Dakshinamurti Stotra

March 25, 2021

Table of Contents

Summary,
Text and translation,
BGUSA/dakshinamurti

Table of contents:

TOC {:toc}

DMS-01 = Introduction

Dakshinamurti as an aspect of Lord Shiva as brahmavidya guru. Same as Hayagriva in vaishnava sampradaya.
Another name for Lord Shiva as Dakshinamurti is Sadashiva.
Shiva is the laya karta, one who resolves the universe, the dvaita prapanca. That destruction is relative, not ultimate destruction, because during pralaya the duality goes only to unmanifested condition. Duality and samsara very much remain. Ajnanam is not destroyed when pralaya takes place. Ajnanam destruction job, destroying dvaita permanently, is done by Lord Shiva as Dakshinamurti.
Dakshinamurti (or anybody for that matter) destroys ignorance by providing knowledge. Jnana dvara.
There is only one method for transmitting knowledge: vrtirupajnanam into shabdarupajnanam.
Sadhana catustaya sampati itself is only a training in converting the upadesha vakyam into brahma vidya.
Stotram = glorification. Acknowledge of our gratitude.
Word “dakshinamurti” has two meanings. murti = vigrahah, form, personality; dakshina (indeclinable) - facing southern direction; daskhina (declinable) - compensation.
Every direction has got deity assigned. East - Indra, south - Yama, west - Varuna, north - Soma. Yama represents one who controls everything including the population. Yama means mortality. Mortality means finitude. Finitude means bhayam, lack (dissatisfaction, desire). A finite person is always a wanting person. Therefore Yama is equal to samsara. Dakshinamurti is the only one who is not afraid of facing south, not under the grip of Yama, not limited by but has conquered time (dakshinA-mUrti: meaning 1). Therefore he’s also called mrtyumjayah.
Dakshinamurti tells: “everyone who wants to conquer mortality, come to me”. E.g. story of Markandeya muni, who wrote candrashekara (means also mrtyunjayah) stotram, is about one who keeps moon as ornament. Moon represents time.
Meaning 2 (dakshina amUrti): dakshina - expert, skilled person, samartha. Expert in communication, expert in everything. amUrti - the one who is really formless one, ni-rupah.
Worship requires altar. You’ve to offer flowers somewhere. Formless deity cannot be worshipped. Therefore for the sake of worship there is a version. In its nature Dakshinamurti is formless, nirgnuna brahma.
We start with brahmavidya guru Dakshinamurti (saguna) and we end with nirguna brahman.
Shankaracarya assumes that the student of Dakshinamurti stotram has studied upanishads reasonably well. This is a deep vedantic “PHD-level” text, not just plain glorification.
Method of communication of brahmavidya is like for any other subject. Consistently, systematically for a length of time. Gradual buildup of knowledge. It’s just holier. Not a flashy experience that comes in a moment of meditation, but understanding that is built-up in our mind. Like any regular teaching: at regular intervals clarification of doubts, then next level of teaching, then next set of doubts …
Prakatita para brahma tattvam. One who has given a brilliant exposition. prakatanam - revelation. Revelation - knowing the unknown, of the reality which is infinite brahman.
vyakyanam - exposition.
Silence can be interpreted in any way. Therefore maunam here it not to be taken in literal sense. here: maunavyaka - indirect description. Description is possible only in terms of attributes. Attributeless cannot be described directly, only by implication.

