Dakshina Murthy Stotram
Dakshina Murthy Stotram
dakSiNA mUrti stotram
zAntipAThaH
OM yo brahmANaM vidadhAti pUrvaM
yo vai vedAMzca prahiNoti tasmai |
taM ha devamAtmabuddhiprakAzaM
mumukSurvai zaraNamahaM prapadye ||
dhyAnam
OM maunavyAkhyA prakaTita parabrahmatattvaM yuvAnaM
varSiSThAnte vasadRSigaNairAvRtaM brahmaniSThaiH |
AcAryendraM karakalita cinmudramAnandamUrtiM
svAtmArAmaM muditavadanaM dakSiNAmUrtimIDe || 1 ||
vaTaviTapisamIpebhUmibhAge niSaNNaM
sakalamunijanAnAM jJAnadAtAramArAt |
tribhuvanagurumIzaM dakSiNAmUrtidevaM
jananamaraNaduHkhacchedadakSaM namAmi || 2 ||
citraM vaTatarormUle vRddhAH ziSyA gururyuvA |
gurostu maunaM vyAkhyAnaM ziSyAstucchinnasaMzayAH || 3 ||
nidhaye sarvavidyAnAM bhiSaje bhavarogiNAm |
gurave sarvalokAnAM dakSiNAmUrtaye namaH || 4 ||
OM namaH praNavArthAya zuddhajJAnaikamUrtaye |
nirmalAya prazAntAya dakSiNAmUrtaye namaH || 5 ||
cidghanAya mahezAya vaTamUlanivAsine |
saccidAnandarUpAya dakSiNAmUrtaye namaH || 6 ||
Izvaro gururAtmeti mUrtibhedavibhAgine |
vyomavadvyAptadehAya dakSiNAmUrtaye namaH || 7 ||
aGguSThatarjanI yogamudrA vyAjenayoginAm |
zRtyarthaM brahmajIvaikyaM darzayanyogatA zivaH || 8 ||
OM zAntiH zAntiH zAntiH ||
stotram
vizvaM darpaNa-dRzyamAna-nagarI tulyaM nijAntargataM
pazyannAtmani mAyayA bahirivodbhUtaM yathA nidrayA |
yassAkSAtkurute prabodhasamaye svAtmAname vAdvayaM
tasmai zrIgurumUrtaye nama idaM zrI dakSiNAmUrtaye || 1 ||
bIjasyAntari-vAGkuro jagaditaM prAGnirvikalpaM punaH
mAyAkalpita dezakAlakalanA vaicitryacitrIkRtam |
mAyAvIva vijRmbhayatyapi mahAyogIva yaH svecchayA
tasmai zrIgurumUrtaye nama idaM zrI dakSiNAmUrtaye || 2 ||
yasyaiva sphuraNaM sadAtmakamasatkalpArthakaM bhAsate
sAkSAttatvamasIti vedavacasA yo bodhayatyAzritAn |
yassAkSAtkaraNAdbhavenna punarAvRttirbhavAmbhonidhau
tasmai zrIgurumUrtaye nama idaM zrI dakSiNAmUrtaye || 3 ||
nAnAcchidra ghaTodara sthita mahAdIpa prabhAbhAsvaraM
jJAnaM yasya tu cakSurAdikaraNa dvArA bahiH spandate |
jAnAmIti tameva bhAntamanubhAtyetatsamastaM jagat
tasmai zrI gurumUrtaye nama idaM zrI dakSiNAmUrtaye || 4 ||
dehaM prANamapIndriyANyapi calAM buddhiM ca zUnyaM viduH
strI bAlAndha jaDopamAstvahamiti bhrAntAbhRzaM vAdinaH |
mAyAzakti vilAsakalpita mahAvyAmoha saMhAriNe
tasmai zrI gurumUrtaye nama idaM zrI dakSiNAmUrtaye || 5 ||
rAhugrasta divAkarendu sadRzo mAyA samAcchAdanAt
sanmAtraH karaNopa saMharaNato yo'bhUtsuSuptaH pumAn |
prAgasvApsamiti prabhodasamaye yaH pratyabhijJAyate
tasmai zrI gurumUrtaye nama idaM zrI dakSiNAmUrtaye || 6 ||
bAlyAdiSvapi jAgradAdiSu tathA sarvAsvavasthAsvapi
vyAvRttA svanu vartamAna mahamityantaH sphurantaM sadA |
svAtmAnaM prakaTIkaroti bhajatAM yo mudrayA bhadrayA
tasmai zrI gurumUrtaye nama idaM zrI dakSiNAmUrtaye || 7 ||
vizvaM pazyati kAryakAraNatayA svasvAmisambandhataH
ziSyacAryatayA tathaiva pitR putrAdyAtmanA bhedataH |
svapne jAgrati vA ya eSa puruSo mAyA paribhrAmitaH
tasmai zrI gurumUrtaye nama idaM zrI dakSiNAmUrtaye || 8 ||
