Atma Shatakam - Adi Shankaracharya

[Shivani Devi]

Namaste.

I was going to drop this in the Hindu forum, but thought it would be better suited here. It is the 'Advaita Anthem' (The Hindu anthem of non-duality).

It is said that this was spoken by Shankaracharya as a young lad of 9, when he was found wandering alone by the authorities, who asked him who he was, where his parents were and why he wasn't at home.

It started the whole 'not this, not that' (neti neti) solipsism craze. Every day I used to sing this one - at least 3-4 times a day.

Enjoy:

Atma/Nirvana Shatakam - Adi Shankaracharya

मनोबुद्ध्यहङ्कार चित्तानि नाहं
न च श्रोत्रजिह्वे न च घ्राणनेत्रे ।
न च व्योम भूमिर्न तेजो न वायुः
चिदानन्दरूपः शिवोऽहम् शिवोऽहम् ॥१॥

Mano-Buddhy-Ahangkaara Cittaani Naaham
Na Ca Shrotra-Jihve Na Ca Ghraanna-Netre |
Na Ca Vyoma Bhuumir-Na Tejo Na Vaayuh
Cid-Aananda-Ruupah Shivo[a-A]ham Shivo[a-A]ham ||1||

Meaning:
1.1: Neither am I the Mind nor Intelligence or Ego,
1.2: Neither am I the organs of Hearing (Ears), nor that of Tasting (Tongue), Smelling (Nose) or Seeing (Eyes),
1.3: Neither am I the Sky, nor the Earth, Neither the Fire nor the Air,
1.4: I am the Ever Pure Blissful Consciousness; I am Shiva, I am Shiva,
The Ever Pure Blissful Consciousness.

न च प्राणसंज्ञो न वै पञ्चवायुः
न वा सप्तधातुः न वा पञ्चकोशः ।
न वाक्पाणिपादं न चोपस्थपायु
चिदानन्दरूपः शिवोऽहम् शिवोऽहम् ॥२॥

Na Ca Praanna-Samjnyo Na Vai Pan.ca-Vaayuh
Na Vaa Sapta-Dhaatuh Na Vaa Pan.ca-Koshah |
Na Vaak-Paanni-Paadam Na Copastha-Paayu
Cid-Aananda-Ruupah Shivo[a-A]ham Shivo[a-A]ham ||2||

Meaning:
2.1: Neither am I the Vital Breath, nor the Five Vital Air,
2.2: Neither am I the Seven Ingredients (of the Body), nor the Five Sheaths (of the Body),
2.3: Neither am I the organ of Speech, nor the organs for Holding ( Hand ), Movement ( Feet ) or Excretion,
2.4: I am the Ever Pure Blissful Consciousness; I am Shiva, I am Shiva,
The Ever Pure Blissful Consciousness.

न मे द्वेषरागौ न मे लोभमोहौ
मदो नैव मे नैव मात्सर्यभावः ।
न धर्मो न चार्थो न कामो न मोक्षः
चिदानन्दरूपः शिवोऽहम् शिवोऽहम् ॥३॥

Na Me Dvessa-Raagau Na Me Lobha-Mohau
Mado Naiva Me Naiva Maatsarya-Bhaavah |
Na Dharmo Na Ca-Artho Na Kaamo Na Mokssah
Cid-Aananda-Ruupah Shivo[a-A]ham Shivo[a-A]ham ||3||

Meaning:
3.1: Neither do I have Hatred, nor Attachment, Neither Greed nor Infatuation,
3.2: Neither do I have Pride, nor Feelings of Envy and Jealousy,
3.3 I am Not within the bounds of Dharma (Righteousness), Artha (Wealth), Kama (Desire) and Moksha (Liberation) (the four Purusarthas of life),
3.4: I am the Ever Pure Blissful Consciousness; I am Shiva, I am Shiva,
The Ever Pure Blissful Consciousness.

न पुण्यं न पापं न सौख्यं न दुःखं
न मन्त्रो न तीर्थं न वेदा न यज्ञाः ।
अहं भोजनं नैव भोज्यं न भोक्ता
चिदानन्दरूपः शिवोऽहम् शिवोऽहम् ॥४॥

Na Punnyam Na Paapam Na Saukhyam Na Duhkham
Na Mantro Na Tiirtham Na Vedaa Na Yajnyaah |
Aham Bhojanam Naiva Bhojyam Na Bhoktaa
Cid-Aananda-Ruupah Shivo[a-A]ham Shivo[a-A]ham ||4||

Meaning:
4.1: Neither am I bound by Merits nor Sins, neither by Worldly Joys nor by Sorrows,
4.2: Neither am I bound by Sacred Hymns nor by Sacred Places, neither by Sacred Scriptures nor by Sacrifies,
4.3: I am Neither Enjoyment (Experience), nor an object to be Enjoyed (Experienced), nor the Enjoyer (Experiencer),
4.4: I am the Ever Pure Blissful Consciousness; I am Shiva, I am Shiva,
The Ever Pure Blissful Consciousness.

