Dakshinamurthy Stotram in Sanskrit, English with Meaning

Dakshinamurthy Stotram

Dhyānam
ॐ मौनव्याख्या प्रकटितपरब्रह्मतत्वंयुवानं
वर्शिष्ठान्तेवसदृषिगणैरावृतं ब्रह्मनिष्ठैः |
आचार्येन्द्रं करकलित चिन्मुद्रमानन्दमूर्तिं
स्वात्मरामं मुदितवदनं दक्षिणामूर्तिमीडे ‖

oṃ maunavyākhyā prakaṭita parabrahmatatvaṃ yuvānaṃ
varśiṣṭhānte vasad ṛṣigaṇair āvṛtaṃ brahmaniṣṭhaiḥ |
ācāryendraṃ karakalita cinmudram ānandamūrtiṃ
svātmarāmaṃ muditavadanaṃ dakṣiṇāmūrtimīḍe ‖

I salute Śrī Dakṣiṇāmūrti, the Young Guru, who teaches the knowledge of Brahman through silence, who is surrounded by disciples, who are themselves ṛṣis and scholars in the Vedas. (I worship Śrī Dakṣiṇāmūrti), who is the teacher of teachers, whose hand is held in the sign of knowledge (cin-mudrā), whose nature is fullness, who reveals in himself, and who is ever silent. (1)

वटविटपिसमीपे भूमिभागे निषण्णं
सकलमुनिजनानां ज्ञानदातारमारात् |
त्रिभुवनगुरुमीशं दक्षिणामूर्तिदेवं
जननमरणदुःखच्छेद दक्षं नमामि ‖

vaṭaviṭapisamīpe bhūmibhāge niṣaṇṇaṃ
sakalamunijanānāṃ jñānadātāramārāt |
tribhuvana guru mīśaṃ dakṣiṇāmūrtidevaṃ
janana maraṇa duḥkha cchedadakṣaṃ namāmi ‖

I bow down to Śrī Dakṣiṇāmūrti, the teacher of the three worlds, the Lord, the destroyer of the miseries of birth and death, who seated on the ground under the banyan tree, grants knowledge to all the ṛṣis, who have assembled near Him.(2)

चित्रं वटतरोर्मूले वृद्धाः शिष्याः गुरुर्युवा |
गुरोस्तु मौनव्याख्यानं शिष्यास्तुच्छिन्नसंशयाः ‖

citraṃ vaṭatarormūle vṛddhāḥ śiṣyāḥ gururyuvā |
gurostu maunavyākhyānaṃ śiṣyās tu chinna saṃśayāḥ ‖

Wonderous indeed! Under the tree are the aged disciples around the youthful Guru. He taught them with silence, but the doubts of the disciples were all dispelled. (3)

निधये सर्वविद्यानां भिषजे भवरोगिणाम् |
गुरवे सर्वलोकानां दक्षिणामूर्तये नमः ‖

nidhaye sarvavidyānāṃ bhiṣaje bhavarogiṇām |
gurave sarvalokānāṃ dakṣiṇāmūrtaye namaḥ ‖

Salutations to Śrī Dakṣiṇāmūrti, the abode of all learning, the healer of all those who suffer from the disease of saṃsāra, and the teacher of the whole world.

ॐ नमः प्रणवार्थाय शुद्धज्ञानैकमूर्तये |
निर्मलाय प्रशान्ताय दक्षिणामूर्तये नमः ‖

oṃ namaḥ praṇavārthāya śuddhajñānaikamūrtaye |
nirmalāya praśāntāya dakṣiṇāmūrtaye namaḥ ‖

Salutations to Śrī Dakṣiṇāmūrti, who is ever pure and ever calm, the embodiment of pure knowledge and who is but the indicative meaning of Praṇava (Om) the Supreme. (5)

चिदोघनाय महेशाय वटमूलनिवासिने |
सच्चिदानन्द रूपाय दक्षिणामूर्तये नमः ‖

cidoghanāya maheśāya vaṭamūlanivāsine |
saccidānanda rūpāya dakṣiṇāmūrtaye namaḥ ‖

Salutations to Sri Dakshinamurthy Who is (as if) Consciousness Solidified, Salutations to the Mahesha (the Great God), Salutations to the One Who dwells at the root (i.e. base) of the Banyan Tree (Vata). Salutations to the embodiment of SatChitAnanda (Existence, Consciousness, Bliss) (6)

ईश्वरो गुरुरात्मेति मूर्तिभेदविभागिने |
व्योमवद् व्याप्तदेहाय दक्षिणामूर्तये नमः ‖

