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Dakshinamurthy Stotram (Adi Shankara)
Lord Dakshinamurthy is the aspect of Lord Shiva as the supreme Guru — the silent teacher of wisdom, seated beneath a banyan tree, facing the south, with His hand raised in the chin mudra (the sign of knowledge). The Dakshinamurthy Stotram, traditionally attributed to Adi Shankaracharya, is one of the most profound hymns of Advaita Vedanta. Through ten magnificent verses, it reveals that the world is nothing but the Self, projected by maya, and that the Guru and the Self are one.
Dhyānam (Meditation Verses)
These five verses are recited as a meditation upon the form of the divine teacher.
Verse 1
ॐ मौनव्याख्या प्रकटितपरब्रह्मतत्वंयुवानं वर्शिष्ठान्तेवसदृषिगणैरावृतं ब्रह्मनिष्ठैः | आचार्येन्द्रं करकलित चिन्मुद्रमानन्दमूर्तिं स्वात्मरामं मुदितवदनं दक्षिणामूर्तिमीडे ‖ 1 ‖
oṃ maunavyākhyā prakaṭita parabrahmatatvaṃ yuvānaṃ varśiṣṭhānte vasad ṛṣigaṇair āvṛtaṃ brahmaniṣṭhaiḥ | ācāryendraṃ karakalita cinmudram ānandamūrtiṃ svātmarāmaṃ muditavadanaṃ dakṣiṇāmūrtimīḍe ‖ 1 ‖
Meaning: I revere Śrī Dakṣiṇāmūrti, the young Guru, who teaches Brahman knowledge through silence and is surrounded by pupils who are themselves ṛṣis and Vedic experts — the teacher of teachers, whose hand is held in the symbol of knowledge (cin-mudrā), whose nature is completeness, who revels in the Self, and who is ever serene of face.
Verse 2
वटविटपिसमीपे भूमिभागे निषण्णं सकलमुनिजनानां ज्ञानदातारमारात् | त्रिभुवनगुरुमीशं दक्षिणामूर्तिदेवं जननमरणदुःखच्छेद दक्षं नमामि ‖ 2 ‖
vaṭaviṭapisamīpe bhūmibhāge niṣaṇṇaṃ sakalamunijanānāṃ jñānadātāramārāt | tribhuvana guru mīśaṃ dakṣiṇāmūrtidevaṃ janana maraṇa duḥkha cchedadakṣaṃ namāmi ‖ 2 ‖
Meaning: I prostrate myself before Śrī Dakṣiṇāmūrti, the teacher of the three worlds, the Lord, the destroyer of the afflictions of birth and death, who, seated beneath the banyan tree, offers knowledge to all the ṛṣis who have gathered near Him.
Verse 3
चित्रं वटतरोर्मूले वृद्धाः शिष्याः गुरुर्युवा | गुरोस्तु मौनव्याख्यानं शिष्यास्तुच्छिन्नसंशयाः ‖ 3 ‖
citraṃ vaṭatarormūle vṛddhāḥ śiṣyāḥ gururyuvā | gurostu maunavyākhyānaṃ śiṣyās tu chinna saṃśayāḥ ‖ 3 ‖
Meaning: It is just amazing! The elderly followers gather around the Guru beneath the tree. He instructs them in silence, yet all of the disciples' misgivings are erased.
Verse 4
निधये सर्वविद्यानां भिषजे भवरोगिणाम् | गुरवे सर्वलोकानां दक्षिणामूर्तये नमः ‖ 4 ‖
nidhaye sarvavidyānāṃ bhiṣaje bhavarogiṇām | gurave sarvalokānāṃ dakṣiṇāmūrtaye namaḥ ‖ 4 ‖
Meaning: Salutations to Śrī Dakṣiṇāmūrti, the dwelling of all learning, the healer of all those suffering from the saṃsāra sickness, and the teacher of all the worlds.
Verse 5
ॐ नमः प्रणवार्थाय शुद्धज्ञानैकमूर्तये | निर्मलाय प्रशान्ताय दक्षिणामूर्तये नमः ‖ 5 ‖
oṃ namaḥ praṇavārthāya śuddhajñānaikamūrtaye | nirmalāya praśāntāya dakṣiṇāmūrtaye namaḥ ‖ 5 ‖
Meaning: Salutations to Śrī Dakṣiṇāmūrti, who is ever pure and peaceful, the embodiment of pure knowledge, and who is nothing more than the suggestive meaning of Praṇava (Om), the Supreme.
