Atha Caturviṃśatyakṣara Śrī Dakṣiṇāmūrti Mahāmantraḥ (अथ चतुर्विंशत्यक्षर श्री दक्षिणामूर्ति महामन्त्रः) :-

Source :- Śiva Pūjā Paddhati and Meru Tantram.

Purpose :- To attain knowledge of the Divine, Spiritual wealth and accomplishment of all desires, material and spiritual.

Introduction :- Śrī Dakṣiṇāmūrti is a very gentle and highly spiritual aspect of Lord Śiva. He bestows spiritual knowledge and dispels all ignorance to help us expand our consciousness to its highest level. His idol is generally located in Lord Śiva temples in the Southern corner. His orientation and disposition is towards the ritualistic right hand path called Dakṣiṇamārga. He is also the revealer of mantras and ślokas, related to Śrī Bālā and various other Śrī Vidyā deities. It is also believed, that His mantras can grant vāk siddhi, which empowers the sādhaka to materialize all spoken words.

1. Viniyogaḥ (विनियोगः) :-

om̐ asya dakṣiṇāmūrti mantrasya ।

brahmā ṛṣiḥ ।

gāyatrī chandaḥ ।

śrī dakṣiṇāmūrti devatā ।

am̐ (medhā) bījaṃ ।

om̐ (prajñā) śaktiḥ ।

svāhā kīlakaṃ ।

medhā saṃṛddhaye jape viniyogaḥ ॥

ॐ अस्य दक्षिणामूर्ति मन्त्रस्य ।

ब्रह्मा ऋषिः ।

गायत्री छन्दः ।

श्री दक्षिणामूर्ति देवता ।

अँ (मेधा) बीजं ।

ॐ (प्रज्ञा) शक्तिः ।

स्वाहा कीलकं ।

मेधा संऋद्धये जपे विनियोगः ॥

Meaning:- This prayer/mantra japa is to invoke Śrī Dakṣiṇāmūrti and perform His mantra japa to obtain His complete grace, to gain the ability to assimilate knowledge, gain prudence, retention, wisdom and finally liberation, upon contemplation of the spiritual knowledge and practice of the japa. The sage (ṛṣiḥ) is Lord Brahma the Creator, the meter (chandas) for the mantra is Gāyatrī and the deity is Śrī Dakṣiṇāmūrti Devatā. The seed (bīja) for the mantra is am̐, which represents medhā, the power to perceive and retain the knowledge, as well as gaining prudence and wisdom. The power (śakti) to the mantra is om̐, the primordial sound which is also represented by prajñā, the power to analyze and make the correct decisions. The key (kīlakaṃ) to unlock the mantra is the vahni bīja svāhā, which indicates oblations to the Divine.

2. ṛṣyādi nyāsa ( ऋष्यादि न्यास ) :-

 

S.no.

IAST

Devanāgari

Procedure

1

brahmā ṛṣaye namaḥ śirasi

ब्रह्मा ऋषये नमः शिरसि

Open the right palm and touch the top of the forehead with the ring and thumb fingers joined at the top.

2

Gāyatrī chandase namaḥ mukhe

गायत्री छन्दसे नमः मुखे

Now touch the lips of the mouth with the above mudrā.

3

Śrī Dakṣiṇāmūrti devatāyai namaḥ hṛdi

श्री दक्षिणामूर्ति देवतायै नमः हृदि

Touch the heart with the right palm.

4

am̐ (medhā) bījāya namaḥ guhye

अँ (मेधा) बीजाय नमः गुह्ये

Touch the genitalia with the right ring finger and thumb joined together.

5

om̐ (prajñā) śaktaye namaḥ pādayoḥ

ओँ (प्रज्ञा) शक्तये नमः पादयोः 

Touch the feet with the right ring finger and thumb joined together.

6

svāhā kīlakāya namaḥ nābhau

स्वाहा कीलकाय नमः नाभौ

Touch the navel area with the right ring finger and thumb joined together.

7

medhā samṛddhaye jape viniyogāya namaḥ sarvāṅge

मेधा समृद्धये जपे विनियोगाय नमः सर्वाङ्गे

Run both the palms all over the body.

8

iti ṛṣyādi nyāsaḥ

इति ऋष्यादि न्यासः

 

3. karanyāsaḥ (करन्यासः) :-

S.no.

IAST

Devanāgari

Procedure

1

om̐ ām̐ om̐ aṅguṣṭhābhyāṃ namaḥ

ॐ आँ ॐ अङ्गुष्ठाभ्यां नमः

Use both the index fingers and run them on both the thumbs.

2

om̐ īm̐ om̐ tarjanībhyāṃ namaḥ

ॐ ईँ ॐ तर्जनीभ्यां नमः

Use both the thumbs and run them on both the index fingers.