DMS-02 = Dhyana Sloka - 1

ide - namas karomi (I offer namaskara)
Any attribute is considered a limitation because any particular attribute excludes the opposite attribute.
Brahman is an existent thing which is different from all objects of experience. That is the experiencer, the observer, subject.
Neti-neti: Brahman is what remains after the negation of everything. If the negator has to be negated you require another negator.
Maunavyakyanena: upanishad doesn’t say anything about brahman so we can say upanishad is silent about brahman. At the same time it communicates what needs to be communicated.
Dakshinamurti is always pictured as young physically (meaning 1). Figuratively youth stands for positive approach to anything. Freedom from cynicism, pessimism, which is general tendency that overcomes us when we grow old. We generally speak about the “good old days”. That in our times everything was good, values where there and now are going. Generally old age makes us pessimistic, cynical, critical. If you are able to avoid negativism, cynicism, criticism … then you’re youth in your mind. Vedanta makes a person youthful in the mind (meaning 2). Always positive, appreciative, non-critical … in any field. Vedanta makes you positive, makes you see the good things that are happening. Dakshinamurti’s mind is soaked in vedantic perspective.
(meaning 3) Youthful spiritually: yuva means the one who is free from apakshaya. Ever youthful never aging. Not affected by kalatattvam. Like Markandeya who is supposed to be ever 16.
avrtam - ever surrounded by.
rshi - one who is a good thinker, informed, mature person. A viveki - one who knows ephimericality of everything. One who does not expect security from insecure, perishable things of the world.
Vayragyam is required because only then vedanta will become priority. Without viveka and vayragyam vedanta will not appeal. Even if it will, it will be a hobby, timepass, only. If vedanta should become my life’s mission, perhaps the only mission, it requires tremendous viveka and vayragyam and that is indicated by “rshi”.
Committed seekers have left everything else and they have surrender to this guru. They don’t have any other agenda/program. Therefore they are antevasat (resident student in a guru kulam) rshigana, so they learn by non-verbal communication as well.
Children learn more from parents through non-verbal communication than through verbal.
varsistha - very old (disciples). Generally three ashramas are required for ripening of a person. You cannot enforce interest of vedanta. If at all we have to force, dharmasastra we have to emphasize. We allow people to grow into vedanta. Generally it takes years and decades.
Brahmanistha - 1) jnani 2) those who are interested in becoming brahmanista. Who’s only agenda, deep interest, obsession is only in that. 3) Deeply religious person established in commited to their istha devata. Established in saguna brahma coming to learn about nirguna brahma. In the name of philosophy they do not reject religion. Tradition says Vedanta goes always with religion, internal and external also. Without bhakti jnanam will not shine.
The one who lives the teaching is brahmanistham. One who lives the teaching and does not teach is called kevala brahmanistha. One who lives the teaching and teaches is called shrotriya brahmanistha.
Dakshinamurti is the only acharya who never was a disciple. Adi guru. The second guru was not born wise, etc. Dakshinamurti is also called acharyaindra (-indra suffix means shrestha - the greatest one). Sampradaya (method of communication) initiator.
mudra - gesture, gesticulation, a form of non-verbal communication (dance, painting, body-language, sculpture …)
cinmudra (cit-mudra) - jivatma paramatma bhodaka mudra. Index finger - ego, jiva. Thumb - size of free space in heart. Paramatma and/or flame is to be meditated upon as having size of a thumb. Other three fingers - sharira trayam. Index finger naturally “joins” the other three, not the thumb.
All the four fingers are useful for us because of the thumb. Thumb has got independent existence, other four fingers dependent existence. In sanskrit all the four fingers have feminine gender indicating prakrti. Thumb only has got masculine gender indicating purusha.
Index finger cannot join paramatma without renouncing the other three (sharira abhimanam). You can never have both.
When the index finger is away from the thumb it is mortal. When it joins the thumb making a circle - it has become “asatoma sat gamaya, mrtyor ma amrtam gamaya”.
Mere mudra cannot teach. Cinmudra can communicate only if somebody explains the cinmudra.
One can derive ananda from guru status - another form emotional of dependence (samsara). Dakshinamurti doesn’t derives ananda from anything, any being, any relationship. His ananda comes from himself (svatmaramam). If there are shishyas, he enjoys guru status (daksinamurti). If there are no shishyas he enjoys atma status (kevala - non dual - shiva).
Face is the index/mirror of the mind.

DMS-03 = Dhyana Slokas- 2 to 5

nishannam - seated
vata - banayan, vitapi - tree. Fig tree (ficus benghalensis). Uniqueness of one type of the tree is that no birds will sit on the tree.
bhumibhage - on the ground, at the foot of vatavrksha
muni - thinking, mature people.
jnana dataram - one who imparts jnana vidya
arat - (meaning 1) one who gives the knowledge straight away at the time of teaching itself, one who is capable of direct and instant communication, his communication never allows the students to objectify brahman but makes clear that he’s talking about the student himself which is evident here and now. I’m talking about your eternally available brahmanhood which is not a status to be acquired in future. Therefore there is nothing for postponement but for claiming up at the time of teaching itself; (meaning 2) one who can give knowledge even from a distance. Because being the Lord he can bless even from distance.
tribhuvana guru isham - omnipotent, powerful teacher, preceptor of all the three lokas.
guru is from root grnati - to teach. Or gu - darkness, ru - eliminator. Eliminator of darkness is light. Inner darkness is ignorance and inner light is knowledge.
Communication is the toughest task. It is very difficult to get a mind which is ready to listen for a length of time.
daksha - samartha. That Dakshinamurti who is capable of destroying the word with the sword of knowledge, which cuts the tree of samsara.
After gaining knowledge I continue to worship as a gesture of gratitude.
citram - vicitram, something wonderful, abnormal, extraordinary. Generally teacher is elder and students are younger. Here it is the opposite.
old one an be by knowledge, experience or regular age. Here “old” represents maturity.
Primary indication of the internal youth is a mind which is always optimistic and positively thinking. When dream are replaced by regrets it is an indication of our entering into old age. Vedantin is always yuva.
cinnam (root: chid) - destroyed, free from
niddih - abode, repository, treasure house
Basic auxiliary sciences required for vedanta: language: pada sastram (grammar). logic: tarka shastra - proper thinking, pramana sastram (logic), scriptural interpretation vaykya sastram or nimamsa sastram, which is the special skill in interpreting the vedas. As there is many seemingly contradictory statements in the vedas.
Acharya who is skilled in all three basic sciences required for learning and communicating Vedanta is called pada vakya pramana paravarinah.
bhishak - doctor, vaidyah. Dakshinamurti is the greatest doctor. Specialised in the disease of samsara caused by the virus called ajnanam.
bhavah - janma. Bhava roga - disease called birth. Birth includes death. Therefore punarapi jananam punarapi maranam is called bhava roga.
Primary impurity is ajnanam, next level is ahamkara, next level is punya papa karma, next is sukha dukha phalam. All the malams like manitvam, himsa, kama, krodha, lobha, moha … are integrally connected to ahamkara.
Nirmalaya - one who is pure. Therefore prasantaya - tranquil, relaxed.