īśvaro gururātmeti mūrtibheda vibhāgine |
vyomavad vyāptadehāya dakṣiṇāmūrtaye namaḥ ‖

There is no difference between the Guru, Self and God. Obeisance to Lord Dakshinamurthy who is the personification of the Supreme Self that permeates through Space

Stotram
विश्वं दर्पणदृश्यमाननगरी तुल्यं निजान्तर्गतं
पश्यन्नात्मनि मायया बहिरिवोद्भूतं यथा निद्रया।
यः साक्षात्कुरुते प्रबोधसमये स्वात्मानमेवाद्वयं
तस्मै श्रीगुरुमूर्तये नम इदं श्रीदक्षिणामूर्तये ॥ १॥

viśvaṃ darpaṇadṛśyamānanagarītulyaṃ nijāntargataṃ
paśyannātmani māyayā bahirivodbhūtaṃ yathā nidrayā.
yaḥ sākṣātkurute prabodhasamaye svātmānamevādvayaṃ
tasmai śrīgurumūrtaye nama idaṃ śrīdakṣiṇāmūrtaye .. 1..

He who experiences at the time of realization his own immutable Self-in which the Self alone plays as the universe of names and forms, like a city seen in a mirror, due to the maya power as though produced outside, as in a dream, to him, the divine teacher, Sri Dakshinamurthy, is this prostration.

बीजस्यान्तरिवाङ्कुरो जगदिदं प्रानिर्विकल्पं पुनः
मायाकल्पितदेशकालकलनावैचित्र्यचित्रीकृतम् ।
मायावीव विजृम्भयत्यपि महायोगीव यः स्वेच्छया
तस्मै श्रीगुरुमूर्तये नम इदं श्रीदक्षिणामूर्तये ॥ २॥

bījasyāntarivāṅkuro jagadidaṃ prānirvikalpaṃ punaḥ
māyākalpitadeśakālakalanāvaicitryacitrīkṛtam .
māyāvīva vijṛmbhayatyapi mahāyogīva yaḥ svecchayā
tasmai śrīgurumūrtaye nama idaṃ śrīdakṣiṇāmūrtaye .. 2..

He who, like a juggler or a great yogi, unrolls this universe just out of His own free will – the universe, which before creation remained unmanifest like the future tree in a seed and has later on projected Himself out to be the world of endless variety, due to the delusory play of time and space, both the products of maya… to Him, the divine teacher, Sri Dakshinamurthy, is this prostration.

यस्यैव स्फुरणं सदात्मकमसत्कल्पार्थकं भासते
साक्षात्तत्त्वमसीति वेदवचसा यो बोधयत्याश्रितान् ।
यत्साक्षात्करणाद्भवेन्न पुनरावृत्तिर्भवाम्भोनिधौ
तस्मै श्रीगुरुमूर्तये नम इदं श्रीदक्षिणामूर्तये ॥ ३॥

yasyaiva sphuraṇaṃ sadātmakam asat kalpārthakaṃ bhāsate
sākṣāt tat-tvam-asīti veda vacasā yo bodhayaty āśritān .
yat sākṣāt karaṇād bhaven na punar āvṛttir bhavām bho nidhau
tasmai śrī gurumūrtaye nama idaṃ śrī dakṣiṇāmūrtaye .. 3..

He whose manifestations- which are themselves nothing but the Reality- appear as the objects of the world; He, who imparts to those who have surrendered to Him, direct enlightenment, through the vedic commandment “That Thou Art”, and after the direct experience of which there is no more any return to the “ocean” of worldly existence…. to Him, the divine teacher, Sri Dakshinamurty, is this prostration.

नानाच्छिद्र घटोदरस्थितमहा दीपप्रभाभास्वरं
ज्ञानं यस्य तु चक्षुरादिकरणद्वारा बहिः स्पन्दते ।
जानामीति तमेव भान्तमनुभात्येतत्समस्तं जगत्
तस्मै श्रीगुरुमूर्तये नम इदं श्रीदक्षिणामूर्तये ॥ ४॥

nānācchidra ghaṭodara sthitamahā dīpaprabhā bhāsvaraṃ
jñānaṃ yasya tu cakṣur ādi karaṇa dvārā bahiḥ spandate .
jānāmīti tameva bhāntam anubhāty etat samastaṃ jagat
tasmai śrī gurumūrtaye nama idaṃ śrī dakṣiṇāmūrtaye .. 4..

