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Dhanyashtakam

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  • verse 1
    (प्रहर्षणीवृत्तम् -)तज्ज्ञानं प्रशमकरं यदिन्द्रियाणांतज्ज्ञेयं यदुपनिषत्सु निश्चितार्थम् ।ते धन्या भुवि परमार्थनिश्चितेहाःशेषास्तु भ्रमनिलये परिभ्रमन्तः ॥ 1॥
    (praharṣaṇīvṛttam -)tajjñānaṃ praśamakaraṃ yadindriyāṇāṃtajjñēyaṃ yadupaniṣatsu niśchitārtham ।tē dhanyā bhuvi paramārthaniśchitēhāḥśēṣāstu bhramanilayē paribhramantaḥ ॥ 1॥
    meaning

    Verse 1 (Praharshani metre): True knowledge is that which stills the senses; the true object of knowledge is what is definitively established in the Upanishads. Those who are firmly set upon the supreme goal are truly blessed (dhanya) on this earth. The rest wander in the abode of delusion.

  • verse 2
    (वसन्ततिलकावृत्तम् -)आदौ विजित्य विषयान्मदमोहराग-द्वेषादिशत्रुगणमाहृतयोगराज्याः ।ज्ञात्वा मतं समनुभूयपरात्मविद्या-कान्तासुखं वनगृहे विचरन्ति धन्याः ॥ 2॥
    (vasantatilakāvṛttam -)ādau vijitya viṣayānmadamōharāga-dvēṣādiśatrugaṇamāhṛtayōgarājyāḥ ।jñātvā mataṃ samanubhūyaparātmavidyā-kāntāsukhaṃ vanagṛhē vicharanti dhanyāḥ ॥ 2॥
    meaning

    Verse 2 (Vasantatilaka metre): Those who first conquer sense-objects, the army of enemies such as intoxication, delusion, passion, and hatred, and thereby gain the kingdom of yoga — who know the teaching and experience the bliss of knowledge of the Supreme Self — they are the blessed ones, wandering in forest hermitages.

  • verse 3
    त्यक्त्वा गृहे रतिमधोगतिहेतुभूताम्आत्मेच्छयोपनिषदर्थरसं पिबन्तः ।वीतस्पृहा विषयभोगपदे विरक्ताधन्याश्चरन्ति विजनेषु विरक्तसङ्गाः ॥ 3॥
    tyaktvā gṛhē ratimadhōgatihētubhūtāmātmēchChayōpaniṣadartharasaṃ pibantaḥ ।vītaspṛhā viṣayabhōgapadē viraktādhanyāścharanti vijanēṣu viraktasaṅgāḥ ॥ 3॥
    meaning

    Verse 3: Having abandoned attachment to the home — which is the cause of downfall — and drinking the nectar of Upanishadic truth by their own will, free from craving, detached from sense-pleasures, those blessed ones wander in solitary places, free from all association.

  • verse 4
    त्यक्त्वा ममाहमिति बन्धकरे पदे द्वेमानावमानसदृशाः समदर्शिनश्च ।कर्तारमन्यमवगम्य तदर्पितानिकुर्वन्ति कर्मपरिपाकफलानि धन्याः ॥ 4॥
    tyaktvā mamāhamiti bandhakarē padē dvēmānāvamānasadṛśāḥ samadarśinaścha ।kartāramanyamavagamya tadarpitānikurvanti karmaparipākaphalāni dhanyāḥ ॥ 4॥
    meaning

    Verse 4: Having abandoned the two binding concepts 'mine' and 'I', equal in honour and dishonour, equal-visioned, recognising another as the true doer and surrendering all karma and its fruits to that one — those are the blessed ones.

  • verse 5
    त्यक्त्वीषणात्रयमवेक्षितमोक्षमर्गाभैक्षामृतेन परिकल्पितदेहयात्राः ।ज्योतिः परात्परतरं परमात्मसञ्ज्ञंधन्या द्विजारहसि हृद्यवलोकयन्ति ॥ 5॥
    tyaktvīṣaṇātrayamavēkṣitamōkṣamargābhaikṣāmṛtēna parikalpitadēhayātrāḥ ।jyōtiḥ parātparataraṃ paramātmasañjñaṃdhanyā dvijārahasi hṛdyavalōkayanti ॥ 5॥
    meaning

    Verse 5: Having abandoned the three desires (for progeny, wealth, and other worlds), with eyes fixed on the path of liberation, sustaining the body's journey only on food obtained by begging, those blessed ones contemplate in solitude in the forest the supreme light known as the Supreme Self — the light beyond the beyond.

