Atma (Nirvana) Shatakam- Adi Sankaracharya

mano buddhi ahankara chittani naaham

na cha shrotravjihve na cha ghraana netre
na cha vyoma bhumir na tejo na vaayuhu
chidananda rupah shivo’ham shivo’ham
I am not the mind(Mano), the intellect(Buddhi), the ego(Ahamkar) or the memory(Chitta),
I am not the ears(Shotra) , the Tongue (Jihvey), the nose(Ghona) or the eyes(Nethra),
(Panchendriyas)
I am not space (Vyoman), not earth(Bhumi), not fire (Tejas), water or wind
(Vayu),(Panchabootha)
I am the form of consciousness (Chidha) and bliss (Ananda),
I am the eternal Shiva…
“I am not the emotional mind, the manas, which vacillates between thoughts and remains
indecisive.
I am not the intellect, the Buddhi either, which is involved in decision taking.
I am not the ego, the ahankara, which is responsible for the ‘I’ feeling.
I am not the Chittam, which indulges in deeper thinking and storing of all memories.
I am not the ears which hear the Sounds from external world, or the tongue which tastes, or the
nose which smells or the eyes which see.
I am not the earth or the sky or the air or the light, the great elements of the universe.
I am the all pervading, universal consciousness and eternal bliss. I am the Siva, I am the Siva.”

The subtle body (Sukshama Sarira) is negated as the ‘not-Self’ in the first verse of Nirvana
Satkam. The Stanza negates 4 Anthakara, Panchendriyas, Panchabhootha and reaffirms self as
Pure knoweldge and bliss.
I am not the mind, intellect, ego or memory (the four aspects of what is
known as antahkarana). Nor am I (the five organs of perception) the
ear, tongue, nose, eyes (or skin), nor (the five elements) the space,
earth, fire, air and water. I am pure Knowledge and Bliss, I am Siva,
auspiciousness itself.

Our inner instrument (antahkarana) comprises four aspects each having

its own function. The mind that thinks or imagines, the intellect that
discriminates and decides, the ego that calls itself the self, the doer and
enjoyer, and thememory that recollects past experiences. The five
senses are the ability to hear, feel, see, taste and smell. The sattvika
aspects of the five elements (space, air, fire, water and earth) in their
subtle form are called the tanmatras( Sound,Touch,Form & color,Taste &
Smell). They are the material cause that constitute the subtle
body. The subtle body along with its constituent elements is here
negated as not being the true Self. Obviously the true Self being the
illuminator, or the enlivener of everything else including the subtle body,
cannot be those illumined objects.

Then, what is the true Self, the real I? The affirmation comes from
Bhagavan Sankara, ‘I am of the nature of pure Consciousness and Bliss
Supreme – the one Reality behind everything – I am Siva, the
auspicious’. When we constantly and sincerely start practising
meditation, chanting the verses and reflecting on them in this way, the
mind slowly acquires a certain calmness, purity and clarity and becomes
capable of abiding in the Truth. These verses are said to have helped
some of the great and saintly revolutionaries of our freedom struggle,
who were at times subjected to physical torture in jails. As these verses
were chanted and their meaning brought to mind they switched of their
minds from the suffering of the physical body. Such is the power of
these verses.

Na Cha Prana Samjno Na Vai Pancha Vayu

Na Va Saptadhatur Na Va Pancha Koshah
Na Vak Pani Padau Na Chopastha Payu
Chidananda Rupa Shivoham Shivoham

I am not the Praana, the energy of life in the body.

I am not any of the Pancha Vayus (the five gases), namely, the praana, apaana, vyaana, udaana
and Samaana vayus
I am not any of the Seven dhathus or elements that make the body parts , namely – the marrow,
bones,Meat(Flesh), Blood, Muscles skin & the brain.
I am not any of the Pancha Kosas, the five sheaths of the body, namely Annamaya Kosa,
Praanamaya Kosa, Manomaya Kosa, Vijnanamaya kosa and Anandamaya Kosa.
I am not any of the Karmendriyaas (the organs of action) namely, the tongue (Vak), hands
(Pani), legs(Padam), reproductive organs (Chopas) and excretory organs (Payu).
I am the all pervading, universal consciousness and eternal bliss. I am the Siva, I am the Siva

I am indeed not the prana, (five vital airs), not the seven material
components of the body and surely not the five sheaths or the organ of
speech, the hand or the leg, and not the genital organ, nor the anus. I
am of the nature of pure Knowledge and Bliss. I am Siva (the most
auspicious), I am Siva.

The seer is not the seen. One who is aware of a thing is different from
that thing. Therefore, I, who am aware of prana, am not that
prana. The five physiological functions are collectively also called
pranas. It is what keeps the gross body alive and, therefore, called
pancavayuh or five vital airs. They are:
i. Prana – controls the respiratory system;
ii. Apana – controls the excretory systtem
iii. Vyana – controls the circulatory system
iv. Udana – controls the reactions and final ejection of prana from the
physical body;
v. Samana – controls the digestive system.
The seven material components of the physical body are the skin, flesh,
fat, blood, muscle, bone and marrow.
The three bodies (gross, subtle and causal) are differently categorised as
the five sheaths (pancakosa). Kosa means sheath. Since they veil the
Truth within, these five are called pancakosa. They are:
a)The food sheath (annamaya kosa) or the material
physical body.
b)Vital air sheath (pranamaya kosa) or the energy that
keeps the five physiological functions going.
c)Mental sheath (manomaya kosa).
d)Intellectual sheath (vijnanamaya kosa)
e) Bliss sheath (anandamaya kosa), also known as causal
body (karana sarira), the abode of all inherent tendencies
(vasanas) that prompt the individual to act.

