Nirvana Shatakam
॥ निर्वाणषट्कम् ॥
What is the Nirvana Shatakam?
Nirvana Shatakam is a six-verse Sanskrit hymn by Adi Shankaracharya that sets aside every false identity, body, mind, ego, the senses, to point to the reciter’s true nature as Shivoham, the formless, ever-conscious Self described in Advaita Vedanta.
Six verses, one relentless question: who are you, really? The Nirvana Shatakam, also called Atma Shatakam, is Adi Shankaracharya’s answer, composed as a young boy when his own guru asked him exactly that. Each verse strips away one more layer of false identity until only awareness itself is left standing.
Nirvana Shatakam Lyrics (Sanskrit & English)
Roman transliteration is shown first with the Devanagari beneath. Tap ‘Meaning’ under any verse for a plain-English explanation.
Mano-buddhy-ahankara chittani naaham, Na cha shrotra-jihve na cha ghraana-netre. Na cha vyoma bhumir na tejo na vaayuh, Chidananda-rupah Shivoham Shivoham.
मनोबुद्ध्यहङ्कार चित्तानि नाहं न च श्रोत्र जिह्वे न च घ्राण नेत्रे । न च व्योम भूमिर् न तेजॊ न वायु: चिदानन्द रूप: शिवॊऽहम् शिवॊऽहम् ॥
Meaning
I am not the mind, intellect, ego, or memory. I am not the ears, tongue, nose, or eyes. I am not the sky, earth, fire, or air. I am the form of consciousness and bliss; I am Shiva, I am Shiva.
Na cha praana-sanjno na vai pancha-vaayuh, Na vaa sapta-dhaatur na vaa pancha-koshaah. Na vaak-paani-paadam na chopastha-paayoo, Chidananda-rupah Shivoham Shivoham.
न च प्राणसंज्ञो न वै पञ्चवायु: न वा सप्तधातुर् न वा पञ्चकोशा: । न वाक्पाणिपादं न चोपस्थपायू चिदानन्द रूप: शिवॊऽहम् शिवॊऽहम् ॥
Meaning
I am not the life-force, nor the five vital breaths. I am not the seven elemental tissues, nor the five sheaths. I am not the organs of speech, hands, feet, or the organs of excretion. I am the form of consciousness and bliss; I am Shiva, I am Shiva.
Na me dvesha-raagau na me lobha-mohau, Madau naiva me naiva maatsarya-bhaavah. Na dharmo na chaartho na kaamo na mokshah, Chidananda-rupah Shivoham Shivoham.
न मे द्वेषरागौ न मे लोभमोहौ मदौ नैव मे नैव मात्सर्यभाव: । न धर्मो न चार्थो न कामो न मोक्ष: चिदानन्द रूप: शिवॊऽहम् शिवॊऽहम् ॥
Meaning
I have no hatred or attachment, no greed or delusion. I have no pride or jealousy. I am beyond righteousness, wealth, desire, and liberation. I am the form of consciousness and bliss; I am Shiva, I am Shiva.
Na punyam na paapam na saukhyam na duhkham, Na mantro na teertham na vedaa na yajnaah. Aham bhojanam naiva bhojyam na bhoktaa, Chidananda-rupah Shivoham Shivoham.
न पुण्यं न पापं न सौख्यं न दु:खं न मन्त्रो न तीर्थं न वेदा न यज्ञा: । अहं भोजनं नैव भोज्यं न भोक्ता चिदानन्द रूप: शिवॊऽहम् शिवॊऽहम् ॥
Meaning
I am not virtue or sin, happiness or sorrow. I am not mantra, pilgrimage, scriptures, or rituals. I am neither the act of eating, the food, nor the enjoyer. I am the form of consciousness and bliss; I am Shiva, I am Shiva.
Na me mrtyu-shankaa na me jaati-bhedah, Pitaa naiva me naiva maataa na janmah. Na bandhur-na mitram gurur-naiva shishyah, Chidananda-rupah Shivoham Shivoham.
न मे मृत्युशङ्का न मे जातिभेद: पिता नैव मे नैव माता न जन्म । न बन्धुर्न मित्रं गुरुर्नैव शिष्य: चिदानन्द रूप: शिवॊऽहम् शिवॊऽहम् ॥
Meaning
I have no fear of death, nor caste distinctions. I have no father, mother, or birth. I have no relatives, friends, teacher, or student. I am the form of consciousness and bliss; I am Shiva, I am Shiva.
Aham nirvikalpo niraakaara-rupo, Vibhutvaaccha sarvatra sarvendriyaanaam. Na chaasangata-naiva muktir-na meyah, Chidananda-rupah Shivoham Shivoham.
अहं निर्विकल्पॊ निराकार रूपॊ विभुत्वाच्च सर्वत्र सर्वेन्द्रियाणाम् । न चासङ्गतं नैव मुक्तिर्न मेय: चिदानन्द रूप: शिवॊऽहम् शिवॊऽहम् ॥
Meaning
I am without change and without form. I pervade all senses everywhere. I am neither attached nor free, for I am complete and beyond measure. I am the form of consciousness and bliss; I am Shiva, I am Shiva.
