Dakshinamurthy Stotram - Post 1

SRI DAKSHINAMURTHY STOTRAM

Sri Dakshinamurti Stotram is written by Adi Shankaracharya. It is most profound Advaita Vedanta and extra ordinarily beautiful poetry. 

Verses in this stotra are rich in Vedantic teachings. At the same time, they are presented in very elegant poetic manner. It is a wonderful prayer. It is the prayer to the Lord Shiva. It is filled with pious Vedantic teachings.

This stotram is addressed to a form of Lord Shiva known as “Dakshinamurti”. It is important to understand the meaning of Dakshinamurti.

The word “Dakshinamurti” is a samasa (composition). It has two ways to break the composition:

 

1.      Yasya murti Dakshina abhimukha

One whose murti (form) is facing South. Here, Dakshina means south.

 

2.     Dakshin Amurti

Dakshinascha asau amurtischa iti saha

One who is Dakshin and also Amurti (both adjectives). One who is skillful and formless.

Here Dakshina means Skillful. Skillful in removing the ignorance.

Traditionally, south direction is considered inauspicious direction as it is associated with death, ignorance and all the things that are undesirable in life. That is why; in some tradition people are cautious of directions while sleeping. 

They keep head towards south. It symbolically represents that ignorance needs to be removed through knowledge.

In Hindusim, the south is regarded as the direction of death, which subtly implies the demise of the old making way, for the new. Hence, the south is regarded as Shiva’s domain since he is responsible for the destruction of the old. 

Lord Dakshinamurthy is a powerful Avatar of the Hindu God Shiva, who appears as a Guru (teacher) to guide one on the right path. This divine form of Lord Shiva is the personification of all types of knowledge and symbolizes awareness, understanding and wisdom. 

He is also revered as a teacher of the arts like yoga, music, meditation and various other artistic abilities. Shiva is considered as the master of the Shastras and his expositions of these texts are unparalleled. In Hindu philosophy, having a Guru is all important and those who do not have one are advised to consider Lord Dakshinamurthy as their teacher.

 

Depiction of Lord Dakshinamurthy

 

The Avatar of Lord Shiva as Jnana Dakshinamurthy is generally depicted with four arms and seated under a banyan tree facing the south. He is shown seated upon a deer-skin with several sages listening in rapt attention to his teachings. His right foot is placed on the mythical demon of ignorance ‘Apasmara’ and his left foot is folded on his lap. 

One of his upper arms wields a snake or rosary and the other holds a flame. His lower right hand is shown in the Vyakhyanamudra posture and the lower left is shown grasping a bundle of kusha grass which represents the Holy Scriptures. His fingers symbolize the ‘Gnana/chin Mudra’ pertaining to knowledge and wisdom. Lord Dakshinamurthy is always immersed in a deep yogic state of meditation and represents the potent force of ever flowing bliss indicative of supreme joy. Several seers portray him as the absolute hidden power inherent in all enlightened ‘Gurus’ or teachers.

Dakshinamurthy’s chin mudra conveyed much more than words could ever convey. In the cin mudra, the thumb and the index finger are brought together, and this indicates the jivatma-Paramatma connection. 

The thumb indicates the Paramatma and the forefinger is the jivatma. These two are brought together in the cin mudra. The other three fingers represent the three malams (impurities) that stand in the way of our attainment of liberation. The three malams are anava (ego), kanma (effects of our actions) and maayai (illusion). 

When these three impurities are conquered, the jivatma reaches Him. These three malams keep our connection to the material world alive. In their absence, the jivatma automatically comes close to the Paramatma. This is what Lord Siva, as Dakshinamurthy, points out through His cin mudra.

Significance of Lord Dakshinamurthy

In keeping with the Indian tradition of holding the teacher in the highest esteem, Lord Dakshinamurthy embodies all the aspects of emulation and reverence. He is the ultimate Guru or teacher in Hindu culture, as the propagator of knowledge and dispeller of ignorance. His limbs and body denote various aspects of the enlightened man and signify his willingness to impart knowledge to whoever seeks him out.