The five organs of action are the ability to speak (located in the tongue
and vocal chords), the ability to grasp (in the hands), locomotion (in the
legs), the ability to evacuate (in the anus) and ability to reproduce (in
the genital organs).

All the above together help the gross body to function. I cannot be the
gross body as I am the perceiver of the body. It is inert and gross. I
am sentient and subtle. I am of the nature of pure Consciousness.

The affirmation of what the real Self is comes as a refrain at the end of
each negation. This helps the meditator to bring his mind back to
himself – the subject. He sees himself as the seer in the midst of the
seen, the illuminator in the midst of the illumined – the very substratum
for all these.

As the seeker in meditation begins appreciating these verses, the grand

vision of Truth unfolds before his inner eye. He sees himself as the
witness (saksi) of everything – the gross body and the subtle body.

Na me dwesha ragau na me lobha mohau,

Madho naiva me naiva matsarya bhavah,
Na dharmo na chaartho na kamo na mokshah,
Chidananda Roopa Sivoham, Sivoham.

I have no dislikes,hate (Dwesh) or likes,Affection(Rag).

I have no greed (Loba) or delusion (moha).
I have no pride (Madh) or jealousy ,envy( Matsarya) tempermant (bhava)towards any one.
I have no need for the four purusharthas, the four exalted goals of
life, namely – Dharma (standards of life, punyam, paapam etc), Artha (Wealth), Kaama
(Desires) and Moksha (Liberation);
I am the all pervading, universal consciousness and eternal bliss. I am the Siva, I am the Siva.”

I do not have the 6 Arishadvarga, or need for 4 pursharthas

 Having negated the gross and subtle bodies in the first two verses of
Nirvana Satkam, Shankarachayra now asserts that their characteristics
and qualities like colour, form, likes, dislikes, desire, anger, greed,
jealousy also do not belong to the Self. This is stated in the third verse.

3. I have neither dislikes nor likes, neither greed nor delusion, neither
pride nor jealousy. I have no duty to perform, nor any wealth to
acquire, I have no craving for pleasures and the Self is never bound, so I
have no desire for Liberation. I am of the nature of pure Consciousness
and Bliss, I am all auspiciousness, I am Siva.

As long as man imagines that he is the body or mind, he interacts and

reacts with objects, persons and situations around him with likes and
dislikes and reaps joys and sorrows. His likes and dislikes are according
to his inherent tendencies, which give rise to desires, which is nursed by
his ego, and he falls prey to greed, delusion, pride, jealousy and so
on. These constitute the impurities which cause mental agitations and
which veil the vision of his true identity.

When we have negated and transcended the physical and subtle bodies,
none of the above can touch us or remain with us.
The four goals of man (purusarthas) are:

I. Acquisition of merit. (dharma)

II. Acquiring wealth (artha)
III. Enjoying pleasures (kama) and
IV. Seeking Liberation (moksa)

These four goals are only for those who have the sense of doership born
out of identification with their body-mind-intellect, due to the ignorance
of their true nature. The Self has no ignorance and therefore is free
from the four purusarthas.

When Bhagavan Sankaracarya says, ‘I have no desire for artha and no

kama’ we accept the statement. But when he says ‘I have no need for
dharma’ or ‘I have no moksa’, we are naturally surprised and
confused. Performance of one’s own duties and leading a life of virtue
are enjoined by the scriptures for the finite individual only; and not for a
Realised soul who has transcended his body-mind-intellect and has
become one with the infinite, supreme Truth, Brahman. In the same
way, all bondages of worldly life and its problems belong to the body-
mind-intellect equipment only and not to the pure Consciousness,
Atman.

I, the pure Existence-Consciousness-Bliss Self, has no bondage at

all. Then where is the question of Liberation for me? I am already
liberated. I am full and complete. I am one with the infinite, pure
Consciousness.
Na punyam na paapam na saukhyam na duhkham,
Na manthro na theertham na vedaa na yajnah,
Aham bhojanam naiva bhojyam na bhoktha,
Chidananda Roopa Sivoham, Sivoham.

For me, there is neither Punyam (Result of good deeds) nor Paapam (sin).
neither Saukhyam (pleasures /comforts) nor Duhkham (sorrow).
neither Manthram nor Theertham neither Veda nor Yajna.
I am neither the Bhoktha (the eater), nor the eatable (Bhojyam), nor the process of eating
(Bhojanam).
I am the all pervading, universal consciousness and eternal bliss. I am the Siva, I am the Siva.”

