SriDakshinamurtistotram- I

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Namaste Friends:

This is an attempt to present the SriDakshinamurti stotram of Sri Shankara.

The work contains ten verses and i propose to post here one verse at a time. I

will try to keep the explanation succinct. I seek the blessings of the elders

here and the cooperation of all the other members. Here is the Part I, as

introduction:

 

SriDakshinaamurtistotram

of Sri Shankarabhagavatpada

 

Srigurubhyo NamaH

 

 

Vivekinam Mahaaprajnam Dhairya-audaarya-kshamaa-nidhim |

Sadaa Abhinava-puurvam Tam Vidyatiirthagurum bhaje ||

 

Chandrasekhara-yogindra-sishyasya-asmadguroH padau ||

Sritaanaam mokshadau yasya Subbaraamaaryasya-aasrayaamyaham||

 

Shruti-smrti-puraanaanaam Aalayam Karunaalayam |

Namaami Bhagavatpada-Shankaram Lokashankaram ||

*****

Introduction

Ishwaro Gururaatmeti muurtibheda-vibhaagine |

Vyomavad vyaapta-dehaaya Dakshinaamurtaye NamaH ||

 

Obeisance to Sri Dakshinamurti who is all-pervading like the akasha, who

appears differentiated, as it were, as Iswara, the Guru and the jiva (atma).

 

In this significant verse paying obeisance to Lord Dakshinaamurti, we are able

to see the entire purport of the Vedanta encapsulated. The Mahavakya Tat tvam

asi conveying identity of the jiva and Iswara can successfully result in the

experience of aikyam only with the help of the Guru. Without the Guru, the

process can never be completed. If the Guru is an absolute necessity, what

should be the nature of the Guru? One who knows the tattva of Isvara and the

tattva of jiva and the meaning of their identity can alone function as the Guru.

This knowledge on the part of the Guru has to be one of direct experience of the

identity, as otherwise the 'bringing about of the identity' will not be an

experiential fact for the jiva-disciple. This presupposes an essential common

factor which is present in the three entities: Isvara, jiva and the Guru. Only

then can one talk of identity between Isvara and jiva and the experiential

knowledge of the identity in the Guru. This essential

common factor is the One all-pervading Pure Consciousness that is termed

Dakshinamurti that is what is manifesting as the Isvara, jiva, and the Guru.

The term Atma is used to signify the self, the jiva.

 

The fortunate jiva who has obtained such a Guru knows not himself through

direct experience to be the Dakshinamurti-chaitanyam. He has his own conception

about himself and is unable to identify himself with that Chaitanyam. Nor is he

able to comprehend Isvara as that Chaitanyam for Isvara is 'too big' for him to

get a clear understanding of. In the circumstances, the only person with whom

he can intimately relate to is the Guru, in whom he has taken refuge. So, to

him, at this stage, the Guru alone is Dakshinamurti. Dakshinaa means

Consciousness. For, to such a disciple, the Guru is the only hope to get over

the pain of bondage. The verse serves as a prayer to the Chaitanyam,

Dakshinamurti, Embodiment of Consciousness, when the disciple is yet to secure

enlightenment. The same verse serves as an expression of his fulfilment after

he has become self-realised.

 

How does the disciple come to obtain the Grace of a Guru? The Svaraajyasiddhi

has a profoundly meaningful verse in reply:

 

Janmaaneka-shataiH sadaadarayujaa bhaktyaa samaaraadhito

Bhaktair-vaidika-lakshanena vidhinaa santushta Ishas-svayam ||

Saakshaat Sriiguru-ruupametya krpayaa drg-gocharas san prabhuH

Tattvam saadhu vibodhya taarayati taan samsaara duHkhaarnavaat ||

 

A Jnani Guru is not easily obtainable. One has to have sufficient merit to

deserve such a Guru. It is said: When the student is ready, the teacher arrives.

