Nirvana Shatakam: Meaning

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1. Verse 1

   मनोबुद्ध्यहङ्कार चित्तानि नाहं । न च श्रोत्र जिह्वे न च घ्राण नेत्रे । न च व्योम भूमिर्न तेजो न वायुः । चिदानन्द रूपः शिवोऽहम् शिवोऽहम् ॥

   manobuddhyahaṅkāra cittāni nāhaṃ । na ca śrotra jihve na ca ghrāṇa netre । na ca vyoma bhūmirna tejo na vāyuḥ । cidānanda rūpaḥ śivo'ham śivo'ham ॥

   मनः	manaḥ	the mind
   बुद्धि	buddhi	the intellect
   अहङ्कार	ahaṅkāra	the sense of "I"
   चित्तानि	cittāni	memory, the store of impressions

   मैं न मन हूँ, न बुद्धि, न अहंकार, न चित्त; न कान, न जीभ, न नाक, न आँखें; न आकाश, न पृथ्वी, न अग्नि, न वायु। मैं चिदानंद रूप हूँ; मैं शिव हूँ, मैं शिव हूँ।

   I am not the mind, the intellect, the ego or memory; not the ears or the tongue, not the nose or the eyes; not the sky or the earth, not fire or air. I am the form of consciousness and bliss; I am Shiva, I am Shiva.

   The first verse sets aside the inner instrument (antahkarana), which Vedanta divides into four: manas (the mind that doubts and wishes), buddhi (the intellect that decides), ahankara (the sense of "I") and chitta (memory). Then the senses of hearing, taste, smell and sight, and the elements: space, earth, fire and air. The Self is the witness of all these, not any of them.

2. Verse 2

   न च प्राण संज्ञो न वै पञ्चवायुः । न वा सप्तधातुः न वा पञ्चकोशः । न वाक्पाणिपादौ न चोपस्थपायू । चिदानन्दरूपः शिवोऽहम् शिवोऽहम् ॥

   na ca prāṇa saṃjño na vai pañcavāyuḥ । na vā saptadhātuḥ na vā pañcakośaḥ । na vākpāṇipādau na copasthapāyū । cidānandarūpaḥ śivo'ham śivo'ham ॥

   पञ्चवायुः	pañcavāyuḥ	the five vital airs
   सप्तधातुः	saptadhātuḥ	the seven tissues of the body
   पञ्चकोशः	pañcakośaḥ	the five sheaths

   मैं न प्राण हूँ, न पाँच वायु; न शरीर की सात धातुएँ, न पाँच कोश; न वाणी, न हाथ, न पैर, न उपस्थ और न पायु। मैं चिदानंद रूप हूँ; मैं शिव हूँ, मैं शिव हूँ।

   I am not the breath, nor the five vital airs; not the seven tissues of the body, nor its five sheaths; not speech, hands or feet, nor the organs of procreation and excretion. I am the form of consciousness and bliss; I am Shiva, I am Shiva.

   Next the body and its life: prana, the breath, and the five vital airs into which it is divided; the seven dhatus, the tissues of the body in Ayurveda; and the five koshas, the sheaths that cover the Self in Vedanta (of food, breath, mind, intellect and bliss). Then the organs of action: speech, hands, feet and the organs of procreation and excretion.

3. Verse 3

   न मे द्वेष रागौ न मे लोभ मोहौ । मदो नैव मे नैव मात्सर्य भावः । न धर्मो न चार्थो न कामो न मोक्षः । चिदानन्द रूपः शिवोऽहम् शिवोऽहम् ॥

   na me dveṣa rāgau na me lobha mohau । mado naiva me naiva mātsarya bhāvaḥ । na dharmo na cārtho na kāmo na mokṣaḥ । cidānanda rūpaḥ śivo'ham śivo'ham ॥

   द्वेषरागौ	dveṣarāgau	hatred and attachment
   मात्सर्य	mātsarya	envy
   मोक्षः	mokṣaḥ	liberation

   मुझमें न द्वेष है न राग, न लोभ न मोह; न मद, न मत्सर; मेरे लिए न धर्म है, न अर्थ, न काम, न मोक्ष। मैं चिदानंद रूप हूँ; मैं शिव हूँ, मैं शिव हूँ।

   I have no hatred or attachment, no greed or delusion; no pride, no envy; I have no dharma, no wealth, no desire, and no liberation to seek. I am the form of consciousness and bliss; I am Shiva, I am Shiva.

   Now the emotions: hatred and attachment, greed and delusion, pride and envy. Then even the four aims of life (purusharthas): dharma, wealth (artha), desire (kama) and liberation (moksha). The Self has no need even of liberation, because it was never bound.

