nirvANa SaTakam

प : माये त्वं याहि ! मां बाधितुम काहि ?

अ. प: ध्याये ध्येये त्वामेहि ! मुदं देहि !मां पाहि !

च १ गाये गेये याहि काहि एहि देहि पाहि !

२ : उपाये पेये सरसकाये रसकाये सकाये आये !

३ समुदाये गुरुगुहोदाये सुधातरङ्गिणी अन्तरङ्गिणी

[Oh mAyA! you (tvam) go away (yAhi)! Why (kAhi) do you trouble (bAdhitum) me (mAm)?

(The following is addressed to ambAL, Who is the "saguNa" form of the brahman Itself) The one who is absorbed in meditation (dhyAyE) and the one who is fit to be meditated upon (dhEyE) ! Please come (Ehi) , bestow (dEhi) on me happiness (muda) and protect (pAhi) me (mAm)!

The one who is the song (gAya) and The one Who is being praised in the song( gEyE) ! Please move(yAhi), be satisfied (kAhi), come (Ehi) , give (dEhi) and protect me (pAhi). You are the means (upAya), You are the one to be tasted i.e the destination (pEya), You are the one with the elegant (sarasa) body (kAya), You are the one with the fluid (rasa) body (kAya), You are the one with form (sakAya) Do come (AyE)!

You are the total one (i.e. the One Who encompasses everything)(samudAya), You are the cause (udaya) of guruguha, the one who resides in the form of Guru in the cave of the mind. You are the river (taraGgiNI) of nectar (sudhA)! You are the One Who resides in the heart (antaraGgiNI) (of the bhaktA)]

(muthuswAmi dikSitar: rAga tanGgiNI, tALa: Adi, rendition by MS and Semmangudi thatha is available here)

I am charmed by the concept of advaita. Our paramaguru zri Adi zaGkarAcArya has shown us a wonderful path, a path of jnAna, a philosophy which transcends the domains of the physical world. The theory of advaita is such a radical theory that I doubt if any other concept or scientific discovery would match its profundity. nirvANa SaTakam is a par excellence composition of zri Adi zaGkara that describes advaita in six simple verses. In these verses He has verily described what brahman is. He explains that brahman is pure consciousness and eternal bliss and that everything else is mAya, an illusion. The poem is in the first case. It is a personified brahman addressing us and telling us what It is about, and mostly what It is not. "nirvANa" means liberation and "Satakam" means a collection of six. Thus nirvANa Satakam is a collection of six verses describing the true nature of liberation.

It is indeed amazing that a young man (zaGkara was surely no human, He was undoubtedly paramEzvara incarnate) of around 25 (zri zaGkara attained samAdhi at the tender age of 32) could compose anything so beautiful and simple and yet so profound. And this is just one of his numerous compositions. The other day, Karthik , my friend was reading out the vivEka cuDAmaNi, another masterpiece of His and all that came to my mind was " What a futile life I am leading!" There was so much truth in the cUDAmaNi that I was instantly overwhelmed, and a surge of enthusiasm sprang in me, whence I commenced to write about this composition. nirvANa Satakam was taught to me by my school Principal, Miss. Nirmalajyoti. Nirmala madam was my firt spiritual Guru and I owe her a lot for all that she taught me and for all her encouragement, during my school days. She has set this to such a touching tune that I am almost always lost in its beauty. Here is a rendition of the same by this servant( I am unable to think of a proper English counterpart for the tamizh word "adiyEn: அடியேன் ")





मनोबुद्ध्यहङ्कार चित्तानि नाहम्
न च श्रोत्रजिह्वे न च घ्राणनेत्रे /
न च व्योमभूमिः न तेजो न वायुः
चिदानन्द रूपः शिवोहम् शिवोहम् //

zri zaGkara starts off by saying that: " I am not the mind (manas) , perception (buddhi) or the ego (ahaGkAra); I am not the memory (cittam) , neither am I the ear (zrotra) nor am I the mouth (jihvA). I am not the nose (ghrANa) or the eyes (netre). I am not the space (vyoma) or the earth (bhUmih). I am the very form of cit i.e. the intellect and Ananda i.e. ethereal bliss. I am ziva, the auspicious one."

Just pause for a moment here and contemplate on the elegance of each word. Every line has in it, the ultimate purpose of nirvANa and advaita. What can be more beautiful than this! While I write this, my heart is filled with the peace that I have been looking for, in this mundane, egocentric life, for so long. praNams, to this paramaguru and all my Gurus! The next verse goes like this :

न च प्राणसंज्ञो न वै पञ्चवायुः
न वा सप्तधातुः न वा पञ्चकोशः /
न वाक्पाणि पादौ न चोपस्थपायुः
चिदानन्द रूपः शिवोहम् शिवोहम् //

Now zri zankara says that " I am not the life giving breath (prANa), or the five airs (paJca vAyuh). I am not the seven elements ( sapta dhAtuh) or the five sheaths supposed to invest the soul (paJca kOza). I am not speech (vAk) , the hands (pANi) or feet (pAda) and I am also not the genitals (upastha) or the anus (pAyu). I am the form of the intellect and eternal bliss (cidAnanda rUpa). I am ziva."

