Dakshinamurthy Stotram

Dakshinamurthy   Stotram

By

Adhi Sankara  Bhgawad Pada

Translated by

P.R.Ramachander

(Unlike   the Dakshinamurthy  Ashtakam, this work is a prayer  addressed to Dakshinamurthy   and not   a work  exposing his  philosophy.)

1.Upasakanam  yathupasaneeya,

Mupathavasam   vata saki  moole,

Thadhama   dakshinyajusha   swamoorthyaa,

Jagarthu   chithe  mama bodha roopam.

1.let him  who should be meditated by seekers of God,

Who sits     on the roots  of a banyan tree ,

And whose form faces  the southern direction,

Awaken in my mind , the form of knowledge.

2.Adraksha  maksheena   dhayaa nidhana,

Macharyamadhyam  vata moole  bhage ,

Mounena mandasmitha  bhooshithena  ,

Maharshi  lokasya  thamo nudantham.

2.I salute him  who is  the storehouse of  ample mercy,

Who is the primeval teacher  sitting   below a  banyan tree,

Who is silent and ornaments  himself   with a smile  ,

And removes the darkness  of ignorance  of  the sages.

3.Vidraa visesha  thamo ganena  ,

Mudhra viseshena  muhur muneenaam,

Nirasya maayaam  dhayayaa  vidathe  ,

Devo  maham sthathwa maseedhi bodham.

3,The God   who  removes   the group  of  ignorance ,

Constantly of  the sages using  his  chin mudra(divine  symbol),

And also removes    their  illusion   with  kindness ,

By teaching them the principle of “That you are”.

4.Apara karunya   Sudha tharangai,

Rapanga pather  avalokayantham,

Katora samsara  nidhaga thapthan,

Muneenaham naumi  gurum guroonam.

4.I salute  that teacher  of teachers   of the sages,

Who by his limitless glance   full of kindness,

Looks  at  those great sages   who were  suffering,

By the cruel event of the  birth-death cycle.

5.Mamadhya devo  vata moola vase,

Krupa viseshath  krutha sannidhana,

Omkara roopam upadhisya   vidhyam,

Avidhyaa dvatha  mapaa  karothu.

5.Let my primeval God  who sits below the banyan  tree,

Specially   with mercy   become  near to me  ,

Teach me the  knowledge which has  the form of “om”,

And  drive far away   and destroy  the  ignorance in me.

6.Kalabhirindhoriva  kalpithangam 

Muktha kalapairiva badha  murthim,

AAlokaye  desika maprameya,

Manodhya vidhya  thimira  prabatham.

6.I see him who has limbs  as if it were  built by crescents of moon,

Who has  a form , which looks  as if it is built by  pearls,

Who is the dawn which removes the darkness  of ignorance ,

And who is   the Guru  , who cannot be reached  by wisdom.

7.Swa daksha janu sthitha vama padham,

Padhodaralangrutha   yoga   pattam,

Apasmruthe raahitha   padamangam,

Pranoumi devam  pranidhanavantham.

7.I salute   that God  who keeps   his left  feet,

On his right thigh , who uas a yoga tie  ,

Which ties his   feet  and belly   and,

Who keeps his feet  on  confusion of mind.

8.Thathwarthamanthe vasathaam risheenaam,

Yuvaabhi   ya   sannupadeshtu meeshte,

Pranaumi tham   prakthana   punyajalair,

Aacharya mascharya   gunadhivasam.

8.I salute  him who is the   store house  of all ,

Surprising   qualities and who in spite  of  being a youth,

Is a teacher   teaching   the  philosophical  principles ,

To  the sages who are  his disciples, with  my earlier  blessed deeds.

9.Yekena mudhraam  parasum   karena  ,

Karena  chanyena  mrugam dadhaanaa,

SWajanu  vinyastha  kara  purasthath,

Aacharya   choodamani ravirasthu.

9.Let the great teacher   who shows  Chinmudhra ,

By one hand , having axe in another hand,

Carrying a deer  in another   hand .

And keeping yet another hand on his thigh shoe himself to me.

10.AAlepavantham  madananga bhoothyaa,

SArdhoola kruthyaa paridhanavantham,

AAlokaye   kanchana  desikendra ,

Majnana  vaarakara  vaadavaagnim.

