Dasa Shloki – Verse 3   «   »

Dasa Shloki – Verse 3   «   »

न माता पिता वा न देवा न लोका
न वेदा न यज्ञा न तीर्थं ब्रुवन्ति।
सुषुप्तौ निरस्तातिशून्यात्मकत्वा
त्तदेकोऽवशिष्टः शिवः केवलोऽहम्।।3।।
Na mātā pitā vā na devā na lokā
Na vedā na yajñā na tīrthaṃ bruvanti.
Suṣuptau nirastātiśūnyātmakatvā
Ttadeko’vaśiṣṭaḥ śivaḥ kevalo’ham..3..
Neither the mother nor the father.
Neither the celestial gods nor the earth,
Neither the Vedas ,nor the fire sacrifice,
Nor the holy waters, they say, exist in sleep.
But there is no void in sleep, either.
So I am simply Shiva the self,
For this remains even in sleep,
After everything is taken out.

Dasa Shloki – Commentary by S.N. Sastri

The srutis say that in deep sleep there is no mother, nor father, nor gods, nor the worlds, nor the Vedas, nor sacrifices, nor holy places. Nor is there total void, since I exist then as the one auspicious self free from all attributes.

Since the notions of caste, stage of life, etc., are based only on false knowledge (which results in identification with the body, etc.,), it is pointed out that when that (false knowledge) is not there, such notions also do not exist, as in the state of deep sleep.

This sloka is based on the Brihadaranyaka upanishad which says that in the state of deep sleep the father cease to be a father, the mother ceases to be a mother, a thief is no thief, etc.


Dasa Shloki – Verse 3 – Dasa Shloki – 3-Na mātā pitā – In Sanskrit with English Transliteration, Translation and Meaning – Adi Sankaracharya – Dasa-Shloki-3