dwai Posted May 31, 2009 This had been written through me a few years back on The Medha Journal (The Six Verses to Liberation) The Six verses to Liberation A great Indian philosopher -- Adi Shankaracharya wrote a poem about two thousand years ago. It is called "Atma Shatakam" (also known as Nirvana Shatakam) -- the Six verses on the Self. In this, Shiva is Sat Chid Ananda (or Existence Consciousness Bliss) and is a narration of what he is. Sanskrit Mano Buddhyahamkara Chittani naham| Nacha Shrotra Jihve Na Cha Ghrana Netre|| Nacha Vyoma Bhoomir Na Tejo Na Vayu| Chidananda Rupaha Shivoham Shivoham|| Na Cha Prana Samjno Na Vai Pancha Vayu| Na Va Saptadhatur Na Va Pancha Koshah|| Na Vak Pani Padau Na Chopastha Payu| Chidananda Rupaha Shivoham Shivoham|| Na Me Dvesha Ragau Na Me Lobha Mohau| Mado Naiva Me Naiva Matsarya Bhavah|| Na Dharmo Na Chartho Na Kamo Na Mokshah| Chidananda Rupaha Shivoham Shivoham|| Na Punyam Na Papam Na Saukhyam Na Dukkham| Na Mantro Na Teertham Na Vedo Na Yajnaha|| Aham Bhojanam Naiva Bhojyam Na Bhokta| Chidananda Rupaha Shivoham Shivoham|| Na Me Mrityu Shanka Na Me Jati Bhedah| Pita Naiva Me Naiva Mata Na Janma|| Na Bandhur Na Mitram Gurur Naiva Shishyah| Chidananda Rupaha Shivoham Shivoham|| Aham Nirvikalpo Nirakara Roopaha| Vibhur Vyapya Sarvatra Sarvendriyanam|| Sada Me Samatvam Na Muktir Na Bandhah| Chidananda Rupaha Shivoham Shivoham|| English I am not mind, nor intellect, nor ego, nor the reflections of inner self (chitta). 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 (prana), nor five types of breath (vayus), nor the seven material essences, nor the five coverings (pancha-kosha). 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 (virtue), 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 (Vedas), rituals or sacrifices (yagnas). 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 (mukti). 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. Everytime I read this, recite this or hear it being recited, a very unusual reaction occurs in my body. A deep sorrow/anguish is wrenched out from the depths of my heart (literally the chest region) and I feel like I'm going to burst into tears. I don't know why or how this has such an effect on me. Most of times, I cannot look beyond the emotional aspect of this poem. Sometimes when I do, I get some insights... What is Consciousness? Different people call it different things -- God, Tao, Brahman. The Material universe exists as a differentiation of this primordial Consciousness. When you are conscious, you don't need words to express/explain. Once you have words to explain something, you lose the Consciousness and get lost in the trappings of grammar. Lao Tzu (in the Classic of the Macrocosm and the Microcosm -- Tao Te Ching) refers to this as "The Real Tao cannot be spoken. If it can be spoken it is not the Real Tao". Read the last three verses in which Shiva is describing himself (or is it Shankara?) -- I am not of the triad of observer or one who is experiencing, not the observed or that which is being experienced. I am beyond all that. I have no beginning nor end. I have no attributes. Is that what Real Consciousness is? If that is real, then what do we have? Artificial Consciousness? Perhaps what we have is not consciousness at all? Perhaps it is just responses to stimulii, conditioned by Society and Nature to react in a specific manner to a specific sequence of observations. Pure Consciousness transcends all of this, this entire game of observing and experiencing. Pure Consciousness simply IS. So how do/when do we get know that this Pure Consciousness exists? I don't know the answer to that. In those rare unguarded (by Intellect) moments when Pure Consciousness acts on us, coming to us in form of Intuitions, insights and realizations, maybe we realize that there is something that is both within us and yet without us. To get to this "thing", we have first lose ourselves within ourselves. Hmm...interesting thoughts there. My Tai Chi Master tells us about the Tai Chi Classics (a compilation of Aphorisms much akin to the Yoga Sutras) and of this cardinal rule of Tai Chi meditation -- Every part must be connected to every other part. This is (now I understand) in reference to being aware of the entirety of the self (not just the body parts physically), but the little quantum (Te) of the whole (Tao) that exists within each of us (it resides in the Lower Dan tien or Swadhisthana Chakra). Without first transcending the barriers of our social conditioning and intellect, that breaks us up into finite chunks of lesser reality -- the Physical (my hand, my foot, my finger, my hair, my blood, my heart and so on) and the Mental (my brain, my intellect, my mind), we cannot experience the full flow of the higher reality. And this re-integration of the differentiated Consciousness continues, on and on, until we can regain the totality of ourselves (beyond our selves), as the One Ultimate Consciousness. References 1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atma_Shatakam Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vajrahridaya Posted May 31, 2009 (edited) Ah! I used to chant this everyday! I loved this song... the bliss and experience I would fall/rise into through this form of pointing. But... alas, I was listening to it at a friends house the other night, going into a samadhi, and realizing, even Shiva knows he