He, whose intelligence “flashes” outside through the eyes and other sense-organs, just like the bright light of a great lamp placed in a jar having many holes, and after whose shining, this whole universe of “objects” shines… to Him, the divine teacher, Sri Dakshinamurthy, is this prostration.

देहं प्राणमपीन्द्रियाण्यपि चलां बुद्धिं च शून्यं विदुः
स्त्रीबालान्धजडोपमास्त्वहमिति भ्रान्ता भृशं वादिनः ।
मायाशक्ति विलास कल्पितमहा व्यामोहसंहारिणे
तस्मै श्रीगुरुमूर्तये नम इदं श्रीदक्षिणामूर्तये ॥ ५॥

dehaṃ prāṇam api-indriyāṇy api calāṃ buddhiṃ ca śūnyaṃ viduḥ
strī bāla-andha jaḍo pamāstvaham iti bhrāntā bhṛśaṃ vādinaḥ .
māyā śaktivilāsa kalpitamahā vyāmoha saṃhāriṇe
tasmai śrī gurumūrtaye nama idaṃ śrī dakṣiṇāmūrtaye .. 5..

He who removes all the terrible misconceptions, created by the deluding play of maya- in those, who, intellectually innocent as a woman-child-blind-idiot and consider the reality as their body or their prana or their senses or their ever-changing intellect or as mere void and through error (mis-conceptions)- declare them to be the only reality… to Him, the divine teacher, Sri Dakshinamurthy, is this prostration.

राहुग्रस्तदिवाकरेन्दुसदृशो मायासमाच्छादनात्
सन्मात्रः करणोपसंहरणतो योऽभूत्सुषुप्तः पुमान् ।
प्रागस्वाप्समिति प्रबोधसमये यः प्रत्यभिज्ञायते
तस्मै श्रीगुरुमूर्तये नम इदं श्रीदक्षिणामूर्तये ॥ ६॥

rāhu grasta divākarendu sadṛśo māyā samācchādanāt
sanmātraḥ karaṇopasaṃharaṇato yo’bhūt suṣuptaḥ pumān .
prāgasvāpsamiti prabodhasamaye yaḥ pratyabhijñāyate
tasmai śrī gurumūrtaye nama idaṃ śrīd akṣiṇāmūrtaye .. 6..

On folding up all the functions of the senses, He who enters into a state of deep-sleep and there becomes existence veiled in maya, like the sun or the moon during eclipse, and who, on waking, remembers to have slept… to Him, the divine teacher, Sri Dakshinamurthy, is this prostration.

बाल्यादिष्वपि जाग्रदादिषु तथा सर्वास्ववस्थास्वपि
व्यावृत्तास्वनुवर्तमानमहमित्यन्तः स्फुरन्तं सदा ।
स्वात्मानं प्रकटीकरोति भजतां यो मुद्रया भद्रया
तस्मै श्रीगुरुमूर्तये नम इदं श्रीदक्षिणामूर्तये ॥ ७॥

bālyādiṣvapi jāgradādiṣu tathā sarvāsvavasthāsvapi
vyāvṛttāsv anuvartamānam aham ity antaḥ sphurantaṃ sadā .
svātmānaṃ prakaṭīkaroti bhajatāṃ yo mudrayā bhadrayā
tasmai śrī gurumūrtaye nama idaṃ śrī dakṣiṇāmūrtaye .. 7..

He, who, through the auspicious sign of knowledge (jnana-mudra), reveals to his devotees Him own Self- which persists in all stages of age (childhood, boyhood, youth and old age), in all states (waking, dreaming and deep-sleep) and in all other conditions- and who constantly manifests Himself inwardly as “I”… to Him, the divine teacher, Sri Dakshinamurthy, is the prostration.

विश्वं पश्यति कार्यकारणतया स्वस्वामिसंबन्धतः
शिष्याचार्यतया तथैव पितृपुत्राद्यात्मना भेदतः ।
स्वप्ने जाग्रति वा य एष पुरुषो मायापरिभ्रामितः
तस्मै श्रीगुरुमूर्तये नम इदं श्रीदक्षिणामूर्तये ॥ ८॥

viśvaṃ paśyati kārya kāraṇatayā sva svāmi saṃbandhataḥ
śiṣyācāryatayā tathaiva pitṛputrādyātmanā bhedataḥ .
svapne jāgrati vā ya eṣa puruṣo māyāparibhrāmitaḥ
tasmai śrī gurumūrtaye nama idaṃ śrī dakṣiṇāmūrtaye .. 8..

He, who is the Purusa, whirled in maya, sees, in Himself, the world of cause-effect diversely related as possessor and possession, father and son, and as teacher and taught, both in the state of waking and of dreaming;… to Him, the divine teacher, Sri Dakshinamurthy, is this prostration.

भूरम्भां स्यनलोऽनिलोऽम्बरमहर्नाथो हिमांशुः पुमान्
इत्याभाति चराचरात्मकमिदं यस्यैव मूर्त्यष्टकम् ।
नान्यत्किञ्चन विद्यते विमृशतां यस्मात्परस्माद्विभोः
तस्मै श्रीगुरुमूर्तये नम इदं श्रीदक्षिणामूर्तये ॥ ९॥

bhūr ambhāṃsy analo’nilo’mbaram aharnātho himāṃśuḥ pumān
ityābhāti carācara ātmakamidaṃ yasyaiva mūrtyaṣṭakam .
nānyat kiñcana vidyate vimṛśatāṃ yasmāt parasmād vibhoḥ
tasmai śrī gurumūrtaye nama idaṃ śrī dakṣiṇāmūrtaye .. 9..

He, whose eight-fold forms are the “Earth, Water, Fire, Air, Ether, Sun, Moon and Jiva”, and who manifests Himself as this universe of the movable and immovable objects- and besides which, the Supreme all-pervading lord, there exists nothing to those who reflect well upon… to Him, the divine teacher, Sri Dakshinamurthy, is this prostration.

सर्वात्मत्वमिति स्फुटीकृतमिदं यस्मादमुष्मिन् स्तवे
तेनास्य श्रवणात्तदर्थमननाद्ध्यानाच्च सङ्कीर्तनात् ।
सर्वात्मत्वमहाविभूतिसहितं स्यादीश्वरत्वं स्वतः
सिद्ध्येत्तत्पुनरष्टधा परिणतं चैश्वर्यमव्याहतम् ॥ १०॥

sarvātmatvam iti sphuṭīkṛtam idaṃ yasmād amuṣmin stave
tenāsya śravaṇāt tadartha mananād dhyānād ca saṅkīrtanāt .
sarvātmatva mahā vibhūti sahitaṃ syād īśvaratvaṃ svataḥ
siddhyet tat punar aṣṭadhā pariṇataṃ ca iśvaryam avyāhatam .. 10..

The Knowledge “all-this-ātman” (Sarva-ātmatvam) has been explained in this hymn and so, by hearing it, by reflecting and meditating upon its meaning and by reciting it, one will attain that divine state, endued with the glory of the all-Self-hood, along with the permanent eight-fold holy, powers of Godhood.

Description

Dakshinamurti is an incarnation of Shiva, the supreme god of knowledge. Dakshinamurti is an aspect of Shiva as the original Guru of all types of knowledge, and bestower of jnana. This aspect of Shiva is his personification as the supreme or the ultimate awareness, understanding and knowledge.

The Dakshinamurti Stotra is a Sanskrit religious hymn to Shiva by Sri Adi Shankaracharya. It explains the metaphysics of the universe in the frame of the tradition of Advaita Vedanta. In the Hindu mythology, Dakshinamurti is an incarnation of Shiva, the supreme god of knowledge. Repeated chanting and/or meditating on the meaning of these verses is expected to help a spiritual practitioner of Advaita vedanta get thoroughly established in an Advaitic experience.

Here is a link to the PDF of a book on Dakshinmurthy Stotram and the commentary (Vārtikam) upon these ten stanzas by Sankara’s great disciple Śrī Sureśvarācārya. This commentary is entitled as “Mānasollāsa” (That which exhilirates the mind). To view this PDF click here.

For a detailed explanation of each verse and commentary please read Swami Paramarthananda’s detailed lectures here.

INTRODUCTION TO SRI DAKSHINAMURTHY STOTRA

By Swami Chinmayananda

Of all the hymns of Śrī Śankara, Śrī Dakşiņāmūrty Stotra is the shortest but, at the same time, in its philosophic import, subtlety of expression and confident assertion, it is one of the most inspired works of the advaita philosopher. On a small canvas, Śankara has with unerring dexterity crammed all the arguments of the non-dualist against the preachers of dualism. Naturally, the stanzas are loaded with suggestions, and to dive into their rich depths, special training is necessary for the students.

In short, these stanzas are not lessons addressed to new initiates, but they are discussions with students who have already fully studied the śāstras and are now ready to enter into their meditation seats. A strict pattern of thought development is observed in these ten stanzas which are linked together into one monumental garland of philosophical thoughts, based on the declarations of the rșis of the upanişads.

