Dakshinamurti Stotra, translated by Alladi Mahadeva Sastri, [1920], at sacred-texts.com
Dakshinamurti Stotra, translated by Alladi Mahadeva Sastri, [1920], at sacred-texts.com
Because the universality of Atman has thus been explained in this hymn, therefore by hearing it, by reflecting and meditating upon its teaching, and by reciting it, that Divine State which is endued with the mighty grandeur of being the Universal Self shall, of itself, come into being, as also that unimpeded Divine Power presenting itself in forms eight.
1. To attain to the (natural) state of the Universal Ego, by giving up the casual state of the limited Ego, is declared (in the tenth stanza) to be the end of this hymn.
The Ego is, in Himself, one and universal. He becomes many and detached only by attachment to the bodies which are many and separate from one another. The aim of the hymn is to produce, in man, a conviction of this truth and thereby to reclaim the Ego from his present separate existence and life.
The meaning of the tenth stanza may be explained as follows:
2. Sons, grandsons, houses, lands, money, grain, all in plenty—these lower ends, too, accrue in svarga, in pâtàla and on the earth.
Though the devotee will attain all things of desire by this hymn, yet the wise man should not resort to it for attaining such lower ends as these. He should ever aim at the highest object, nothing short of attaining to the state of Paramesvara Himself. That being achieved, everything else will have been attained as a matter of course.
3. As cold is warded off from him who is engaged in cooking, so by this hymn all gain will accrue to him incidentally.
4. Lordliness is in the very nature of Isvara, the Divine Being. It has, indeed, no separate existence from Him. Though man may be running, yet his shadow accompanies him.
5. Infinite Power is in the nature of Isvara, the Divine Being, and animâ and the like are only a few drops that trickle down from it. When the devotee has himself become Isvara, they come to him of themselves.
6. Atman is none other than Sadâsiva, and it is by drops of Atman's power that Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva shine so powerful.
7. By him who carries a flower, its odour is enjoyed without his seeking for By him who has realised. himself as I. the Universal Ego, the limited powers (of Brahma, etc.) are enjoyed.
8. Animâ (smallness), Mahimâ (vastness), Garimâ (heaviness), Laghimâ (lightness), Prâpti (range of vision), Prâkâmya (freedom of will), Isitva (power to command), Vasitva (power to control)—these are the eight siddhis (powers).
9. The power called animà (smallness) consists in the all-pervading Paramatman entering into extremely small creatures as their Atman.
10. The power called mahimà (vastness) consists in the group of the thirty-six principles, from Brahmanda to Siva, pervading every-where outside.
11. The wise hold that laghimà (lightness) consists in (the Yogin)—whose body is equal to Mahameru—being as light as cotton when being lifted up.
12. The wise hold that garimà (heaviness) consists in (the Yogin)—whose body is as small as an atom—being as heavy as Meru when being lifted up.
13. The power called pràjpti (range of vision) consists in a person who lives in Pâtâla seeing the Brahmaloka; and it is very hard to attain for those who are not Yogins.
14. The attaining, by one's own mere will, of power to journey through the
sky and of other such powers is called prâkàmya (freedom of will).
15. Some declare that there is a power called pvàkàs’ya (luminosity), in virtue of which all things shine in the light of the Yogin's own body.
16. The power to cause, by mere will, a creation of one's own, its continuance, and dissolution, and to command the sun and the like is called Isitva (supremacy).
17. Vasitva (the power of controlling) consists in having all the worlds as well as the lords of those worlds under one's
own control; and it is easy for Siva-Yogins to acquire that power.
18. Devas are under the control of that Brâhmana who contemplates as above: what need is there to say that princes, tigers, snakes, women, men, and the like (are subject to his control)?
19. To those in whose minds the conviction as to their being one with the Universal Ego holds an unintermittent sway, to those who are perfect in samâdhi, what is there which cannot be attained?
20, The wise man should recite this hymn and contemplate on the idea that
he is the Self in all, abandoning all yearning for the lesser fruits arising from svarga and so on.
21. No wise man, indeed, ever looks upon the kingdom of svarga as a great empire. That alone is his empire, namely, the identity of his Self with the Supreme Being.
22. All siddhis (powers) come to him who ever contemplates the Self in all. Wherefore, with the mind controlled, one should hold his empire in the Atman.
23. "Who so hath highest love for God, and for the Guru as for God, to that
[paragraph continues] Mahâtman the truths here taught shine in full."
24. He Who, by His power of light, affords light to all lights, Who lights the whole universe, may that Light shine full in His light!
25. Thus ends the tenth chapter in brief in the work called Mânasollâsa, which expounds the meaning of the Hymn to the Blessed Dakshinâmûrti.
Om Tat Sat.