(I have) neither virtue nor vice, pleasure nor pain, the sacred chants,
nor the pilgrimage; the scriptures nor the sacrificial rituals. I am neither
the act of enjoying, nor the enjoyable object, nor the enjoyer. I am pure
Knowledge and Bliss, I am Siva, auspiciousness itself.

When man takes himself to be the finite individual he has impurities

(likes, dislikes and so on) and agitations (anger, greed and so on). He is
then drawn either to good actions and the resulting merits which give joy
or to evil actions and the resulting demerits which give sorrow. Pleasure
and pain are the experiences that the individual experiencer goes
through. The world of sound, touch, form (and colour), taste and smell
is the experienced.

If he is predominantly virtuous in nature he will avoid doing evil deeds

and is drawn towards virtuous living, whereby he thus accumulates more
and more merit ‘punya’. His life includes recitation of the sacred verses,
going on pilgrimage to holy places, study of scriptures (Vedas) and
performing sacrifices. These are all means for his inner purification.

But for a Man of Realisation who has already undergone the complete
process of inner purification by appropriate spiritual practices and come
to experience and abide in the supreme Self, mantras, tirtha, Vedas,
yajnas have served their purpose and are now irrelevant. He is no
longer in the realm of the triputi (triple factors) of bhojanam
(experienced objects), bhojyam (experience) and bhokta
(experiencer). All these triads vanish in the Realisation of that one Truth
– the supreme Consciousness.

Once the vision of the One, non-dual Brahman as one’s own real Self,
dawns, all dualities end and one revels in that one Supreme
Na mruthyur na shankana me jathi bhedho,
Pitha naiva me naiva matha na janma,
Na bhandhur na mithram gurur naiva sishyo,
Chidananda Roopa Sivoham, Sivoham.

I’ have no death (Mrithyu), nor any foreboding (fearful apprehension) of death (Shanka).
‘I’ have no differences (Bheda) of castes (Jathi)
‘I’ have neither a father (Pita), nor mother (Matha), nor a birth (Janma)
‘I’ have neither relations (Bhandu) nor friends (Mitra)
‘I’ have neither a Guru nor disciples
I am the all pervading, universal consciousness and eternal bliss. I am the Siva, I am the Siva.

I have no fear of death, nor (have I) any distinction of caste. I have

neither father, nor mother nor (even) birth, no relation, nor friend. For
me there is no Guru and no disciple. I am pure Knowledge and Bliss, I
am all auspiciousness, I am Siva.
Identified with the body, mind and intellect we should not say this
verse. It is meaningless to repeat, ‘I have no death, no birth, no caste,
no fear’ and so on, when we do not understand its implication. It is not
right to say, ‘For me there is no father, no mother, no Guru and hence I
need not respect them’.

When with the blessings of the Lord, of the scriptures and of our Guru,
we have attained spiritual perfection and experienced the One non-dual
Brahman, then indeed I can say I have neither doubt nor fear, birth nor
death, friend nor foe, father nor mother, Guru nor disciple. For then I
would have broken free from my finite identity and become one with
the all-pervading Divinity.

Aham nirvikalpo nirakara roopo,

Vibhur vyapya sarvathra sarvendriyanaam,
Na chaa sangatham naiva mukthir na meyah
Chidananda Roopa Sivoham, Sivoham.

I am the divisionless whole (Nir-vikalpa). I am the formless form (Niraakara roopa).

I am the controller and ruler, pervading everywhere (Sarvatra), all the time, on all the sense
organs and therefore beyond them. (Vibur Vyapya- all pervasive( existing everywhere and
prevading in all senses)
I am ever (sadha) the same everywhere in equilibrium (samthvam) - without the need for either
liberation (mukthi) or attachments(bahdha). ( I am neither attached, neither free nor captive )
I am the all pervading, universal consciousness and eternal bliss. I am the Siva, I am the Siva.”
I am devoid of dualities and am formless. I exist everywhere, pervading
all the senses. I am always the same and (I have) neither freedom nor
bondage. I am pure Knowledge and Bliss. I am auspiciousness, I am
Siva.

I am free from all dualities, as I have no form. Everything, including the

sense organs, is pervaded by me, yet I am beyond them also. Therefore
to me there is oneness, equality (samatvam) alone. As I have no
bondage, I have no Liberation either.

We thought we were bound, but we understand thereafter that we are

ever liberated. Even when we thought we were bound, we were really
free.

Nirvana Satkam is the direct experience of a Man of Realisation. He

declares – “I am pure Consciousness, eternal Bliss – the ever auspicious
One. There is no superimposition at all. It is a state of complete and
absolute freedom. The world, as is known to us in the waking, dream
and deep sleep states has no reality for such a person. Therefore, he
has no duties, responsibilities or goals.

This highest state can be appreciated and experienced only by one who
has attained the purity of mind and has listened to the scriptures,
contemplated on them and meditated on them (sravana, manana and
nididhyasana). Even though these verses are the declarations of a Man
of Realisation, chanting them and reflecting deeply on them, could be an
invaluable spiritual practice for any seeker of Liberation.

May the grace of God and the Guru be on all. May we too attain the
Supreme State of Liberation (nirvana)!