Dakshinamurthy Stotra. R. K. Shankar translation.

Original composition in Sanskrit by Adi Shankaracharya.
Rendered into Tamil by Sri Bhagavan Ramana.
Translated from Tamil, with Introduction and explanatory notes, by R. K. Shankar.

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Introduction about Dakshinamurthy Stotra

About a month ago, I happened to go to the Sri Ramana Kendra in Chennai. Then, I happened to sight a text with commentary by Sri Bhagawan. Needless to say, I was thrilled and I purchased it instantly. The name of this text is "Dakshinamurthy Stotra." In Sanskrit, it means the "Shapelessness situated on the right side".

Originally, this text was composed in Sanskrit by Adi Shankaracharya. Once, Bhagawan Sri Ramana happened to render the Sanskrit verses into Tamil. Not only that, Sri Bhagawan also wrote the meaning and commentary for them.

This contains 12 verses.
The 1st verse pronounces auspiciousness as is customary.
The 2nd verse sets out the purpose of the advent of Lord Siva as the young Sage Dhakshinamurthy.
The next 3 verses talk about the world.
The next 3 verses talk about the seer.
The next 3 verses talk about the scene.
The last verse talks about the all-encompassing Self.

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Sri Bhagawan's Tamil Dakshinamurthy Stotra
Verse 0

Introducing Auspiciousness translated

That Shankara (Lord Siva),

1) who, (appearing and) abiding as the Embodiment facing South, luminously demonstrated the Supreme Self-Abidance, for peace to adjoin the lustre-adjoining sages* supreme, (and)

2) who, (appearing and abiding later as Shankaracharya), uttered the Self-Fullness in this Hymn of Praise **, please abound within me(!)

* [namely, the four sons born from the Cosmic Mind of the Hindu Creator God, Brahma]

** Dhakshimurthy Stotra (composed in Sanskrit by Adi Shankaracharya)

Translator's commentary:
Translation of the verse 'Introducing Auspiciousness' of Sri Bhagawan's Tamil "Dhakshinamurthy Stotra" (or, the Hymn of Praise of Lord Siva who appeared as a young boy silently abiding anchored in the Self).

Of course, as you can see, I have already commenced the translation. But, there will be one major difference.

Sri Bhagawan did not give the meaning in prose-form for the above introductory verse So, I have translated the introductory verse into English

But, for the 11 verses constituting the body of the "Dhakshinamurthy Stotra", Sri Bhagawan has Himself written out the meaning in Tamil-Prose-Form. So, I will only have to translate the Tamil-Prose-Commentary into English.

And, there will be no need to translate the Tamil Verses into English, as I have done for Sri Bhagawan's Tamil Atma Bodha Verses.

Verse 1

Let us Praise that dhakshiNAmUrthy, the Supreme Father,

1 who is 'having the Opening to Delight',
2 who Delights in the Self alone,
3 who is the Embodiment of Delight,
4 who is with a Hand (with fingers closed in the fashion of) Sealing in
Brahman (as it were),
5 who is the pre-eminent among Spiritual Masters abiding surrounded,
by the foremost among spiritual disciples, who are Rishis resting in
Brahman,
6 who is a small boy,
7 who is of the Form of the Supreme Brahman, and
8 who denoted (the Supreme Brahman) by the Expounding that is Silence.

Verse 2

The Self and the Ego

1 Salutation to that Dhakshinamurthy, who became the Primordial Spiritual Preceptor,
2 He, who sees "He, the Self" alone as existing, while knowing the Self, 3 [like seeing oneself alone after waking up (from sleep)]
4 having seen (the world) as existing outside (oneself), like dream (occurring) by sleep (caused) due to (the) ignorance (of the Self),
5 even though the becoming of the world was existing within the Self,
6 like the city seen inside a mirror.

Verse 3

The Self is the Primal Cause

The Import Gracefully Suggested by Sri Bhagawan

1 Salutation to that (Spiritual) Preceptor, Dhakshinamurthy,
2 He, who, by (the Power of) His Self-Will,
3 like the Siddha (one endowed with 8 supernatural faculties) and the magician (one skilled in magical arts),
4 by the subjection to work, time and space, appearing falsely due to Maya (Illusion),
6 later spreads outside "as the mysterious many",
7 this world that existed (before) without differentiation in the Self,
8 like the seedling (existing) before (sprouting), inside the seed.

