Table of Contents
What Are the 5 Immediate Insights of Dakshina Murthy Stotram?
These are Maya’s illusory Creations, Brahman realization, Role of Guru, Non-duality analogies, Overcoming ignorance.
A Brief Introduction to Dakshinamurthy Stotram
The Dakshinamurthy stotram is one of the most eloquent compositions of the legendary philosopher, Bhagavatapada Adi Shankaracharya. Sri Dakshinamurthy, the epitome of Guru Tattva, is extolled as the Ultimate guiding force.
This hymn highlights the Gravity of Guru, who is capable of extracting his disciples from the clutches of Maya. Each verse encapsulates the profound teachings of Advaita Vedanta. The oneness between Brahman, Guru and Atman is established as we progress through each stanza.
This work is a treasure, revealing the nuances of Advaita Philosophy which is inexpressible in general terms. The philosophy is not mere theory and is rather understood in its entirety when practically experienced.
To enlighten the general adherents of Sanatana Dharma, some immediate disciples of Sri Adi Shankaracharya and also others have penned dedicated commentaries on the Dakshinamurthy Stotram, some of which go over 1000 pages. The translations and commentaries sharpen our insight and fuel our quest for Self-Realization.
The Fathomless Import of the Dakshinamurthy Stotram
There are multiple ways of interpreting the verses of Dakshinamurthy stotram. The meaning unravelled, relies on our individual spiritual maturity. Let us understand this with an example:
For an infant, his mother means the entire world to him. However, there is more to the world. Due to the limited field of consciousness of the infant, the world gets limited to the mother alone.
As maturity sets in, the child realizes the dynamics of the world. He explores different places, interacts with various people thereby expanding his scope of awareness. Though the person gets apprised of many things now, there is yet a lot to be known. The vastness of the unknown cannot be measured. The point is to continue our journey of exploration.
Why should we Regularly Recite the Dakshinamurthy Stotram?
In similar lines, Dakshinamurthy stotram is like the cosmos. It houses both the known and unknown aspects of Supreme Reality. The more we recite and contemplate on the verses, the more the spiritual truths shall reveal themselves. The journey is never ending. The depth of realization is fathomless.
The Dakshinamurthy Stotram’s philosophical message is ever expanding. A sadhaka dedicated to the path of reason (Jnana) becomes a perfect recipient for the profound spiritual realizations and develops maturity that rips the shroud of ignorance and brings one closer to the ultimate truth.
Deciphering the Shanti Patha of Dakshinamurthy Stotram
Before commencing the Dakshinamurthy Stotram, there is the Shanti Patha:
॥ शान्तिपाठः ॥
ॐ यो ब्रह्माणं विदधाति पूर्वम् वै वेदांश्च प्रहिणोति तस्मै ।
तं ह देवमात्मबुद्धिप्रकाशं मुमुक्षुर्वै शरणमहं प्रपद्ये ॥
ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः
|| śāntipāṭhaḥ ||
ॐ yo brahmāṇaṃ vidadhāti pūrvam vai vedāṃśca prahiṇoti tasmai |
taṃ ha devamātmabuddhiprakāśaṃ mumukṣurvai śaraṇamahaṃ prapadye ||
ॐ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ
This means:
“I solemnly seek refuge in that divine personality who, at the time of inception, created Brahma and imparted the Vedas to him—He who illuminates the intellect (Buddhi) with self-awareness. May that Lord be my shelter, as I seek liberation. May Peace pervade”
The Shanti path has immense significance and is to be recited first. This verse enlightens us of our eternal dependence on the Supreme Lord. It is He alone, who makes us capable of understanding any spiritual or material science.
His Grace facilitates our spiritual growth. Our efforts should be towards surrendering unto Him and the rest (absorption of the spiritual texts) shall follow automatically. Our intellect shall be empowered by Him to know Him, just like how He empowered the primordial being Brahma. Knowledge acquired thus, in a state of surrender, devoid of the Ego, dispels ignorance, inviting peace.
Here the above verse, Shanti (Peace) appears thrice. It relates to freedom from the 3-fold miseries of life:
ādidaivika (आदिदैविक): Misery caused by nature that manifests in the form of droughts, cyclones, floods, etc.
ādibhautika (आदिभौतिक): Suffering caused by other living entities, animals, creatures, reptiles, etc.
ādhyātmika (आध्यात्मिक): Misery caused due to the mind, body and senses.
We pray to the Supreme Being to balance these sufferings so that one may unabatedly continue their inward journey.
Interpreting the Opening Verse of Dakshinamurthy Stotram
विश्वं दर्पणदृश्यमाननगरीतुल्यं निजान्तर्गतं
पश्यन्नात्मनि मायया बहिरिवोद्भूतं यथा निद्रया ।
यः साक्षात्कुरुते प्रबोधसमये स्वात्मानमेवाद्वयं
तस्मै श्रीगुरुमूर्तये नम इदं श्रीदक्षिणामूर्तये ॥ १॥
viśvaṃ darpaṇadṛśyamānanagarītulyaṃ nijāntargataṃ
paśyannātmani māyayā bahirivodbhūtaṃ yathā nidrayā |
yaḥ sākṣātkurute prabodhasamaye svātmānamevādvayaṃ
tasmai śrīgurumūrtaye nama idaṃ śrīdakṣiṇāmūrtaye || 1||
“He who perceives the universe, like a city seen in a mirror, existing within oneself but appearing as though outside due to Maya, just like a dream, at the moment of awakening, directly realizes his own Self as the One, non-dual reality. I bow to Shri Dakshinamurti, the Guru, who reveals the truth—”
The opening lines of the Stotram are enlightening. It marvelously touches upon the state of Brahman Realization, wherein the observer (Atman) learns about the divine omnipresence, which is his true identity. This esoteric truth is explained through an analogy of the ‘reflected city’.
