svarūpānusandhānāṣṭakam

The Svarupanusandhanashtakam, meaning "Eight Verses for Continuous Inquiry into One's True Nature", is a meditation text by Adi Shankaracharya. The title itself is the instruction: svarupa means one's own nature or true form, anusandhana means continuous inquiry or remembrance, and ashtakam means eight verses. The text is meant to be practised, not just read — each verse is a reminder to return, again and again, to the recognition of what one truly is. Each verse describes the Self using the language of pure awareness — unborn, without beginning or end, free from the three states of waking, dream, and deep sleep, untouched by the body and the senses, not affected by time or change.