  • verse 6
    नासन्न सन्न सदसन्न महसन्नचाणुन स्त्री पुमान्न च नपुंसकमेकबीजम् ।यैर्ब्रह्म तत्सममुपासितमेकचित्तैःधन्या विरेजुरित्तरेभवपाशबद्धाः ॥ 6॥
    nāsanna sanna sadasanna mahasannachāṇuna strī pumānna cha napuṃsakamēkabījam ।yairbrahma tatsamamupāsitamēkachittaiḥdhanyā virējurittarēbhavapāśabaddhāḥ ॥ 6॥
    meaning

    Verse 6: That Brahman which is neither non-existent nor existent, neither both nor the great, neither an atom, neither feminine nor masculine nor neuter — the one seed — those who, with one-pointed mind, have worshipped it as equal to themselves — those blessed ones have shone forth; the rest are bound by the snare of becoming.

  • verse 7
    अज्ञानपङ्कपरिमग्नमपेतसारंदुःखालयं मरणजन्मजरावसक्तम् ।संसारबन्धनमनित्यमवेक्ष्य धन्याज्ञानासिना तदवशीर्य विनिश्चयन्ति ॥ 7॥
    ajñānapaṅkaparimagnamapētasāraṃduḥkhālayaṃ maraṇajanmajarāvasaktam ।saṃsārabandhanamanityamavēkṣya dhanyājñānāsinā tadavaśīrya viniśchayanti ॥ 7॥
    meaning

    Verse 7: Perceiving samsara (worldly existence) as submerged in the mud of ignorance, devoid of essence, the abode of suffering, entangled in death, birth, and old age — the blessed ones, with the sword of knowledge, cut asunder that bond and resolve it away.

  • verse 8
    शान्तैरनन्यमतिभिर्मधुरस्वभावैःएकत्वनिश्चितमनोभिरपेतमोहैः ।साकं वनेषु विजितात्मपदस्वरुपंतद्वस्तु सम्यगनिशं विमृशन्ति धन्याः ॥ 8॥
    śāntairananyamatibhirmadhurasvabhāvaiḥēkatvaniśchitamanōbhirapētamōhaiḥ ।sākaṃ vanēṣu vijitātmapadasvarupaṃtadvastu samyaganiśaṃ vimṛśanti dhanyāḥ ॥ 8॥
    meaning

    Verse 8: With peaceful minds set on a single truth, with sweet natures, with minds firmly established in the recognition of Oneness, free from delusion — the blessed ones together in forests, always deeply reflect on that Reality, which is the true nature of the self-conquered state.

  • verse 9
    (मालिनीवृत्तम् -)अहिमिव जनयोगं सर्वदा वर्जयेद्यःकुणपमिव सुनारीं त्यक्तुकामो विरागी ।विषमिव विषयान्यो मन्यमानो दुरन्तान्जयति परमहंसो मुक्तिभावं समेति ॥ 9॥
    (mālinīvṛttam -)ahimiva janayōgaṃ sarvadā varjayēdyaḥkuṇapamiva sunārīṃ tyaktukāmō virāgī ।viṣamiva viṣayānyō manyamānō durantānjayati paramahaṃsō muktibhāvaṃ samēti ॥ 9॥
    meaning

    Verse 9 (Malini metre): One who always avoids the company of people as one avoids a snake; a detached one who wishes to give up a beautiful woman as one gives up a corpse; one who regards sense-pleasures as poison — such a supreme renunciate (paramahansa) triumphs and attains the state of liberation.

  • verse 10
    (शार्दूलविक्रीडितवृत्तम् -)सम्पूर्णं जगदेव नन्दनवनं सर्वेऽपि कल्पद्रुमागाङ्गं वरि समस्तवारिनिवहः पुण्याः समस्ताः क्रियाः ।वाचः प्राकृतसंस्कृताः श्रुतिशिरोवाराणसी मेदिनीसर्वावस्थितिरस्य वस्तुविषया दृष्टे परब्रह्मणि ॥ 10॥
    (śārdūlavikrīḍitavṛttam -)sampūrṇaṃ jagadēva nandanavanaṃ sarvē'pi kalpadrumāgāṅgaṃ vari samastavārinivahaḥ puṇyāḥ samastāḥ kriyāḥ ।vāchaḥ prākṛtasaṃskṛtāḥ śrutiśirōvārāṇasī mēdinīsarvāvasthitirasya vastuviṣayā dṛṣṭē parabrahmaṇi ॥ 10॥
    meaning

    Verse 10 (Shardula Vikridita metre): When one perceives the Supreme Brahman, the entire universe is the garden of Nandana, all trees are wish-fulfilling trees, all waters are the holy Ganga, all actions are meritorious, all words are Vedic and sacred, this earth is Varanasi, and all states of existence are seen as that ultimate Reality.

  • verse 11
    ॥ इति श्रीमद् शङ्कराचार्यविरचितं धन्याष्टकं समाप्तम् ॥
    ॥ iti śrīmad śaṅkarāchāryavirachitaṃ dhanyāṣṭakaṃ samāptam ॥
    meaning

    Colophon: Thus concludes the Dhanyashtakam composed by the revered Shankaracharya.

Primary text from vignanam.org