न मृत्युर्न शङ्का न मे जातिभेदः
पिता नैव मे नैव माता न जन्मः ।
न बन्धुर्न मित्रं गुरुर्नैव शिष्यं
चिदानन्दरूपः शिवोऽहम् शिवोऽहम् ॥५॥

Na Mrtyur-Na Shangkaa Na Me Jaati-Bhedah
Pitaa Naiva Me Naiva Maataa Na Janmah |
Na Bandhurna Mitram Gurur-Na-Iva Shissyam
Cid-Aananda-Ruupah Shivo[a-A]ham Shivo[a-A]ham ||5||

Meaning:
5.1: Neither am I bound by Death and its Fear, nor by the rules of Caste and its Distinctions,
5.2: Neither do I have Father and Mother, nor do I have Birth,
5.3: Neither do I have Relations nor Friends, neither Spiritual Teacher nor Disciple,
5.4: I am the Ever Pure Blissful Consciousness; I am Shiva, I am Shiva,
The Ever Pure Blissful Consciousness.

अहं निर्विकल्पो निराकाररूपो
विभुत्वाच्च सर्वत्र सर्वेन्द्रियाणाम् ।
न चासङ्गतं नैव मुक्तिर्न मेयः
चिदानन्दरूपः शिवोऽहम् शिवोऽहम् ॥६॥

Aham Nirvikalpo Niraakaara-Ruupo
Vibhu-Tvaacca Sarvatra Sarve[a-I]ndriyaannaam |
Na Caa-Sanggatam Naiva Muktirna Meyah
Cid-aananda-ruupah Shivo[a-A]ham Shivo[a-A]ham ||6||


Meaning:
6.1: I am Without any Variation, and Without any Form,
6.2: I am Present Everywhere as the underlying Substratum of everything, and behind all Sense Organs,
6.3: Neither do I get Attached to anything, nor get Freed from anything,
6.4: I am the Ever Pure Blissful Consciousness; I am Shiva, I am Shiva,
The Ever Pure Blissful Consciousness.

Aum Namah Shivaya

[Joe Mc]

Thanks for sharing, wonder if there is a lovely melody to go with the verses, I'm sure the words have been sung to many melodies down the ages ? :)

[Shivani Devi]

Originally Posted by Joe Mc

Thanks for sharing, wonder if there is a lovely melody to go with the verses, I'm sure the words have been sung to many melodies down the ages ? :)

I am quite partial to S.P Balasubramanium's take on it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pLjr8Zp5gs

There are many different melodies to go with it - many on Youtube.

[Joe Mc]

Thank you, yes that is a very nice melody..ive just been listening to it ..:)

[Shivani Devi]

Shivoham - The Necromancer

Mind, Self and Spirit - to which can I claim,
When Atman and Jiva are one in the same?
Imperfect senses which dull the perception,
Of transcending this whole elemental connection.
Beyond the whole earth and the toils of existence.
Overriding the pressure and the pain of resistance.
The self-conscious form, the embodied bliss,
It is that which gives rise to the meaning of this...
Shivoham, Shivoham

My body and Prana, my life giving breath,
All function shall cease and then perish in death,
Even the Chakras - all spiritual things,
Are not what this true Reality brings.
All that is 'of me' or only a part,
Dissolves into being with a merging of Heart.
The self-conscious form, the embodied bliss,
It is that which gives rise to the meaning of this...
Shivoham, Shivoham

I'm not the cause for my own behaviour,
Nor am I a sinner who seeks out a saviour,
Unbound by duty and unmoved by emotion,
I am but a drop in that vast, Cosmic Ocean.
Beyond all constraints of wealth, lust and greed,
A spirit free can thus just pay it no heed.
The self-conscious form, the embodied bliss,
It is that which gives rise to the meaning of this...
Shivoham, Shivoham

I'm not attached to beliefs that define me,
Their own limitation seeks to only confine me,
Even the sacred and holy traditions,
Are all filled with self-denial conditions.
How can I believe I create my own fate
If whatever I do, it is always too late?
The self-conscious form, the embodied bliss,
It is that which gives rise to the meaning of this...
Shivoham, Shivoham

There exists pure form that's all transcending,
It's a tale without a beginning nor ending,
Above birth and death, above all we can feel,
Above all we can see or just think of as 'real'.
It is 'self created' and it has always been.
It is all that which is unheard and unseen.
The self-conscious form, the embodied bliss,
It is that which gives rise to the meaning of this...
Shivoham, Shivoham

Beyond all this change is an untapped potential,
Infinite outcomes of this most ordered sequential,
Where 'part of the whole' and all dual rationality,
Becomes aught but Brahman in purest actuality.
There is no distinction, there is no divide,
Between that which is 'in' and what dwells 'outside'.
The self-conscious form, the embodied bliss,
It is that which gives rise to the meaning of this...
Shivoham, Shivoham

There we go, I just translated it myself and wrote that just now. I hope you like it.

