Śrīhaṃsā Dakṣiṇāmūrti Mahāmantraḥ

(श्रीहंस दक्षिणामूर्ति महामन्त्रः)

Source – Sourced from a manuscript in the possession of Shri Dr. B. Upendranath Singh, a long time upāsaka and scholar of Śrīvidyā.

Initiation – Required.

1. Viniyogaḥ (विनियोगः) -

asya śrīhasa dakṣiṇāmūrti mahāmantrasya

śrī brahmaṇe ṛṣaye namaḥ

gāyatryai chandase namaḥ

śrīhaṃsa dakṣiṇāmūrtaye devatāyai namaḥ

o bījāya namaḥ

namaḥ śaktaye namaḥ

so'ham̐ kīlakāya namaḥ

mama śrīhaṃsa dakṣiṇāmūrti prasāda siddhyarthe śrī-guror-anujñāyā mahāmantra jape viniyogaḥ

अस्य श्रीहंस दक्षिणामूर्ति महामन्त्रस्य

ब्रह्मणे ऋषये नमः

गायत्र्यै छन्दसे नमः

श्रीहंस दक्षिणामूर्तये देवतायै नमः

बीजाय नमः

नमः शक्तये नमः

सोऽहँ कीलकाय नमः

मम श्रीहंस दक्षिणामूर्ति प्रसाद सिद्ध्यर्थे श्रीगुरोरनुज्ञाया महामन्त्र जपे विनियोगः ॥

Meaning - This prayer/mantra japa is to invoke Śrī Śrīhasa Dakṣiṇāmūrti in our heart, perform mantra japa to obtain His complete grace in all aspects, including the four puruṣārthasdharma (following own nature), artha (wealth), kāma (desires) and mokṣa (liberation) and all desires that one may seek from the Divine. The sage who visually saw this mantra (ṛṣiḥ) is Śrī Brahma, the Creator. The meter (chandas) for the mantra is Gāyatrī of twenty-four syllables and its variations. The deity is Śrī Śrīhaṃsa Dakṣiṇāmūrti, the seed (bījaṃ) is o, the power (śakti) is namaḥ. The key (kīlaka) that binds the mantra is so'ham̐. By the grace and command of our guru and the guru lineage, we pledge to undertake the mantra japa in full earnest.

2. Ṛṣyādi nyāsa (ऋष्यादि न्यास) -

S.no.

IAST

Devanāgari

Procedure

1

brahmaṇe ṛṣaye namaḥ śirasi ।

ब्रह्मणे ऋषये नमः शिरसि ।

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

2

Gāyatryai chandase namaḥ mukhe।

गायत्र्यै छन्दसे नमः मुखे ।

Now touch the lips of the mouth with the four fingers in the right palm, excluding thumb.

3

Śrīhaṃsa Dakṣiṇāmūrtaye devatāyai namaḥ hṛdi ।

श्रीहंस दक्षिणामूर्तये देवतायै नमः हृदि ।

Touch the heart with the right index, middle and ring fingers

4

om̐ bījāya namaḥ guhye ।

ॐ बीजाय नमः गुह्ये ।

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

5

namaḥ śaktaye namaḥ pādayoḥ ।

नमः शक्तये नमः पादयोः  ।

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

6

so'ham̐ kīlakāya namaḥ nābhau।

सोऽहँ कीलकाय नमः नाभौ।

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

7

mama śrīhaṃsa dakṣiṇāmūrti prasāda siddhyarthe śrī-guror-anujñāyā mahāmantra jape viniyogāya namaḥ sarvāṅge ।

मम श्रीहंस दक्षिणामूर्ति प्रसाद सिद्ध्यर्थे श्रीगुरोरनुज्ञाया महामन्त्र जपे विनियोगाय नमः सर्वाङ्गे ।

Run both the palms all over the body.

8

iti ṛṣyādi nyāsaḥ ॥

इति ऋष्यादि न्यासः ॥

Thus ends the Ṛṣyādi nyāsa.

3. Kara nyāsaḥ (करन्यासः) -

S.no.

IAST

Devanāgari

Procedure

1

om̐ ām̐ om̐ - aṅguṣṭābhyāṃ namaḥ ।

ॐ आँ ॐ - अङ्गुष्टाभ्यां नमः ।

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

2

om̐ īm̐ om̐ - tarjanībhyāṃ svāhā ।

ॐ ईँ ॐ - तर्जनीभ्यां स्वाहा ।

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

3

om̐ ūm̐ om̐ - madhyamābhyāṃ vaṣaṭ ।

ॐ ऊँ ॐ - मध्यमाभ्यां वषट् ।

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

4

om̐ aim̐ om̐ - anāmikābhyāṃ huṃ ।

ॐ ऐँ ॐ - अनामिकाभ्यां हुं ।

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

5

om̐ aum̐ om̐ - kaniṣṭikābhyāṃ vauṣaṭ

ॐ औँ ॐ - कनिष्टिकाभ्यां वौषट् ।

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

6

om̐ aḥ om̐ - karatalakarapruṣṭābhyāṃ phaṭ

ॐ अः ॐ - करतलकरप्रुष्टाभ्यां फट् ।

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 nyāsa

इति कर न्यासः ॥

Thus ends the six-part Kara nyāsa.

