SriDakshinamurthyStotram

byAdiSankaraBhagawatPada

TranslatedbyP.R.Ramachander

AdhiSankarahaswrittenverymanygreatStotras(prayers)buthereisauniqueprayer,whichisnotonlyaprayerbutthesummaryofallthephilosophythathehastaught.Evenduringhistime,thisstotrawasdifficulttocomprehendanditbecamenecessaryforoneofhisdisciples,SureshwaracharyatowriteacommentarycalledManasollasatothisstotra.Therearelargenumberofbooksandcommentariesonthiscommentaryitself.

MounaVyakhyaprakatitha,para,

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Brahmathathwamyuvanam,

Varshishthaanthevasadrishiganai,

Ravruthambrahmanishtai,

Acharyendramkarakalihthachin,

Mudramanandaroopam,

Swathmaramammudhithavadanam,

Dakshinamurthimeede.

IpraiseandsalutethatDakshinamrthy,

Whofacesthesouth,

WhoexplainsthetruenatureofthesupremeBrahman,

Throughhisstateofsilence,

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Whoisyounginlooks,

WhoissurroundedbydiscipleswhoareoldSages,

WhosemindsarefixedonBrahman,

Whoisthegreatestofteachers,

WhoshowstheChinmudhra[1]byhishand,

Whoispersonificationofhappiness,

Whoisinthestateofextremejoywithinhimself,

Andwhohasasmilingface.

Viswamdarpanadrusyamananagari,

Thulyamnijantargatham,3

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Pasyannathmanimayayabahirivoth,

Bhuthamyathanidraya,

Yasakshathkurutheprabodhasamaye,

Swathmanamevadwayam,

Thasmaisrigurumurthayenamaidham,

SreeDakshinamurthaye.,2

Similartotheimageofatownasseeninthemirror,

Whenoneseestheimageoftheworldwithinhim,

Theworldappearsasifitisoutside.

Itissimilartohisseeingduetoillusion,

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Duringthestateofsleep,

Thattheonerealfactappearsasmanydifferenttruths,

Andherealizes,whenhewakesupandseesthereality,

Thatheisreallytheoneandonlyonesoul.

SalutationtotheGodfacingthesouth,

Whoisthegreatestteacher.

Theabovestanzatellsusthattheworldwhichisoutsideusissameasoursoulbutweseethemasdifferententitiesduetotheveilofignorance.Assoonaswewakeup,werealizethatthedreamisfalseandevenwhileseeingourimageinthemirror,weknowthatwearenotseeingusinthemirrorbutourimage.Whenwegetknowledgefromtheguruweareinthewakefulstatewithouttheveilofignorance.

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Beejasyantharivankurojagadhidham,

Prangnirvikalpampuna,

Mayakalpithadesakalakalanaa,

Vaichithryachithrikrutham,

Mayaveevavijrumbhayathyapimaha,

Yogeevayahswechaya,

Thasmaisrigurumurthayenamaidham,

Sreedakshinamurthaye.,3

Likethegerminsidetheseedisitspart,

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Butbecomesdifferentafterdevelopment

Themanyplacesandtimewhicharebeforeus,

Aredrawnbyillusionintheboardoflifeinapeculiarmanner,

ByagreatsavantoranexpertSiddha,

Whocancreatethemaspertheirwill,

SalutationtotheGodfacingthesouth,

Whoisthegreatestteacher.

Whenthenetofillusionisliftedandwhenwereachthestageofmanifestation,wewouldfindthatwhatwethinkasdifferentisbutoneandthesame.

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Yasyaivasphuranamsadathmakamasath,

Kalparthagambhasathe,

Sakshaaththathwamaseethivedavachasa,

Yobodhyathyasrithhan,

Yathsakshtkaranathbhavennapunara,

Aavrithirbhavambhonidhow,

Thasmaisrigurumurthayenamaidham,

Sreedakshinamurthaye.,4

Hewhoexistsasthereallightoftruth,

Andshinesinthefalseworldofappearance,

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AndHewhoteachesdisciplesthegreatsaying,

“Thouartthat”[2]afterrealizingitsimport,

Getsawayfromthiscycleoflifeanddeath.