bhUrambhAMsyanalo'nilombara maharnAtho himAMzuH pumAn
ityAbhAti carAcarAtmakamidaM yasyaiva mUrtyaSTakam |
nAnyatkiJcana vidyate vimRzatAM yasmAtparasmAdvibho
tasmai zrI gurumUrtaye nama idaM zrI dakSiNAmUrtaye || 9 ||
sarvAtmatvamiti sphuTIkRtamidaM yasmAdamuSmin stave
tenAsva zravaNAttadartha mananAddhyAnAcca saGkIrtanAt |
sarvAtmatva mahAvibhUtisahitaM syAdIzvaratvaM svataH
siddhyettatpunaraSTadhA pariNataM caizvarya-mavyAhatam || 10 ||
|| iti zrImacchaGkarAcAryaviracitaM dakSiNAmUrtistotraM sampUrNam ||
About This Stotram
Overview
The Dakshinamurti Stotram is an 18-verse Sanskrit hymn attributed to Adi Shankaracharya, dedicated to Dakshinamurti, the southward-facing form of Lord Shiva who embodies the teacher of teachers. The text expounds Advaita Vedanta philosophy, presenting the non-dual nature of reality and the identity of the individual self (Atman) with the universal consciousness (Brahman).
What are the benefits of chanting Dakshinamurti Stotram?
- Supports intellectual clarity and the understanding of Advaitic philosophy.
- Recitation is associated with the removal of ignorance and mental confusion.
- The text is used as a guide for those pursuing the path of self-inquiry and jnana.
- Chanting is considered helpful for attaining inner stillness during meditation.
- The hymn fosters the attitude of the student toward the inner guru.
When is the best time to recite this?
Morning recitation during or after meditation is most commonly recommended. The stotram is appropriate for recitation at any time one seeks clarity of understanding or contemplation on the nature of the self. There is no specific festival occasion prescribed, though Shivaratri and Guru Purnima are natural occasions.
What is the historical and traditional background?
The Dakshinamurti Stotram is attributed to Adi Shankaracharya (approximately 8th century CE), the philosopher who systematized Advaita Vedanta. Shankaracharya composed numerous hymns and philosophical treatises as part of his efforts to clarify the teachings of the Upanishads. This stotram is not extracted from a larger Puranic text but stands as an independent philosophical-devotional composition. It draws directly on Upanishadic concepts and is studied and recited within the Advaita Vedanta tradition to this day.
Available scripts
This text is available in 14 scripts: devanagari, tamil, telugu, kannada, malayalam, gujarati, bengali, iast, gurmukhi, oriya, assamese, sinhala, itrans, hk. Use the script selector above to switch between them.
Related Texts
- Vivekachudamani — another work attributed to Shankaracharya that addresses the discrimination between the self and the non-self in Advaita Vedanta.
- Shiva Tandava Stotram — a well-known hymn to Lord Shiva from the Shaiva tradition, sharing the same deity but a different philosophical emphasis.
- Guru Ashtakam — an eight-verse hymn on the importance of the teacher, related to the guru-centric theme of Dakshinamurti.