Nirvana Shatakam Mantra – Origin, Sanskrit & English Lyrics, Meaning and Benefits
Last updated on February 19th, 2025 at 06:17 pm
Nirvana Shatakam is believed to be a very powerful and highly impactful mantra that can help you attain inner peace and wellness. Chanting or listening to this mantra daily gives you a sense of calmness and stability, it helps you deal with negativity, and generates a positive vibe.
This mantra helps you forego unwanted attachments and unite with Shiva. Here we tell you about the origin of the Nirvana Shatakam mantra, give you its Sanskrit verse lyrics, English transliteration, translation and meaning, and also enlist the benefits of chanting or listening to Nirvana Shatakam.
Origin of Nirvana Shatakam
Nirvana means formless and shatkam means six. In the context of the mantra, it refers to the six verses of this composition. Adi Shankaracharya composed this mantra more than a thousand years ago just before his nirvana. It is believed that he recited this mantra as an answer to the question ‘who are you?’.
This mantra very aptly describes what being formless means and what it takes to unite with the universal consciousness. It beautifully explains the real meaning of Shiva as being boundless, formless, yet all-pervading and omnipresent. It helps you attain an eternal state of calm and peace of mind.
Lyrics and Meaning of Nirvana Shatakam
Stanza 1
Sanskrit Verse
मनोबुद्ध्यहङ्कार चित्तानि नाहं
न च श्रोत्रजिह्वे न च घ्राणनेत्रे ।
न च व्योम भूमिर्न तेजो न वायुः
चिदानन्दरूपः शिवोऽहम् शिवोऽहम् ॥१॥
English Transliteration
mano buddhi ahankara chittani naaham
na cha shrotravjihve na cha ghraana netre
na cha vyoma bhumir na tejo na vaayuhu
chidananda rupah shivo’ham shivo’ham
Translated Text
I am not any aspect of the mind like the intellect, the ego or the memory,
I am not the organs of hearing, tasting, smelling or seeing,
I am not the space, nor the earth, nor fire, nor air,
I am the form of consciousness and bliss, am Shiva (that which is not).
Meaning
While reciting this stanza, you are saying that you are not the intellect or the memory or the ego. You are not identified by your sensory organs like the ears, tongue, nose or eyes. You are neither the space nor the Earth, nor the fire nor the air, which is to say you are neither of the 5 elements of nature. You are Shiva that embodies nothingness.
Stanza 2
Sanskrit Verse
न च प्राणसंज्ञो न वै पञ्चवायुः
न वा सप्तधातुः न वा पञ्चकोशः ।
न वाक्पाणिपादं न चोपस्थपायु
चिदानन्दरूपः शिवोऽहम् शिवोऽहम् ॥२॥
English Transliteration
na cha prana sangyo na vai pancha vayuhu
na va sapta dhatur na va pancha koshah
na vak pani-padam na chopastha payu
chidananda rupah shivo’ham shivo’ham
Translated Text
I am not the Vital Life Energy (Prana), nor the Five Vital Airs (manifestations of Prana),
I am not the seven essential ingredients nor the 5 sheaths of the body,
I am not any of the body parts, like the mouth, the hands, the feet, etc.,
I am the form of consciousness and bliss, I am Shiva (that which is not)
Meaning
In this verse, you are saying that you are not the prana or its manifestations. You are none of the seven key ingredients or the five layers of the body. You are not identified by any of your body parts, but you are a form of universal consciousness. You are Shiva which represents absolute nothingness.
Stanza 3
Sanskrit Verse
न मे द्वेषरागौ न मे लोभमोहौ
मदो नैव मे नैव मात्सर्यभावः ।
न धर्मो न चार्थो न कामो न मोक्षः
चिदानन्दरूपः शिवोऽहम् शिवोऽहम् ॥३॥
English Transliteration
na me dvesha ragau na me lobha mohau
na me vai mado naiva matsarya bhavaha
na dharmo na chartho na kamo na mokshaha
chidananda rupah shivo’ham shivo’ham
Translated Text
There is no hatred nor passion in me, no greed nor delusion,
There is no pride, nor jealousy in me,
I am not identified with my duty, wealth, lust or liberation,
I am the form of consciousness and bliss, I am Shiva (that which is not).
Meaning
In this stanza, you assert that you garner no passion, greed, delusion or hatred in your mind. You do not have pride. You are not jealous of anyone. Your duties, desires or your freedom, or your wealth do not identify you. You are the form of consciousness and bliss, or that you are Shiva.
Stanza 4
Sanskrit Verse
न पुण्यं न पापं न सौख्यं न दुःखं
न मन्त्रो न तीर्थं न वेदा न यज्ञाः ।
अहं भोजनं नैव भोज्यं न भोक्ता
चिदानन्दरूपः शिवोऽहम् शिवोऽहम् ॥४॥
English Transliteration
na punyam na papam na saukhyam na duhkham
na mantro na tirtham na veda na yajnah
aham bhojanam naiva bhojyam na bhokta
chidananda rupah shivo’ham shivo’ham
Translated Text
I am not virtue nor vice, not pleasure or pain,
I need no mantras, no pilgrimage, no scriptures or rituals,
I am not the experience, not the object of experience, not even the one who experiences,
I am the form of consciousness and bliss, I am Shiva (that which is not).
