Dakshinamutrhy Stotram

Dakshninamurti (Shiva) manifests in three different forms as God,
Preceptor and the Self (Atman).The practice of vedanta is to get rid of avidya (ignorance) by exercising the will over attachment to the unreal, and by overcoming fear and anxiety by finding the bliss in the eternal. The sadhaka (aspirant) is often aided by a teacher who is self-realized, and the aspirant follows the teachings of this Guru, whom he/she considers to be an embodiment of God. The embodiment of Dakshinamurti in the Guru, by whose grace and grace alone, the illumination becomes apparent is saluted in the fourth line of each sloka in the hymn.The stotram aids in the comprehension of the fact that Jiva, Ishvara and Brahman are all the same on the plane of Reality. The recital of this hymn, accompanied with contemplation of the meaning, is said to enable one to reach the plentitude of realization and become one with the Brahman.

Dhyaanam:
Mouna Vyakhya prakatitha, para,Brahma thathwam yuvanam,
Varshishtha anthevasad rishiganai,Ravrutham brahma nishtai,
Acharyendram kara kalihtha chin,Mudram ananda roopam,
Swathmaramam mudhitha vadanam,Dakshinamurthim eede.

Meaning: I praise and salute that Dakshinamrthy,Who faces the south,Who explains the true nature of the supreme Brahman,Through his state of silence,Who is young in looks,Who is surrounded by disciples who are old Sages,Whose minds are fixed on Brahman,Who is the greatest of teachers,Who shows the Chinmudhra* by his hand, Who is personification of happiness,Who is in the state of extreme joy within himself, And who has a smiling face.

*He joins the edge of the thumb and first finger, which indicates that God and soul are one. This is called Chinmudhra.” Chinmudra denotes the identity of the individual soul and the supreme Self or Brahman. God is the Brahman associated with Maya. The identity is between the individual soul or self (jivatma) and the
supreme self (paramatma) and not God.”


1)Viswam Darpana Drushyamaana Nagari Tulyam Nijaantargatham
Pashyanmaatmani maayaya bahirivo dbhutam yadha nidraya
yah saakshaat kurute prabhodha samaye svatmaanameva dhvayam
Tasmai SriGurumoorthaye nama idham Sri Dakshina Moorthaye

Meaning: Similar to the image of a town as seen in the mirror, When one sees the image of the world within him, The world appears as if it is outside. It is similar to his seeing due to illusion, During the state of sleep, That the one real fact appears as many different truths, And he realizes ,when he wakes up and sees the reality, That he is really the one and only one soul.Salutation to the God facing the south, Who is the greatest teacher.

The above stanza tells us that the world which is outside us is same as our soul but we see them as different entities due to the veil of ignorance. As soon as we wake up, we realize that the dream is false and even while seeing our image in the mirror, we know that we are not seeing us in the mirror but our image. When we get knowledge from the guru we are in the wakeful state without the veil of ignorance.


2)Beejasyantari Vaankuro jagadhidham prang nirvikalpam Punah
Maaya kalpita desha kaala kalana vaichitrya chitreekrutam
Maayaveeva vijrumbhaya tyapi mahaa yogeeva yah svecchayaa
Tasmai SriGurumoorthaye nama idham Sri Dakshina Moorthaye

Meaning: Like the germ inside the seed is its part , But becomes different after development. The many places and time which are before us, Are drawn by illusion in the board of life in a peculiar manner, By a great savant or an expert Siddha, Who can create them as per their will, Salutation to the God facing the south, Who is the greatest teacher. When the net of illusion is lifted and when we reach the stage of
manifestation, we would find that what we think as different is but one and the same.


3)Yasyeiva sphuranam sadaatmakamasat kalpardhakam baasyate
Saakshaat tatvamaseethi vedavachasa yobodhayatyasritaan
yatsaakshaat karnadhbhavenna punara vruttirbhavaam bhonidhou
Tasmai SriGurumoorthaye nama idham Sri Dakshina Moorthaye

Meaning: He who exists as the real light of truth, And shines in the false world of appearance, And He who teaches disciples the great saying, “Thou art that” after realizing its import, Gets away from this cycle of life and death. Salutation to the God facing the south, Who is the greatest teacher.

“That Thou Art is the famous Grand Pronouncement (mahA-vAkya) found in the Chandogya-Upanishad of the Sama Veda, meted out by AruNi to Svetaketu. It is repeated nine times to him and explained nine times. It is not supposed to be a casual statement. It is the summum bonum of all Upanishadic teaching. It says: That
brahman which is the common Reality behind everything in the cosmos is the same as the essential Divinity, namely the Atman or the Self, within you.” This realization which is extremely difficult to achieve makes you understand that you are in fact this absolute reality called “Brahman”.


4)Naanaacchidra ghatodhara stitha mahaa deepa prabha bhaasvaram
Gnanam yasyatu chakshuraadhikarana dwara bahih spandahte
Jaanameethi thameva baantha manubhaa tyetat samastam jagat
Tasmai SriGurumoorthaye nama idham Sri Dakshina Moorthaye

Meaning: Kept in a pot with many holes, Goes out in all directions, In the person in whom the wisdom goes out .Through the openings of ear , eye , mouth and thought, And when that person realizes that ‘I know myself”, This whole universe shines after Him alone, Who shines in the consciousness as the knower.
Salutation to the God facing the south, Who is the greatest teacher.

Our body prevents us from seeing the truth(the light from outside) that we are the Brahman and lets out light though the sensory organs and makes us deceive ourselves by feeling that we are happy. This simile of a pot with holes for the body occurs in many places in Indian philosophy.