Verse 4

The Import Gracefully Suggested by Sri Bhagawan

Salutation to that (Spiritual) Preceptor, Dhakshinamurthy,

1 whom those of penance attain,
2 by having directly seen (He,) whom, (one) does not again drown into this ocean of transmigratory existence,
3 (He) who proclaims those adjoining Him by the Vedic Statement 'That Art Thou',
4 whose True Lustre alone, 'shines clear' in things rising up falsely.

Verse 5

The Import Gracefully Suggested by Sri Bhagawan

Salutation to that motionless Dhakshinamurthy, the (Spiritual) Preceptor,

1 attending to 'Him, the Self-Shining One' (alone!) all this world shines,
2 for whose Wisdom to appear and shine as 'I know',
3 through the senses beginning with the eye,
4 like the shine of a flame abiding within a pot having many holes.

Verse 6

The Import Gracefully Suggested by Sri Bhagawan

Salutation to that Dhakshinamurthy, who is the Gnostic Preceptor bereft of delusion,

1 who eradicates that Great Delusion,
2 that sprang from the True Ignorance of the proponents of Spiritual Blindness,
3 "like those Inert, Blind, Childish and Feminine",
4 perceiving,-

(1)the body,
(2)the vital energy,
(3)the senses,
(4)the intellect, and
(5)the void in which these abide subsided,

these alone as the Self.

Verse 7

The Self alone is the Eternal Existence

The Import Gracefully Suggested by Sri Bhagawan
Salutation to that Eternal Lord of the Universe, Dhakshinamurthy,
1 He, the One, who abides always, and who becomes the 'Individual' by the screening of the Illusion,
2 like the (Ever-Existent) Sun and Moon "captured (covered over)" by (the shadow that is reckoned as a planet according to Indian Astrology) Rahu,
3 who sleeps when the expanded mind subsides, and
4 who reveals the Self-Existence as "(I) slept before (i.e., prior to
waking)" when the mind expands and awakes.

Verse 8

Salutation to that Spiritual Preceptor, Dhakshinamurthy, who is "He, the Wisdom-Fire-Eyed" (Lord Siva is said to have a third eye of "Wisdom-Fire", corresponding to the "brow chakra"),

1 He, who expounds by the "perceptible sign" (formed by a particular type of intertwining of fingers),
2 to those who attained to "the Surrender to (Him)Self",
3 shining at all times, abiding immutably merged inside as "I",
4 even though the beginning measure of childhood, the beginning measure of waking, and all (other respective following) states, arrive alternatingly.

Verse 9

Salutation to that Dhakshinamurthy, who is the Universal SpiritualPreceptor,

1 He, the Primal Soul of the Universe,
2 who, deluded by Illusion, in waking and dreaming,
3 sees the universe as the differences,
4 of function-cause, leader (the owner)-servant (the owned), disciple-preceptor, son-father, etc.

Verse 10

The Eightfold Material Formation

The Import Gracefully Suggested by Sri Bhagawan
Salutation to that Supremely Peaceful Form of Gracious Compassion, Dhakshinamurthy, the Spiritual Preceptor,

1 "He, whose" eightfold material formation is this (universe),
appearing as the "movable-immovable(-aggregate)" of the Primal Soul, Moon, Sun, Space, Air, Fire, Water and Earth,

2 apart from "He, whom", pervading everywhere as the Primal Soul supremley beyond those enquiring (into Him), there is no "other", even a little.

Verse 11

Wholeness

The Import Gracefully Suggested by Sri Bhagawan

By doing, the hearing of this praise (of Dhakshinamurthy Stotra) which clearly communicated all being the Self, the enquiring into its meaning, the meditating upon its meaning, the praising (of Lord Dhakshinamurthy), together with the fructification of the Lordship having the great fulfilment of all being the Self, even the permanent eightfold powers of "animA" (ability to shrink one's body
to atomic size), etc., will fructify of their own accord.

Thus ends the translation of the import gracefully suggested by Sri Bhagawan for His Tamil Composition of Dhakshinamurthy Stotra with 10 main verses and one last verse indicating the fruit of hearing and dwelling on the significance of Dhakshinamurthy Stotra originally composed by Adi Shankaracharya in Sanskrit.
-- R. K. Shankar

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