The Adi Shankara of the Eighth Century

summarized the entirety of Advaita Vedanta - the

non-dualistic philosophy in six SUTRAS.

When a young boy of eight, while wandering in the Himalayas,

seeking to find his guru,

SHANKAR encountered a sage who asked him,

“Who are you?”

The boy answered with these SUTRAS,

which are known as “NIRVANA SHATAKAM” or

“Atma Shatakam”

“Nirvana” is complete equanimity, peace, tranquility,

freedom and joy. “Atma” is the True Self.

The sage the boy was talking to was

Swami Govindapada Acharya, who was,

indeed, the teacher he was looking for.


mnae budXyh<kar icÄain nahm!
n c ïaeÇ ijþe n c ºa[ neÇe
n c Vyaem n tejae n vayu>
icdanNd êp> izvaehऽ/ m izvaeh/ऽm .1.
n c àa[ s<}ae n vE pÁcvayu>
n va sPtxatur n va pÁckaez>
n vaKpai[padaE n caepSwpay
icdanNd êp> izvaehऽ/ m izvaeh/ऽm .2.
n me Öe; ragaE n me lae- maehaE
mdae nEv me nEv maTsyR -av>
n xmaeR n cawaeR n kamae na mae]
icdanNd êp> izvaehऽ/ m izvaeh/ऽm .3.
n pu{y< n pap< n saEOy< n du>om!
n mNÇae n tIwR< n veda> n y}a>
Ah< -aejn< nEv -aeJy< n -ae-a
icdanNd êp> izvaehऽ/ m izvaeh/ऽm .4.
n m&Tyur n z<ka n me jait-ed>
ipta nEv me nEv mata n jNm
n bNxur n imÇ< guénERv iz:y>
icdanNd êp> izvah/ऽm izvaeh/ऽm .5.
Ah< inivRkLpae inrakar épae
iv-uTvaCc svRÇ sveRiNÔya[am!
n cas<gt< nEv mui-r! n mey>
icdanNd êp> izvaehऽ/ m izvaeh/ऽm .6.
I am not mind, nor wisdom, nor pride, and nor
heart.
Neither I am ear nor am tongue nor I nose and
eyes.
Neither I am sky nor am earth nor I power or wind.
I am the eternal happiness or bliss state, I am Shiv,
I am Shiv.||1||
I am not the state of being alive or the five type of
Vayu.
I neither am the seven elements constituting the
body (Dhatu)
nor am I the five sheaths which invest the soul.
Neither I am voice, nor hand, nor am leg
nor I the portion at the bottom of waist (anus or
Linga).
I am the eternal happiness or bliss state, I am Shiv,
I am Shiv.||2||
I am not the state of envy and passion
nor the emotions of greed and attachment.
Neither am I intoxication nor am I the emotion of
jealousy.
And I am not even the four Purushartha —
Dharma, Artha, Kama, and Moksha.
I am the eternal happiness or bliss state, I am Shiv,
I am Shiv.||3||
I am not Punya (good deed), nor Paap (Sin),
nor Saukhya (friendship), nor Dukha (Grief).
Neither I am chants (Mantra) nor Shrine (Teertha)
nor I am the Veda nor the sacrifice and nor oblation.
Also, I am not the food, nor the one that should be
eaten,
nor the eater. I am neither eternal happiness nor
bliss state,
I am Shiv, I am Shiv.||4||
Neither am I the fear of death nor am
I the difference between races.
Neither am I any relation like father,
nor mother, nor I am born. Also, I am not a relative,
nor a friend, nor a teacher (Guru), nor a student
(Shisya).
I am the eternal happiness or bliss state, I am Shiv,
I am Shiv.||5||
I am free from changes, and lack all the qualities
and form.
I envelope all forms from all sides and am beyond
the sense-organs.
I am always in the state of equanimity —
there is neither liberation neither (Mukti) nor
captivity (Bandha).
I am the eternal happiness or bliss state, I am Shiv,
I am Shiv.||6||