Once a devotee came to visit Bhagawan Baba and said that the great Sages of the past had travelled extensively preaching the Truth and thus had served the world at large. Similarly, if Bhagavan were to travel thus it would be beneficial to many. Smilingly, Bhagawan replied, that His being settled in one place is also beneficial and narrated the following story.

“Brahma, the Lord of Creation, once lost interest in the work of creation and thought of taking to a life of tapas (penance). So, out of his mind he created Sanaka, Sanatkumaru, Sanandana and Sanatsujata, with the intention to hand over to them his job in the course of time. They grew up and mastered all of the branches of study. Brahma then decided to hand over to them his job and to retire. Sage Narada came to know of his father’s intention. 

Since Narada knew that his brothers were full of dispassion and fit to be initiated into the path of Self-knowledge, he decided to warn them beforehand of Brahma’s intention. On hearing this, the four brothers, who had no intention to follow the path of action, left home in search of a Guru without informing their father. 

They all proceeded to Vaikunta, the abode of Vishnu.

There they saw Lakshmi sitting on Vishnu’s couch massaging His feet. On seeing this, they thought, “How can this family man bound by the intimate glance of his consort render us any help in learning adhyatma-vidya (Knowledge of the Self). Look at the splendour of this palace and this city! This is enough. Let us seek the help of Lord Siva”.

Lord Siva, who was in Kailas with His family, knew beforehand about their coming and understood their plight. He was sure that they would be disappointed on seeing him with a family, so taking pity on them, He decided to impart spiritual knowledge to them. 

The kind-hearted Lord, left Mount Kailas and taking the youthful form of Dakshinamurti, seated Himself with Chinmudra (lotus position), under a Banyan tree on the Northern side of Lake Manasarovar, just on the way by which these disappointed devotees were returning to their respective homes.

When they came and sat before Him, He went into samadhi (Absorption in the Self). He was in Perfect Repose. Silence prevailed. They saw Him. The effect was immediate. They fell into samadhi and their doubts were cleared.

Silence is the true upadesa. It is the perfect upadesa. It is suited only for the most advanced. Others are unable to draw full inspiration from it. Therefore they require words to explain the Truth. But Truth is beyond words. It does not admit or explain. It merely indicates the truth through self-discovery.”

 

Love.

PS : As we begin the sacred journey of contemplation of this stotram, seekers can / may listen to this stotram as per this link, daily once, in the Brahma Muhurtham.

 

Dhyana Vahini - Post 41 (concluding post)

Chapter XIV

Dear All,

 

All good things must come to an end.

Dhyana Vahini blog posts END today, with the only aim to invoke an irresistible urge in you to BEGIN your spiritual journey, with a re-kindled spirit, with a conviction now, like never before.

"Be comfortable in all environments

The capacity to concentrate is a very useful qualification. You must watch the vagaries of your own mind — how it travels, what objects it runs after, etc.— and, slowly, by means of meditation, you should teach it to stay still and to behave beneficially.

Do not worry about the unsatisfactory environment you may have. Of course, the place may have some drawbacks and it may not be ideal. But it is no use trying to run away from all that. You can overcome the drawbacks by training your own mind. Stay in your environment and pray to the Lord! 

Pray that He may fill you with His thoughts and His vision, making you ignore the defects of the environment. Do not seek comfort, for comfort might not be conducive to meditation. Learn to be comfortable in any place; that is better. 

Live in joy wherever you are; that is the way. Revel in the realm of your mind; worship in the mind the Lord you have chosen as your goal and be free of all the defects of the natural or human environment! Then, no spot can be irksome to you, nor will any place seem disgusting.

Concluding admonitions

Pride is an insidious vice, so at the slightest inkling of the disease, try your best to eradicate it by retiring into a lonely spot and engaging yourself in meditation. Delay is dangerous. “Even divine nectar (amrita) becomes a poison if the dose is delayed,” says the proverb. Remember this and act swiftly. Meditation stills the agitated mind and makes it clear and full of joy.