SalutationtotheGodfacingthesouth,

Whoisthegreatestteacher.

Nanachidhraghatodharasthithamaha,

Deepaprabhabhaswaram,

Jnanamyasyathuchakshuradhikarana,

Dwarabahispandathe,

Jaanameethithamevabaandhamanubathi,

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Yethathsamasthamjagat,

Thasmaisrigurumurthayenamaidham,

Sreedakshinamurthaye.,5

Likethelightemanatingfromalamp,

Keptinapotwithmanyholes,

Goesoutinalldirections,

Inthepersoninwhomthewisdomgoesout

Throughtheopeningsofear,eye,mouthandthought,

Andwhenthatpersonrealizesthat‘Iknowmyself”,

ThiswholeuniverseshinesafterHimalone,

Whoshinesintheconsciousnessastheknower.

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SalutationtotheGodfacingthesouth,

Whoisthegreatestteacher.

Ourbodypreventsusfromseeingthetruth(thelightfromoutside)thatwearetheBrahmanandletsoutlightthoughthesensoryorgansandmakesusdeceiveourselvesbyfeelingthatwearehappy.ThissimileofapotwithholesforthebodyoccursinmanyplacesinIndianphilosophy.

Dehampranamapiindryanyapichalaam,

Budhimchasoonyamvidhu,

Streebalandhajadopamasthvahamithi,

Brandhabrusamvadhina,11

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Mayasakthivilasakalpithamaha,

Vyamohasamharine,

Thasmaisrigurumurthayenamaidham,

Sreedakshinamurthaye.,6

Thosegreatphilosophers,whothinkthat,

Thebody,thesoulandthefickleintellect,

Theconceptofemptinessandallothernothingness,

Arenothingbutthemselves,

Aresimilartothewomenchildren,blindandtheignorant.

ItisonlyHewhocandestroy,thisveilofignorance,

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Andwakeusupfromthisstateofdeceit.

SalutationtotheGodfacingthesouth,

Whoisthegreatestteacher.

Thisisasampleoftheapproachofnegationinidentifyingthetruthabouttheconceptofself.Senses,thebodyetccannotbetheabsolutetruthastheyaretransient.

Rahugrasthadivakarendusadrusho,

Mayasamachadanath,

Sanamthrakaranopasamharanatho,

Yoabhootsushupthapumaan,

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Pragaswapsaamithiprabodhasamaye,

Yaaprathyabignayathe,

Thasmaisrigurumurthayenamaidham,

Sreedakshinamurthaye.,7

SimilartotheSunwhenbeingmaskedbytheserpentRahu,

Knowsthatitwasexisting,oncetheeclipseisover

Thatmanwhosesensesaresuppressed

Whenheisasleep,

Becauseoftheveilofillusion,

Realizesthathewasinthestateofsleep,

Whenhewakesup.

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SalutationtotheGodfacingthesouth,

Whoisthegreatestteacher.

Similarthesunexistingevenwhenthereiseclipse,weexistwhenwearesleeping.ThisisdenialoftheBuddhisttheorythat,whenweareasleepthereisnothingness.

Balyadishwapijagaradhadishuthadha,

Sarvasvaavasthasthaswapi,

Vyavruthaswanuvarthamanamaha,

Mithyanthsphuranthamsada,

Svathmaanampragatikarothibajatham,15

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Yomudrayabhadraya,

Thasmaisrigurumurthayenamaidham,

Sreedakshinamurthaye.,8

Salutationstohimwhoshinesandexhibits,

HimselfbythebeatificChinmudhraofthehand,

Thatheexistswithinthehumansasself,

Foreverandnonchanging,

Evenduringthechangingstatesofchildhood,youthandoldage

Andevenduringthestatesofsleep,dreamandwakefulness.