DMS-04 = Dhyana Slokas- 5 and 6

pranavartaya - the one who is the meaning of the word pranavah (om). Dakshinamurti is said to be the meaning of the word pranavah both in saguna and nirguna svarupam. Pranavah has two part, one is the sound part (om) and the other is silence which is at the beginning and at the end. Sound corresponds to saguna and silence to nirguna Dakshinamurti. Silence part is called amatra. See mandukya upanishad.
pranavah - ideal name. navah means nama or name. It is derived from the root (nu). Prefix pra - proper.
Real nature of Dakshinamurti is nirguna. Without attributes. Consciousness not mixed with matter. For the sake of worship there is saguna.
nirmalaya - one who is free from all the doshas.
prasantaya - totally undisturbed (consciousness).
Entire Dakshinamurti stotram, both the dhyanashlokas and the original text are the saram of the upanishads.
Guru is supposed to speak anything but the content of the sastram. He only makes the dead written words into live communicating words. Example: cassette and cassette player. Similarly guru doesn’t teach his philosophy. If he does, better quietly avoid that teacher.
Dakshinamurti is the subject matter (prameyam), is the student (pramata) and is the teacher (pramanam). Student is “covered” form. Like krsna before he’s cut out of the rock. Student - jiva, subject - isvara, teacher - sastram.
yomavat vyapta dehaya - the one who is in the form of all-pervading consciousness. deha means svarupam here. yomavat - akasha like. vyapta - allpervading.
This stotra is capsule form of upanishads for niddidhiasanam - upanishad sara stotram. While being a teaching like tattvabodha it is a prayer also.
tasmai sri daksinamurtaye idam nahah - I’m offering this prostrations to that Lord Dakshinamurti, who is the invisible God, who is not around me, but fortunately, for my blessing, that invisible Dakshinamurti is available to me in the form of my very own guru.
In the vision of the upanishad, whatever we know about ourself is about the our fake nature. Moreover by knowing your unreal nature, you’ve no benefit at all, OTOH by knowing your real nature, you’ll have liberation.
Essence of upanishads - atma svarupam. Who am I really. Consciousness, which we miss, because it is an invisible principle. Just like electricity for a fan.
To help us recognise the consciousness the upanishads give us the drg-drshya viveka method. World, body and the mind are all objects of experience. They are all experiences by me and therefore I’m different from all these three and I know this much. I must be a conscious principle because I’m experiencing them. Therefore aham atma caitanyam asmi. anatma (world, body, mind) idam jadam asti.
Student knows the ignorance. Guru knows the knowledge. Both are properties of the mind.
Subject matter for verse 1 - atma anatma sambadah.

DMS-05 = Verse- 1

atma is consciousness, anatma is matter.
Once I come to the verse my freedom of teaching/explanation is limited by the words of the verse.
Example 1: darpana nagari drstanta. Imagine a huge mirror. On the mirror there is the reflection of the city - pratibimba nagari. We have two things. Once is the mirror (darpana), the other is the reflected street/city in the mirror (darpana nagari). Forget the original street while studying this.
- Feature 1 - adhisthanatvam. Mirror is the support of the entire (reflected) street. There is a support - supporter relationship. No part of the street can exits outside of the mirror.
- Feature 2 - satyatvam of the mirror. Reflected street doesn’t have an existence of its own, even though it it experienced by me. It has borrowed existence whereas the mirror has its own existence, no matter whether the reflection is there or not.
- Feature 3 - asangatvam. Whatever events happen in the reflected street will not affect the mirror.
- Feature 4 - advitiyatvam (non-duality of the mirror). Since the reflected objects are mithya, having no existence of their own, they are as good as non-existence. Reflected objects cannot be counted along with the mirror. While counting the mirror, you’ll not count the mirror. What is countable is only one.
- Relationship between them is adhisthana adheya sambanda or satva mitya sambanda.
Example 2: svapna nagari drstanta. Here the two things are svapna nagaram - the dream world. And the entire dream-world is resting, residing in (in the mind of) me the waker. Here the same four features apply.
In the same way I the consciousness am like the mirror and the waker. The entire universe I universe I experience is comparable to the darpana nagari and svapna nagari.
No part of the universe exists outside I the consciousness. The entire universe doesn’t have an existence of its own, which is borrowed fro the consciousness. To say something exist you should be conscious of that.
Our liberation depends on the assimilation of the 3rd feature - asangatvam. Any event is an interaction between mithya body, mithya mind and the mithya world. All the events of this world do not affect the adhisthana atma. Freedom is a fact, not an event. Whose freedom? Atma’s. Who am I - atma!
No doubt the dream world is within me and mithya but the dream world appears to be outside of me and real as long as I’m asleep.
Vedantic definition of sleep: not being aware of my waker nature. Waker ignorance. Waker adhistnana ajnanam eva nidra iti ucyate. Nidra: inside dream appears outside, false dream appears real. Prabodha - waking up, nothing but adhistana jnanam.
Waker adhistana ajnanam is worldly sleep. Atma adhisthana ajnanam is called philosophical sleep. Avidya nidra. Kathopanishad: utthisthata! Suprabhatam (auspicious dawn) is not to wake up the lord. But for our waking up from atma ajnana nidra.
Buddha or prabuddha - the one who has woken up from avidya nidra. Once I have my vision is that I’m the support of the world. I’m satyam. I’m not affected by anything that happens in the world. I’m the non-dual one. The world appears as though outside, but really speaking the world is in me. Such an awaken person is the guru.
Prabuddha purushah - guru, Dakshinamurti. Supta (sleeping, numbed) purushah - kuru (do! duty).
Take the example only to the extend required. Asking “you need a city for a reflection in the mirror” is improper extension.
Nijantargatam - within (antargatam) nija (myself).

