Aditya Hridayam

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adityahridayam

De
http://www.harekrsna.de/aditya-hridayam.htm

Tube
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Adityahridayam

Slokas
http://www.dattapeetham.com/india/ashrama_prayers/aditya_english.pdf

With Translation
http://sanskrit.safire.com/pdf/ADITYA_TRANS.PDF

Agasthya was living in the midst of the sages in the forest of Dandakaranya. He was running a Gurukula (a residential institution to which students who sought education joined) and was the teacher of a large number of students.Shri Rama, the Prince of Ayodhya, had to spend fourteen years in the forest. (The story of Shri Rama is narrated in the great epic, the Ramayana.)He came to Dandakaranya with his wife Seetha and his brother Lakshmana. The sages welcomed them with greataffection. Shri Rama, Seetha and Lakshmana came to the hermitage of Agasthya. Because of his spiritual powers, Agasthya had known for a long time that Shri Rama would visit him. Agasthya looked after the guests well. He gave Rama a mighty bow known as the Vaishnava Dhanus and a quiver known as Akshaya Thuneera. This was a quiver known as Akshaya Thuneera.

This was a quiver, which would always be full of arrows. He also bestowed on him a number of weapons of rare power. According to his advice Rama and Lakshmana built a ‘Parnakuti’ (a hut) on the banks of the river Godavari and went to live there.Later, in the war between Rama and Ravana, Agasthya was among the many sages who assembled to watch the mightly battle. Ravana, too, was a great warrior. Shri Ramachndra was worried. He did not know how to kill Ravana. Then Agasthya came forward and taught him the most sacred mantra known as the ‘Adithya Hridaya’. It was addressed to the Sun God. By chanting it three times Rama got the strength to kill Ravana.

Ravana loses his heads

Image of demon King Ravana, who has ten heads, being decapitated by a shower of golden arrows. In the bottom right corner, is one of Ravana's demon warriors.

This is the final battle between Rama and Ravana. Rama has pursued Ravana in his chariot and fires golden arrows, which turn into serpents as they reach Ravana. The arrows cut off Ravana's many heads but they immediately grew back again. This goes on for days and nights, and Ravana shoots hundreds of arrows as the two fight to the death.

Matali, Rama's charioteer watches the struggle and suggests that "To kill Ravana you must use the dreaded arrow of Brahma, given to you by Agastya, which never misses its target". So Rama shot the divine arrow, which had the power of the gods in it, which pierced Ravana in the heart and killed him.

This is a detail from an illustration of the battle scene from the Yuddha Kanda

Then peace and happiness reigned on earth.After returning to Ayodhya Shri Rama chandra became the king. He had killed Ravana and brought relief to a troubled world; but his mind was not at peace. He was worried. At this time with Agasthya as the leader, a group of sages came to see Shri Rama. Agasthya understood the cause of Rama's unhappiness. Rama had killed Ravana, the great grandson of Brahma, the Creator, and so his mind was clouded. As a remedy, Agasthya advised Rama to perform the Ashvamedha Sacrifice.