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SalutationtotheGodfacingthesouth,

Whoisthegreatestteacher.

ThetruthasrepresentedbytheconceptofBrahman,existsalways.

Viswampasyathikaryakaranathaya,

Swaswamisambandatha,

Sishyacharyathayathadaivapithru,

Puthradhyathmanabedatha,

SwapneJagrathivayaeshapurusho,

MayaParibramitha,

Thasmaisrigurumurthayenamaidham,17

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Sreedakshinamurthaye.,9

Theworldseesascauseandeffect,

Thedifferencesbetweenusandourlord,

Thedistinctionbetweenteacherandthetaught,

Thedistinctionbetweenfatherandson,

Andsothemanisconfusedbyillusion,

Andbelievesinthesedifferences,

Duringthetimesofdreamandwakefulness.

SalutationtotheGodfacingthesouth,

Whoisthegreatestteacher.

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TheignoranceofthetruthbecauseoftheveilofignoranceMayaisreemphasized.

Bhoorambaamsyaaniloambhara,

Maharnadhohimamasupuman,

Ithyabhathicharacharathmakamidham,

Yasyaivamurthyashtakam,

Nanyathkinchanavidhyathevimrusathaam,

Yasmathparasmathvibho,

Thasmaisrigurumurthayenamaidham,

Sreedakshinamurthaye.,10

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TothesakeofwhichsupremeBrahman,

Theuniverseisshiningasself,

WhichisMovableandimmovable,withitsaspects?

Ofwater,fire,air,space,

Thesun,moonandtheindividualsoul,

Andalsotothosewhoexaminethetruthbehind,

Themeaningofthisuniverseandfind,

ThatitConsistsofnothingbut,

TheGodwhoiseverywhere.

SalutationtotheGodfacingthesouth,

Whoisthegreatestteacher.

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Sarvathmathvamithisphutikruthamitham,

Yasmadamushaminsthave,

Thenasyasravanaththadarthamananath,

DyanaschaSankeerthanath,

Sarvathmathvamahavibhuthisahitham,

Syadheeswarasthvamsvatha,

Siddhyeththathpunarashtadhaparinatham,

Chaisvaryamvayhatham.,11

TheconceptoftheAthma,

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Whichisexplainedinthispoemofpraise,

Hearingwhich,understandingwhich,

Meditatingwhichandsingingwhich,

Onewouldattainthestateofthegodliness,

Andthegreatstateofselfrealization,

Andalsoyouwouldgettheeightpowersofoccult,

Withoutanyproblemsinbetween.

Appendix

Thefollowingthreestanzasaswellasthefirststanzaare

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chantedafterthemainstotra:-

ChitramVatatharormolevruddha,

Sishya,GurorYuva,

Gurostumounamvykhyanam,

Sishyasthuchinasamsaya

Itisstrangetosee,

Theveryolddisciples,

Andtheveryyoungteacher,

Whositunderabanyantree,

Withtheteacheralwaysobservingsilence,

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Andthestudentsgettingallthedoubtscleared.

Omnamapranavarthaya,

Suddhajnanaikamoorthayenama,

Nirmalayaprasanthaya,

SriDakshinamurthayenama.

SalutationstothatDakshinamurthy,

Whoisthemeaningofthepranava,“om”,

Whoisthepersonificationofunalloyedwisdom,

Whoiscrystalclearinhisthought,

Andwhoistheepitomeofpeace.

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Guravesaralokaanam,

Bishajebhavaroginaam,

Nidhayesarvavidhyanam,

SriDakshinamurthayenama.

SalutationstothatDakshinamurthy,

Whoistheteacheroftheentireworld,

Whoisthedoctortothose,

Afflictedbythediseaseofbirthanddeath,

Andwhoisthetreasurehoseofallknowledge.

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Source:http://www.hindupedia.com/en/SriDakshinamurthyStotram

WebUrl:https://www.vignanam.org/veda/dakshina-murthy-stotram-meaning.html

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