DMS-06 = Verse- 1 and 2

jagrat visvam nijantargatam svapnam visva iva asti - this visible universe is comparable to the dream universe which is within oneself or myself.
nijantargatam svapna vishvam nidraya bhahihi udbhutam iva bhavati - the dream world which is really existing within ourselves appears as though outside when we’re asleep.
Function of sleep - converting the inside universe into a seemingly outside universe.
According to shastra even some punya papa get exhausted by suhka dukha in svapnam.
tatha, nijantargam jagrat visvam mayaya bhahihi udbhutam iva asti - in the same way, because of avidya the jagrat prapancha which is really inside of me appears as though outside.
supta purushah praboddha samaye advayam svatmanam sakshat kurute - on waking up the sleeping person recognises himself as the secondless one without any dream object.
sakshat kurute - after waking up: I don’t see the waker. I claim myself to be the waker. Claiming is called sakshatkara. I should not use any other verb. In self-knowledge I don’t see, become, … the atma. I claim it. This process is calling sakshatkara. It is not coming face to face.
tasmai (prabuddha purushaya) - to that woken up person
sri guru murtaye namah - who is a jani, who is liberated my prostrations
A woken up person alone can wake up a person. Every guru has to be jnani. Every guru is Dakshinamurti.
mahavakya - statement revealing identity between jivatma the micro and paramatma the macro.
In the vedantic context “you” doesn’t mean body/mind but means chaitanynam. This is abnormal meaning.
Upadanam karanam - raw material (material cause). Upadiyate iti upadanam. That which is taken by the intelligent cause. Whatever is sought after by the intelligence cause. Like when you take vegetables for lunch.
Normally nimitta karanam and upadana karanam are different. In some exceptional cases they are identical. Example: spider. It never goes after any raw material, it is found in himself.
Before the emergence of the pot out of the clay, did that pot exist in the clay? Is an existent pot or is an non-existent pot created by the answer? On analysis we find both are not possible. An existent pot cannot arrive because it is already existent. “Non-existing pot” is born is both illogical and ungrammatical. How can you construct a sentence where the pot is non-existent pot. Existence cannot be destination of anyone. Non-existent thing: when the traveller itself is not-existent how can it have destination? Existent thing cannot have existence as destination: it is already existing. See Mandukya karika 4th chapter. Therefore there is no creation. It is a wrong word used for some other phenomena. A misnomer. When a thing is existent in unmanifested form it can come to manifestation. Like butter in milk. This manifestation, which is a form of transformation, is wrongly called creation. Transformation from avyakta to vyakta avasta. This theory is called sat karya vada. Similarly if “creation” is transformation, so is “destruction”.
A tree exists within the seed in undifferentiated, unrecognizable form. If it would not have you need not take a seed to produce a tree but could plant a stone instead. You choose a mango seed alone for mango tree.
How and when did bhagavan create the world? Bhagavan never created the world. The world was there already.

