Dakṣiṇāmūrti Stotram — Ādi Śaṅkara's hymn to Śiva as Dakṣiṇāmūrti, the silent guru facing south, who teaches without words that the whole universe is nothing other than one's own Self.
oṃ yo brahmāṇaṃ vidadhāti pūrvam yo vai vedāṃśca prahiṇoti tasmai | taṃ ha devamātmabuddhiprakāśaṃ mumukṣurvai śaraṇamahaṃ prapadye || oṃ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ ||
Om. He who first brings forth Brahmā and delivers the Vedas to him — to that God, the light that awakens the intellect to the Self, I, seeking liberation, take refuge. Om, peace, peace, peace.
The universe, like a city seen within a mirror, lies within the Self; yet by māyā it appears thrown up outside, as things appear in a dream. He who, at the moment of awakening, directly realizes it as His own non-dual Self — to Him, the Self embodied as guru, this salutation, to the Lord Dakṣiṇāmūrti.
Like the sprout latent within the seed, this world was at first undifferentiated; then, made varied and wondrous by the interplay of space, time and causation that māyā conjures, He unfolds it like a magician — nay, like a great yogī — by His own will. To Him, the Self as guru, salutation, to the Lord Dakṣiṇāmūrti.
yasyaiva sphuraṇaṃ sadātmakamasatkalpārthakaṃ bhāsate sākṣāttattvamasīti vedavacasā yo bodhayatyāśritān | yatsākṣātkaraṇādbhavenna punarāvṛttirbhavāmbhonidhau tasmai śrīgurumūrtaye nama idaṃ śrīdakṣiṇāmūrtaye ||
Whose self-existent shining alone makes even this unreal-seeming world appear as real; who, by the Vedic word 'That thou art,' awakens those who take refuge in Him — and by realizing whom one returns no more to the ocean of birth. To Him, the Self as guru, salutation, to the Lord Dakṣiṇāmūrti.
nānācchidraghaṭodarasthitamahādīpaprabhābhāsvaraṃ jñānaṃ yasya tu cakṣurādikaraṇadvārā bahiḥ spandate | jānāmīti tameva bhāntamanubhātyetatsamastaṃ jagat tasmai śrīgurumūrtaye nama idaṃ śrīdakṣiṇāmūrtaye ||
Radiant as the flame of a great lamp within a many-holed pot, His knowledge streams outward through the eyes and the other senses; when He, the shining one, is known as 'I know,' this whole world shines in His light. To Him, the Self as guru, salutation, to the Lord Dakṣiṇāmūrti.
dehaṃ prāṇamapīndriyāṇyapi calāṃ buddhiṃ ca śūnyaṃ viduḥ strībālāndhajaḍopamāstvahamiti bhrāntā bhṛśaṃ vādinaḥ | māyāśaktivilāsakalpitamahāvyāmohasaṃhāriṇe tasmai śrīgurumūrtaye nama idaṃ śrīdakṣiṇāmūrtaye ||
The deluded — disputants no better than women, children, the blind or the dull — vehemently insist 'I am the body, the breath, the senses, the fickle mind, or the void.' To Him who destroys that great delusion conjured by the play of māyā's power — the Self as guru, salutation, to the Lord Dakṣiṇāmūrti.
Like the sun or moon seized by Rāhu in eclipse, veiled by māyā, the person who in deep sleep was pure Being alone, his senses drawn in — who on waking recognizes, 'until now I was asleep.' To Him, the Self as guru, salutation, to the Lord Dakṣiṇāmūrti.
bālyādiṣvapi jāgradādiṣu tathā sarvāsvavasthāsvapi vyāvṛttāsvanuvartamānamahamityantaḥ sphurantaṃ sadā | svātmānaṃ prakaṭīkaroti bhajatāṃ yo mudrayā bhadrayā tasmai śrīgurumūrtaye nama idaṃ śrīdakṣiṇāmūrtaye ||
Persisting through childhood and the rest, through waking, dream and deep sleep and every passing state, forever shining within as 'I' — He reveals His own Self to His worshippers by His gracious sign (the cin-mudrā). To Him, the Self as guru, salutation, to the Lord Dakṣiṇāmūrti.
This person, whirled about by māyā, sees the world split by relations — cause and effect, owner and owned, teacher and pupil, father and son and the rest — whether in dream or waking. To Him (the one Self behind it all), the Self as guru, salutation, to the Lord Dakṣiṇāmūrti.
Earth, water, fire, air, ether, the sun, the moon, and the living soul — as these eight forms alone does this world of moving and unmoving things appear; beyond whom, the all-pervading Supreme, nothing whatever exists for those who truly inquire. To Him, the Self as guru, salutation, to the Lord Dakṣiṇāmūrti.
Since in this hymn the truth that all is the Self has been made clear, by hearing it, pondering its meaning, meditating upon it and reciting it, there arises of itself the state of the Lord, together with the great glory of universal Selfhood — and that sovereignty, unfolding eightfold (as the mystic powers), stands unobstructed. (phalaśruti)
Seated on the bare ground beside the banyan tree, giver of knowledge to all the gathered sages close at hand, teacher of the three worlds, the Lord, the God Dakṣiṇāmūrti, skilled at severing the sorrow of birth and death — Him I salute.
About Dakṣiṇāmūrti Stotram
Dakṣiṇāmūrti Stotram is a Sanskrit stotra, composed by Ādi Śaṅkarācārya, addressed to Shiva — a Stotra. It is presented here in Devanagari, Roman (IAST), Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, each verse with its English meaning. Source text: sanskritdocuments.org.
The preeminent Advaita Vedānta ācārya and a prolific composer of devotional stotras revered across the Hindu traditions.
Dakṣiṇāmūrti Stotram is a hymn to Dakṣiṇāmūrti, the silent south-facing teacher who grants knowledge through stillness, composed by Ādi Śaṅkarācārya. The verses are dense with Vedāntic argument wrapped in devotional poetry.
Who composed the Dakshinamurti Stotram?
Dakṣiṇāmūrti Stotram is attributed to Ādi Śaṅkarācārya. It is among his most philosophically concentrated hymns, addressing the paradox that the supreme teacher teaches without speaking — silence as the highest instruction.
Why is Dakshinamurti facing south?
Dakṣiṇāmūrti faces south — the direction of Yama (death) — because he destroys ignorance, the true death. In Dakṣiṇāmūrti Stotram, this symbolism is woven through the verses: the guru who sits beneath the banyan in silence, teaching the truth that transcends words.
How do I read the Dakshinamurti Stotram on Avabodhak?
Every verse of Dakṣiṇāmūrti Stotram is shown in Devanagari, Roman (IAST) and English meaning. Free to read, no login required; the practice view replays the hymn for chanting or memorising.