The Stotram
Verse 1
विश्वं दर्पणदृश्यमाननगरी तुल्यं निजान्तर्गतं पश्यन्नात्मनि मायया बहिरिवोद्भूतं यथा निद्रया। यः साक्षात्कुरुते प्रबोधसमये स्वात्मानमेवाद्वयं तस्मै श्रीगुरुमूर्तये नम इदं श्रीदक्षिणामूर्तये ॥ १॥
viśvaṃ darpaṇadṛśyamānanagarītulyaṃ nijāntargataṃ paśyannātmani māyayā bahirivodbhūtaṃ yathā nidrayā. yaḥ sākṣātkurute prabodhasamaye svātmānamevādvayaṃ tasmai śrīgurumūrtaye nama idaṃ śrīdakṣiṇāmūrtaye ॥ 1॥
Meaning: This prostration is to Sri Dakshinamurthy, the divine teacher, who perceives His own immutable, non-dual Self at the time of realisation — the Self which alone plays as the universe of names and forms, like a city seen in a mirror, appearing as if formed outside by the power of maya, just as in a dream.
Verse 2
बीजस्यान्तरिवाङ्कुरो जगदिदं प्रानिर्विकल्पं पुनः मायाकल्पितदेशकालकलनावैचित्र्यचित्रीकृतम् । मायावीव विजृम्भयत्यपि महायोगीव यः स्वेच्छया तस्मै श्रीगुरुमूर्तये नम इदं श्रीदक्षिणामूर्तये ॥ २॥
bījasyāntarivāṅkuro jagadidaṃ prānirvikalpaṃ punaḥ māyākalpitadeśakālakalanāvaicitryacitrīkṛtam . māyāvīva vijṛmbhayatyapi mahāyogīva yaḥ svecchayā tasmai śrīgurumūrtaye nama idaṃ śrīdakṣiṇāmūrtaye ॥ 2॥
Meaning: He who, like a juggler or a great yogi, unrolls this universe purely out of His own free will — the universe that, before creation, remained unmanifest like a future tree within a seed, and has later projected itself as the world of infinite variety through the delusory play of time and space, both products of maya. This is a prostration before Sri Dakshinamurthy, the heavenly teacher.
Verse 3
यस्यैव स्फुरणं सदात्मकमसत्कल्पार्थकं भासते साक्षात्तत्त्वमसीति वेदवचसा यो बोधयत्याश्रितान् । यत्साक्षात्करणाद्भवेन्न पुनरावृत्तिर्भवाम्भोनिधौ तस्मै श्रीगुरुमूर्तये नम इदं श्रीदक्षिणामूर्तये ॥ ३॥
yasyaiva sphuraṇaṃ sadātmakam asat kalpārthakaṃ bhāsate sākṣāt tat-tvam-asīti veda vacasā yo bodhayaty āśritān . yat sākṣāt karaṇād bhaven na punar āvṛttir bhavām bho nidhau tasmai śrī gurumūrtaye nama idaṃ śrī dakṣiṇāmūrtaye ॥ 3॥
Meaning: He who, by the Vedic commandment "That Thou Art" (Tat Tvam Asi), imparts direct enlightenment to those who have surrendered to Him, and after whose direct experience there is no longer any return to the ocean of worldly existence — to Him, the divine teacher Sri Dakshinamurthy, is this prostration.
Verse 4
नानाच्छिद्र घटोदरस्थितमहा दीपप्रभाभास्वरं ज्ञानं यस्य तु चक्षुरादिकरणद्वारा बहिः स्पन्दते । जानामीति तमेव भान्तमनुभात्येतत्समस्तं जगत् तस्मै श्रीगुरुमूर्तये नम इदं श्रीदक्षिणामूर्तये ॥ ४॥
nānācchidra ghaṭodara sthitamahā dīpaprabhā bhāsvaraṃ jñānaṃ yasya tu cakṣur ādi karaṇa dvārā bahiḥ spandate . jānāmīti tameva bhāntam anubhāty etat samastaṃ jagat tasmai śrī gurumūrtaye nama idaṃ śrī dakṣiṇāmūrtaye ॥ 4॥
Meaning: He whose intelligence "flashes" outward through the eyes and other sense organs, like the bright light of a great lamp placed in a jar with many holes, and whose flashing illuminates the entire universe of "things" — this prostration is to Him, Sri Dakshinamurthy, the heavenly teacher.
