Dakshinamurthy Stotram
Dakshinamurthy Stotram
Dakshinamurthy Stotram
Note: The following paragraph is derived from the lecture given by Swami Paramarthananda.
Dakshinamurthy Stotram is a “Moksha Shastra”, a scriptural teaching that can lead to Moksham. It
contains the profound teaching of Advaita Vedanta. To understand the in -depth meaning of this text,
one should have studied and understood the Upanishads thoroughly. Swami Chinmayananda calls this
as Ph.D. text for Vedantic students. There are many elaborate commentaries on this work. Sri
Sureshwaracharya, one of the direct disciples of Shankara has written the commentary “Manasollassa”
on this work. Traditionally there is a practice of reciting Dhyanashlokas (these are taken from
Manasollasa and elsewhere) before starting with the main text.
I worship that Lord Dakshinamurti, a young guru, imparting knowledge of Brahman through silence,
surrounded by rishis who are firmly established in wisdom, teacher of teachers, whose gesture (Mudra)
signifies wisdom, whose nature is fullness, who is reveling in Himself and ever in Ananda.
Maunam – in this context is to be taken to suggest indirect teaching through implication. Being
attributeless, Brahman cannot be described directly. Hence the expert Guru Dakshinamurthy teaches
through non-Verbal communication.
I prostrate to that Lord, seated on the ground under the banyan tree, bestowing knowledge to all the
Rishis who have assembled near Him, the teacher of the three worlds, destroyer of the miseries of birth
and death.
Amazing! Under the banyan tree aged disciples sat around a youthful guru. He taught them in silence,
yet their doubts were dispelled.
Prostrations to Lord Dakshinamurti, the abode of all wisdom, teacher of the whole world, healer of those
suffering from the disease of Samsara.
ु ज्ञानक
ॐ नमाः प्रणवार्ाूय शद् ै मूर्यू े ।
क्षनमूिाय प्रशान्ताय दक्षिणामूिय
ू े नमाः ॥५॥
OM namaḥ praṇavārthāya śuddha jñānaikamūrthaye |
nirmalāya praśāntāya dakṣiṇāmūrtaye namaḥ ||5||
Prostrations to Lord Dakshinamurti, who is free from all impurities, tranquil, the embodiment of pure
knowledge alone and who is the meaning of Pranava.
Namaskarams to Dakshinamurthy, who is all pervading like the space and who is manifest in different
forms as Ishwara , Guru and Atman.
्
दक्षिणामूर्तिस्तोिम (dakṣiṇāmūrtistotram) - by Adi Shankara
To Him who sees the universe like a dream existing within oneself or like a city seen in a mirror but
appearing externally due to Maya, who upon enlightenment beholds the universe directly as his own
non-dual Self – Prostrations unto Him, Shri Dakshinamurti in the form of my own Guru.
बीजस्यान्तक्षरवाङ्कुरो जगक्षददं प्राक्षनर्तवकल्पं पनु ाः
मायाकक्षल्पिदेशकािकिनावैक्षचत्र्यक्षचिीकृ िम ।्
मायावीव क्षवजृम्भयत्यक्षप महायोगीव याःस्वेच्छया
िस्म ै श्री गरुु मूिय
ू े नम इदं श्रीदक्षिणामूिय
ू े ॥२॥
bījasyāntarivāṅkuro jagadidaṁ prāṅnirvikalpaṁ punaḥ
māyākalpitadeśakālakalanāvaicitryacitrīkṛtam|
māyāvīva vijṛmbhayatyapi mahāyogīva yaḥsvecchayā
tasmai śrī gurumūrtaye nama idaṁ śrīdakṣiṇāmūrtaye ||2||
This universe, undifferentiated at first like a sprout within the seed, becoming manifold through Maya's
aspects of time and space, that universe He projects by His own desire like a magician or a great yogi –
Prostrations unto Him, Shri Dakshinamurti in the form of my own Guru.
He by whose light the unreal universe appears real, who imparts immediate knowledge through the
Vedic teaching, “That thou art” to those who seek his refuge, because of whose direct knowledge one
never returns to the ocean of birth and death – Prostrations unto Him, Shri Dakshinamurti in the form
of my own Guru.
नानाक्षच्छद्रघिोदरक्षििमहादीपप्रभाभास्वरं
ज्ञानं यस्य ि ु चिरु ाक्षदकरणद्वारा बक्षहाःस्पन्दिे ।
जानामीक्षि िमेव भान्तमनभु ात्येित्समस्तं जगि ्
िस्म ै श्री गरुु मूिय
ू े नम इदं श्रीदक्षिणामूिय
ू े ॥४॥
nānācchidraghaṭodarasthitamahādīpaprabhābhāsvaraṁ
jñānaṁ yasya tu cakṣurādikaraṇadvārā bahiḥspandate |
jānāmīti tameva bhāntamanubhātyetatsamastaṁ jagat
tasmai śrī gurumūrtaye nama idaṁ śrīdakṣiṇāmūrtaye ||4||
Whose knowledge is like the light of a shining lamp placed inside a pot with many holes, shining forth
through the sense organs like eye sight, who shines as Consciousness - “I know” because of which this
entire creation appears – Prostrations unto Him, Shri Dakshinamurti in the form of my own Guru.
Philosophers, who are misguided, childish, blind, or dull, always teach falsely that the body, life, senses,
active intellect, and non-existence principle is the Self, Prostrations unto Him, Shri Dakshinamurti in the
form of my own Guru, who destroys their great delusion born of Maya's power.
राहुग्रस्तक्षदवाकरेन्दुसदृशो मायासमाच्छादनाि ्
सन्मािाः करणोपसंहरणिो योऽभूत्सिु प्तु ाः पमु ान ।्
प्रागस्वाप्सक्षमक्षि प्रबोधसमये याः प्रत्यक्षभज्ञायिे
िस्म ै श्री गरुु मूिय
ू े नम इदं श्रीदक्षिणामूिय
ू े ॥६॥
rāhugrastadivākarendusadṛśo māyāsamācchādanāt
sanmātraḥ karaṇopasaṁharaṇato yo'bhūtsuṣuptaḥ pumān|
prāgasvāpsamiti prabodhasamaye yaḥ pratyabhijñāyate
tasmai śrī gurumūrtaye nama idaṁ śrīdakṣiṇāmūrtaye ||6||
who remains as pure existence in deep sleep caused by Maya's power, withdrawing the senses like the
sun or moon covered during an eclipse, who upon waking remembers "I slept" – Prostrations unto Him,
Shri Dakshinamurti in the form of my own Guru.
The Self manifest within as the ever present sense of “I”, that which remains in every state of life and
experience, to the one who reveals this Self to His disciples by His auspicious gesture of wisdom –
Prostrations unto Him, Shri Dakshinamurti in the form of my own Guru.
who sees the universe as cause and effect, master and servant, teacher and disciple, father and son, and
so on, who sees all this in the waking and dream states due to Maya – Prostrations unto Him, Shri
Dakshinamurti in the form of my own Guru.
Whose eight-fold manifestation is this sentient and insentient world of earth, water, fire, air, space, sun,
moon, and consciousness , being beyond whose all-pervasive nature there exists nothing else for the wise
persons – Prostrations unto Him, Shri Dakshinamurti in the form of my own Guru.
Because the Self's all-pervasiveness is clearly revealed in this hymn, by listening to it, reflecting upon it,
meditating on its meaning, and reciting it one can gain enlightenment, effortlessly and without
impediments, with its great glory of being the Self of all with eightfold blessings.