DMS-07 = Verse- 2 and 3

Any product must potentially exist in its cause. Sat karya vadah: Sristehe purvam karyam karane sat iti vadah. Extending this the whole universe is a karyam and this universe must have existed before its origination also. In potential form (nirvikalpaka rupam, avyakta rupam etc.). This universe in potential form resided in the seed of the universe which is called brahman. Sristeh purvam jagat avyakta rupena brahmani asit.
citri krtam - made to manifest, magnified, multiplied, differentiated, diversified.
The whole world is divided horizontally by space (here, there, elsewhere) and vertically by time (past, present, future). Therefore multiplication is caused by desha kala. Remove the time and space and you will not see plurality. Desha kala are caused by maya shakti in brahman. When I look through time and space advaitam is perceived as dvaitam. Ekam brahma is perceived as anekam jagat.
mAyA kalpita desha kAla kalanA vaichitya chitrIkRitam: Brahman continues to be non-dual when the maya shakti is activated (vikshepa shakti) and when I look through time/space spectacles the non-dual brahman appears (or is modified) into pluralistic universe. The moment you go to sleep time/space goggles are removed.
I’m the material cause of the dreamworld and I myself am the intelligent cause also who trows out the svapna world out of myself.
Brahman is the material cause and intelligent cause. Brahman is the instrument also. By mere sankalpa without requiring any instrument. The same happens in the dream.
mayavi iva - he materializes like a magician (mayavi) or a siddha (mahayogi). That’s why they say in Christianity that lord created the world out of nothing (else, but out of himself).
Bhagavan is a jnani. Paramatma does not require anything to be happy. Why did he create the world, if he doesn’t have a desire? Sastra gives the answer that we’ve got a lot of punya/papa karmas to be exhausted. And exhaustion has to happen through experiences and they require a world. If punya is dominant -> higher loka, if papam is dominant -> lower loka, if punyapapam are almost equal -> earth (manushya janma).
Creation to karma and karma to creation is anadi ananta cakra. Once you understand it as a cyclic process you will not ask the question which is the beginning. A circle doesn’t have beginning and end, only a line. “From the tree the seed or from the seed the tree?” You can never answer.
Scientific thinking is linear thinking in terms of beginning and end. Sastra says give up linear thinking and look at the universe as a cycle. How to stop it? You cannot. But you can stop the process of suffering through understanding.
Existent object is experienced, non-existent object is not experienced. Therefore the entire experienced world has to be taken as existent world. The whole world of objects enjoys, is endowed with Existence. What is the nature of the Existence which is enjoyed by the creation, which is proved by our experience?
Fivefold description of Existence is the same as of consciousness.
1. (independent entity) Existence is not a part, product or a property of the world of objects. “Isness” is not product of the clip, neither part nor property, but something experienced by me because I say “clip IS”.
2. (substance) Existence is a substance, independent, pervades an object and makes the object existent. Thinking that existence is is an adjective is mohah. It is a substance! When you look at it as property, you write it with small “e”.
3. (all-pervasiveness) Existence is not limited by the boundaries of the object.
4. (eternal) Existence exists even after the destruction of the object, which it enlivens.
5. (recognizability) Even when the whole world is destroyed the Existence (sat) survives, but will not be recognizable.
Jivatama is pure Consciousness. Paramatma is pure Existence. Both are one and the same. It is this Consciousness/Existence which makes the body sentient and makes the world existent.
Whichever guru manages to communicate this identity of pure Existence and Consciousness, to that guru, who is Dakshinamurti, my namaskaram.

DMS-08 = Verse- 3 and 4

Paramatma is popularly known as tatpadartha and jivatma is generally referred as tvampadartha.
Recognizability: if there is no object to manifest the existence it can’t be appreciated. Example: sunlight on the hand.
Vedanta requires a sukshma buddhi because we have to appreciate the formless, all-pervading existence (tatpada lakshiartha) without association without namarapa. And similarly we have to appreciate jivatma as consciousness without any form (tvampada lakshiartha). That’s why akasha upasana is prescribed as a form of discipline in taitriya.
How can I appreciate the pure existence/consciousness without association with any object? Sastra says: impossible. The pure thing you can never appreciate because you yourself are that! Being the subject itself it is never available for objectification. You can experience only with nama rupa “adulterated” existence.
Paramatmas’ manifestation in the world is in the form of “Isness” of everything.
Nearest examples for pure existence/consciousness without name and form: you yourself in deep sleep and space.
Normally when we describe something words give only indirect knowledge - paroksha jnanam. Words give secondary knowledge (that is called book knowledge) which has to be converted into experiential knowledge - aparoskha jnanam - by effort. In the case of brahman these two divisions (book knowledge vs. direct experience) are not there. In the case of badrinath, gangotri etc. it is an unexperienced object and therefore there is this division. In the case of paramatma it is not an unexperienced object.
If you don’t require one experience it is the experience of consciousness because it is all the time self-evidently experienced. Even when you say you don’t experience anything there is consciousness.
If a student listens properly sravanam itself is direct experience.
We don’t believe in intuition, we believe in tuition.
If you focus on the acarya more and tradition becomes secondary it becomes a cult. Any acarya is never greater than the parampara.
All the transactions (the world drama) are possible because I’m lending sat to the world and cit to the body. Just like in a dream.
As long as you’re worried about any particular sukshma-shariram you’ve not owned up the all-pervading atma.
Until we discover the identity of sat and cit we use two separate words. Once we recognise both are one we have to remove the adjective jiva and parama. There is only one atma. When you focus upon the atma from sat aspect it is called paramatma. When you focus upon the atma you use the word jivatma. But both are one and the same.
satcit atma is ever evident. No effort is required to specially experience satcit atma. It is evident through any particular experience. Special effort is required to get the experience of different objects. Like every experience is light experience. Atma anubhava is there all the time.

