Surya Namaskar Mantra: The 12 Mantras, Meanings and Steps

The 12 surya namaskar mantras with meaning (surya namaskar ke 12 mantra)

These twelve are also called the 12 names of surya namaskar. Translations vary slightly between teachers.

Surya namaskar steps with mantra

Each mantra belongs to one position. Step 1, prayer pose, takes the first name; step 2, raised arms, the second; and so on to step 12. On the second set, with the other leg stepping back, some people carry on through the list and others start over at Om Mitraya Namah. Both are common. Pictures of every position are in our step guide.

Surya namaskar ke mantra and surya pranam yoga

In many homes the practice is called surya pranam yoga, a bow to the sun, and surya namaskar ke mantra are learned as part of the morning routine. The 12 names of surya namaskar asana steps are not names of poses; they are names of the sun said with each pose. That is why people sometimes search for the 12 names and find the mantras instead. If you want the pose names, they are pranamasana, hasta uttanasana, hasta padasana, ashwa sanchalanasana, dandasana, ashtanga namaskara, bhujangasana and parvatasana, repeated back to the start.

How to chant the surya namaskar mantra while moving

1. Stand in prayer pose and say the first mantra on a soft exhale.
2. Inhale and move into the next pose.
3. Pause briefly in the shape, say the next mantra, then flow on.
4. If chanting interrupts your breath, say the mantras silently instead.

Saying the mantras naturally keeps the speed gentle, which suits beginners. For a faster, fitness style practice, many people drop the chanting and focus on breath only.

Pronunciation tips

• Mitraya: mit-raa-ya.
• Ravaye: ra-va-yay.
• Bhanave: bhaa-na-vay.
• Khagaya: kha-gaa-ya.
• Pushne: poosh-nay.
• Hiranyagarbhaya: hi-ran-ya-gar-bhaa-ya.
• Marichaye: maa-ree-cha-yay.
• Savitre: sa-vi-tray.

Speak slowly and clearly. Perfect pronunciation matters less than steady attention.

If you learned the surya namaskar mantra in Telugu, Kannada or another Indian language, the Sanskrit names stay the same; only the script changes. Families often teach them as simple mantra lyrics, chanted to a steady rhythm, so children remember the order.

Bija mantras: the short version

Some traditions use six short seed sounds instead: hraam, hreem, hroom, hraim, hraum and hrah, repeated twice through the twelve steps. They are quicker to say and are sometimes chanted in groups. Use whichever version your teacher prefers; both serve the same purpose of focusing the mind.

Do you need the mantras?

No. The physical sequence and its benefits do not depend on chanting. Many people find the mantras add a calm, devotional quality to the morning; others prefer silence. Try both and keep what helps you practise regularly. The yoga mantra page covers other chants used in yoga classes.