ATMASTAKAM – Shivoham Shivoham

“Shiva”~ Painting By Meg Hitchcock (2007) http://meghitchcock.com/

ATMASTAKAM – Chant of Shiva

(aka Shivoham: “I Am Shiva”)

Here are the Sanskrit words to the song (in red) and the English translations (in blue)

Mano buddhya-hankara chittani naham
Na cha shrotra jihve, na cha ghrana netre
Na cha vyoma bhumirna tejo na vayuhu
Chidananda rupah shivoham shivoham . (1)

I am not the mind, intellect, thought, ego, or some form of the supreme being; I neither have ears, nor tongue and I neither have nose (nostrils) nor eyes; I am not the sky, earth, light or the wind; I am the fortunate, joyful, supreme being who is the very emblem of truth, knowledge and eternal bliss.
I am consciousness and bliss. I am Shiva, I am Shiva.

– Adi Shankaracharya, 8th CenturyTraditional Indian version of this song:

ATMASTAKAM – Chant of Shiva

More western versions of the same song:

by Deva Premal

By Dave Stringer

Excerpt from:   The Journey Inward Nov 20 2008

 A few months back, as I sat meditating one day, after something that happened that caused me to feel very disturbed… I watched how “I” dissolved when I meditated, and yet every time I went back into thoughts.. the “I” started rising like flames of a fire.

I began to play with this.. brought back the thoughts and “I”, as a daughter, mother, wife grew stronger.. when I relaxed back into the bliss of meditation.. “I” dissolved.. I was not a mother or daughter or wife.

 The need to protect my image dissolved.. the need to protect my place as a daughter, as a mother, as a wife did not exist.. and yet when I brought back my thoughts.. like adding fuel to fire.. “I” came roaring back.. the more thoughts I added.. the more defined “I” became. The more there was a sense of “me” and “mine”,  the more “I” existed, the more protection “I” needed, the more “I” wanted, the more hurt there was,  so much energy went into keeping the “I” in place….
…and once again I immersed in letting go the thoughts and dissolve in meditation.. the “I” vanished. It was an amazing experience.. to see how my thoughts keep “me” in place.

Since then this song has become very meaningful to me. I listen to it very often.. and anytime I go into feeling any kind of discomfort.. I watch the “I” grow.. and I sing this song: I am not the mind, intellect, thought, ego, or a supreme being.

 I myself am the joy of pure consciousness I am Shiva (the silence).

 I am not the air (prana) nor a part of essential five gases (pancha vayuhu) nor the seven-fold material (sapta dhatur), I am not part of five coverings (pancha koshaha) that help to build up the personality. Nor am I the five organs of action.

 I myself am the joy of pure consciousness I am Shiva (the silence).

 I am not attached to any punya (righteousness) or paapa (sin); I have neither pleasure (sukhya) nor sorrow (dukham); I don’t need Mantra or pilgrimages (tirtham) or  sacred scriptures (veda) or sacrifice or rituals (yagnaha); I am neither the meal (bhojanam) nor the one who consumes (bhojyam) or what is consumed (bhokta);

 I myself am the joy of pure consciousness I am Shiva (the silence).

 I do not need  Dharma (Law of Life), Artha (Wealth), Kama (Desires) and Moksha (Liberation). I have no fear of death, nor do I have caste distinctions; I am neither a father (pita) nor a mother (maata).. I was never born; I am neither kin/relatives (bandhu). nor friend (mitram); I am not a guru and nor am I a disciple (shishya).

 I myself am the joy of pure consciousness I am Shiva (the silence).

 I am free of thoughts and beyond imagination (nirvikalpo) since I have no form (nirakara rupo);

 I myself am the joy of pure consciousness I am Shiva (the silence).

 ~Shweta Mitra     (Nov 20 2008 The Journey Inward: Atma-Shatakam – by Adi Shankara (Shivoham) )

Excerpt from:  The Journey Inward Apr 16 2009

My heartfelt thanks to Sri Adi Shankara. I am going to make an attempt to put in words things that are beyond words. The meaning of the lines below cannot be understood with the literal words.. they come from an understanding that comes from letting go.. from un-understanding the ideas we have associated with the words.Few weeks back during meditation, the words arose, “drop your boundaries”. It felt like a balloon deflating and the air from inside the balloon, that was bound to the limited space of the walls of the balloon mingled and mixed with the air outside losing its definition, while the walls got smaller and smaller. The boundary became smaller while the contents held within the boundary grew boundless. We are so defined by our self imposed boundaries. We have many labels and attach limitations to our being based on those labels. We really are limitless beings. We believe we have boundaries, and hence we remain bound to the limits of our imagination. It also came to me, by dropping our boundaries, it does not mean we drop who we physically are.. we don’t physically stop being a mother, a father, a child, a sibling, an employee, an employer, a friend… we just drop the mind idea of what the limitations to that role are. We don’t try to change the physical limitations based on a new set of imagination, rather we drop the imagination. My idea of a mother is not the same as what someone in Africa thinks a mother should be (for that matter, it is not the same as what my neighbor may think a mother should be). I draw my boundaries of being a mother based on my “idea” of what a mother is. When I drop that boundary, I don’t stop being a mother, I just let go the tightness that comes with my “mind idea” of a “mother”. When I am a friend.. a limitless, boundless friend.. imagination of limitless and boundless keeps me bound.. but just a short samyama-like letting go.. limitless, boundless friend.. Ahhhh… yes! This part of letting go is the part I cannot put in words. It’s a very subtle shift.. I read an email from a client, I feel a slight discomfort, I look within.. I identify myself with the role of an employee.. I drop or expand the boundary of what I believe my role as an employee is.. not go into mind stories and justification of what my role is.. it’s a very vague boundary that I have of this role.. and I let it go. That’s all. With every moment or every meditation, we just bring up the concepts we have very vaguely and let them dissolve.. opening and allowing the boundaries to dissolve. This way, without physically trying to change the world and our way of living, we only let go the “ideas” we have of our world and us. Drop the boundary. Not expecting anything to happen… expecting is again getting the mind involved.. just expand/drop our boundary… and watch. Like Jason Mraz sings.. “open up your plans and damn you’re free”.. let go the ideas we have of us.. and we no longer are bound to “Me” and “Mine”. We can still be a friend, we don’t physically try to change anything, to us a friend is “this” and “this” and “that, just drop the definition of friendship, and our horizons, inner knowing expand beyond what we know a friend to be. The words to this song (at this point in my life) says exactly this..
I am not the mind, intellect, thought, ego, or a supreme being.
I am neither the meal (bhojanam) nor the one who consumes (bhojyam) or what is consumed (bhokta);
I am neither a father (pita) nor a mother (maata),
I am neither kin/relatives (bandhu), nor friend (mitram);
I am not a guru and nor am I a disciple (shishya).These lines started off meaning I am not physically any of my labels.. but right now it is more a case of I am not bound by the “idea” I have of these labels. When I drop my boundaries, I can be all of my labels and yet not be bound to any one of them. We don’t have to renounce the world, just our ideas of the world. ~Shweta Mitra (Apr 16 2009 The Journey Inward: Dropping Boundaries – Atma-Shatakam – by Adi Shankara

Additional Lessons and Resources:  Living Unbound Resource: Kashmir Shaivism

 Songs Of Shiva, Living Unbound Awareness