Adhi Sankara’s Hasthamalaka Stotram

Adhi Sankara’s Hasthamalaka   Stotram

By

Hasthamalakacharya

Humble translation effort

By

P.R.Ramachander

The Mādhavīya Śaṃkaravijayam states that when Adi Shankara was at Kollur , he accepted invitations by brāhmaņas  to have Bhikşa (alms or food) at their houses. On such an occasion he visited a village called Śrī Bali (present day Shivalli ), where every house was said to emit the holy smell of the smoke of Agnihotra sacrifice, to accept Bhikşa. That place was inhabited by about two thousand brāhmaņas who were learned in the Vedas  and performed the Yajnas prescribed in the Vedas. There was also a temple  dedicated to Shiva  and Parvati

In that village there lived a brāhmaņa, Prabhākara, who was noted for his learning. He had a son who though appearing quite handsome, behaved rather like an idiot. Though upanayanam  was performed for him, he did not take to studying the Vedas, instead preferred to sit around doing nothing. Hearing about Adi Shankara's visit, Prabhākara approached the Acharya (teacher) with a load of fruit and prostrated before him. He also made his son prostrate before him. Prabhākara explained to Adi Shankara that his son behaved rather like an idiot and sat idly throughout the day.

Then, Adi Shankara addressed that young boy and asked him who he was. The boy replied in 12 verses containing the gist of the Advaita philosophy.   This stotra is called Hasthamalaka  Stotram. Hastamalaka Stotram is said to have been recited by Hastamalaka when he met  Adhi Sankara.
Hastamalaka(AS clear as Gooseberry in the palm)  was the name given to him by Sankara himself. Sankara, it is said, was so impressed by Hastamalaka stotram that he wrote a commentary on it. Adi Shankara was immensely impressed with that boy  and accepted him as his disciple. He was named Hastāmalakacharya (one with the amalaka fruit in his hand) since the knowledge of the Self was clear  to him like an Amalaka fruit in one's hand. Adi Shankara took the boy into his party.

 As the boy was not suited to the life of a householder, the Acharya accepted him as his disciple and gave him Sanyasa. Though he attended the classes held by the Acharya, it was more to verify his own experience than to gain proficiency in dialectics. It was suggested to the Acharya that, by reason of his realisation of the Self, Hastamalaka was pre-eminently competent to write a Vartika(Sanskrit commentary in verse) on the Sutra Bhashya. The Acharya negated the suggestion by pointing out that Hastamalaka’s plane of consciousness always dwelt on the supernal Self. He would not stoop to write books. When the Acharya placed him on a higher level that those engaged in dialectics, the disciples were naturally curious to know how one who was not known to have devoted any attention to learning the sastras could be proficient in realisation. Sri Shankara explained the phenomenon. On the bank of the Jamuna, a great sage was seated in contemplation when some brahmin girls came there to bathe. One of them had a baby two years old. She placed him by the side of the sage and asked him to take care of it till she bathed. The baby slowly crawled into the river and was drowned. The mother was aghast. She took out the dead body of the child and wept bitterly before the sage. The sage was quite oblivious of the happenings awoke from his samadhi. He was moved by pity for the grieving mother. By the powers of his yoga, he left his body and entered the body of the child. The dead child sprang into life. That child was Hastamalaka. This explained how he came to have such an all-comprehensive knowledge without any apparent instruction.( http://www.sringeri.net/history/sri-adi-shankaracharya/primary-disciples/sri-hastamalakacharya )

Adhi Snkara  then   started towards  his next destination and eventually Hasthamalaka  was made the  first Peetadhipathi  of Dwaraka Peeth (Taken from  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hastamalakacharya )

Adhi Sankara  Uvacha:-

1.Kasthvam  Siso , kasya kuthosi ganthaa,

Kim nama they thwam  kutha AAgathosi,

Yethan mayoktham vadhacharbakathwam,

Math preethayepreethi  vivardhanosi.

1.Child  , who are you , where  are you going?

What is your name? From where are  you coming?

For the sake  of my liking to you to increase,

Please tell answers  to what I have asked?

Hasthamalaka uvacha:-

2.Naa aham manushyo, na cha DEva Yakshou,

Na Brahmana  Kshtriya Vaisya  Shudra,

Na Brahmachari  na gruhi vanastho,

Bikshurna chaham, nija bodha  rupa

2.I am neither a human being nor Deva nor Yaksha,

I am neither a Brahmin nor  Kshatriya  nor Vaishya nor Shudra,

I am neither unmarried nor  householder  nor one living in the  forest,

I am not also a  a mendicant  but I am the form of  true knowledge.

3.Nimitham manas chakshur aadhi pravruthou,

Nira sthakhilo upaadhir aakasa kalpa,

Ravir loka  cheshta nimitham yadhaa ya,

Sa nithyopa labdhiswaroopo aham aathmaa.

3.The sun  is the  reason for all activities of mind and eyes,

And exists   like the  sky   which is beyond  all  the  activities,

But is the symbolic cause  of all  known activities,

And like him  I am the form of the soul   which is ever existing.