does not inherently exist and that he has not created anything, having been taught by a Buddha in the yuga before this. But, he understands the need for theism, thus manifests as a worldly deity, because many do not have the capacity to understand directly the wisdom of dependent origination. A great Indian philosopher -- Adi Shankaracharya wrote a poem about two thousand years ago. It is called "Atma Shatakam" (also known as Nirvana Shatakam) -- the Six verses on the Self. 1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atma_Shatakam He wrote it 1200 years ago. Everytime I read this, recite this or hear it being recited, a very unusual reaction occurs in my body. A deep sorrow/anguish is wrenched out from the depths of my heart (literally the chest region) and I feel like I'm going to burst into tears. I don't know why or how this has such an effect on me. Most of times, I cannot look beyond the emotional aspect of this poem. Sometimes when I do, I get some insights... Ah... yes I too would have this experience, but then I would cry, on and on and on, it is chakra clearing and orientation, all those trapped karmas in our cellular system as well. After there were times of walking around in a state of clear empty mist, like a mold of translucent quality. Thought or no thought, either or, nothing or everything would densify the experience. That's not a permanent state for me. But, the glimpses however long or short are very remindful and different insights and visions can come to the yogi. Edited May 31, 2009 by Vajrahridaya Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dwai Posted May 31, 2009 Ah! I used to chant this everyday! I loved this song... the bliss and experience I would fall/rise into through this form of pointing. But... alas, I was listening to it at a friends house the other night, going into a samadhi, and realizing, even Shiva knows he does not inherently exist and that he has not created anything, having been taught by a Buddha in the yuga before this. But, he understands the need for theism, thus manifests as a worldly deity, because many do not have the capacity to understand directly the wisdom of dependent origination. He wrote it 1200 years ago. Ah... yes I too would have this experience, but then I would cry, on and on and on, it is chakra clearing and orientation, all those trapped karmas in our cellular system as well. After there were times of walking around in a state of clear empty mist, like a mold of translucent quality. Thought or no thought, either or, nothing or everything would densify the experience. That's not a permanent state for me. But, the glimpses however long or short are very remindful and different insights and visions can come to the yogi. I really don't have anything to say to you except Bhaja Govindam Moodhamate! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vajrahridaya Posted May 31, 2009 Bhaja Govindam Moodhamate! Ah yes! I used to chant that lots too!! Such bliss!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dwai Posted May 31, 2009 Ah yes! I used to chant that lots too!! Such bliss!! doesn't seem like it helped with your "moodhata" though. Keep trying...I'm sure one day...maybe... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vajrahridaya Posted May 31, 2009 doesn't seem like it helped with your "moodhata" though. Keep trying...I'm sure one day...maybe... Ah yes, the insecure Ad-Hom! Once again... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
forestofemptiness Posted May 31, 2009 Nice translation. It seems that, as we get anywhere close to pure consciousness, immediately the mind seizes upon it and turns it into some thing. I think this is why Lao Tzu and the Zen masters emphasize so much letting go and dropping. One question: in Sanskrit, what the terms Pure Consciousness and Consciousness with Subject and Object? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dwai Posted June 1, 2009 (edited) Nice translation. It seems that, as we get anywhere close to pure consciousness, immediately the mind seizes upon it and turns it into some thing. I think this is why Lao Tzu and the Zen masters emphasize so much letting go and dropping. One question: in Sanskrit, what the terms Pure Consciousness and Consciousness with Subject and Object? Objectless Consciousness is aatman. Consciousness with Subject and Object is Manas and Chitta. Edited June 1, 2009 by dwai Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Siliconvalley1 Posted June 1, 2009 Anatahkarana (roughly the mind) = manas (lower emotional or instinctive mind - indeterminate thinking) + buddhi (higher discriminative mind - determinate thinking) + ahamkara (the ego component, assertive or affirmative) + chitta (subconscious, memory, stored impressions) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dwai Posted June 1, 2009 Anatahkarana (roughly the mind) = manas (lower emotional or instinctive mind - indeterminate thinking) + buddhi (higher discriminative mind - determinate thinking) + ahamkara (the ego component, assertive or affirmative) + chitta (subconscious, memory, stored impressions) Actually you are right. It should be Aatman for Pure/Objectless Consciousness and Jiva for objective consciousness, where Jiva is the unlimited Aatman limited by the mechanism of Upadhi. It is Jiva that superimposes Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