Meaning
Through this verse, you affirm that you are neither virtue nor vice. You are neither pleasure nor pain. You do not require any mantras, texts, rituals or pilgrimages. You are neither the experience nor the object of experience. You are not even the individual who experiences. You are Shiva, the form of consciousness and bliss, which is to say that your identity is dissolved into that of Shiva who embodies nothingness.
Stanza 5
Sanskrit Verse
न मृत्युर्न शङ्का न मे जातिभेदः
पिता नैव मे नैव माता न जन्मः ।
न बन्धुर्न मित्रं गुरुर्नैव शिष्यं
चिदानन्दरूपः शिवोऽहम् शिवोऽहम् ॥५॥
English Transliteration
na me mrutyu shanka na mejati bhedaha
pita naiva me naiva mataa na janmaha
na bandhur na mitram gurur naiva shishyaha
chidananda rupah shivo’ham shivo’ham
Translated Text
I am not bound by death and its fear, not by caste or creed,
I have no father, nor mother, or even birth,
I am not a relative, nor a friend, nor a teacher nor a student,
am the form of consciousness and bliss, I am Shiva (that which is not).
Meaning
This stanza again emphasizes on the dissolution of one’s identity into nothingness which is the ultimate truth. In this verse you say that you are not shackled by death or its fear. You are not identified by your caste or creed. You are not identified by your role as a father or mother, son or daughter, relative or friend, teacher or pupil. You are rather the form of universal consciousness or you are Shiva himself.
Stanza 6
Sanskrit Verse
अहं निर्विकल्पो निराकाररूपो
विभुत्वाच्च सर्वत्र सर्वेन्द्रियाणाम् ।
न चासङ्गतं नैव मुक्तिर्न मेयः
चिदानन्दरूपः शिवोऽहम् शिवोऽहम् ॥६॥
English Transliteration
aham nirvikalpo nirakara rupo
vibhut vatcha sarvatra sarvendriyanam
na cha sangatham naiva muktir na meyaha
chidananda rupah shivo’ham shivo’ham
Translated Text
I am devoid of duality, my form is formlessness,
I am omnipresent, I exist everywhere, pervading all senses,
I am neither attached, neither free nor limited,
I am the form of consciousness and bliss, I am Shiva (that which is not).
Meaning
In this verse, you say that you are free from duality, you are formless, you are all-pervading like Shiva; you are present everywhere. You affirm that you have achieved detachment from materialism. You affirm that you are neither shackled by any limitations that you may have put on yourself, nor liberated. You are the form of consciousness and bliss, you are Shiva himself.
In all the verses of the Nirvana Shatakam mantra, you conclude by saying that you are Shiva, which means you affirm to yourself that you have attained a state of formlessness, inculcated detachment and surrender, and your identity is dissolved to be one with the universal consciousness, which in other terms can mean that you have imbibed in yourself the Shiva tattva and absorbed the elements that represent Shiva.
These elements include absolute nothingness or darkness which is symbolic of the ultimate reality of life and dissolution of your identity into that of the universe, whereby your consciousness unites with the supreme consciousness or that you unite with the almighty Shiva.
In every stanza of the Nirvana Shatakam mantra, you state what you are not, thus detaching yourself from worldly pleasures and traversing towards spiritualism. In the verses of this powerful mantra you resolve to forsake your desires and your ego, remain unaffected by pleasure or pain, to not be bound by fear or doubt, and to not identify yourself with your body, your possessions, or your role as someone’s friend or relative.
Through this mantra, you assert that you are a form of the formless and all-pervading Shiva, you are boundless and you are one with the supreme consciousness that is Shiva.
Benefits of Nirvana Shatakam Mantra
- It is a highly effective mantra that can lead you to achieve inner peace and salvation.
- This mantra helps you get rid of negative emotions and creates a positive energy around and within you.
- It promotes a sense of freedom and helps you let go of undesired attachments.
- Recital of this mantra can help you adopt a minimalist lifestyle and find happiness in life.
- The vibrations of Nirvana Shatakam help you stay calm. Chanting or listening to this Shiva mantra helps you fight anxiety and depression.
- This mantra helps you achieve an eternal state of calmness, which helps you stay unaffected even in difficult times and experience stability.
- Chanting or listening to Nirvana Shatakam can help you get rid of emotions like jealousy, ego and greed, thus helping you gain mental peace and also enhance your overall well-being.
So, if you wish to enhance your sense of consciousness, gain a deep understanding of the ultimate truth of the universe and imbibe Shiva in the real sense, the Nirvana Shatakam mantra is for you. Understand its meaning, and chant or listen to it daily, to gain a different perspective of life that lets you attain salvation, boosts your overall health, and helps you embark on a spiritual journey.
Nirvana Shatakam Downloadable pdf
Feel free to access and download the PDF to benefit from the mantra.. in English and Sanskrit.