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Nirvana Shatakam

निर्वाण षट्कम्

Nirvāṇa Ṣaṭkam

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मनोबुद्ध्यहङ्कारचित्तानि नाहं न च श्रोत्रजिह्वे न च घ्राणनेत्रे । न च व्योम भूमिर्न तेजो न वायुः चिदानन्दरूपः शिवोऽहं शिवोऽहम् ॥१॥

Study note

Word breakdown

मनःmanaḥ: the thinking mindmind
बुद्धिःbuddhiḥ: discriminative intellectintellect
अहङ्कारःahaṅkāraḥ: the sense of ‘I’ as doerego-sense
चित्तानिcittāni: the store of impressionsmemory / mind-stuff
न अहम्na aham: I am not these
श्रोत्र-जिह्वेśrotra-jihve: ear and tongue (organs of sense)
घ्राण-नेत्रेghrāṇa-netre: nose and eyes
व्योम भूमिः तेजः वायुःvyoma bhūmiḥ tejaḥ vāyuḥ: space, earth, fire, air - the elements
चिदानन्दरूपः शिवोऽहम्cidānandarūpaḥ śivo’ham: I am Śiva, whose nature is consciousness and bliss

The opening verse begins the Advaita method of negation: the Self is not the inner instruments (mind, intellect, ego, memory) nor the sense organs nor the material elements. What remains after this clearing is not emptiness but *cidānanda* - awareness that is inherently joyful. ‘Śiva’ here names that pure consciousness, not a sectarian deity alone.

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