3

om̐ ūm̐ om̐ madhyamābhyāṃ namaḥ

ॐ ऊँ ॐ मध्यमाभ्यां नमः

Use both the thumbs on the middle fingers.

4

om̐ aim̐ om̐ anāmikābhyāṃ namaḥ

ॐ ऐँ ॐ अनामिकाभ्यां नमः

Use both the thumbs on the ring fingers.

5

om̐ aum̐ om̐ kaniṣṭhikābhyāṃ namaḥ

ॐ औँ ॐ कनिष्ठिकाभ्यां नमः

Use both the thumbs on the little fingers.

6

om̐ aḥ om̐ karatalakarapṛṣṭhābhyāṃ namaḥ

ॐ अः ॐ करतलकरपृष्ठाभ्यां नमः

Open both the palms; run the opened palms of the right hand on the front and back sides of the left palm and repeat the same for the other palm.

7

iti kara nyāsaḥ

इति कर न्यासः

 

4. aṅganyāsaḥ (अङ्गन्यासः) :-

S.no.

IAST

Devanāgari

Procedure

1

om̐ ām̐ om̐ hṛdayāya namaḥ

ॐ आँ ॐ हृदयाय नमः

Open index, middle and ring fingers of the right hand and place them on the heart chakra.

2

om̐ īm̐ om̐ śirase svāhā

ॐ ईँ ॐ शिरसे स्वाहा

Open middle and ring fingers of the right hand and touch the top of the forehead.

3

om̐ ūm̐ om̐ śikhāyai vaṣaṭ

ॐ ऊँ ॐ शिखायै वषट्

Open the right thumb and touch the back of the head. This is the point where the tuft of hair, is kept.

4

om̐ aim̐ om̐ kavacāya hum̐

ॐ ऐँ ॐ कवचाय हुँ

Cross both the hands and run the fully opened palms from shoulders to finger tips.

5

om̐ aum̐ om̐ netratrayāya vauṣaṭ

ॐ औँ ॐ नेत्रत्रयाय वौषट्

Touch the eyes with the right index and ring fingers, with the middle finger touching the ājña cakra.

6

om̐ aḥ om̐ astrāya phaṭ

ॐ अः ॐ अस्त्राय फट्

Open up the left palm and strike it three times with index and middle fingers of the right hand.

7

iti ṣaḍaṅga nyāsaḥ

इति षडङ्ग न्यासः

 

bhūr-bhuva-ssuvarom-iti digbandhaḥ ॥

भूर्भुवस्सुवरोमिति दिग्बन्धः॥

5. dhyānaṃ (ध्यानं) :-

vyākhyā-pīṭhe'ti-śubhraṃ ca bhasmod-dhūlita-vigraham ।

jñāna-mudr-ākṣa-mālāḍhyaṃ vīṇā pustaka dhāriṇam ॥

व्याख्यापीठेऽतिशुभ्रं च भस्मोद्धूलितविग्रहम् ।

ज्ञानमुद्राक्षमालाढ्यं वीणा पुस्तक धारिणम् ॥

We meditate upon Lord Dakṣiṇāmūrti, seated on a pedestal of knowledge, wisdom and Truth, deliberating and discussing the tenets of the eternal Truth to all seekers. He is radiating with wisdom and knowledge. He is of ash colored complexion. He is displaying the wisdom granting jñāna-mudra, holding a rudrākṣa mālā in one set of arms. The other set of arms hold the musical instrument vīṇā and a book.

The rudrākṣa rosary mālā indicates the method of realizing His grace through mantra japa for obtaining liberation. The vessel of ambrosia represents the cerebral fluid that is emitted in deep meditation. The wisdom granting mudra allows us to receive His blessings and thereby gain spiritual knowledge and realize the true nature of Brahman, which is the super-consciousness. The vīṇā generates all the vibrations and sound frequencies of Creation, represented as mātṛkā-s. The book contains all the spiritual and material knowledge of the Creation.

6.Pañcapūjā (पञ्चपूजा) :-

S.no.

IAST

Devanāgari

Procedure

1

lam̐ - pṛthivyātmikāyai gandhaṁ samarpayāmi

 

लँ - पृथिव्यात्मिकायै गन्धं समर्पयामि

 

Hold the lower tip of the bottom phalange of the little fingers of both hands with the upper tip of the thumbs, with the back of the hand facing us.

2

ham̐ - ākāśātmikāyai puṣpaiḥ pūjayāmi

 

हँ - आकाशात्मिकायै पुष्पैः पूजयामि

 

Hold the lower tip of the bottom phalange of the thumbs of both hands with the upper tip/nails of the index fingers, with the back of the hand facing us.