The opening Stanza, while indicating the pluralistic world of perceptions, shows how they are all the play of the one infinite Reality and it insists that to realise this Truth, through the help of a proper teacher, is to gain the ultimate goal of human existence.

The following two Stanzas describe how the perception of the false—a world of delusive forms and names superimposed upon the infinite ever-present reality-has come about.

Stanzas 3 and 4 explain the methods by which this misapprehension of the Reality can be ended and also describes how the light of the infinite expresses itself from within each one of us through the vehicles of perception.

Stanza 5 indicates how this delusory power of māyā confuses some great students of the upanişads and even greater thinkers and philosophers.

Stanza 6 focuses our attention upon our own experiences in life. It indicates the methods by which, through a scientific analysis of our own vivid experiences in the three planes of consciousness—waking, dream and deep sleep-we can easily come to realise that the reality behind our individual personalities is the reality behind the entire universe.

Stanza 7 points out what is the fathomless substratum upon which alone, is reflected, the play of change that dances to the tune of finitude and sorrow.

Stanza 8 answers the material scientists and the secular observers of the world, who consider the world as real because it is constantly yielding to them definite sets of experiences.

In Stanza 9, the usual technique of upāsanā is prescribed for those diligent students who, even after a deep and careful study of the previous stanzas, are not able to fully appreciate the import of them all. Lack of integration within will make students unfit for such subtle flights to the lofty heights of vedānta, when it discusses the ultimate theme. To help them gain the necessary integration, this stanza prescribes an upāsanā .

The concluding Stanza states that these are not ideas to be merely heard or understood, but that each student should reflect upon them and make them his own. It also explains how, as a result of this education, each one of us can achieve an unfoldment of his or her own personality to a diviner dimension and to the eventual attainment of “liberation”.

These stanzas have unsuspected depths, though superficially they have a simple and direct meaning. Every phrase that is used in them has a definite purpose and it is lined up against an army of opponents who believe and argue against the conclusions of the vedāntik philosophy. Thus the samkhyanas, the vaiseșikās, the naiyyayikās, the cārvakās, the Buddhists…..not to mention different minor groups….all come under the annihilating intellectual fire of Ācārya Sankara in these discussions. Here we meet not only Śankara, the devotee, but we discover Sankara, the disputant and Sankara, the champion of the advaita philosophy, armed to the teeth, fighting against all misconceptions, illogical arguments and hasty conclusions…… alien to the spirit and letter of the upanișadik declarations.

These ten Stanzas are a summary of the arguments in the upanişads, of the declarations in the Brahma sūtras and of the Gitā.

The upanișadik declaration, “Brahman alone is the reality; the world-of-change is a delusion” (ब्रह्म सत्यं जगन्मिथ्या जीवो ब्रह्मैव नापरः। Brahma Satyam Jagan-mithyā Jivo Brahmaiva Nāparaḥ) is the theme that is taken up here in these ten stanzas by Ācārya Sankara and he elucidates its subtle imports with a philosophical scholarship, tempered by kindness towards those who cannot directly understand the deeper suggestion of the upanișadik thought.

As it stands today, we have a commentary (Vārtikam) upon these ten stanzas by Sankara’s great disciple Śrī Sureśvarācārya. This is entitled as “Mānasollāsa”. (To read this further, please purchase the book using the link below.)

The meaning of Dakshinamurthy

Lord Siva, in order to instruct the rishis and the seers assumed the form of a Guru, and sitting on the peak of Kailasa, He turned southward to serve all seekers. In the Upanishad we read the explanation of the term Dakshinamurthy. The term dakshina means “that divine power of subtle perception which is generated in a fully integrated pure intellect.” This dakshina power when flowing towards (kshane mukham), the vasana-conditioned hearts of the disciples (yasyam) is called “turned-southward” and this is Siva, say the champions of reality (Brahma-vaadibhih). So, the Teacher is none other than the Supreme, who has manifested himself in the divine form of Sri Dakshinamurthy to bless the struggling aspirant. He is invoked here for our devoted worship.

To purchase the book “Hymn to Sri Dakshinamurthy – Commentary by Swami Chinmayananda” please click here

Other Dakshinamurthy Shlokams

Dakshinamurthy Stotram – Dakshinamurthy – With English Transliteration, Translation and Meaning. Commentary for selected Shlokams.

Dakshinamurthy Stotram