DMS-09 = Verse- 4

Atma is one satcit. Looked at from the perspective of the world (macro, existence) paramatma, from the perspective of the individual (micro, consciousness) jivatma.
If you identify with the body I say “consciousness in you”. If you have learned to identify with the consciousness, I say “consciousness that is you”.
Every time I use the word “I” the self-evident consciousness-experiencer is available effortlessly. You don’t need any time or thinking to know if you have come to the class. I’m here" is an evident fact - self evidence of atma (svayamprakashatvam). If you want to know if somebody else came to the class you have to think.
Self-evident object (a light - self luminous entity) illuminates a non-luminous object. Illumination: that in which presence of another object is made known. Every sense organ is like light. Ultimate “light” has to be consciousness only.
Example: dark room, mirror and sun. A mirror reflects light. It is both, the original light in combination with the mirror that illuminate. If you want to highlight one, you make it a subject of the sentence, but you know that both are required. Perception of objects reminds you of the glory of the mirror and the mirror reminds you the glory of the sun. What you see is the object in the dark room. But you know that I see the object because of the mirror. The mirror itself is able to help me see because of the original sun. Thus every perception reveals the glory of the original sun.
Vedanta: inert, material mind is comparable to a mirror and the entire world is comparable to the dark room. Both atma and the mind are responsible for the perception of the world. Any of the two can be highlighted. (consciousness backed) mind is called pramata. Or you can say atma with the instrument of the mind-mirror illuminates the world.
Every knowledge presupposes, indirectly reveals, the presence of atma. You don’t require a separate proof for the existence of atma. Just like seeing any object in the dark room is thanks to the presence of sun. Even that nothing is known is known because of the presence of consciousness.
Anubhanam - dependent evidence. Bhanam - self-evidence, independent evidence. In every perception I the atma am independently evident and the anatma is dependently evident. Both are evident in every perception.
Example: pot with five holes backed by the mind. Self-luminous lamp is not able to directly illuminate the dark because it is covered by the pot. Cooperation of pot is required. Pot cooperates through the five holes - objects which fall within the five beams of consciousness are illuminated.
Every object I see consciousness has fallen on the object and therefore I use the expression “I know the object”. Subject reveals the self-evidence, the object is dependently evident object.

DMS-10 = Verse- 4 and 5

Atma is available as the first person singular.
In deep sleep it is not that consciousness dies out but the mind and sense organs go to relaxation and apertures of the pot get closed. Candle continues to burn but doesn’t server as an illuminator of the external world. Subject/object division is not there.
Subject is not revealed because of the process of cognition. Subject is self-evident. No thinking, no inference required to know that you were. Yet you need the process of cognition to say that for one hour you’re listening to swamiji. janami: jana refers to revelation of the object, ami refers to the subject.
svayam prakasha vichara - enquiry into the self-evident nature of atma.
If subject for its revelation would require another subject you’ll get into infinite regression problem. This problem will not come only if there is the reflexive awareness - simultaneously I’m aware of you as well as of myself as the knower subject.
In the first four verses Shankaracarya has summarised all of Vedanta: I’m of the nature of sat cit.
Space and time come after the Big Bang. I was there before.
Out of me, the higher order of reality, the lower order of reality - matter - rises and falls, which phenomenon eternally continues.
If you don’t know the truth of a dream, it is a nightmare. If you do, it is a free drama. This is the benefit of Vedanta - you can enjoy life.
Ignorance is bliss. But errors are samsara.
darshanika - philosopher.
Biggest majority concludes that atma is the deham (thoughtless mistake).
Carvaka, lokayatika, many modern scientists - philosophers who have concluded a thoughtful mistake.
Some other philosophers say prana is the atma. Others say sense-organs are the atma. All command lokayatika (utter materialistic people).
Sunyavadabudhism - coming and going consciousness cannot be permanent. Only vacum is permanent, therefore emptiness, blankness (in which the consciousness comes) is the ultimate truth.
You cannot teach a person who wants to argue. Krishna never opened the mouth through the first chapter of Gita. So Krishna observed silence. Even omnipotent god is helpless in regard with these people. Because the instrument which has to get the knowledge has a variety of (intellectual) deficiencies:
1. (strI) - unreleased intellect. Emotional personality dominating the rational personality. Emotions make us human beings, but they should never overpower thinking. Emotional mind wants relationships. That’s why sanyasa is prescribed because it requires a tremendous strength not to require relationships. A weak mind requires relationships. And since all worldly relationships are a problem it wants to have a divine relationship in the form a Krishna, Rama etc. And it wants to cry, talk … continue another type of samsara in the form of religion and philosophy. Talk about an non-personal god to such a mind… Most of the people are afraid of advaitam, because there is no scope of relationships. Unreleased intellect - one that is hostage of emotions - cannot understand aham brahma asmi. I don’t want to be sugar, I want to enjoy sugar.
2. (bAla) immature, undeveloped, untrained intellect. Which does not have sadhana chatustaya sampati. (Odysseus until reunification).
3. (andha - blind) unaided intellect. Intellect however great it is can never graps the teaching if it is not aided by shastra. Different objects of knowledge require different instruments to enhance your power of perception. Thinking that I can see the smallest bacteria with plain eyes is foolishness. If I want to see myself I need to take the sastra of mirror. Our greatness will not decrease. Dayananda: intelligence is taking help when needed.
4. (jada) retarded intellect incapable of growth. Obstructed intellect.