Verse 5
देहं प्राणमपीन्द्रियाण्यपि चलां बुद्धिं च शून्यं विदुः स्त्रीबालान्धजडोपमास्त्वहमिति भ्रान्ता भृशं वादिनः । मायाशक्ति विलास कल्पितमहा व्यामोहसंहारिणे तस्मै श्रीगुरुमूर्तये नम इदं श्रीदक्षिणामूर्तये ॥ ५॥
dehaṃ prāṇam api-indriyāṇy api calāṃ buddhiṃ ca śūnyaṃ viduḥ strī bāla-andha jaḍo pamāstvaham iti bhrāntā bhṛśaṃ vādinaḥ . māyā śaktivilāsa kalpitamahā vyāmoha saṃhāriṇe tasmai śrī gurumūrtaye nama idaṃ śrī dakṣiṇāmūrtaye ॥ 5॥
Meaning: He who removes the terrible misconceptions created by the deluding play of maya — the error of those who, intellectually innocent as a woman, child, blind or idiot, take the body, the prana, the senses, the ever-changing intellect, or even the void to be the only reality — this prostration is to Him, Sri Dakshinamurthy, the heavenly teacher.
Verse 6
राहुग्रस्तदिवाकरेन्दुसदृशो मायासमाच्छादनात् सन्मात्रः करणोपसंहरणतो योऽभूत्सुषुप्तः पुमान् । प्रागस्वाप्समिति प्रबोधसमये यः प्रत्यभिज्ञायते तस्मै श्रीगुरुमूर्तये नम इदं श्रीदक्षिणामूर्तये ॥ ६॥
rāhu grasta divākarendu sadṛśo māyā samācchādanāt sanmātraḥ karaṇopasaṃharaṇato yo'bhūt suṣuptaḥ pumān . prāgasvāpsamiti prabodhasamaye yaḥ pratyabhijñāyate tasmai śrī gurumūrtaye nama idaṃ śrīdakṣiṇāmūrtaye ॥ 6॥
Meaning: He who enters the state of deep sleep and there becomes existence cloaked in maya, like the sun or the moon during an eclipse, and who, on waking, remembers "I slept well" — this prostration is to Him, Sri Dakshinamurthy, the heavenly teacher.
Verse 7
बाल्यादिष्वपि जाग्रदादिषु तथा सर्वास्ववस्थास्वपि व्यावृत्तास्वनुवर्तमानमहमित्यन्तः स्फुरन्तं सदा । स्वात्मानं प्रकटीकरोति भजतां यो मुद्रया भद्रया तस्मै श्रीगुरुमूर्तये नम इदं श्रीदक्षिणामूर्तये ॥ ७॥
bālyādiṣvapi jāgradādiṣu tathā sarvāsvavasthāsvapi vyāvṛttāsv anuvartamānam aham ity antaḥ sphurantaṃ sadā . svātmānaṃ prakaṭīkaroti bhajatāṃ yo mudrayā bhadrayā tasmai śrī gurumūrtaye nama idaṃ śrī dakṣiṇāmūrtaye ॥ 7॥
Meaning: He who, through the auspicious sign of knowledge (jnana-mudra), reveals to His devotees His own Self — which persists in all stages of life (childhood, boyhood, youth and old age), in all states (waking, dreaming and deep sleep), and in all circumstances, and which constantly manifests inwardly as "I" — the prostration is to Him, Sri Dakshinamurthy, the celestial instructor.
Verse 8
विश्वं पश्यति कार्यकारणतया स्वस्वामिसंबन्धतः शिष्याचार्यतया तथैव पितृपुत्राद्यात्मना भेदतः । स्वप्ने जाग्रति वा य एष पुरुषो मायापरिभ्रामितः तस्मै श्रीगुरुमूर्तये नम इदं श्रीदक्षिणामूर्तये ॥ ८॥
viśvaṃ paśyati kārya kāraṇatayā sva svāmi saṃbandhataḥ śiṣyācāryatayā tathaiva pitṛputrādyātmanā bhedataḥ . svapne jāgrati vā ya eṣa puruṣo māyāparibhrāmitaḥ tasmai śrī gurumūrtaye nama idaṃ śrī dakṣiṇāmūrtaye ॥ 8॥
Meaning: In the states of waking and dreaming, He, the Purusha, spinning in maya, sees the world of cause and effect diversely associated as possessor and possession, father and son, and teacher and taught — to Him, the divine teacher Sri Dakshinamurthy, is this prostration.
