Adi Shankara And The Atma Shatakam - The Knowledge Of The True Self

 
 



Saint Govinda Bhagavatpada sat under a tree in silence,
Not a leaf stirred in its branches dense.
In a state of 'Samadhi' he was,
Meditating on the 'self' without a pause.

Young Adi Shankara stood transfixed, his gaze on the enlightened being,
For miles and miles he had walked searching.
Here was the supreme teacher, a 'Guru', a godsend !
His quest at last had come to an end...

The river Narmada began to swell,
Higher and higher, she refused to be quelled.
From the Vindhya ranges, through the valley she flowed,
Past Saint Bhagavatpada bathed in a glow.

The river she tossed her turbulent waves,
Snarling, curling, threatening, grave.
She hurtled towards the bank, her jaws open wide,
Rising, mounting, the lashing high tide...

Adi Shankara's heart plummeted, in terror he froze,
To the divine being, the flood waters were getting threateningly close.
Raised he did his 'kamandalam' high,
With a fervent prayer, with an unwavering eye.

Narmada crashed, potent fury,,
Sucked in she was in all her glory.
Into the 'kamandalam', through the spout,
Magical, mystical without a doubt.

With infinite care, the 'kamandalam' he tipped,
Out flowed the Narmada, she gently slipped,
Onto the banks, slowly meandering,
Subdued, tamed, intricate patterns weaving.

''Who are you?'' asked a gentle voice,
It came from the frail, saintly figure, full of poise...

"I am not the elements, not the senses,
Not the mind, intellect or the bodily changes.
A waveless ocean of bliss, I exist, I just be,
I am Shiva, I am He.

I cannot be termed 'prana' or energy,
No bodily function or action is performed by me.
In a waveless ocean of bliss, I exist, I just be,
I am Shiva, I am He.

I have no likes, no hatred, no attachment, no aversion,
No duty to perform, no desire for liberation.
In a waveless ocean of bliss, I exist , I just be,
I am Shiva, I am He.

I am not sin, nor virtue, nor pleasure, nor pain,
From temples, pilgrimage, rituals I have nothing to gain.
In a waveless ocean of bliss, I exist, I just be,
I am Shiva, I am He.

I have no caste, no birth, no death, no fear,
No attachment to parents, or to friends near and dear.
In a waveless ocean of bliss, I exist, I just be,
I am Shiva, I am He.

I am without form, beyond time, beyond space,
I am everywhere, in everything..of the universe, a base.
In a waveless ocean of bliss, I exist, I just be,
I am Shiva, I am He.

Own I not any possession,
Controlled I am not by any emotion.
Temporary it is the world around,
I am not tied, I am not bound.
I have no highs, no lows, no ups, no downs..


'Chidananda Roopaha..Shivoham..Shivoham..'
'I am in equilibrium.. not bonded or free..
I am Shiva, eternal love, pure consciousness.. I am He..' "


The guru smiled, pleased he was,
Adi Shankara's words had this caused.
Through the 'Atma Shatakam', he had each layer peeled,
Who he was, his core, his 'true self' he had thus revealed.


Footnotes
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Samadhi - A spiritual state of consciousness
Guru - teacher
kamandalam - An oblong water pot.