10.I see  him  who has  applied the ash of  the burning of cupid,

Who covers himself with   the hide  of a tiger ,

And who is the forest fire    that  burns   the ocean of  ignorance,

And who is the  golden  king  of teachers.

11.Charu sthitham   somakalavathamsam,

Veenakaram  vyaktha jada kalapam,

Upasathe kechana yoginasthwaam,

Upatha nadhanubhava pramodham.

11.Some people   worship   that yogi,

Who occupies a  pretty seat  , who wears  the crescent of moon,

Who carries  a Veena   who has an open matted  hair,

And who gets pleased by  the experience of divine music.

12,Upasathe  yam  munaya   sukhadhya,

Nirasisho nir  mamathadhivasa,

Tham DAkshinamurthy thanum   mahesam,

Upasmahe moha  maharthi  santhyai.

12.I  worship that  Dakshinamurthy   who is the great God ,

Who is worshipped   by sages like   Sukha ,

Who are  devoid of pride    and  desire 

So that  the ill effect  called passion deserts me.

13.Kanthyaa  ninditha  kandha lava o pur Nygrodha moole  vasan,

Karunyamrutha varibhir muni janam   Sambhavayan veekshithai,

Mohadwantha   vibedhanam virachayam Bodhena thathadrusa ,

Devasthvamaseedhi  bodhayathu maam Mudravathaa  paninaa

13.Let the  wisdom of “I am that”  be made in me by his hand  showing Chinmudhra ,

By the God   who won over   the  stem of the lotus   by the  luster  of his body,

Who lives below a banyan tree   and blesses   the sages by the waves of nectar like glances  of his,

And who   destroys  the darkness   of passion by his   great   wisdom.

14.Aagaura nethrairalada  nethrair,

Asantha veshair bujanga  bhooshai,

Abodha  mudrair anpastha nidrair,

Apoorakamair  amaraior alam na  .

14.What is the use  to us   of the devas  ,

Who do not have white eyes, do not have eyes on forehead,

Who do not have a form of peace  , who are not decorated  by snake  .

Who do not have  Chinmudhra, who have  not left their sleep,

And   who have  more and  more  desire in them.

15.Daivathani ksthi santhi chavanau,

Naivathani manaso  mathani may

Deekshitham  jadadhiyamanugrahe ,

Dakshinabhimuka devatham.

15.There   are very many  Gods in the world,

But   I do not like    any of them,

For  my God is the one  who has  taken,

The penance  of blessing slow witted persons,

And who sits   facing the southern direction.

16.Mudhidhaya  muktha  sasinavathamsine ,

Basithavalepa  ramaneeya   moorthaye  ,

Jagadheendra jala  rachanaa  pateeyase  ,

Mahase  namosthu  vata  moola  vasine .

16.I salute   that  great luster  who sits below a banyan tree ,

Who is   joyful, who wears  the crescent  moon on his  head,

Who has   a very pretty form due  to his wearing sacred  ash,

And who is an expert   in making  great magic  of this universe.

17.Vyalambaneebhi  paritho jadabhi ,

Kalavaseshena   kala darena  ,

Pasyalalaatena  mukhendunaa   cha,

Prakasase  chethasi  nirmalaanaam.

17.Oh god you who has  matted  hair hanging  on all four sides .

Who wears  the  full moon less  one crescent  ,

And who has a face    with an eye  on the forehead,

Are   shining in the  pure  minds  of great   sages.

18.Upasakhaanaam  thwam uma sahaya ,

Poornendu bhavam  prakateekarokshee,

Yathathya  they   darsana  mathratho may  ,

DRavathyaho manasa   Chandra  kanthaa.

18.You along with your consort Uma are ,

Showing   yourself as  a full moon  to those  who meditate  on you,

Possibly it is due   to that   aspect  that  as soon as I see you,

My mind   which is like  a moon stone starts  melting.

19.Yastha  prasannaa  manu santha  dhano,

Moorthim mudhaa  muktha  sasanka mouli,

Iyswaryaayurlabathe   cha  vidhyamanthe  cha  ,

Vedantha  maha   rahasyam.

19.He who  meditates  on your benign  form,

With the crescent  of the  moon decorating your head,

Would   get  wealth  , long life   and wisdom,

And in the end  attain the great secret  of the  vedantha.

Sri Aadhi Sankara  krutham   Dakshinamurthy   stotram sampoornam

Thus ends the  prayer addressed to Dakshinamurthy  composed by Adhi Sankara.