Verse 9
भूरम्भां स्यनलोऽनिलोऽम्बरमहर्नाथो हिमांशुः पुमान् इत्याभाति चराचरात्मकमिदं यस्यैव मूर्त्यष्टकम् । नान्यत्किञ्चन विद्यते विमृशतां यस्मात्परस्माद्विभोः तस्मै श्रीगुरुमूर्तये नम इदं श्रीदक्षिणामूर्तये ॥ ९॥
bhūr ambhāṃsy analo'nilo'mbaram aharnātho himāṃśuḥ pumān ityābhāti carācara ātmakamidaṃ yasyaiva mūrtyaṣṭakam . nānyat kiñcana vidyate vimṛśatāṃ yasmāt parasmād vibhoḥ tasmai śrī gurumūrtaye nama idaṃ śrī dakṣiṇāmūrtaye ॥ 9॥
Meaning: He whose eight-fold forms are Earth, Water, Fire, Air, Ether, Sun, Moon and Jiva, and who manifests Himself as this universe of moveable and immovable objects — apart from whom, the Supreme all-pervading Lord, there is nothing for those who reflect well — this prostration is to Him, Sri Dakshinamurthy, the heavenly teacher.
Verse 10
सर्वात्मत्वमिति स्फुटीकृतमिदं यस्मादमुष्मिन् स्तवे तेनास्य श्रवणात्तदर्थमननाद्ध्यानाच्च सङ्कीर्तनात् । सर्वात्मत्वमहाविभूतिसहितं स्यादीश्वरत्वं स्वतः सिद्ध्येत्तत्पुनरष्टधा परिणतं चैश्वर्यमव्याहतम् ॥ १०॥
sarvātmatvam iti sphuṭīkṛtam idaṃ yasmād amuṣmin stave tenāsya śravaṇāt tadartha mananād dhyānād ca saṅkīrtanāt . sarvātmatva mahā vibhūti sahitaṃ syād īśvaratvaṃ svataḥ siddhyet tat punar aṣṭadhā pariṇataṃ ca iśvaryam avyāhatam ॥ 10॥
Meaning: This hymn explains the knowledge "all is this Self" (Sarva-tmatvam), and by hearing it, contemplating and meditating on its meaning, and reciting it, one can acquire that divine state, endued with the splendour of all-Self-hood, as well as the permanent eight-fold holy powers of Godhood.
Key Attributes of Lord Dakshinamurthy
- Deity: Lord Dakshinamurthy (an aspect of Lord Shiva as the supreme Guru)
- Consort: Not applicable (the silent ascetic teacher)
- Vahana: None — He is seated beneath the banyan tree
- Weapon: None
- Ruling Planet: Not specified
- Element: Not specified
- Mantra: "Om Dakshinamurtaye Namah"
- Symbol: Chin mudra (the sign of knowledge) and the banyan tree (Vata Vriksha)
Practical / Modern Context
In an age of information overload, the Dakshinamurthy Stotram is a powerful antidote. It reminds us that the highest teaching is not information but realisation — that the world we take so seriously is a projection of the mind, and that lasting peace comes from recognising the Self within. Chanting the stotram daily, even a single verse, cultivates concentration and self-inquiry (manana and nididhyasana). Students, teachers and seekers can use verse 4's image of the lamp in a jar with holes — consciousness shining through the senses — as a meditation on how the same inner light illumines all perception, a truth increasingly echoed in contemplative science.
Common Misconceptions
- The stotram is meant only for scholars or renunciates: The hymn explicitly states (verse 10) that by hearing, contemplating, meditating and reciting it, any sincere devotee attains divine wisdom. It is meant for every seeker.
- Dakshinamurthy "faces south" because of an astrological defect: The name "Dakshina" here points to the south-facing form that dispels the fear of death and samsara — the traditional symbolism is of liberation, not inauspiciousness.
- The silent teaching means nothing is taught: Maunavyakhya (teaching through silence) is regarded in Advaita as the highest form of teaching, because Brahman cannot be confined to words — silence itself dissolves all doubts (verse 3 of the Dhyanam).
- The stotram worships a statue: Verse 7 reveals that the Guru, the Self and God are one. The stotram is ultimately an inquiry into the nature of one's own Self, with Dakshinamurthy as the inner guru.
Conclusion
The Dakshinamurthy Stotram is a jewel of Advaita Vedanta, condensing the essence of the Upanishads into ten verses. Through the image of the silent Guru beneath the banyan tree, Adi Shankaracharya leads the seeker from the illusion of a separate world to the realisation of the one non-dual Self. To recite this stotram with devotion is to sit at the feet of the greatest of gurus and to receive, in the language of silence, the knowledge that frees.
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