dakṣiṇā mūrti stotram

Just as a city reflected in a mirror is seen within oneself, yet appears to be outside due to the delusion of a dream, so does one who perceives his own non-dual Self at the time of awakening realize the truth. To that Guru who is the embodiment of Dakshinamurti, I offer my salutations.

I salute Sri Dakshinamurti, the Young Guru, who teaches the knowledge of Brahman through silence, who is surrounded by disciples, who are themselves ṛṣis and scholars in the Vedas. (I worship Śrī Dakṣiṇāmūrti), who is the teacher of teachers, whose hand is held in the sign of knowledge (cin-mudrā), whose nature is fullness, who reveals in himself, and who is ever silent. (1)

Just as a sprout exists potentially within a seed, the entire universe, before creation, exists in a potential state. By the power of Maya, it appears in various forms of time and space, just as a magician creates illusions or a great Yogi manifests things at will. To that Guru who is the embodiment of Dakshinamurti, I offer my salutations.

To the one whose effulgence represents the true Self, though the world appears real due to ignorance, and who instructs his disciples with the Vedic teaching "Thou Art That," the realization of which prevents any return to the ocean of worldly existence; to that Guru who is the embodiment of Dakshinamurti, I offer my salutations.

Just as the light of a great lamp kept inside a jar with many holes shines through those openings, so does the knowledge of the Self shine through the senses like sight. The entire universe shines only because it borrows its light from this inner radiance. To that Guru who is the embodiment of Dakshinamurti, I offer my salutations.

Those who are deluded—like children, the blind, or the dull-witted—mistakenly identify the body, the vital breath, the senses, the shifting mind, or the void with the "I." To the destroyer of this great delusion caused by the play of Maya, I offer my salutations to that Guru who is the embodiment of Dakshinamurti.

Just as the sun or moon is hidden by Rahu during an eclipse, the Self is hidden by Maya. Yet, when the senses are withdrawn, the Self remains in the state of deep sleep, and upon waking, one recognizes, "I slept." To that Guru who is the embodiment of Dakshinamurti, I offer my salutations.

Through the gracious mudra, the Guru reveals to his devotees the Self, which exists and shines within at all times, persisting through childhood and other stages of life, and through the states of waking, dreaming, and deep sleep. To that Guru who is the embodiment of Dakshinamurti, I offer my salutations.

Whether in waking or dreaming, the person, deluded by Maya, perceives the world in terms of cause and effect, master and servant, teacher and student, or father and son, based on worldly relationships. To that Guru who is the embodiment of Dakshinamurti, I offer my salutations.

He who experiences at the time of realization his own immutable Self-in which the Self alone plays as the universe of names and forms, like a city seen in a mirror, due to the maya power as though produced outside, as in a dream, to him, the divine teacher, Sri Dakshinamurti, is this prostration.

He who, like a juggler or a great yogi, unrolls this universe just out of His own free will - the universe, which before creation remained unmanifest like the future tree in a seed and has later on projected Himself out to be the world of endless variety, due to the delusory play of time and space, both the products of maya... to Him, the divine teacher, Sri Dakshinamurti, is this prostration.

He whose manifestations- which are themselves nothing but the Reality- appear as the objects of the world; He, who imparts to those who have surrendered to Him, direct enlightenment, through the vedic commandment "That Thou Art", and after the direct experience of which there is no more any return to the "ocean" of worldly existence.... to Him, the divine teacher, Sri Dakshinamurty, is this prostration.

He, whose intelligence "flashes" outside through the eyes and other sense-organs, just like the bright light of a great lamp placed in a jar having many holes, and after whose shining, this whole universe of "objects" shines... to Him, the divine teacher, Sri Dakshinamurthy, is this prostration.

He who removes all the terrible misconceptions, created by the deluding play of maya- in those, who, intellectually innocent as a woman-child-blind-idiot and consider the reality as their body or their prana or their senses or their ever-changing intellect or as mere void and through error (mis-conceptions)- declare them to be the only reality... to Him, the divine teacher, Sri Dakshinamurthy, is this prostration.

On folding up all the functions of the senses, He who enters into a state of deep-sleep and there becomes existence veiled in maya, like the sun or the moon during eclipse, and who, on waking, remembers to have slept... to Him, the divine teacher, Sri Dakshinamurthy, is this prostration.

He, who, through the auspicious sign of knowledge (jnana-mudra), reveals to his devotees Him own Self- which persists in all stages of age (childhood, boyhood, youth and old age), in all states (waking, dreaming and deep-sleep) and in all other conditions- and who constantly manifests Himself inwardly as "I"... to Him, the divine teacher, Sri Dakshinamurthy, is the prostration.

He, who is the Purusa, whirled in maya, sees, in Himself, the world of cause-effect diversely related as possessor and possession, father and son, and as teacher and taught, both in the state of waking and of dreaming;... to Him, the divine teacher, Sri Dakshinamurthy, is this prostration.

He, whose eight-fold forms are the "Earth, Water, Fire, Air, Ether, Sun, Moon and Jiva", and who manifests Himself as this universe of the movable and immovable objects- and besides which, the Supreme all-pervading lord, there exists nothing to those who reflect well upon... to Him, the divine teacher, Sri Dakshinamurthy, is this prostration.

The Knowledge "all-this-ātman" (Sarva-ātmatvam) has been explained in this hymn and so, by hearing it, by reflecting and meditating upon its meaning and by reciting it, one will attain that divine state, endued with the glory of the all-Self-hood, along with the permanent eight-fold holy, powers of Godhood.