Dakshinamurthy Sthothram – 2

(slokas 1 – 3)

Sloka 1

Visvam darpaṇa dṛsyamana nagari tulyaṃ nijantargatam
Pasyannatmani mayaya bahirivodbhutam yathanidraya |
Yassakshatkurute prabhodhasamaye svatmanamevadvayaṃ
Tasmai Sri gurumurtaye nama idam Sri Dakshinamurtaye || 1 ||

The universe is like the reflection of a city seen in a mirror, and it is located within oneself.  It is similar to his seeing the dream-world, which is within him, during the state of sleep.  Due to Maya the one real fact appears as many different truths and one realizes (this) when one wakes up (spiritually) and perceives the Reality that he is the one and only one soul (Athma) really. Salutation to Sri Dakshinamurthy, the greatest teacher (whose grace is responsible for getting this illumination)

Of the four lines in this verse the fourth line is a sthuthi of Lord Dakshinamurthy, who  is the greatest teacher being the embodiment of Brahma Vidya, offering salutations to Him,  In the first three lines Tvam padam of the Mahavakhya “Tat Tvam Asi”, representing Jivathma and the Jiva jagat sambanda are discussed through two examples.  The two examples are: 1) The reflected image of a city in a big mirror, 2) Experience of the dream-world. Let us take the first example.  Imagine a big mirror strategically kept focussed on a busy city street. When we analyse the reflection of the street in the mirror four points arise.

1)    The mirror is the adhishtanam for the image i.e the mirror and the street image have supporter – supported relationship, the mirror being supporter and street image, supported

2)    The mirror can exist without reflection; but reflection cannot exist without the mirror. So mirror is satyam; having independent existence, whereas reflection is mithya; having dependent existence.

3)    Whatever events happen in the reflected street, they will not affect the mirror. For example a fire in the reflected street will not burn the mirror.

4)    Irrespective of the number of images in the reflected street, the mirror is one only.  The reflected images cannot add to the count of the mirror and it is one and one only, non-dual.   

Here mirror stands for Athma and street for universe and we have from the example:

1)    Athma is the adhishtanam for the anathma, which includes the external universe and body and mind

2)    Athma is Sathyam while anathma is mithya

3)    Athma is asanghaha, unaffected by agitations in anathma

4)    Athma is one and non-dual, Advayam while anathma is multiple and manifold.

To drive home clearly the idea of Athma being adhishtanam for anathma, the second example of dream-world is given. The dream-world with all its players and events is supported by the sleeper as it arises from him during sleep and dissolves in the sleeper when he wakes up and so the sleeper is the adhishtanam for the dream-world.  The dream-world which has only dependant existence is mithya while the sleeper who has an independent existence is Satyam. The sleeper is asangha unaffected by the happenings in the dream.  Sleeper is one while dream can be manifold. Athma stands for the sleeper and the dream-world for anathma. During the sleep, the dream-world is real and external for the sleeper.  Same way for a person in ajjnana avidya nidra, the experiencing world appears Real, external, disturbing and manifold due to the play of Maya.  Only when he wakes to Athma Jnanam due to the teachings and blessings of Guru he realizes the truth about his Real Self, Athma. Lord Dakshinamurthy is the Guru of such gurus and so is the greatest teacher who due to his silent teaching dispels the doubts regarding Self of even profound Vedic scholars.

Sloka 2

Bijasyantati vankuro jagaditam prannarvikalpam punah
Mayakalpita desakalakalana vaichitryachitrikrtam |
Mayaviva vijrmbhayatyapi mahayogiva yah svechchaya
Tasmai Sri gurumurtaye nama idam Sri Dakshinamurtaye || 2 ||

He in whom this universe, prior to its projection was present like a tree in a seed (unmanifested), and by whose magic this was transformed(manifested) in various forms, by His own will similar to a great yogi's- to that Lord Dakshinamurti, who is the greatest teacher, I offer my profound salutations.

The fourth line in this verse is same as in the previous verse, a sthuthi of Lord Dakshinamurthy, offering salutations to Him.  The other three lines discuss the ‘Tat’ padam of Mahavakhya “Tat tvam AsI”, representing Paramatma or Brahman and Brahma Jagat sambanda using the example of seed and tree.  Sri Sankara talks of Brahman as the material cause of the universe when he describes Brahman as one in whom the universe prior to its projection was present as a tree in the seed. Sri Sankara describes Brahman as the intelligent cause when he states that universe was projected with Space and Time in varieties of forms due to the power of Maya of Brahman. So while Brahman the karanam is one and advayam and also Satyam, world the karyam is mithya and manifold.  Sri Sankara compares this act of projection of universe through the power of Maya by Brahman to that of magician who materialises many things through the play of magic and to that of Mahayogi who also materialises things through his Sankalpa.

Sloka 3

yasyaiva sphuranam sadatmakam asatkalparthakaṃ bhasate
sakshat tatvamasiti vedavachasa yo bodhayatyasritan |
yassakshatkaranad bhavenna puranavrttir bhavambhonidhau
Tasmai Sri gurumurtaye nama idam Sri Dakshinamurtaye || 3 ||

He, by whose light the (unreal) universe appears real, teaches the truth of Brahman to those who want to know the Athma through the vedic statement tattvamasi (thou art That) and He Who puts an end to the samsara cycle – to that Lord Dakshinamurti, who is the greatest teacher, I offer my profound salutations.

The fourth line in this verse also is the same as in the previous two verses, a sthuthi of Lord Dakshinamurthy, offering salutations to Him.  In the first three lines the ‘Asi’ padam of the Mahavakhyam “Tat Tvam Asi” which spells out the Jiva Brahma Ikyam is discussed. The world is experienced by us and it is experienced because it is existent.  Vednta says Pure Existence is an independent substance which pervades the world and makes the world existent. That Pure Existence is called Sat and Sat is an aspect of Paramathma and is itself called Paramathma, just as Chit, Pure Consciousness. Sri Sankara says in this verse that Brahman, the Paramathma, makes the projected world existent and throbbing with life through Sat and Chit, and an ignorant Jiva experiencing the existent world imagines it is Real while only Brahman is Real and the world is only apparently Real.  In the first two verses Sri Sankara has revealed separately that Jiva and Brahman are Real and Non dual and the world as mithya.  Now these two statements are reconciled by stating that Lord Dakshinamurthy as Brahma Vidya Guru teaches His disciples the Vedic truth of the identity of Jivathma and Paramathma through the teaching of Mahavakhya “tat tvam asi” (You are That), dispelling the doubt regarding the reality of the world.  When one understands and absorbs the truth of Mahavakhya, one becomes a Jeevanmuktha, a liberated person for the rest of one’s life i.e. until the exhaustion of the prarabhdha karma when one attains Videha Mukthi and sheds the body once for all. The one attaining Videha Mukthi frees oneself from the cycle of birth and death for ever. This Mahavakhya Lord Dakshinamurthy teaches in silence through Chinmudra as explained in the Dhyana sloka and to this Brahma Vidya guru salutations are offered.

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