Dakshina Murthy Stotram
Dakshina Murthy Stotram
Dakshina Murthy Stotram
dakṣiṇā mūrti stotram
śāntipāṭhaḥ
oṃ yo brahmāṇaṃ vidadhāti pūrvaṃ
yo vai vedāṃśca prahiṇoti tasmai |
taṃ ha devamātmabuddhiprakāśaṃ
mumukṣurvai śaraṇamahaṃ prapadye ||
dhyānam
oṃ maunavyākhyā prakaṭita parabrahmatattvaṃ yuvānaṃ
varṣiṣṭhānte vasadṛṣigaṇairāvṛtaṃ brahmaniṣṭhaiḥ |
ācāryendraṃ karakalita cinmudramānandamūrtiṃ
svātmārāmaṃ muditavadanaṃ dakṣiṇāmūrtimīḍe || 1 ||
vaṭaviṭapisamīpebhūmibhāge niṣaṇṇaṃ
sakalamunijanānāṃ jñānadātāramārāt |
tribhuvanagurumīśaṃ dakṣiṇāmūrtidevaṃ
jananamaraṇaduḥkhacchedadakṣaṃ namāmi || 2 ||
citraṃ vaṭatarormūle vṛddhāḥ śiṣyā gururyuvā |
gurostu maunaṃ vyākhyānaṃ śiṣyāstucchinnasaṃśayāḥ || 3 ||
nidhaye sarvavidyānāṃ bhiṣaje bhavarogiṇām |
gurave sarvalokānāṃ dakṣiṇāmūrtaye namaḥ || 4 ||
oṃ namaḥ praṇavārthāya śuddhajñānaikamūrtaye |
nirmalāya praśāntāya dakṣiṇāmūrtaye namaḥ || 5 ||
cidghanāya maheśāya vaṭamūlanivāsine |
saccidānandarūpāya dakṣiṇāmūrtaye namaḥ || 6 ||
īśvaro gururātmeti mūrtibhedavibhāgine |
vyomavadvyāptadehāya dakṣiṇāmūrtaye namaḥ || 7 ||
aṅguṣṭhatarjanī yogamudrā vyājenayoginām |
śṛtyarthaṃ brahmajīvaikyaṃ darśayanyogatā śivaḥ || 8 ||
oṃ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ ||
stotram
viśvaṃ darpaṇa-dṛśyamāna-nagarī tulyaṃ nijāntargataṃ
paśyannātmani māyayā bahirivodbhūtaṃ yathā nidrayā |
yassākṣātkurute prabodhasamaye svātmāname vādvayaṃ
tasmai śrīgurumūrtaye nama idaṃ śrī dakṣiṇāmūrtaye || 1 ||
bījasyāntari-vāṅkuro jagaditaṃ prāṅnirvikalpaṃ punaḥ
māyākalpita deśakālakalanā vaicitryacitrīkṛtam |
māyāvīva vijṛmbhayatyapi mahāyogīva yaḥ svecchayā
tasmai śrīgurumūrtaye nama idaṃ śrī dakṣiṇāmūrtaye || 2 ||
yasyaiva sphuraṇaṃ sadātmakamasatkalpārthakaṃ bhāsate
sākṣāttatvamasīti vedavacasā yo bodhayatyāśritān |
yassākṣātkaraṇādbhavenna punarāvṛttirbhavāmbhonidhau
tasmai śrīgurumūrtaye nama idaṃ śrī dakṣiṇāmūrtaye || 3 ||
nānācchidra ghaṭodara sthita mahādīpa prabhābhāsvaraṃ
jñānaṃ yasya tu cakṣurādikaraṇa dvārā bahiḥ spandate |
jānāmīti tameva bhāntamanubhātyetatsamastaṃ jagat
tasmai śrī gurumūrtaye nama idaṃ śrī dakṣiṇāmūrtaye || 4 ||
dehaṃ prāṇamapīndriyāṇyapi calāṃ buddhiṃ ca śūnyaṃ viduḥ
strī bālāndha jaḍopamāstvahamiti bhrāntābhṛśaṃ vādinaḥ |
māyāśakti vilāsakalpita mahāvyāmoha saṃhāriṇe
tasmai śrī gurumūrtaye nama idaṃ śrī dakṣiṇāmūrtaye || 5 ||
rāhugrasta divākarendu sadṛśo māyā samācchādanāt
sanmātraḥ karaṇopa saṃharaṇato yo'bhūtsuṣuptaḥ pumān |
prāgasvāpsamiti prabhodasamaye yaḥ pratyabhijñāyate
tasmai śrī gurumūrtaye nama idaṃ śrī dakṣiṇāmūrtaye || 6 ||
bālyādiṣvapi jāgradādiṣu tathā sarvāsvavasthāsvapi
vyāvṛttā svanu vartamāna mahamityantaḥ sphurantaṃ sadā |
svātmānaṃ prakaṭīkaroti bhajatāṃ yo mudrayā bhadrayā
tasmai śrī gurumūrtaye nama idaṃ śrī dakṣiṇāmūrtaye || 7 ||
viśvaṃ paśyati kāryakāraṇatayā svasvāmisambandhataḥ
śiṣyacāryatayā tathaiva pitṛ putrādyātmanā bhedataḥ |
svapne jāgrati vā ya eṣa puruṣo māyā paribhrāmitaḥ
tasmai śrī gurumūrtaye nama idaṃ śrī dakṣiṇāmūrtaye || 8 ||
bhūrambhāṃsyanalo'nilombara maharnātho himāṃśuḥ pumān
ityābhāti carācarātmakamidaṃ yasyaiva mūrtyaṣṭakam |
nānyatkiñcana vidyate vimṛśatāṃ yasmātparasmādvibho
tasmai śrī gurumūrtaye nama idaṃ śrī dakṣiṇāmūrtaye || 9 ||
sarvātmatvamiti sphuṭīkṛtamidaṃ yasmādamuṣmin stave
tenāsva śravaṇāttadartha mananāddhyānācca saṅkīrtanāt |
sarvātmatva mahāvibhūtisahitaṃ syādīśvaratvaṃ svataḥ
siddhyettatpunaraṣṭadhā pariṇataṃ caiśvarya-mavyāhatam || 10 ||
|| iti śrīmacchaṅkarācāryaviracitaṃ dakṣiṇāmūrtistotraṃ sampūrṇam ||
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.