3

yam̐ - vāyvātmikāyai dhūpamāghrāpayāmi

 

यँ - वाय्वात्मिकायै धूपमाघ्रापयामि

 

Hold the lower tip of the bottom phalange of the index fingers of both hands with the upper tip of the thumbs, with the back of the hand facing us.

4

ram̐ - agnyātmikāyai dīpaṁ darśayāmi

 

रँ - अग्न्यात्मिकायै दीपं दर्शयामि

 

Hold the lower tip of the bottom phalange of the middle fingers of both hands with the upper tip of the thumbs, with the back of the hand facing us.

5

vam̐ - amṛtātmikāyai amṛtaṁ mahānaivedyaṁ nivedayāmi

 

वँ - अमृतात्मिकायै अमृतं महानैवेद्यं निवेदयामि

 

Hold the lower tip of the bottom phalange of the ring fingers of both hands with the upper tip of the thumbs, with the back of the hand facing us.

6

sam̐ - sarvātmikāyai sarvopacāra pūjām samarpayāmi

 

सँ - सर्वात्मिकायै सर्वोपचार पूजाम् समर्पयामि

 

Hold the fingers of each palm in a folded manner with the tips of each fingers of both hands touching each other and the thumbs facing the heart, in a Namaste position.

7. Japamālā mantraṃ (जपमाला मन्त्रं) :- Recite the below mantra once, to pray to the japa māla and invoke the blessings for a fruitful japa.

om̐ māṃ māle mahāmāye sarvamantra svarūpiṇi ।
caturvarga stvayinyasta stasmānye siddhidā bhava ॥

ॐ मां माले महामाये सर्वमन्त्र स्वरूपिणि ।
चतुर्वर्ग स्त्वयिन्यस्त स्तस्मान्ये सिद्धिदा भव॥

8. Guru Mantra (गुरु मन्त्र) :- Recite the following guru mantra once, to seek the blessings of all gurus and the Guru.

om̐ hrīm̐ siddhaguro prasīda hrīm̐ om̐

ॐ ह्रीँ सिद्धगुरो प्रसीद ह्रीँ ॐ ।

9. Atha Śrī Dakṣiṇāmūrti Mahā Mantraḥ (अथ श्री दक्षिणामूर्ति महामन्त्रः) - The 24 lettered mantra of Śrī Dakṣiṇāmūrti is -

om̐ namo bhagavate dakṣiṇāmūrtaye mahyaṃ medhāṃ prajñāṃ prayaccha svāhā ।

ॐ नमो भगवते दक्षिणामूर्तये मह्यं मेधां प्रज्ञां प्रयच्छ स्वाहा ।

The mantra should be recited at least 108 times. Initiation is suggested.

Meaning:-

The Praṇava bīja (seed mantra) om̐, represents the Śabda Brahman and is the origin of all sound. It also represents auspiciousness and removes all impurities.

‘namo’ is “salutations”, ‘bhagavate’ is the “Divine Lord” in the vocative case. ‘Mahyaṃ’ means “to me”. ‘Medhāṃ’ means “prudence and wisdom”, ‘prajñāṃ’ is the power to analyze and make the right decisions in disseminating the knowledge and grace, ‘prayacca’ means “please bestow” and the vahni bīja ‘svāhā’ is “oblations”.

Salutations to the highly revered Divine Father Śrī Dakṣiṇāmūrti, a form of Lord Śiva Himself. May He bestow upon us prudence, wisdom and spiritual knowledge and lead us towards emancipation!

He grants spiritual knowledge and transforms us completely and makes us realize that we are none other than the blemishless and pure super-consciousness.

10. aṅganyāsaḥ (अङ्गन्यासः)

S.no.

IAST

Devanāgari

Procedure

1

om̐ ām̐ om̐ hṛdayāya namaḥ

ॐ आँ ॐ हृदयाय नमः

Open index, middle and ring fingers of the right hand and place them on the heart chakra.

2

om̐ īm̐ om̐ śirase svāhā

ॐ ईँ ॐ शिरसे स्वाहा

Open middle and ring fingers of the right hand and touch the top of the forehead.

3

om̐ ūm̐ om̐ śikhāyai vaṣaṭ

ॐ ऊँ ॐ शिखायै वषट्

Open the right thumb and touch the back of the head. This is the point where the tuft of hair, is kept.

4

om̐ aim̐ om̐ kavacāya hum̐

ॐ ऐँ ॐ कवचाय हुँ

Cross both the hands and run the fully opened palms from shoulders to finger tips.