Reading both. Truly lyrical (by which I mean of the first, your translation). This is one of the very old traditions and its value would probably be missed by some many instant-gratification-spiritual hobbyists these days.

I get the message. It's something I can understand having worked in the temples of consciousness of the mind in a Vodou setting. It wasn't easy getting there; took lots of time and effort, frustration. But the doors eventually opened.

Yes, I like it. An accomplished piece of work, Necromancer. Thank you for the link. I have to admit I've never visited the "non-duality" section. It's a concept I find difficult and would probably get embroiled in discussion if not argument. I think duality usually occurs at a fairly gross level and only in some clear-cut ways - not always because it depends on what's being looked at.



...

[Miss Hepburn]

Beautiful, now let's all sit with a smile on our faces and open
to the Bliss...because It's all around us and in us.

No discussion needed, never any argument...It just Is.
It would be like arguing about how wonderful an ice cream cone is. Bliss is not a far away...future 'thing'.
Being still and opening to It is all that is needed.
The Mind loves to make it very complicated...it really isn't.
If your mind rebels against those words, if you find you are rolling your eyes...'that' is the Mind.
It's easy to recognize...and it is it's job...
to keep us away from Sat Chit Anand...Ananda, whichever...

And if after reading this, you do not sit and open to it...what is that?
The egoic mind...yet again at work!! Pretty easy to spot!

[Shivani Devi]

Originally Posted by Lorelyen

Reading both. Truly lyrical (by which I mean of the first, your translation). This is one of the very old traditions and its value would probably be missed by some many instant-gratification-spiritual hobbyists these days.

I get the message. It's something I can understand having worked in the temples of consciousness of the mind in a Vodou setting. It wasn't easy getting there; took lots of time and effort, frustration. But the doors eventually opened.

Yes, I like it. An accomplished piece of work, Necromancer. Thank you for the link. I have to admit I've never visited the "non-duality" section. It's a concept I find difficult and would probably get embroiled in discussion if not argument. I think duality usually occurs at a fairly gross level and only in some clear-cut ways - not always because it depends on what's being looked at.



...

Thank you for the appreciation. I'm also glad you enjoyed it.

Yes, this is a very old tradition of which I am a part. It's probably why I don't find much resonance here on the forum anywhere.

Vodoun - I find interesting. I learned from Balinese Hindu Shamans - Oh those blissful deep trance states.

In deep spiritual trance, one loses all sense of 'self'. It merges into unity with spirit.

I also know that things are just how they are. I must appreciate it more.

Thanks again.

[Shivani Devi]

Originally Posted by Miss Hepburn

Beautiful, now let's all sit with a smile on our faces and open
to the Bliss...because It's all around us and in us.

No discussion needed, never any argument...It just Is.
It would be like arguing about how wonderful an ice cream cone is. Bliss is not a far away...future 'thing'.
Being still and opening to It is all that is needed.
The Mind loves to make it very complicated...it really isn't.
If your mind rebels against those words, if you find you are rolling your eyes...'that' is the Mind.
It's easy to recognize...and it is it's job...
to keep us away from Sat Chit Anand...Ananda, whichever...

And if after reading this, you do not sit and open to it...what is that?
The egoic mind...yet again at work!! Pretty easy to spot!

Awesome!
The ego is a tenacious and insidious little bugger isn't it?
It wants to protect the mind and body from 'what is unknown'.
It is fear, mostly - but there is nothing to fear with so much beautiful and glorious love. It says "don't be afraid because I love you and would never let the big bad happen"
It is all about letting go...surrender to something so wonderful and so simple.
If the mind rebels, it is natural - you think you will 'lose who you are' of course.
In fact you'll become better than you were, but still the same 'you'.
Don't be afraid and don't fight it - it's futile anyway.
After reading this and the above post, if you haven't felt it or experienced it already through our words, you need to work on opening your heart, relaxing, opening up, dropping inhibitions and letting go more.

[Still_Waters]

Originally Posted by Joe Mc

Thanks for sharing, wonder if there is a lovely melody to go with the verses, I'm sure the words have been sung to many melodies down the ages ? :)

This is one of my favorite Hindu chants as well.

Here's my favorite musical rendition of the chant. The translation is included in the comments section below the video screen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHWCnqlBBlo