Adhi Shankara's Nirvana Manjari

Nirvana Manjari
(Bouquet of renunciation)
By
Adhi Shankara Bhagwat Pada,
Translated by
P.R.Ramachander


Aham na amaro naiva marthyo na daithyo,
Na Gandharva Yaksha, pisacha prabhedha,
Pumanniva na sthree naiva shanda,
Prakrushta prakasa swaroopa Shivoham. 1

I am neither god nor man nor Asura,
I am neither Gandarwa nor Yaksha nor ghost nor omens,
I am neither man, nor woman nor eunuch,
I am by nature, Shiva the effulgent entity.

Aham naiva balo, yuva naïva vrudho,
Na varni , na brahmachari na Grahastha,
Vansdhobhi naham sanyasa dharma,
Jaga jjanma nasaika hethu Shivoham. 2

I am neither a child nor youth nor old man,
I do not belong to a class nor I am bachelor or family man,
I do not sit in the forest nor do I follow the rules of Sanyasa*,
For I am that Shiva who causes destruction of the world.
* A monk who has renounced everything.

Aham naïvameyasthiro bhoota maya,
Thadaivekshithum maam pradhangaasthupaya,
Samaslishta kayo thryo apyaadhwitheeya,
Sada athindriya sarva roopa shivoham. 3

I am not measurable and am past the concept of illusion,
Even though seen by all as different, I am that which brings things together,
Even though attached to the trinity, I am that which has no second,
For I am that Shiva which is all pervading and beyond senses.

Aham naiva mantha na gantha na vaktha,
Na kartha , na bhoktha, na muktha asramastha,
Yadaaham mano vruthi bheda swaroopa,
Sthadha sarva vuthi pradheepa, shivoham. 4

I am neither the thinker nor the one who goes nor the one who speaks,
I am neither the doer, nor the one who consumes nor the one free from abodes,
I am one with different roles according to the thought of the mind,
For I am that Shiva, who is the cause of everything.

Na mey loka yathra pravaha pravruthy,
Rna mey bandhabhuddha dureeha nivurthy,
Pravuthy nivurthasya chithasya vruthy,
Ryathasthanvaham thathswaroopa shivoham. 5

Neither I am that action which flows between worlds,
Nor I am the wrong selfish thoughts which are attached,
I am that thought of the mind which is at the end of action,
For I am that Shiva, which is thought personified after the end of the body.

Nidhanam yada jnana karyasya karya,
Vina yasya sathvam swatho naiva bhathi,
Yadhyantha madhya antharalantharala,
Prakasathmakam syatha devaham asmi. 6


Those who need to be cleaned of ignorant deeds and ignorance,
Those who are without truth, those who do not shine,
And those who are trapped between end, middle and middle of middle,
Are given lustrous mind by some god , and I am that Shiva*.
*Strictly “deva” but it is indicative of Shiva.

Yathoham na budhir na mey karya sidhi,
Yatho nahamangam na mey linga bhangam,
Hrudhakasa varthi , gathanga thrayarthi,
Sada Sachidananda murthy Shivoham. 7

I am not wisdom nor completion of tasks,
I am not organs nor the procreative seed,
I live in the sky of heart and am beyond the pain of senses,
I am that Shiva who is the personification of ever blissful true joy.

Yadaaseedvilasad vikaram jagadha,
Dwikarasrayam naa dwithyathwath syath,
Mano budhi chithahamakara murthy,
Pravruthiryatha syatha devaham asmi. 8

I am that Shiva, who creates the differences in the world,
Who is the abode of these different forms ‘
Who is perhaps the one who cannot be seen as two,
Who is personification of mind, wisdom , senses and intelligence,
And is the one from whom every thing came.

Yadantharbahirvyapakam nithya shudham,
Yadekam sada sachidananda kandam,
Yatha sthoola sukshma prapanchasya bhanam,
Yathasthat prasoothistha devahamasmi. 9

I am that Shiva, who is crystal clear and pervades inside and outside,
Who is for ever the cloud of the joy of eternal bliss,
Who is the creator of the big and minute parts of the universe,
And who is the mother source of all these parts.

Yadarkendu vidhwat prabha jala maala,
Vilasapadam yathswa bhedhadhi soonyam,
Samastham jagdyasya padathmakam sya,
Dhyatha shakthi bhanam thadevahamasmi. 10

I am that Shiva, who gives power to those who remember him,
Who is like the waves of lightning and shine of Sun and Moon,
Who playfully creates the difference between self and others,
And who has the whole world at his lotus feet.

Yatha kala moorthir bhibhethi prakamam,
Yathaschitha budhindriyanam vilasa,
Hari brahma rudrendra chandradheenaam,
Prakaso yatha syatha devahamasmi. 11

I am that Shiva, who is the source of existence to the God of death,
Who is the reason for the glory of mind, knowledge and senses,
And who is the reason for the shine of Gods like,
Brahma, Shiva, Indra , Chandra and others.

Yad akasavad sarvagam, Shantha roopam,
Parama jyothiraakara soonyam varenyam,
Yadad antha soonyam param, Shankarakhyam,
Yadanthar vibhavyam, tadhevaha masmi. 12

I am that Shiva, who cannot be classified within himself,
Who is infinite like the expanse of the sky,
Who has form which is peaceful,
Who is extremely effulgent,
Who chooses to be nothing,
Who does not have end nor beginning,
And who is called Shankara.