DMS-11 = Verse- 5 and 6

bhranti - atma anatma avivekah, confusion between atma the subject and anatma the object. People having bhranti are called bhranta. Two types - lay people and philosophers.
All activities of life are governed by the idea who am I.
Based on sleep experience sunya-vadi concludes that the essential nature of atma is emptiness - nihilism.
By committing mistake I’m proving I’m a human being. It is a privilege. God and animals don’t have this privilege. God is omniscient, animals don’t have freewill. Tragedy is if we make mistake and are not available for correction. Then even bhagavan’s compassion becomes useless. Bhagavan’s compassion is useful to me only when it is deserved and it is deserved only when I think I may be wrong.
Generally wise peoples attitude is never talk to such people. In two minutes you can understand whether the other is argumentator, a man of conclusion or a humble receptive person. Never waste your time talking to such people (see four examples given in last class) - it is misplaced compassion. Be intelligently compassionate.
Without studying to criticize is not the correct approach.
It’s very good to have a personal god but when you say that is the ultimate truth we’re suppressing our logical intellect.
Sastra without buddhi - useless. Buddhi without sastra - also useless. They both only are like two eyes.
If I could have rescued myself, it is only because of the external aid I got - sastra pramanam. Therefore I’m indebted to sastram. If sastram was made meaningful, it was because it was made a pramanam. Therefore I’m even more indebted to another person - guru, who has destroyed my confusion, great self-delusion.
Never look at the sastram as book, but as pramanam.
Whoever says: “I’ve studied sastram, I’ve intellectual knowledge but I’ve not understood sastram”, they all have improper attitude towards sastram, i.e. seeing it as a book. Pramanam: understanding and realization of atma are identical.
Self-delusion is extraordinary because it has started from beginning-less time. Other confusions came in between and went away. It was there in all previous births. Therefore it is time-wise big, and it is space-wise big. Everybody has got it. It is caused by the play of vikshepashakti maya.
Avaranashakti causes ignorance, vikshepashakti causes confusion.
Any error is caused by ignorance. Only if you destroy ignorance, the root, it will be destroyed. Delusion is a symptom. Ignorance is the disease. That’s why during sleep all the delusions are gone and we experience moksha also. But it is only symptomatic cure, just like samadhi.
DehAtmavAda, pranAtmavAda, indriyatmavAda, buddhyatmavAda, sunyAtmavAda - five theories which are confusions caused by ignorance.
When I focus on the mistake of others it is called mananam, when I focus on my own teaching it is called sravanam. Dakshinamurti stotram is a sravana pradhana granta therefore Shankaracarya doesn’t go to the details (refutation of confusions).
Sankaracarya refutes only the “best” of the confusions in the 6th verse, sunyAtmavAda. The reason for saying I’m empty is deep sleep state. Triputi is not experienced: subject (individual “I” thought, feeling - ahamkara), object (world), instrument (mind - emotions, buddhi, memory) are not experienced. Therefore sunyaavadi says emptiness is the adhisthanam and triputi is born out of it.

DMS-12 = Verse- 6

madhyamika baudhism - sunyavada. One of the main purvapaksis of Vedanta.
Only qualified existence is available for TX, unqualified existence is not available for TX and therefore we make a mistake that it is emptiness. Because we have a general misconception that whatever is not available for TX is not there, like space.
During jagrat and svapna avasta vikshepa shakti of maya is active. Karma and jnana karanams (organs) are active. In sushupti avasta vikeshepa shakti is temporarily withdrawn and avarana shakti dominates. In sushupti passive organs are there in jagrat and svapna active organs are there. When active organs are transactions go on. Every TX will invoke a corresponding triputi, and I become qualified, localized, individualized I, e.g. seer, hearer, etc. when vikshepa shakti is functioning.
When organs are functioning I enjoy a qualified, individualized, localized existence. Imagine I close my eyes and focus on hearing. Seer-I becomes non-existent. “Non-existent” is applicable only to the seer-part of the I.
Organs are responsible not for my existence but only for qualified part of my existence. The adjective is given by the sense organ. The individuality is given by the sense organ. When all the organs stop functioning, qualifications are gone, left behind is not nothingness but attributeless, pure existence, I remain. Ears can take away only the attribute of hearer, eyes of seer …
Even knower is an attribute, one of the triputi. Consciousness is not an attribute.
TXs make a thing prominent. When TX are not there existence is not prominent. Non-prominent existence is not non-existence. E.g. space - we say “nothing” is there - because its existence is not very well prominent.
The general existence in sleep is as-though eclipsed because of the maya’s avarana shakti, because of the resolution of the organs, because of the end TX. Therefore Sankaracarya compares this to the eclipsed sun and moon. Eclipsed sun is not non-existent sun. Attribute-less existence is eclipsed I.
During susupti viksepa shakti is “swallowed” by avarana. Sanmatra - kevala satta, pure existence. When I’m vishesha satta I’m prominent, when I’m samanya satta I become non-prominent, because it is not available for TX.
Sanmatra vs. sadabhasa, citabhasa (mind prominent).
Opposites appear similar. Pure non-existence is not available for TX, pure existence is not available for TX. Just like pure gold cannot be used directly for making ornaments.
Sruti, yukti, anubhava pramanams prove the pure existence. Yukti - an existent thing can never become non-existent by the law of conservation of energy. Destruction -> transformation. Out of nothing only nothing comes. Existent I cannot become non-existent in sushupti.
If the “I” was not there how can you use the word “slept”? It refers to the subject of sleep. That I who slept before that I alone am awake now. This is called recognition - appreciating the continuity of I in the sleeping state as well as waking state. Self-recognition is the proof for self-continuity, that proves in the sleep I’m existent, it is not nothingness. Which proves that madhyamika buddhism is wrong.
If you say that sunya is identical to pure existence than sunyavada is identical to vedanta. If this is so, why do you call it buddhism, because sunyam as pure existence has been called in the Vedas long before Buddha was born?