This verse consists of such unfathomed truths about the nature of the absolute. Adi zaGkara says that the brahman is not some part of the body or any life giving force. It is immaculate consciousness and Ananda. Let me explain some terms here, before we proceed.
The panca vAyus are the five vital airs which control our body and health. They are :
1.) prANa is the vital force essential for respiration

2.) apAna is the force dealing with excretion: This air moves downwards and out of the anus,

3.) udAna is centred in the throat and rises upwards,

4.) samAna is the vAyu situated around the navel and is the force guiding digestion

5.) vyAna is the vital air which circulates and is diffused through the body.

In the Ayurvedic tradition, they talk of seven elements or sapta dhAtus, which are the basic tissues that our body is made up of. These tissues are:
1.) rasa (fluid) dhatu is derived from the digested food. It nourishes each and every tissue and cell of the body and is analogous to the plasma.

2. )rakta (blood) dhatu is regarded as the basic of life, it is analogous to the circulating blood cells. It not only nourishes the body tissues, but also provides physical strength and colour to the body.

3.) mAmsa (muscle) dhatu is the muscle tissue, its main function is to provide physical strength and support for the mEdas dhatu.

4.) mEdas (fat) dhatu – consists of adipose tissue providing support to aSti dhatu. It also lubricates the body.

5.) aSti (bone) dhatu – comprising of bone tissues, including cartilages, its main function is to give support to the majja dhatu and provide support to the mAmsa dhatu.

6.) majja (marrow) dhatu – denoting the yellow and red bone marrow tissue, its main function is to fill up the aSti.

7.) zukra (semen) dhatu – The main aim of this reproductive tissue is to help reproduction and strengthen the body.

Every dhAtu is composed of numerous cells (paramaNu). These cells have channels and pores to exchange energy and forces. Even if one paramaNu is affected, it leads to dOSA(s). There can be three reasons for a dOSa to occur: vAta (wind emitted from the body), pitta (a bilious fluid secreted between the stomach and liver) and kapha (tamizh kavam: phlegm). The actual pathology, however takes place in the dhAtus, whichever is/ are weak.

The paJca kOza, refers to the five sheaths or levels in which our body is supposed to be enclosed in. These five sheahs are:
1.) annamaya kOza : This is the first level, the external manisfestation and physiological processes that take place in a human body.

2.)prANamaya koza: This comprises of the vital force giving airs(the paJca vAyu), which are essential for the proper functioning of the body. One can control these vAyus by means of prANAyAma.

3.) manOmaya kOza: As the name suggests, the manOmaya kOza is responsible for mental health. All kinds of responses, stimuli etc are governed by this level.

4.)vijnAnamaya kOza: While the manOmaya kOza is related to mental health, this level is concerned with the ability to discern, to comprehend and discriminate. This level is responsible for intellectual well being.

5.) Anandamaya kOza: The Anandamaya kOza is what governs happiness , ecstasy, bliss and such emotions. When one's health rests in this level, the body is free from distractions and confusions.

When Adi zaGkara says that the brahman is not a form of even these vital forces, it is indeed frustrating to visualise what the truth is. But that is exactly what advaita is all about. One needs to sit and experience it on his own. The truth cannot be explained.

न मे द्वेषरागौ न मे लोभमोहौ
मदो नैव मे नैव मात्सर्यभावः /
न धर्मो न चार्थो न कामो न मोक्षः
चिदानन्द रूपः शिवोहम् शिवोहम् //

In this verse, zri zankarAcArya says that the brahman is not any of the plebeian emotions: " I am not hatred (dvESa) or anger (rAga), or covetousness (lObha) or infatuation (mOha). I am neither intoxicating (mada) or prejudiced by nature (mAtsarya bhAva). I am not righteousness (dharma) , wealth (artha), desire (kAma) or even salvation (mOkSa). I am the form of intellect and bliss. I am ziva, the auspicious one."