The universe is described as a city reflected in a mirror. Let us understand the equivalents.
The City = Atman (Consciousness or Self).
The Universe (Reflection of the City) = Warped Reality, Our current experience of the World. Appearing as apart (independent) from the city (Atman) but is actually dependent on it for its existence.
The Mirror = Maya—the medium that creates the appearance of multiplicity and confusion.
7/8 Questions from Sanatana Dharma
The scores generated in this Quiz may or may not be absolute. There may be right or wrong answers to each Question. A percentage towards 100 indicates that you are more aligned to the overall subject matter.
Acknowledging Illusion and Going Beyond Maya
This statement: The Universe is like a City seen in a mirror can be broken down into the following concrete truths.
- Unreal because the appearance of the city is not literal. The reflection is an imitation of the City. It is laterally inverted, presenting a completely wrong perception of the City. So, our assumed reality can be called Perception. It is not Reality.
- The Reflection is Unreal as it appears distinct from the City. But, if we were to make the City absent, the reflection would also disappear. But, considering the eternal nature of Atman, the city cannot disappear. It is ever-existent. Does this mean that the reflection (or duality) shall also continue to exist eternally?
The answer is No. The Duality (reflection) is caused due to the interference of the mirror. The extract of Jnana Marga lies in first recognizing the presence of this mirror that is causing this Multiplicity. When we remove the mirror, all that remains is the city. The reflection ceases to exist. The bridge that separated Atman and Brahman collapses, establishing the sadhaka in the One Reality.
The Classic Dream Analogy
In the verse, realizing that duality does not exist is equated to realizing a dream. True Realization dawns when we conclude that we are living in a dream. Our so-called reality is nothing more than a conglomeration of vivid scenes, people, and emotions, similar to our dream state.
Only, Awareness brings to light the fallacy of the dream. The dream has no independent existence. It manifests from within us. Similarly, our assumption of the world springs from within us, like a dream.
In our day-to-day experience, due to the influence of Maya we perceive everything distinct from us and allude it to Reality. However, with spiritual awakening this myth gets shattered. We are living a dream within a dream. What we call wakefulness, now at this point in time is also a dream.
Just like our emotions and opinions in a dream have no relevance in our practical life, our opinions and judgements about anything in this world holds no value in the truest sense. Opinions are in itself an illusion and the object of our opinion (the world, people, emotions, etc) is a bigger illusion.
Does the World have an Independent Existence?
We shall answer this question from an Advaitic Perspective. The opinion that ‘the world is real’ is processed through our mind. The concept of the world is stored in the mind. We are able to acknowledge the world as ‘world’ because it is stored in our memory, our consciousness.
The independent existence of the world cannot be proven in the absence of our consciousness. But, we may argue that: “The world will continue to exist even after we’re gone.” This belief is also stored in our consciousness.
We feel that the world is independent of our existence due to our observation. We have observed that the demise of an individual does not influence the existence of the world. So, we assume that even after our demise, the world shall continue to exist. But, we make this conclusion while we are still alive.
This theory of independent existence of the world has also stemmed from ‘our’ consciousness. The entire play of birth, survival and death are happening in our field of consciousness. This verse highlights that Maya plays, bringing forth the diversity within our field of consciousness.
We realize the existence of an object only when we become conscious of it. Though we may say it exists without our knowledge, or it has an independent existence, it cannot be proven unless it enters our field of consciousness.
In more abstract terms, the object takes birth in our consciousness. That is the reason, knowing about Brahman becomes indispensable. When our consciousness is imbued with Brahman alone, all that remains is Brahman. Only, when the realization of non-duality comes into our field of experience, reality stands exposed.
Why is this Hymn Dedicated to Sri Dakshinamurthy?
Here tasmai śrīgurumūrtaye nama idaṃ śrīdakṣiṇāmūrtaye (तस्मै श्रीगुरुमूर्तये नम इदं श्रीदक्षिणामूर्तये) is the refrain which means I bow to Shri Dakshinamurti, the Guru, who reveals the truth. The first three lines of each verse of the Dakshinamurthy stotram sheds light on Brahman. However, the refrain strongly proclaims that it is the Guru (Sri Dakshinamurthy) who reveals the Truth. Truth is Brahman.
Sri Adi Shankaracharya underscores clearly that Guru is the torchbearer of Truth. Without the Guru, Brahman remains concealed.
We see that the Lord imparted the Vedas to Sri Brahma and assumed the position of a Guru. But, the Supreme Lord lies beyond the reach of a common man. Thus, a Guru is sent by the very Supreme Being to guide sincere sadhakas.
Sri Dakshinamurthy is the repository of all spiritual knowledge and thus, Sri Adi Shankaracharya has represented the Guru Tattva in the form of Dakshinamurthy. He is none other than Lord Shiva in the form of a Perfect Guru, who is available as the personal Guru in flesh and blood on this material plane. A sincere Guru who selflessly imparts spiritual knowledge to his disciples is empowered by Sri Dakshinamurthy to aid his disciples in crossing over the veil of Maya.
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