4.Yama agni ushnavathnithya bodha swaroopam,

Manas chakshraadh eenya bodha aathmakaani,

Pravarthantha aasrithya  nishkampamekam,

Sa   nithyo upalabdhi swaroopo aham aathmaa.

4.Like the  never changing  relation of fire  and heat,

The soul of consciousness   of jnana exists   with   its own form

Alone   without a second and shining  in various ways,

And is depended   by mind , knowledge  eye  and sense organs to become active

And I am  that  form of that soul aiming  to achieve Jnana,

5.Mukhaa basako darpane drusyamano,

Mukhathwaath  pradakthwena naivasthi vasthu,

Chidhaa basako   dheeshu   jeevopi thadwath,

Sa nithyopa labdhi swaroopo ahama aatmaa.

5.The shining image   of the face    that you are  seeing in the mirror,

Does not have any existence   , separate   from the face  itself,

And  the self reflected  in our mind does not have  a separate existence from God,

And I am  that  form of that soul aiming  to achieve Jnana,

6,Yathaa   darpana bhavaabhasahaanou,

Mukham  vidhyatha   kalpanaa heenamekam,

Thadha nithyopalabdhi   swaroopa aham aathmaa ,

Sa nithyopa labdhi swaroopo ahama aatmaa.

6.The reflected image vanishes  in absence of mirror,

But the face  exists   without   any reflection,

Similarly   without intellect  , only awareness  remains,

And I am  that  form of that soul aiming  to achieve Jnana.

7.Manascha kshuradher viyuktha, swayam yo,

Manascjhakshuradher manschakshuradhi,

Manaschakshuradheragamya swaroopa,

Sa nithyopa labdhi swaroopo ahama aatmaa.

7. I am he  who is different   from mind , eye   etc,

And who is the mind of mind   and eye of eye etc,

But   who has a form that  is not approachable to mind , eye etc,

And I am  that  form of that soul aiming  to achieve Jnana.

8.Ya eko vibhathi   swatha  shudha chethaa ,

Prakasa swaroopopi  naaneva  deekshu,

SAraavodhakastho  yadhaa bhanurekha,

Sa nithyopa labdhi swaroopo ahama aatmaa.

8.Just like  the sun who is one , which  has a form  that is pure ,

And has a  lustrous form  , appears   in various  pots differently,

He who appears   as consciousness  of different bodies is one,

And I am  that  form of that soul aiming  to achieve Jnana.

9.Yadha aneka chakshu  prakaso ravirna-,

Kramena prakaasi karothi   prakaasyam,

Anekaadhiyo  yasthadaika  prabodha,

Sa nithyopa labdhi swaroopo ahama aatmaa.

9,Similar to the sun  illuminating many eyes together,

But not slowly  and not    one   after  another  ,

I am that intellect  which illuminates  many  together,

And I am  that form of that soul aiming  to achieve Jnana.

10.Vivaswath  prabatham   yadha roopamaksham,

Pragrunhaathi   nabathamevam vivaswaan,

Yadhaabhaath   aabhhasayathyakshameka  ,

Sa nithyopa labdhi swaroopo ahama aatmaa.

10.Just like  what is illuminated  by sun

Becomes visible to  the eye, and others  not illuminated  being not visible,

I am  the truth who illuminates   the sun   himself,

And I am  that  form of that soul aiming  to achieve Jnana.

11.Yadhaa surya yekoapsvan eka   chalasu,

Sthiraa swaapyananyad vibhaga    swaroopaa,

CHalaasu   prabhinnaasu  sudheeshvevameka,

Sa nithyopa labdhi swaroopo ahama aatmaa.

11.Just like a single sun in unsteady water appears to be many  ,

And reflected   in steady    water   as single   and steady,

To the unsteady intellect  , one soul   appears to be many,

And I am  that  form of that soul aiming  to achieve Jnana.

12.GHanacchanna drushtir  Ghana channamarka,

Yadhaa nish prabham   manyathe chaathi mooda  ,

Thadhaa  baddhavath bhaathi   yo mooda drushte,

Sa nithyopa labdhi swaroopo ahama aatmaa.

12.Just like a fool  with  heavily   clouded   vision,

Thinks that  sun is covered by clouds   and is not bright,

A man whose   sight is covered by idiocy  thinks that he is tied up

And I am  that  form of that soul aiming  to achieve Jnana.

13.SAmastheshu vasthshvanusyuthamekam,

SAmasthaani   vasthuni   yannasprusanthi,

Viyadwasadaa  shuddha macha swaroopam,

Sa nithyopa labdhi swaroopo ahama aatmaa.

13.The one object pervading   in everything  in this world,

Is  the  one which cannot be touched by any of those objects

And is like  the immaculate   pure nature   of the sky,

And I am  that  form of that soul aiming  to achieve Jnana.

14,Upaadhi yadhaa   bedathaa  san maneenaam,

THadhaa  bedathaa   budhi bedheshu   theapi,

Yadha chandrikaanaam  jale chanchalathwam.,

Sa nithyopa labdhi swaroopo ahama aatmaa.

14,Julk like differences are   seen   among good crystals,

Based on conditions where they are kept , persons also differ   due to varying intellects,

Which is similar to changing appearance of moon in moving water,

And I am  that form of that soul aiming  to achieve Jnana.