumination
Why This Matters
The Rig Veda understood the Sun not as a single object but as a multidimensional force. Mitra — the Sun that forges friendship between all beings. Pūṣan — the Sun that nourishes crops, animals, children. Hiraṇyagarbha — the Sun as cosmic womb, the origin of all matter and light. Savitr — the Sun that animates, the force behind the Gāyatrī Mantra itself (oṃ bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ tat saviturvareṇyam…).
When you perform Surya Namaskar and speak these mantras, you are not warming up. You are participating in a 3,500-year-old conversation between humanity and the source of all life on Earth.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Surya Namaskar mean in Sanskrit?
Surya (सूर्य) means the Sun and Namaskar (नमस्कार) means salutation or bowing in reverence. Together, Surya Namaskar means "salutation to the Sun" — it is a sequence of 12 poses, each a Sanskrit prayer to a different aspect or name of the Sun.
How many poses are in Surya Namaskar and what are their Sanskrit names?
There are 12 poses: Pranamasana, Hastottanasana, Hasta Padasana, Ashwa Sanchalanasana, Dandasana, Ashtanga Namaskara, Bhujangasana, Adho Mukha Svanasana, Ashwa Sanchalanasana (second side), Hasta Padasana (second), Hastottanasana (second), and Pranamasana (closing). Each corresponds to one of the 12 Vedic names of the Sun.
What are the 12 names of the Sun in Surya Namaskar?
The 12 names are: Mitra (friend), Ravi (shining one), Surya (inducer of activity), Bhanu (luminous), Khaga (sky-mover), Pushan (nourisher), Hiranyagarbha (golden womb), Marichi (ray of light), Aditya (son of infinity), Savitr (vivifier), Arka (worthy of praise), and Bhaskara (cause of light). These are the Dvadasadityas — twelve solar aspects from the Rig Veda.
What is the mantra for Surya Namaskar?
Each of the 12 poses has its own Beeja mantra. They begin with "Om" followed by one of the 12 solar names: Om Mitraya Namah, Om Ravaye Namah, Om Suryaya Namah, Om Bhanave Namah, Om Khagaya Namah, Om Pushne Namah, Om Hiranyagarbhaya Namah, Om Marichaye Namah, Om Adityaya Namah, Om Savitre Namah, Om Arkaya Namah, Om Bhaskaraya Namah.
What is the Vedic origin of Surya Namaskar?
The 12 names of the Sun used in Surya Namaskar appear in the Aditya Hridayam — a hymn in the Valmiki Ramayana (Yuddha Kanda), where the sage Agastya teaches these solar names to Rama before his battle with Ravana. The names themselves originate in the Rig Veda, one of humanity's oldest surviving texts.
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