Many in this world, even among the learned, do not spend their allotted span of life in the pursuit of certain selected ideals. Hence, their earthly careers are like the voyage of a storm-tossed ship that has lost both its anchor and its compass and is caught in mid-ocean. 

They are torn between opposing ideals and goals; they listen to diverse appeals; and their lives end in waste and failure, for they say one thing and do another in their ignorance and fear. Meditation gives them fixity of purpose, courage, and wisdom.

The feelings that arise in the mind, which are classified as serene, restless, and ignorant (sathwic, rajasic, and thamasic), also have to be watched and cleansed. The restlessness and ignorance have to be uprooted. Meditation is the weapon for this task.

The path of meditation (dhyana-marga) will destroy ignorance (a-jnana), and it will grant the individual union with the Godhead (Brahmaikyatha). 

 Introspection on the concluding post

Swami has emphasized on the following things in this last, concluding part of Dhyana Vahini

1)     Do not pay attention to the unfavorable environment for taking up Dhyana.

2)    Don’t try to run away from your existing environment to a better environment, if you have not still controlled your mind.

3)    Stay wherever you are and take up meditation intensely

4)    Get rid of “pride” which is a worst quality.

5)    Do not delay sadhana, do not delay meditation. Don’t get stuck up between your desires and your goal. 

6)    Watch the three qualities of Rajas, Tamas and Satvic arising in you, transcend all of them through meditation.

7)     The path of meditation (dhyana-marga) will destroy ignorance (a-jnana), and it will grant the individual union with the Godhead (Brahmaikyatha). 

We will delve on the 5th point today, which is the concluding post on this theme, given to us by the Avatar.

A disciple of Swami Sivananda writes,

“An aspirant put this question once to the Holy Mother of the Aurobindo Ashram: "I have been practising Sadhana for so many years, but there has been no significant progress. Why?” Said the Holy Mother: "Because you have not taken the spiritual plunge!" 

To the same question put by different aspirants at different times, Gurudev Sivananda used to say: "You have not progressed much, because you have not given 100% of your mind to God, because you have not given your whole mind to God".

It is the same answer given in two different ways. Most aspirants stand on the shore of the spiritual sea, deliberating whether to take the spiritual plunge or not. This deliberation, this hesitation, this vacillation, goes on for years. 

As long as this vacillation is there, there is little progress. Because the mind is not made up. If the plunge is not taken, the lower mind retains its strong hold on the aspirant. The worldly Samskaras have their sway. The earthly Vasanas rule supreme. They put up a tough fight. In this tug-of-war which goes on in the mind of the aspirant, the lower mind exercises the stronger pull.

Think of a foolish child in a dark room which cries for light, while at the same time refusing to come out into the open. Identical is the position of the weak-kneed Sadhak who refuses to give his whole mind over to God, who refuses to take his feet off the world, who refuses to take the spiritual plunge, but keeps crying all the time that there is no light in his life, that there is no spiritual progress. How can the Sadhak have spiritual progress when he is refusing to enter the spiritual waters?

"You cannot have light and darkness at the same time. You cannot have nectar and poison in the same cup." How many times has not Sivananda stressed this basic point that a person can have either this world or that, but not both! Yet, if you check on the generality of spiritual seekers all over the world, you will find that their feet are clinging fast to earth and things earthly, while a fraction of their mind is vaguely given over to God.

Now, who can take the spiritual plunge? Who will take the spiritual plunge? He will take the spiritual plunge who feels that the world is afire. He who feels suffocated in the world, who feels he is being roasted in the world as if in a furnace, will long with his full mind, with the entirety of his mind, to take an immediate plunge in the ambrosial waters, in the cooling waters, of the spiritual sea. He who is totally disgusted with the world will yearn to get away from it all by entering the spiritual path. He will not retrace his steps. He will not look back. He will not become a spiritual turncoat.