Ha, look at how sarcastically the paramaguru mocks at us! Who amongst us has fully done away with kAma, or anger or passion? Attachment to material pursuits is so deeply rooted in our minds that we can hardly ever understand that this world is, but a gigantic mirage. Yesterday I was listening to Nochur zri Venkataraman's upanyasam. This upanyasam has practically been an eye opener for me. Sri Venkataraman lashes out strongly against hypocrisy and asks what is the use of spiriyual pursuits when we have not been able to conquer our senses. A Ph.D. in say Physics cannot help us to achieve mOkSa. That will in fact shove us in the wrong direction. Western education is required only to enable us to live, but for salvation, which is the ultimate goal of life, we need to understand all our karmAnuSthAnas and perform them with shraddha. Parallelly, we must search for knowledge of the self, under the guidance of an able Guru. We must shun away our ahankAra. We call our family deity "kola daivam" instead of " kula daivam"(kola, in tamizh means to kill: this has been an ironical morph!) , but God is indeed the "kola daivam", one who kills. He kills our individuality, our ego, the sense of "I". Only if we do away with this sense can we embark on our journey in search of the truth, without any distractions.


न पुण्यं न पापं न सौख्यं न दुःखम्
न मन्त्रो न तीर्थं न वेदा न यज्ञाः /
अहम् भोजनं नैव भोज्यं न भोक्ता
चिदानन्द रूपः शिवोहम् शिवोहम् //

Here zaGkara says that : " I am not some meritorious deed (puNyam) or sinuous crime (pApam). I am not comfort ( sowkhyam) or difficulty (duhkham). I am not some incantation (mantra) or sacred water (tIrtham). I am not the vEdas or the rituals (yajna) therein. Neither am I a meal (bhOjanam) or a sweet (bhojyam) or a king (or lover : bhOktr). I am the form of the intellect and Ananda. I am ziva."

Do ponder over the above lines. zaGkara says that the brahman is not any of the senses or objects that would give one sensual pleasures. But are we mortals even close to conquering the senses? Can we live without thinking of having our favourite sweet dish or can the mind rest if we decided to give up all our somatic pleasures?

One thing that one must be clear about is that when zaGkara says that the brahman is not any of the rituals, He means only that. We must not decipher from this statement that rituals are of no value. or that the vEdas are mundane. We have to keep in our mind that to attain this truth, to achieve the union of the jIvAtma and the paramAtma, one has to follow the three fold path of karma, bhakti and jnAna. Each of the three paths are interlinked with each other and to attain salvation, one must adhere to one's karma, have bhakti and become a jnAni. This is basically required to instill discipline in an individual. Only when the truth is achieved by steadfastly following this path will one rise above the boundaries imposed by the vedAnta. And in that awakened state, there are no rituals emotions, caste, religion ,etc. And this is so logical. Does the paramAtma have a religion?? It is we, mortals who need to bind ourselves from the vicious senses and passions that veritably consume us. Once we have achieved communion with God and realised the true nature of brahman, we transcend all boundaries.

न मे मृत्युशङ्का न मे जातिभेदः
पिता नैव मे नैव माता न जन्म /
न बन्धुर्न मित्रं गुरुर्नैव शिष्यः
चिदानन्द रूपः शिवोहम् शिवोहम् //

" I am not death (mRtyu) or fear ( zaGka) or any caste (jAtibhEda)" says zankara, of the brahman: " I am not the father (pitR) or the mother (mAtR) or birth (janma). I am not any relation (bandhu) or friend (mitr) , or preceptor(guru) or disciple (ziSya). I am the form of knowledge and bliss. I am ziva."
zaGkara says in all the above verses what the brahman is NOT! Then what is the brahman? What is its nature? As I told you before, it has to be self realized. However in the final verse of this exquisite poem, zaGkara describes what brahman is all about. This is the crux of advaita :

अहम् निर्विकल्पो निराकाररूपः
विभुर्व्याप्य सर्वत्र सर्वेंद्रियाणि /
सदा मे समत्वं न मुक्तिर्न बंधः
चिदानन्द रूपः शिवोहम् शिवोहम् //

Describing the characteristics of brahman, zaGkara says: " I am unalterable and permanent (nirvikalpa) , I am formless (nirAkArarUpa) , I am all- pervading (vibhu) and permeable (vyApya) everywhere (sarvatra). I am all the senses (sarva indriyANi). I am always (sadA) neutral (sama). I am not free (mukti) or bound (bandha) . I am veritably the form of knowledge and bliss. I am ziva, the auspicious one."

What more can be said about zri zaGkara's poetic mastery ? I am still left wondering how a 30 year old man could think so much. Imagine how mature He should have been! What a futile, immature life I am leading!

Kindly correct me if you found any errors in the translation above.

May the all pervading, all knowing form of sat, cit and Ananda shower His grace on everyone and enable us to cross this bhavasAgara. May we be unraveled from this bondage of life and be given the strength to realize the satyam.

praNams to all!

zri kRSNArpaNamastu!