5)Deham Pranam apeendriyaanyapi chalaam buddhim cha soonyam vidhuhu
Stree Baalaandha jadopamaastva hamiti braantha brusham vaadinaha
Maayashakthi vilaasa kalpita mahaa vyamoha smahaariney
Tasmai SriGurumoorthaye nama idham Sri Dakshina Moorthaye

Meaning: Those great philosophers , who think that, The body , the soul and the fickle intellect, The concept of emptiness and all other nothingness, Are nothing but themselves, Are similar to the women children , blind and the ignorant. It is only He who can destroy, this veil of ignorance, And wake us up from this state of deceit. Salutation to the God facing the south, Who is the greatest teacher.

This is a sample of the approach of negation in identifying the truth about the concept of self. Senses, the body etc cannot be the absolute truth as they are transient.


6)Raahugrastha divakarendhu sadhrusho maayaa samachaadhanaat
Sanmatrah karanopa samhaaranatho Yobhoot sushuptah pumaan
Praagasvaapsa mithi prabhodhasamaye yah pratyabhignaayate
Tasmai SriGurumoorthaye nama idham Sri Dakshina Moorthaye

Meaning: Similar to the Sun when being masked by the serpent Rahu, Knows that it was existing , once the eclipse is over, That man whose senses are suppressed When he is asleep, Because of the veil of illusion,Realizes that he was in the state of sleep, When he wakes up. Salutation to the God facing the south,Who is the greatest teacher. Similar the sun existing even when there is eclipse, we exist when we are sleeping. This is denial of the Buddhist theory that , when we are asleep there is nothingness.


7)Baalyaadhisvapi jaagradhaadhishu tatha sarvaasva vasthasvapi
Vyaavruttha svanuvarthamaanamaham ityanthah spurantham sadha
Svaatmaanam prakateekarothi  bajathaam yomudrayah badrayah
Tasmai SriGurumoorthaye nama idham Sri Dakshina Moorthaye

Meaning: Salutations to him who shines and exhibits, Himself by the beatific Chinmudhra of the hand,
That he exists within the humans as self, Forever and non changing, Even during the changing states of childhood , youth and old age, And even during the states of sleep, dream and wakefulness.
Salutation to the God facing the south, Who is the greatest teacher.

The truth as represented by the concept of Brahman, exists always.


8)Viswam pasyathi kaarya kaarana thaya sva swami sambandhataha
shishyachaarya thaya tathaiva pithru putraadhyatmanaa bedhataha
Swapne jaagrathi vaaya yesha purusho maaya paribraamitaha
Tasmai SriGurumoorthaye nama idham Sri Dakshina Moorthaye

Meaning: The world sees as cause and effect, The differences between us and our lord, The distinction between teacher and the taught, The distinction between father and son, And so the man is confused by illusion, And believes in these differences, During the times of dream and wakefulness. Salutation to the God facing the south, Who is the greatest teacher. The ignorance of the truth because of the veil of ignorance Maya is reemphasized.


9)Boorambhaasyanalo nilombara mahar natho himaanshu pumaan
Ithyabhaati characharatmakamidham yasyaiva moorthyastakam
Naanyat kinchana vidhyate vimrushataam yasmaath parasmaadhvibho
Tasmai SriGurumoorthaye nama idham Sri Dakshina Moorthaye

Meaning: To the sake of which supreme Brahman, The universe is shining as self ,Which is Movable and immovable , with its aspects? Of water , fire, air, space, The sun, moon and the individual soul , And also to those who examine the truth behind , The meaning of this universe and find , That it Consists of nothing but,
The God who is every where. Salutation to the God facing the south, Who is the greatest teacher.


10)SarvaatmaTvamithi sputee kruthamidham yasmaadhamushmim staveh
Teynaasya sravanattha dardha manana dhyanaccha sankeertanaat
Sarvaatmatva mahaa vibhoothi sahitam syadeeshvaratvam svathaha
Siddhye tatpunarastadha parinatam chaisvarya mavyahataam

Meaning: The concept of the Athma, Which is explained in this poem of praise, Hearing which ,understanding which, Meditating which and singing which, One would attain the state of the godliness,
And the great state of self realization, And also you would get the eight powers of occult , Without any problems in between.


Appendix:The following three stanzas as well as the first stanza are
chanted after the main stotra:-

a)Chitram Vata tharor mole vruddha,
Sishya, Guror Yuva,
Gurostu mounam vykhyanam,
Sishyasthu china samsaya

Meaning: It is strange to see, The very old disciples , And the very young teacher, Who sit under a banyan tree, With the teacher always observing silence, And the students getting all the doubts cleared.


b)Om nama pranavarthaya,
Suddha jnanaika moorthaye nama,
Nirmalaya prasanthaya,
Sri Dakshinamurthaye nama.

Meaning: Salutations to that Dakshinamurthy, Who is the meaning of the pranava , “om”, Who is the personification of unalloyed wisdom, Who is crystal clear in his thought, And who is the epitome of peace.


c)Gurave sara lokaanam,
Bishaje bhava roginaam,
Nidhaye sarva vidhyanam,
Sri Dakshinamurthaye nama.

Meaning: Salutations to that Dakshinamurthy, Who is the teacher of the entire world, Who is the doctor to those, Afflicted by the disease of birth and death, And who is the treasure hose of all knowledge.

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DakshinaMurthy stotram in English with Meaning PDF format
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