Atma Shatakam, also known as Nirvana Shatakam, is a famous Hindu poem that summarizes Advaita Vedanta philosophy in much the same way as the Heart Sutra summarizes Buddhist philosophy. According to legend, the great mystic and scholar Adi Shankara (788-820 CE) was a young boy of eight wandering the Himalayas in search of a worthy guru when he met Swami Govindapada Acharya, who asked him: “Who are you?” The young Shankara replied with six spontaneously composed stanzas that have come to be known as the Atma Shatakam. They have since become an important source of contemplation for those seeking Self-realization.
- Bart Marshall
I am not the mind. I am not the intellect or intelligence. I am not the ego, nor am I a deeper self or soul. I am not the five sense organs—eyes, ears, nose, tongue and skin. Nor am I the five elements—earth, air, water, fire and space. I am Absolute Awareness of Eternal Love and Bliss. I am Shiva. 2. I am not energy alone, nor am I the five types of breath. I am not the seven materials of the body—blood, bone, muscle, marrow, fat, lymph and semen. I am not the five bodily mechanisms—speaking, grasping, breeding, mobility and elimination. Nor am I the five veils obscuring True Nature—the sheaths of body, energy, mind, intellect and pleasure. I am Absolute Awareness of Eternal Love and Bliss. I am Shiva.
I have no hatred or desire, no likes or dislikes, no attachments or aversions. I have no greed or delusion, no arrogance or pride,no jealousy or envy. I have no duties, no money, no bondage, no liberation. I am Absolute Awareness of Eternal Love and Bliss. I am Shiva.
I have no virtues or vices, no pleasure or pain, no joy or sorrow, no good deeds or sins. I have no need of scriptures, mantras, rituals, chanting, sacrifices, or pilgrimages to holy places. I am neither the observer nor that which is observed—nor am I the process of observation. I am Absolute Awareness of Eternal Love and Bliss. I am Shiva.
I do not fear death, nor is death possible for me. I am not separate from True Self. I have no caste or destiny. I never doubt or question my existence. I have no father or mother, nor was I ever born. I have no family or kin, no acquaintances or friends, no teachers or disciples. I am Absolute Awareness of Eternal Love and Bliss. I am Shiva.
I am void of attributes, form, and substance. I have no attachment to the world, or to liberation from it. I have no desires—I am All That Is, forever. I pervade the far reaches of everywhere. I am Absolute Awareness of Unfathomable Love and Grace. I am Shiva.