Shivoham

My new Art Shivoham is inspired by Nirvana Shatakam : SHIVOHAM

The Nirvana Shatakam , also known as Atma Shatakam is a śloka in six stanzas written by the Sage Adi Shankaracharya summarizing the basic philosophy of Advaita - Teachings of Non-Dualism.

The narrator of the poem is Lord Shiva, but it is generally seen as a statement given by a person knowing his identity with Shiva or Self. One cannot describe the Infinite....so this poem tries to take us there by negation of everything finite (that our limited ego identifies with). The Poet lists in the earlier verses what HE (or Consciousness) is not. HE is not body , mind, emotions, thoughts, beliefs, the intellect, the senses, the practices of life, the occurrences of life such as birth and death.


In the last verse he says that HE is the very substratum on which all the other gross(body) and subtle aspects(mind, intellect, ego) comes to life.....Just like the way electricity illumines all the inert objects and makes them emit different kinds of energy. HE permeates the universe, and that HE is consciousness, bliss and the soul, and by implication, the Atman and Brahman.

It is said that that when Adi Shankara was a young boy of eight and wandering in the Himalayas, seeking to find his guru, he encountered the seer Gaudapada who asked him, "Who are you?". The boy answered with these stanzas, which are known as "Nirvāṇa Śaṭakam" or Ātma Ṣaṭakam". Gaudapada accepted Adi Shankara as his disciple. The verses are said to be valuable for progress in contemplation practices that lead to Self-Realization/Liberation

SHIVOHAM

Following are the six verses with their interpretations

मनो बुद्ध्यहंकारचित्तानि नाहम्

न च श्रोत्र जिह्वे न च घ्राण नेत्रे

न च व्योम भूमिर् न तेजॊ न वायु:

चिदानन्द रूप: शिवोऽहम् शिवॊऽहम् ॥१॥

Neither am I.... Mind, Intellect, Ego or Memory house

Neither am I.... those five knowledge organs serving the 5 senses

Neither am I.... the five elements of Nature (Ether, Earth, Fire, Air, Water)

I AM SHIVA....the embodiment of Pure Blissful Consciousness ||1||

न च प्राण संज्ञो न वै पञ्चवायु:

न वा सप्तधातुर् न वा पञ्चकोश:

न वाक्पाणिपादौ न चोपस्थपायू

चिदानन्द रूप: शिवोऽहम् शिवॊऽहम् ॥२॥

Neither am I....those five vital prana (energy) nor those five vital breaths

Neither am I....the seven forms of matter(in body), nor the five sheath/veils of mind

Neither am I....the five organs of action

I AM SHIVA....the manifestation of Pure Blissful Consciousness ||2||

न मे द्वेष रागौ न मे लोभ मोहौ

मदो नैव मे नैव मात्सर्य भाव:

न धर्मो न चार्थो न कामो ना मोक्ष:

चिदानन्द रूप: शिवोऽहम् शिवॊऽहम् ॥३॥

Neither do I have....emotions of Hatred, Anger, Attachment, Greed , Delusion

Nor do I have....Passion , Jealousy or Envy

Nor am I....bounded by four pillars of Duties, Wealth, Desire, Liberation

I AM SHIVA....the expression of Pure Blissful Consciousness ||3||

न पुण्यं न पापं न सौख्यं न दु:खम्

न मन्त्रो न तीर्थं न वेदा: न यज्ञा:

अहं भोजनं नैव भोज्यं न भोक्ता

चिदानन्द रूप: शिवोऽहम् शिवॊऽहम् ॥४॥

Neither am I....bounded by virtue or sins, nor by pleasure or pain

Nor do I need ....mantras, pilgrimage, scriptures, or rituals

Nor am I....the subject of experience , the process of experience or the object being experienced

I AM SHIVA....the symbol of Pure Blissful Consciousness ||4||

न मृत्युर् न शंका न मे जातिभेद:

पिता नैव मे नैव माता न जन्म

न बन्धुर् न मित्रं गुरुर्नैव शिष्य:

चिदानन्द रूप: शिवोऽहम् शिवॊऽहम् ॥५॥

Neither am I....bounded by Death and its Fear, nor by the rules of Caste and Race

Neither do I....have Father or Mother, nor do I have birth

Neither do I....have Friends, Relatives, nor Guru, Disciple

I AM SHIVA....the personification of Pure Blissful Consciousness ||5||

अहं निर्विकल्पॊ निराकार रूपॊ

विभुत्वाच्च सर्वत्र सर्वेन्द्रियाणाम्

न चासंगतं नैव मुक्तिर् न मेय:

चिदानन्द रूप: शिवोऽहम् शिवॊऽहम् ॥६॥

I AM Without any Change/Variation and Without any form

I am Present Everywhere as the underlying Substratum of everything, and behind all Sense Organs,

Neither do I get Attached to anything, nor get Freed from anything,

I AM SHIVA....I AM the Pure Blissful Consciousness ||6||

SHIVOHAM