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.