5

om̐ aum̐ om̐ netratrayāya vauṣaṭ

ॐ औँ ॐ नेत्रत्रयाय वौषट्

Touch the eyes with the right index and ring fingers, with the middle finger touching the ājña cakra.

6

om̐ aḥ om̐ astrāya phaṭ

ॐ अः ॐ अस्त्राय फट्

Open up the left palm and strike it three times with index and middle fingers of the right hand.

7

iti ṣaḍaṅga nyāsaḥ

इति षडङ्ग न्यासः

 

bhūr-bhuva-ssuvarom-iti digvimokaḥ ॥

भूर्भुवस्सुवरोमिति दिग्विमोकः॥

11. dhyānaṃ (ध्यानं) :-

vyākhyā-pīṭhe'ti-śubhraṃ ca bhasmod-dhūlita-vigraham ।

jñāna-mudr-ākṣa-mālāḍhyaṃ vīṇā pustaka dhāriṇam ॥

व्याख्यापीठेऽतिशुभ्रं च भस्मोद्धूलितविग्रहम् ।

ज्ञानमुद्राक्षमालाढ्यं वीणा पुस्तक धारिणम् ॥

 

12.Pañcapūjā (पञ्चपूजा) :-

S.no.

IAST

Devanāgari

Procedure

1

lam̐ - pṛthivyātmikāyai gandhaṁ samarpayāmi

 

लँ - पृथिव्यात्मिकायै गन्धं समर्पयामि

 

Hold the lower tip of the bottom phalange of the little fingers of both hands with the upper tip of the thumbs, with the back of the hand facing us.

2

ham̐ - ākāśātmikāyai puṣpaiḥ pūjayāmi

 

हँ - आकाशात्मिकायै पुष्पैः पूजयामि

 

Hold the lower tip of the bottom phalange of the thumbs of both hands with the upper tip/nails of the index fingers, with the back of the hand facing us.

3

yam̐ - vāyvātmikāyai dhūpamāghrāpayāmi

 

यँ - वाय्वात्मिकायै धूपमाघ्रापयामि

 

Hold the lower tip of the bottom phalange of the index fingers of both hands with the upper tip of the thumbs, with the back of the hand facing us.

4

ram̐ - agnyātmikāyai dīpaṁ darśayāmi

 

रँ - अग्न्यात्मिकायै दीपं दर्शयामि

 

Hold the lower tip of the bottom phalange of the middle fingers of both hands with the upper tip of the thumbs, with the back of the hand facing us.

5

vam̐ - amṛtātmikāyai amṛtaṁ mahānaivedyaṁ nivedayāmi |

 

वँ - अमृतात्मिकायै अमृतं महानैवेद्यं निवेदयामि।

 

Hold the lower tip of the bottom phalange of the ring fingers of both hands with the upper tip of the thumbs, with the back of the hand facing us.

6

sam̐ - sarvātmikāyai sarvopacāra pūjām samarpayāmi

 

सँ - सर्वात्मिकायै सर्वोपचार पूजाम् समर्पयामि

 

Hold the fingers of each palm in a folded manner with the tips of each fingers of both hands touching each other and the thumbs facing the heart, in a Namaste position.

13.Samarpaṇam (समर्पणम्) :-  Take water in uttaraṇi (spoon) and by reciting the following śloka, offer the water to the earth.

guhyātiguhyagoptrā tvaṁ gṛhāṇāsmat-kṛtaṁ japam।
siddhirbhavatu me deva tvatprasādānmayi sthirā ॥

गुह्यातिगुह्यगोप्त्रा त्वं गृहाणास्मत्-कृतं जपम्।

सिद्धिर्भवतु मे देव त्वत्प्रसादान्मयि स्थिरा ॥

14.japānaṃtaraṃ mālāmantraṃ (जपानंतरं मालामन्त्रं) :-

Recite the below śloka and mantra, followed by placing the māla upon the top of the head and then place it back in the māla bag and conceal it. It should NOT be worn.

śloka॥ om̐ tvaṃ māle sarvadevānāṃ prītidā śubhadā bhava।

śubhaṃ kuruṣya me bhadre yaśo vīryaṃ ca dehime॥

श्लोक॥ ॐ त्वं माले सर्वदेवानां प्रीतिदा शुभदा भव।

शुभं कुरुष्य मे भद्रे यशो वीर्यं च देहिमे॥

mantra॥ om̐ hrīm̐ siddhyai namaḥ॥

मन्त्र॥ ॐ ह्रीँ सिद्ध्यै नमः॥

15. Puraścaraṇa (पुरश्चरण) :-

Japa

320,000

Homa

32,000

Tarpaṇa

3,200

Mārjana

320

Bhojana

32

This article is written by Krishna Vallapareddy and can be contacted at Krishna@manblunder.com