What Does the Nirvana Shatakam Mean?
The Nirvana Shatakam works by subtraction. Each verse takes another layer of what a person normally calls “me” and sets it aside: the body and the five elements it is built from, the breath and the tissues that make up flesh, the pull of desire and aversion, even the ideas of virtue, sin, and religious duty. By the sixth verse nothing external is left to claim as identity. Only awareness itself remains.
The refrain “chidananda-rupah Shivoham Shivoham” is the hinge the whole hymn turns on, and it is easy to misread. Shankaracharya is not declaring devotion to Shiva as a personal god with matted hair and a trident. In the vocabulary of Advaita Vedanta, “Shiva” names the auspicious, formless ground of consciousness underlying every mind and every world, what the Upanishads call Brahman or Atman. So “Shivoham,” I am Shiva, is shorthand for I am that unconditioned awareness, a statement about the nature of the self, not an act of worship directed at an external deity.
Tradition places these six verses at the very start of Shankaracharya’s teaching life. When his guru Govinda Bhagavatpada asked the boy a simple question, who are you, he answered not with his name, family, or caste but with this hymn, dismantling every ordinary answer a stranger might expect and arriving instead at pure being.
How Do You Chant the Nirvana Shatakam?
- Find a quiet seat – sit in a comfortable meditative posture with the spine upright and the eyes closed
- Chant slowly – let each half-line settle before moving to the next rather than rushing through the Sanskrit
- Contemplate as you go – hold the meaning of each verse in mind so the negation becomes a felt experience and not just a recitation
- Rest in the refrain – let 'Shivoham, Shivoham' land as a quiet recognition rather than a shout
What Are the Benefits of Chanting the Nirvana Shatakam?
The Nirvana Shatakam is less a prayer for something and more a practice of letting go.
- Loosens the grip of ego: repeating the negations wears down the habit of identifying with the body, roles, and opinions most people mistake for the self
- Settles the mind: the steady rhythm and the act of holding each line's meaning while chanting has a calming effect similar to other meditative practices
- Prepares the mind for meditation: clearing away surface identifications first leaves the mind quieter and more ready to sit in silence afterward
- Points toward self-recognition: its real aim is not merit or blessing but a direct pointer to the non-dual nature of existence at the heart of Advaita Vedanta
Where Does the Nirvana Shatakam Come From?
The Nirvana Shatakam stands apart from most stotras because it was not lifted from an existing scripture or written for temple worship. It is a standalone composition, traditionally dated to the 8th century CE, credited to Adi Shankaracharya, the philosopher who did more than anyone to systematize Advaita Vedanta across India. Later tradition folds it into the larger story of his life: a boy from Kerala who left home young, found his guru Govinda Bhagavatpada on the banks of the Narmada, and answered his guru’s opening question with these six verses instead of a biography.
Because it carries no ritual instructions and asks for no offering, the hymn has traveled easily outside temple settings, into meditation halls, ashrams, and now recordings and classrooms wherever Advaita philosophy is taught. Its short length and driving refrain have also made it one of the more widely chanted Sanskrit texts among people with no formal Sanskrit training.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 'Shiva' mean in 'Shivoham'?
In this hymn Shiva does not mean the personal deity with a trident and matted hair. It stands for the pure, formless, ever-present consciousness that Advaita Vedanta calls Brahman or Atman. Saying Shivoham is a statement about one's own true nature, not an act of devotion toward an external god.
What is the significance of the repeated refrain?
The line chidananda-rupah Shivoham Shivoham, I am the form of consciousness and bliss, I am Shiva, I am Shiva, closes every verse as a reminder that whatever is being negated, body, mind, or ego, was never the real self to begin with. Repeating it keeps bringing attention back to that unchanging awareness.
Who composed the Nirvana Shatakam and why?
It is attributed to Adi Shankaracharya, composed as a young boy. When his guru Govinda Bhagavatpada asked him who are you, Shankaracharya answered with these six verses, explaining that he was not a physical person defined by name or birth but the eternal Self.
Why is it also called Atma Shatakam?
Atma Shatakam means six verses on the Self. Both names describe the same six verses; Nirvana Shatakam emphasizes the liberation the hymn points toward, while Atma Shatakam names its subject, the Atman or true Self.
Is the Nirvana Shatakam part of the Vedas?
No. Unlike suktas drawn from the Rig Veda or Yajur Veda, this is a standalone stotra composed directly by Adi Shankaracharya. It is not part of any Vedic samhita, though its ideas grow out of Upanishadic teaching.
How long does it take to chant?
The six verses take roughly six to eight minutes to chant at an unhurried pace, which makes the hymn practical as a short daily practice before meditation or at the close of the day.
॥ चिदानन्दरूपः शिवोऽहम् शिवोऽहम् ॥