In normal day-to-day life, we do not generally act unless compelled by external circumstances or inner motivations. Very often, action starts only when it becomes inescapable or inevitable, only when it becomes a dire necessity. To cite a couple of common instances, the child in its cosy bed does not get up in the morning until it is time for school. The father does not think of his daughter’s marriage until she is grown up.

And if you look closely into it, all actions, even the most humdrum actions of daily life, are coloured by a sense of urgency in the moments immediately preceding those actions. In other words, action results only from a sense of urgency. Thought or desire must reach a state of urgency in order to precipitate into action, in order to materialize into action.

In the moment preceding any action, the desire to perform that action, the thought to perform that action; comes to a climax. 

That is why perhaps my revered Master Sivananda once told a visitor, with regard to a particular course of action, "Want to do it!" "Want to do it!" was the sage’s simple advice. But, what a wealth of meaning! What deep psychological implications! 

Buddha realized, because he sat under the Bodhi tree with the firm resolve: "I must realize God now". In recent times, Sivananda resorted to Sadhana and the Swargashram jungle with the same resolve. And he too realized.

Ramana realized, because a sense of urgency possessed him to get out of the inscrutable fear that filled his heart. He had to find an answer to the question, "Who am I?" And find out he did.

If this element of compelling urgency is not there in the life of a spiritual aspirant, his progress is bound to be slow, because complacent Sadhana is no Sadhana. Sadhana is a battle. And a battle is not fought with complacency. If it is fought so, it will end in defeat and regret.

Is Samsara burning you? If your answer is "Yes", and on top of it if you are a practising Sadhak, there is every chance of your success. The Sadhak who is hard-pressed by Samsaric fire will act like the cornered cat. He will give battle and fiercely too.

Gurudev tells the story of a certain Chaubey who wanted to go from Mathura to Varanasi by boat and went on rowing all night only to find himself at the same point in Mathura the next morning. Bystanders pointed to the bewildered Chaubey that his boat was secured to the bank and he had not untied the rope. So, if you are tied to the world through kith and kin, through position and power, through desires and cravings of all sorts, then do not ever dream of going anywhere near God despite all the mechanical Sadhana you may do!

Before you become completely old, before you become an ugly old man, an object of ridicule and contempt for others, before senility overtakes you, plunge into Sadhana. Think of God. Your efforts will be rewarded, and the rewards will exceed your best expectations. Your body may grow old, but your spirit is ever young. 

Identify yourself with the Spirit within. Do Sadhana. Evolve. God will bless you. The world will respect you. You will be at peace and you will radiate peace. Do not delay. Waste not time. Be up and doing. Start the spiritual life today. Remember: IT IS AN URGENT TASK.

We end this post with Swami's reminder

"START EARLY, DRIVE SLOWLY, REACH SAFELY"

 

Love.

 

Dhyana Vahini - Post 40

Chapter XIV

Follow Krishna’s advice and meditate

In the third age of humans (the Dwapara-yuga), Krishna said,

When you start fixing your thoughts on Me,                                        all thoughts that agitate you will be stilled through My grace.

Mathchiththah sarva dhurgani math-prasaadhaath tharishyathi.

This discipline of meditation must be rigorously followed. In fact, dhyana (meditation) means “discipline”. Discipline, regularity, steadiness — these are the essentials of meditation. A spiritual aspirant who keeps these things in view can achieve quick results. 

Meditation is a first-class cure for the illness of worldly existence (bhava-roga). Along with it, another drug must also be taken; its name is contentment. If there is contentment in the mind, one enjoys an endless festival. Craving makes the mind waver; it is an all-consuming fire that will destroy people slowly and surely.

The royal road to meditation is contentment. Just as a traveller who has trudged along for miles in the scorching sun feels refreshed when taking a bath in the limpid waters of a cool and shady lake, so too the unfortunate individual struggling in the scorching heat of desires feels happy and relieved when bathing in the lake of contentment.

