As I was going through YouTube a couple of days ago, I came across a video titled “Nirvana Stotram,” I clicked on it and listened to it, and the beauty with which it was chanted amazed me.
It’s in Sanskrit and therefore I couldn’t decipher what’s the meaning behind this beautiful composition, so I started searching for it.
I found that it was composed by an 8th century Indian mystic Shankaracharya and in its six-stanzas, he pointed toward the true nature of being human and covered the essence of non-dualistic philosophy.
When I read its English translation, I was totally blown away, or as they say, I was hit at the core of my being. Everything we believe ourselves to be is neglected as false by the great mystic and he ends every stanza by highlighting the blissful nature of human experience.
I would suggest you first listen to the audio-version that introduced me to this great piece here.
Here is the English version as I found on oshonews.com:
I am not mind, nor intellect, nor ego, nor the reflections of inner self.
I am not the five senses. I am beyond that.
I am not the ether, nor the earth, nor the fire, nor the wind (the five elements).
I am indeed, That eternal knowing and bliss, Shiva, love and pure consciousness.Neither can I be termed as energy, nor five types of breath. nor the seven material essences, nor the five coverings.
Neither am I the five instruments of elimination, procreation, motion, grasping, or speaking.
I am indeed, That eternal knowing and bliss, Shiva, love and pure consciousness.I have no hatred or dislike, nor affiliation or liking, nor greed, nor delusion, nor pride or haughtiness, nor feelings of envy or jealousy.
I have no duty (dharma), nor any money, nor any desire (kama), nor even liberation (moksha).
I am indeed, That eternal knowing and bliss, Shiva, love and pure consciousness.I have neither merit, nor demerit (vice).
I do not commit sins or good deeds, nor have happiness or sorrow, pain or pleasure.
I do not need mantras, holy places, scriptures, rituals or sacrifices.
I am none of the triad of the observer or one who experiences, the process of observing or experiencing, or any object being observed or experienced.
I am indeed, That eternal knowing and bliss, Shiva, love and pure consciousness.I do not have fear of death, as I do not have death.
I have no separation from my true self, no doubt about my existence, nor have I discrimination on the basis of birth.
I have no father or mother, nor did I have a birth.
I am not the relative, nor the friend, nor the guru, nor the disciple.
I am indeed, That eternal knowing and bliss, Shiva, love and pure consciousness.I am all pervasive. I am without any attributes and without any form.
I have neither attachment to the world, nor to liberation.
I have no wishes for anything because I am everything, everywhere, every time, always in equilibrium.
I am indeed, That eternal knowing and bliss, Shiva, love and pure consciousness.
After reading this, there is hardly anything that seems more important than coming to know what and who we truly are. Nearly all of humanity identifies itself with the things that Shankaracharya denied as illusions and it’s no wonder that humanity has put itself into great misery and at a point where total annihilation of human species is no longer a fantasy.
The greatest contribution we can make toward ourselves and the rest of humanity is to work toward discovering the divine that dwells within all of us.
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