DMS-13 = Verse- 7 and 8

Atma experience is there continuously in both waking and dream state as I’m. In sleep I’m experience is present but it is verbalized only later. Vocalization but the experience is there. Atma experience is continuously present for everyone all the time. Therefore atma anubhava is not a particular experience happening at a particular time. It is not a particular event in time. Therefore it doesn’t require a process. An event in time requires effort/process.
“I’m working for atma experience”. To say this indicates that one has not understood Vedanta.
Atma is continuously present in trough discontinuous avastas (stages of life: childhood, boyhood, adulthood, old age or states of experience: waker, dreamer, sleeper).
In sanskrit the word dasha means also avasta (state, condition).
When I introduce myself to the other I always add an attribute relevant to the avasta. The added attributes are mutually exclusive and thus discontinuous.
The attribute-less I’m is called atma. Inclusive of the attributes “I’m” is called ahamkara. Therefore atmajnanam is not a new experiences but it is a new perception of the ever experienced I’m. The teacher has trained me in reclassification. Emotions are separated from I’m.
Guru does not give a new experience, guru does not ask the disciple to work for a new experience, guru teaches the student to reclassify the available experience.
Inclusive of attributes I cannot claim I’m brahman. Exclusive I can claim. I’ve not become brahman but I’ve claimed the brahman that I was, I’m and I ever will be.
Guru reveals by verbal and non-verbal communication (bhadraya mudraya). bhadra - auspicious, mudra - hand gesture. In cinmudra the teacher only reclassifies the fingers.
The relative I is the absolute I itself when it is freed from attributes.
Chinmayanaanda: the thumb is a Muslim I. Just say “talak” to divorce the three wifes and become the brahman.
Fall of the person: from the absolute I to the empirical I (atma -> ahamkara; turiyam -> {visva, taijasa}). Asanga I becomes to sasanga I. I gets caught, entagled in relationship e.g. owner/own, pita/putra, sisya/acarya.

DMS-14 = Verse- 8 to 10

The attributeless I alone is the atma. This attributeless I is called sakshi. If I take the incidental attributes also as my intrinsic nature then I mistake myself as an attributed I which is called ahamkara.
The difference between sakshi and ahamkara is caused by ignorance and wisdom.
There is no relationship which is free from problems. Every relationships causes one problem or the other. If there is a relation free from problems, the end of the relationship will cause a problem.
I as the jivatma the ahamkara I, I’m a product of my past karma. My prarabda karma has given me this personality. This physical, emotional, social personality. Therefore I’m never a free person, I’m tossed up and down by my own karma. Even sleep, even death are no permanent solutions.
Ownership means there is a yoga (acquisition) kshema (maintenance) samsara.
Even the confused jiva is none other then Dakshinamurti only. There my prostrations to the confused jiva. Daksinamurti alone is the student, teacher and lord.
The ashtakam is over with the 8th verse. Last two verse are winding-up verse.
We’ve seen Daksinamurti as personal god. Then Daksinamurti as non-personal brahman. Now in the 9th verse Daksinamurti is presented as visvarupa isvara.
Vishvarupa isvara is presented here in ashtamurti rupena:
- panca bhutani - five elements
- sun and moon as representatives of the bhautika prapanca - elementals, combinations of elements, e.g. a physical body. Stand together with panca bhutani for the acetana universe.
- jiva represents all the animate jivarashis, the cetana.
You cannot find anything other than these eight factors. Other than this Daksinamurti you cannot find nothing else. All is the body of Daksinamurti.
Ekarupa description varies from deity to deity. Vishvarupa description is the same for Daksinamurti, Shiva, Vishnu.
“God and world” is delusion. Rightly taken god is none other than world.
Until I understand it as a fact, I should learn to visualize/imagine it.
Everything in the universe is atma alone. Other then atma there is nothing. Names are different, substance is only atma.
stotram - stavam, hymn, praise.
Study of Daksinamurti is equal to study to prasthana trayam, because the content is the same.
Until the intellect accepts this teaching without a single protest one has to do mananam and later it has to be assimilated - niddidhiasanam.
After I assimilate this teaching I share it with others. There is no better meditation than teaching. Meditation - dwelling upon the teaching without distraction.
Sarvaatma is mahavibhuti (greatest glory) called kaivalyam (non-dual state).
Ishvaratvam means swamitvam. Swamitvam means mukta purusha (released person) - I’m no longer tormented by the world and its events. Equanimity. Swami so-and-so-ananda. Dukhi you need not add to the name because the very face indicates the person is a samsari.