Dasha Shloki Stutih

दशश्लोकी

Daśaślokī

All 10 verses

Verse 1

न भूमिर्न तोयं न तेजो न वायुः न खं नेन्द्रियं वा न तेषां समूहः अनेकान्तिकत्वात् सुषुप्त्येकसिद्धः तदेकोऽवशिष्टः शिवः केवलोऽहम् ॥१॥

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Editorial Advaita reflection

Word breakdown

न भूमिर्न तोयं न तेजो न वायुः: Not earth, not water, not fire, not wind.
न खं नेन्द्रियं वा न तेषां समूहः: Not space, not the senses, nor their aggregate.
अनेकान्तिकत्वात् सुषुप्त्येकसिद्धः: Because they are not always present, proved alone in deep sleep.
तदेकोऽवशिष्टः शिवः केवलोऽहम्: Therefore the one remaining is Shiva; I alone am pure.

Elements and senses come and go, yet something abides in deep sleep. That unchanging witness, proved when all else is absent, is the solitary Shiva that I am.

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Verse 2

न वर्णा न वर्णाश्रमाचारधर्मा न मे धारणाध्यानयोगादयोऽपि अनात्माश्रयाहंममाध्यासहानात् तदेकोऽवशिष्टः शिवः केवलोऽहम् ॥२॥

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Editorial Advaita reflection

Word breakdown

न वर्णा न वर्णाश्रमाचारधर्मा: Not caste, nor the duties of caste and stage of life.
न मे धारणाध्यानयोगादयोऽपि: Not mine are concentration, meditation, yoga, and the rest.
अनात्माश्रयाहंममाध्यासहानात्: By abandoning the superimposition of 'I' and 'mine' resting on the non-Self.
तदेकोऽवशिष्टः शिवः केवलोऽहम्: Therefore the one remaining is Shiva; I alone am pure.

Social roles and yogic practices belong to the body-mind, not to the Self. When the false 'I' and 'mine' are dropped, only the pure Shiva-nature remains.

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Verse 3

न माता पिता वा न देवा न लोका न वेदा न यज्ञा न तीर्थं ब्रुवन्ति सुषुप्तौ निरस्तातिशून्यात्मकत्वात् तदेकोऽवशिष्टः शिवः केवलोऽहम् ॥३॥

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Editorial Advaita reflection

Word breakdown

न माता पिता वा न देवा न लोका: Not mother, father, gods, or worlds.
न वेदा न यज्ञा न तीर्थं ब्रुवन्ति: Not scriptures, sacrifices, or sacred places do they speak of.
सुषुप्तौ निरस्तातिशून्यात्मकत्वात्: In deep sleep, because the excessively void nature is negated.
तदेकोऽवशिष्टः शिवः केवलोऽहम्: Therefore the one remaining is Shiva; I alone am pure.

In deep sleep no parent, god, scripture, or holy place is experienced, yet I remain. The Self is neither the void of sleep nor the world of waking: it is the pure consciousness that witnesses both.

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Verse 4

न साङ्ख्यं न शैवं न तत्पाञ्चरात्रं न जैनं न मीमांसकादेर्मतं वा विशिष्टानुभूत्या विशुद्धात्मकत्वात् तदेकोऽवशिष्टः शिवः केवलोऽहम् ॥४॥

Study note

Editorial Advaita reflection

Word breakdown

न साङ्ख्यं न शैवं न तत्पाञ्चरात्रं: Not Sankhya, not Shaiva doctrine, not that Pancharatra.
न जैनं न मीमांसकादेर्मतं वा: Not Jain, nor the view of Mimamsakas and others.
विशिष्टानुभूत्या विशुद्धात्मकत्वात्: Through distinct direct experience, because of absolutely pure Self-nature.
तदेकोऽवशिष्टः शिवः केवलोऽहम्: Therefore the one remaining is Shiva; I alone am pure.

No philosophical school defines the Self known in immediate experience. The absolutely pure Atman is not a doctrine but the reality in which all doctrines appear and dissolve.

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Verse 5

न चोर्ध्वं न चाधो न चान्तर्न बाह्यं न मध्यं न तिर्यङ् न पूर्वाऽपरा दिक् वियद्व्यापकत्वादखण्डैकरूपः तदेकोऽवशिष्टः शिवः केवलोऽहम् ॥५॥

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Editorial Advaita reflection

Word breakdown

न चोर्ध्वं न चाधो न चान्तर्न बाह्यं: Not above, not below, not within, not outside.
न मध्यं न तिर्यङ् न पूर्वाऽपरा दिक्: Not in the middle, not across, not in east or other direction.
वियद्व्यापकत्वादखण्डैकरूपः: Because of pervading space, of partless, single form.
तदेकोऽवशिष्टः शिवः केवलोऽहम्: Therefore the one remaining is Shiva; I alone am pure.

Direction and locality do not touch the Self that pervades like space. I am the partless, homogeneous reality in which all positions are imagined.

