ātma pañcakam

I am not the body, nor the senses, nor the inner mind. I am not the ego, nor the collection of vital forces. Distant from wife, children, lands, and wealth, I am the eternal Witness, the indwelling Self; I am Shiva.

Just as a rope appears as a snake due to ignorance of the rope, so the state of the individual soul appears in the Self due to ignorance of one's true nature. When that delusion is destroyed by the teachings of the wise, I realize I am not that imagined soul, but rather the Truth spoken of by the preceptor; I am Shiva.

This world appears within the Self, which is existence, knowledge, and bliss, but it is unreal, appearing only due to delusion. Just as a dream is not real upon waking from the delusion of sleep, so this world is not real; I am the pure, complete, eternal, and singular One; I am Shiva.

There is nothing other than Me in this world; the external world is a mere projection of Maya. Similar to the reflection of an object in a mirror, this world appears within Me, the non-dual One; therefore, I am Shiva.

I am never born, I do not grow, and I do not perish; these are merely the natural characteristics attributed to the body. Agency and the like belong to the ego, not to the Consciousness that I am; I am the Self, and therefore, I am Shiva.

I am not born, so how can there be birth and death for me? I am not the vital force (prana), so how can there be hunger and thirst for me? I am not the mind, so how can there be sorrow and delusion for me? I am not the doer, so how can there be bondage and liberation for me?