What is this merit and how is it earned? In countless births the jiva should

have performed his scripturally ordained duties with sincere devotion. Being

pleased with such consistent practice on the part of the jiva, out of

compassion: 'Let this jiva be delivered from the chain of birth and death',

Isvara comes to his aid in the form of the Guru and teaches the way to secure

enlightenment.

 

Sri Shankara in the Shatasloki first verse says that there is no object in the

three worlds to show as an analogy to the Guru. By seeing that the

Self-realised Guru imparts that knowledge to a fit disciple and makes him also a

realised one, if the example of the legendary sparsamani which turns into gold a

piece of iron, is advanced, even this would not be a fitting example to the

Guru. The reason is this: The sparsamani can no doubt turn a piece of iron

into gold but the ability to accomplish this remains with the sparsamani alone

and is not transferred to the piece of iron. Contrary to this, when the Guru

makes a disciple an enlightened one, this disciple too gets the ability to

enlighten others as well and thereby keep the tradition, technically called

sampradaaya, alive. The Guru-principle that is manifesting as 'My Guru' is

Dakshinamurti.

 

The Acharya, Sri Shankarabhagavatpada, out of His unbounded compassion to the

suffering humanity, graced the 'Sridakshinamurti-stotram' (the Stotram) in the

form of a hymnal rendering of the profound Vedanta teaching. It is a

Vedanta-prakarana-grantha, an introductory treatise on the Vedanta in a

distilled form, that covers, in a span of ten verses, all the essential aspects

involved in the study of the Vedanta. In the sastra, any work of the nature of

a treatise has to contain the Anubandha-chatushtaya, the essential structural

setup on which the whole work stands. These are: 1.The Adhikari: the individual

who is taking up the work for study with a view to benefit from it. 2. The

Vishaya: The central theme, the subject matter, of the work which stands out

distinctly, being identifiable. 3. Sambandha: the manner in which the work is

related to the individual who takes it up for study and the manner in which the

method adopted to expound the central theme is connected with the

ultimate fruit of the study namely: 4. The Phala or Prayojanam. What promise

does the text hold out to the individual as the ultimate result of the study?

This too has to be clearly ascertainable in the work.

 

How does the Stotram encompass all these four aspects? The aspects are now

indicated in a concise manner; the elaboration can be taken up later, when

detailed analysis of the verses is taken up:

 

 

Adhikari, the mumukshu, an aspirant after liberation from the trammels of

samsara is spoken of by the word 'aasritaan' occurring in the third stanza.

Aasraya is refuge and the one who has taken refuge is aasritaH.

 

 

Vishaya, the central theme, is the jiva-brahma-aikyam, the knowledge of the

identity of the jiva, the individual self and Brahman, the Absolute. This is

seen to be enshrined in the word saakshaatkaranam found in the first as well

as the third verses, although in two different word-formations. The other word

indicative of this is: advayam of the first stanza.

 

 

Sambandha, the connection: A. The mumukshu is the aspirant after liberation

and the phalam is the liberation that the Stotram specifies. This sambandha

between the aspirant and the phalam can be spoken of as

'gantr-gantavya-sambandha' or aaptr-aaptavya-sambandha'. This sambandha is

extant throughout the Stotram as the 'gantr' is spoken of as aasritaH and the

phalam is also clearly mentioned as we shall see in the next aspect. B. The

other type of sambandha is the bodhaka-boddhavya-sambandha' or the

'upadeshtr-upadeshtavya-sambandha. This means: The entire hymn is of the nature

of expounding the teaching and the jiva-brahma-aikyam is what is being taught.

 

 

Phalam: The mumukshu seeks Moksha, the phalam. This is spoken of in the

words: 'na punaraavrttiH bhavaambho-nidhau' in the third stanza. This means,

'no return to the ocean of samsara' that is the cessation of the cycle of birth

and death.

With this introduction, we can enter into the discussion of the first verse.

(To be continued)

 

 

 

 

 

 

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