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Verse 6

न शुक्लं न कृष्णं न रक्तं न पीतं न कुब्जं न पीनं न ह्रस्वं न दीर्घम् अरूपं तथा ज्योतिराकारकत्वात् तदेकोऽवशिष्टः शिवः केवलोऽहम् ॥६॥

Study note

Editorial Advaita reflection

Word breakdown

न शुक्लं न कृष्णं न रक्तं न पीतं: Not white, not black, not red, not yellow.
न कुब्जं न पीनं न ह्रस्वं न दीर्घम्: Not hunchbacked, not stout, not short, not tall.
अरूपं तथा ज्योतिराकारकत्वात्: Formless likewise, because of being of the nature of light itself.
तदेकोऽवशिष्टः शिवः केवलोऽहम्: Therefore the one remaining is Shiva; I alone am pure.

Colour and shape belong to objects, not to the Self that illumines them. I am the formless light in which all colours and forms are seen.

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Verse 7

न शास्ता न शास्त्रं न शिष्यो न शिक्षा न च त्वं न चाहं न चायं प्रपञ्चः स्वरूपावबोधो विकल्पासहिष्णुः तदेकोऽवशिष्टः शिवः केवलोऽहम् ॥७॥

Study note

Editorial Advaita reflection

Word breakdown

न शास्ता न शास्त्रं न शिष्यो न शिक्षा: Not teacher, not scripture, not disciple, not instruction.
न च त्वं न चाहं न चायं प्रपञ्चः: Not you, not I, not this manifested universe.
स्वरूपावबोधो विकल्पासहिष्णुः: Knowledge of one's own nature tolerates no distinctions.
तदेकोऽवशिष्टः शिवः केवलोऽहम्: Therefore the one remaining is Shiva; I alone am pure.

Teacher, taught, and teaching vanish in the knowledge of one's own nature. Realization leaves no second: no 'you,' no 'I,' no world apart from the one Self.

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Verse 8

न जाग्रन् न मे स्वप्नको वा सुषुप्तिः न विश्वो न वा तैजसः प्राज्ञको वा अविद्यात्मकत्वात् त्रयाणां तुरीयः तदेकोऽवशिष्टः शिवः केवलोऽहम् ॥८॥

Study note

Editorial Advaita reflection

Word breakdown

न जाग्रन् न मे स्वप्नको वा सुषुप्तिः: Not waking, not dream, nor deep sleep belonging to me.
न विश्वो न वा तैजसः प्राज्ञको वा: Not the Vishva, nor Taijasa, nor Prajna either.
अविद्यात्मकत्वात् त्रयाणां तुरीयः: Because the three are of the nature of ignorance, I am Turiya.
तदेकोऽवशिष्टः शिवः केवलोऽहम्: Therefore the one remaining is Shiva; I alone am pure.

Waking, dream, and sleep are modifications rooted in ignorance. The Self is Turiya, the fourth that witnesses the three states without itself becoming any of them.

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Verse 9

अपि व्यापकत्वात् हितत्त्वप्रयोगात् स्वतः सिद्धभावादनन्याश्रयत्वात् जगत् तुच्छमेतत् समस्तं तदन्यत् तदेकोऽवशिष्टः शिवः केवलोऽहम् ॥९॥

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Editorial Advaita reflection

Word breakdown

अपि व्यापकत्वात् हितत्त्वप्रयोगात्: Even because of pervasiveness, because of application to what is beneficial and real.
स्वतः सिद्धभावादनन्याश्रयत्वात्: From self-established being, from dependence on nothing else.
जगत् तुच्छमेतत् समस्तं तदन्यत्: This entire world apart from That is worthless.
तदेकोऽवशिष्टः शिवः केवलोऽहम्: Therefore the one remaining is Shiva; I alone am pure.

The Self is self-evident, all-pervasive, and depends on nothing. The world apart from Brahman has no substantial reality; only Shiva, the one Self, truly is.

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Verse 10

न चैकं तदन्यद् द्वितीयं कुतः स्यात् न केवलत्वं न चाकेवलत्वम् न शून्यं न चाशून्यमद्वैतकत्वात् कथं सर्ववेदान्तसिद्धं ब्रवीमि ॥१०॥

Study note

Editorial Advaita reflection

Word breakdown

न चैकं तदन्यद् द्वितीयं कुतः स्यात्: Not one, not other than That; whence could a second be?
न केवलत्वं न चाकेवलत्वम्: Not solitude, not non-solitude.
न शून्यं न चाशून्यमद्वैतकत्वात्: Not void, not non-void, because of non-dual nature.
कथं सर्ववेदान्तसिद्धं ब्रवीमि: How shall I declare what all the Upanishads establish?

The ultimate truth cannot be captured by dualistic categories of one or two, void or non-void. The Upanishadic reality is advaita alone, beyond the reach of words yet directly known as one's own Self.

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