4. Verse 4

   न पुण्यं न पापं न सौख्यं न दुःखम् । न मन्त्रो न तीर्थं न वेदा न यज्ञाः । अहं भोजनं नैव भोज्यं न भोक्ता । चिदानन्दरूपः शिवोऽहम् शिवोऽहम् ॥

   na puṇyaṃ na pāpaṃ na saukhyaṃ na duḥkham । na mantro na tīrthaṃ na vedā na yajñāḥ । ahaṃ bhojanaṃ naiva bhojyaṃ na bhoktā । cidānandarūpaḥ śivo'ham śivo'ham ॥

   पुण्यम्	puṇyam	merit
   तीर्थम्	tīrtham	pilgrimage
   भोक्ता	bhoktā	the eater, the enjoyer

   न पुण्य, न पाप, न सुख, न दुःख; न मंत्र, न तीर्थ, न वेद, न यज्ञ; मैं न भोजन हूँ, न भोग, न भोगने वाला। मैं चिदानंद रूप हूँ; मैं शिव हूँ, मैं शिव हूँ।

   No merit, no sin, no pleasure, no pain; no mantra, no pilgrimage, no Vedas, no sacrifices; I am not the food, nor the eating, nor the eater. I am the form of consciousness and bliss; I am Shiva, I am Shiva.

   Merit and sin, pleasure and pain, and even the means of religion, mantras, pilgrimages, the Vedas and sacrifices, belong to the one who acts, not to the Self. The last line says the Self is not the food, the act of eating, or the eater: it is beyond the division into object, action and subject.

5. Verse 5

   न मे मृत्यु शंका न मे जाति भेदः । पिता नैव मे नैव माता न जन्मः । न बन्धुर् न मित्रं गुरुर्नैव शिष्यः । चिदानन्द रूपः शिवोऽहम् शिवोऽहम् ॥

   na me mṛtyu śaṃkā na me jāti bhedaḥ । pitā naiva me naiva mātā na janmaḥ । na bandhur na mitraṃ gururnaiva śiṣyaḥ । cidānanda rūpaḥ śivo'ham śivo'ham ॥

   मृत्युशंका	mṛtyuśaṃkā	fear of death
   जातिभेदः	jātibhedaḥ	distinction of caste
   गुरुः	guruḥ	the teacher
   शिष्यः	śiṣyaḥ	the disciple

   मुझे न मृत्यु का भय है, न जाति का भेद; न मेरा पिता है, न माता, न जन्म; न बंधु, न मित्र, न गुरु, न शिष्य। मैं चिदानंद रूप हूँ; मैं शिव हूँ, मैं शिव हूँ।

   I have no fear of death, no distinction of caste; no father, no mother, no birth; no kin, no friend, no guru, no disciple. I am the form of consciousness and bliss; I am Shiva, I am Shiva.

   Fear of death, caste, father, mother, birth, kin, friend, guru and disciple: all of these belong to the body and to life in the world. The Self was never born, so it has none of them.

6. Verse 6

   अहं निर्विकल्पो निराकाररूपो । विभुत्वाच्च सर्वत्र सर्वेन्द्रियाणाम् । न चासंगतं नैव मुक्तिर्न मेयः । चिदानन्द रूपः शिवोऽहम् शिवोऽहम् ॥

   ahaṃ nirvikalpo nirākārarūpo । vibhutvācca sarvatra sarvendriyāṇām । na cāsaṃgataṃ naiva muktirna meyaḥ । cidānanda rūpaḥ śivo'ham śivo'ham ॥

   निर्विकल्पः	nirvikalpaḥ	free of all mental distinctions
   निराकाररूपः	nirākārarūpaḥ	without form
   विभुत्वात्	vibhutvāt	by being all-pervading
   मेयः	meyaḥ	measurable

   मैं संकल्प-विकल्प से रहित और निराकार हूँ; सर्वव्यापक होने से सब जगह, सब इंद्रियों से परे हूँ; मैं न कभी आसक्त हूँ, न मुक्त, न किसी माप में आने वाला। मैं चिदानंद रूप हूँ; मैं शिव हूँ, मैं शिव हूँ।

   I am free of all doubt and without form; by being all-pervading I am everywhere, beyond all the senses; I am never attached, nor am I liberated, nor anything that can be measured. I am the form of consciousness and bliss; I am Shiva, I am Shiva.

   The last verse says what the Self is, rather than what it is not: free of all mental distinctions (nirvikalpa), without form, and everywhere at once. It is neither attached nor "liberated", and it cannot be measured. Some editions read the third line slightly differently.