Nirvana Shatakam

About this stotra

Nirvāṇa Ṣaṭkam, otherwise known as Ātma Ṣaṭkam, is a composition of Bhagavān Shankaracharya.
Nirvāṇa Ṣaṭkam is composed of two words: nirvāṇa, meaning the state of absolute liberation — the complete extinction of the ego and its limitations — and ṣaṭkam, from ṣaṭ meaning six, referring to a set of six verses. Together, the title means "six verses on the nature of liberation." It is also known as Ātma Ṣaṭkam, "six verses on the Self," since for Sankara, liberation is nothing other than the recognition of one's true nature as pure, unbounded Awareness.
Tradition holds that these verses were composed spontaneously by the young Sankara — still a boy, wandering in search of a guru — when he encountered the sage Govinda Bhagavatpada meditating in a cave on the banks of the Narmadā river. The sage, without opening his eyes, asked: "Ko'si tvam?" — "Who are you?" In response, Sankara did not give his name or lineage. Instead, these six verses poured forth — a direct declaration of his own experience of the Self. It was this spontaneous outpouring that convinced Govinda Bhagavatpada that the young seeker before him was no ordinary student, and he accepted Sankara as his disciple.
More than a composition, it is a declaration of his own direct experience of the absolute Bliss of Self-realisation. As such, this is not a text to be discoursed upon, but to be meditated upon and directly experienced by every sincere seeker and student of Advaita Vedānta.
Nirvāṇa Ṣaṭkam means a set of six verses on the state of absolute peace, tranquillity, freedom and joy. Ātma Ṣaṭkam means six verses on the nature of the Self. One who is familiar with the Sanskrit language can easily grasp the meaning of these verses because of their simplicity. But to experience and revel in the Truth revealed therein, one has to go through many lives of spiritual practices (sādhanā).
बहूनां जन्मनामन्ते ज्ञानवान्मां प्रपद्यते। (Bhagavad Gita 7.19)
Only after many lives does a man of knowledge reach me.
अनेकजन्मसंसिद्धस्ततो याति परां गतिम्। (Bhagavad Gita 6.45)
After many lives of sādhanā, people attain the supreme Truth.
Man (jīva) has to evolve slowly through endless aeons (yugas) of sincere study and devoted self application. Then, in one particular life, he gets totally purged of his ignorance and delusion. Such evolution culminates in the highest state of perfection – Self-realisation (brāhmi-sthiti).
As these six verses represent the direct and intimate experience of such a Realised one, they will make an immediate impact on the pure minds of sincere seekers who have acquired a deep insight into Vedānta. Seekers who have the wealth of discrimination (viveka), dispassion (vairāgya) and capacity for reflection on the Self (ātma vicāra), can by reading, directly appreciate their implications and, in their deep meditation, experience the subtle Truth indicated by these verses.
In the initial stages of the practice of meditation (dhyāna abhyāsa) the seeker (sādhaka) understands and appreciates the meaning of the words and sentences of the Master. As the deep import of the words is appreciated, the words themselves are laid aside. Once the essence of the words becomes an innermost conviction or well rooted feeling (bhāvanā) of the seeker, his mind will firmly abide in the Truth. This state of absorption is called samādhi.
However, seekers in the earlier stages of their spiritual journey can also benefit from this text. They can, in their daily meditation (dhyāna abhyāsa), reflect on the meaning and significance of these verses and learn to abide in the Truth. Meditation alone is the means to the great experience of Truth (samādhi). For the benefit of such seekers these verses are explained here.