The three guards: peace, contentment, discrimination

At the gates of liberation (moksha) and Self-realisation (sakshatkara), three guards are posted to ask you for your credentials. They are peace or mental equilibrium, joy or contentment, and inquiry or discrimination (santhi, santhosha, and vichara). Even if one of the guards is made to become friendly, the others will facilitate your entry. 

First in the series is peace. If you make peace yours, contentment (thrupthi) is yours, and contentment is the highest source of joy and the most valuable possession. It is as much as an empire.

Without contentment, desire (kama) and greed (lobha) attain dangerous proportions and will overwhelm the power of discrimination itself. Desire easily becomes greed, and greed degenerates into miserliness and lust, which make you flit from object to object in mad pursuit of the evanescent sensual joy. How can people with such qualities develop the faculty of concentration? And without the capacity to concentrate, how can they engage in meditation? And without meditation, no one can get Godhead (Daivam).

Advise the mind that flows so swiftly in so many directions: “Oh mind, do not drag me along the floods of objects, along the path of sensual desires, and spoil my career. Instead, take me to the Lord. Flow in that direction, please.” Giving up all other desires and being ever content, dwell on His name and His form only, to the exclusion of everything else. Meditation on the name and form is real peace (santhi), genuine contentment (santhosha).

Contentment will not make anyone an idler, remember. It is an attribute of true pure (sathwic) character. It will make the mind turn always toward the Lord. It will save you from the tribulation to satisfy the unimportant wants and to cater to selfish needs. It will direct human talents toward efforts that elevate. The contented person will also be truthful and will therefore be in constant communion with the Atma. That is to say, the contented person can be immersed in meditation for long periods without rest or the feeling of tiredness. Meditation is the only method of counteracting the mental activities that surge forward in a thousand directions; there is no other method at all.

Introspection

Out of the 3 guards given by Swami in today’s post, He has elaborated on the first 2, viz., Shanti and Santosham or Peace and contentment.

Swami Sivananda writes on “Peace”

WHAT IS PEACE?

Peace is a state of quiet. It is freedom from disturbance, anxiety, agitation, riot or violence. It is harmony, silence, calm, repose, rest. Specifically, it is the absence or cessation of war.

Peace is the very nature of the soul or Atman. All the Vrittis or modifications of the mind are dissolved in the soul. There is no Sankalpa or thought in the soul.

The peace of God fills your heart. Realize this stupendous peace of God that passeth all understanding through meditation and devotion.

Peace is a divine attribute. It is a quality of the soul. It cannot remain with greedy persons. It fills the pure heart.

Speak, move, act in peace. Peace is the happy, natural state of man. It is his birth right. War is his disgrace.

WHERE IS PEACE?

Peace is not in the heart of the carnal man. Peace is not in the hearts of ministers, advocates, businessmen, dictators, kings and emperors.

Peace is in the hearts of Yogins, sages, saints and spiritual men.

Peace is not in money, estate, bungalows and possessions. Peace does not dwell in outward things, but within the soul.

Withdraw yourself from external objects, meditate and rest in your soul; you will realize everlasting peace now.

Wealth, women, children, property and palatial buildings cannot give you everlasting peace.

Peace deserts the lustful; it runs away from selfish people. It is an ornament of a Paramahamsa.

Dear All,

If we take the first para where the sage describes “what is peace?”, He says,

“Peace is a state of quiet. It is freedom from disturbance, anxiety, agitation, riot or violence. It is harmony, silence, calm, repose, rest. Specifically, it is the absence or cessation of war.”

In simpler expression, if the author has to define peace, “Peace is the actual, real state of mind, when the play of vasanas about one’s own self and the vasanas about others is transcended”

When all impressions are uprooted, then one exists in and as one’s real nature, Swa-roopa. 

This state has actually no expression, but for the spiritual seekers to relate to this state in their initial days of sadhana, the state has been defined as “Peaceful state”.

Contentment is the effect, the culmination of “Peace”.

When the heart/mind is at peace (as explained by Swami Sivananda), then, the sadhaka rests in that peaceful state and there is no craving to attain anything outside him. This state is the state of contentment.

 

Love.