4. Ṣaḍāṅga nyāsaḥ (षडाङ्गन्यासः) -

S.no.

IAST

Devanāgari

Procedure

1

om̐ ām̐ om̐ – hṛdayāya namaḥ ।

ॐ आँ ॐ – हृदयाय नम: ।

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 head.

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 there is a tuft of hair.

4

om̐ aim̐ om̐ - kavacāya huṃ

ॐ ऐँ ॐ - कवचाय हुं

Cross both the hands and touch both shoulders with the palms.

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 ॥

Thus ends the six-part Ṣaḍāṅga nyāsa.

bhūr-bhuva-ssuvarom-iti digbandhaḥ

भूर्भुवस्सुवरोम् इति दिग्बन्धः

Meaning: May the directions be charmed and bound, to prevent any external obstacles from the powers residing in the triads – the Earth, atmosphere and the heavens.

5. Dhyānam (ध्यानम् ) -

dhyāyet padmāsanasthāṃ hṛdi kamale sūpaviṣṭaṃ vareṇyam

sat-cit-brahmāmṛtākhyaṃ ravi-śaśi-daha-khyāti vijñapti netraṃ

candrārkāṇupradīpta prādhīta nijatanuṃ candracūḍāvataṃsaṃ

śaṃbhuṃ devādhināthaṃ paśupātiṃ dakṣiṇāmūrtimādyaṃ

ध्यायेत् पद्मासनस्थां हृदि कमले सूपविष्टं वरेण्यम् ।

सत्-चित्-ब्रह्मामृताख्यं रवि-शशि-दह-ख्याति विज्ञप्ति नेत्रं ॥

चन्द्रार्काणुप्रदीप्त प्राधीत निजतनुं चन्द्रचूडावतंसं ।

शंभुं देवाधिनाथं पशुपातिं दक्षिणामूर्तिमाद्यं ॥

Meaning: Salutations to the most excellent Lord Śrī Dakṣiṇāmūrti, an emanation of Lord Śiva Himself, the Supreme Lord of the entire Creation, seated in a cross-legged lotus posture (Padmāsana), most benevolent and best amongst all! He is always in a very deep meditative state of contemplation, immersed in the state of the super-consciousness, enjoying the divine nectar of merging fully into It. His three eyes represent the Sun, Moon and Fire (Agni) maṇḍalas and their śaktis influencing all the worldly matters. He radiates in the combined glow of the Sun and the Moon. He is slender in appearance and adorns a crescent moon on His crown. He is a repository of all knowledge, known and unknown.

He is the dispeller of all sorrow and misery and bestower of all types of wealth, health, knowledge and happiness. He grants self-realization and completely unshackles the karmic bonds to lead us to salvation.

6. Pañcapūjā (पञ्चपूजा) -

S.no.

IAST

Devanāgari

Procedure

1

lam̐ pṛthvyāthmane gandham kalpayāmi namaḥ ।

लँ पृथ्व्यात्मने गन्धम् कल्पयामि नमः

Hold the lower tip of the bottom phalange of the little fingers of both hands with the upper tip of the thumbs.

2

ham̐ ākāśātmane puṣpam kalpayāmi namaḥ ।

हँ आकाशात्मने पुष्पम् कल्पयामि नमः ।

Hold the lower tip of the bottom phalange of the thumbs of both hands with the upper tip of the index fingers.

3

ya vāyvyātmane dhūpam kalpayāmi namaḥ ।

यँ वाय्व्यात्मने धूपम् कल्पयामि नमः

Hold the lower tip of the bottom phalange of the index fingers of both hands with the upper tip of the thumbs.

4

ram̐ vahnyātmane dīpam kalpayāmi namaḥ ।

रँ वह्न्यात्मने दीपम् कल्पयामि नमः ।

Hold the lower tip of the bottom phalange of the middle fingers of both hands with the upper tip of the thumbs.

5

vam̐ amṛtātmane naivedyam kalpayāmi namaḥ ।

वँ अमृतात्मने नैवेद्यम् कल्पयामि नमः ।

Hold the lower tip of the bottom phalange of the ring fingers of both hands with the upper tip of the thumbs.

6

sam̐ sarvātmane karpūramiśrita tāmbūlādi sarvopacārān kalpayāmi namaḥ ।

सँ सर्वात्मने कर्पूरमिश्रित ताम्बूलादि सर्वोपचारान् कल्पयामि नमः ।

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

7

Iti Pañcapūjā

इति पञ्चपूजा

Thus ends the Pañcapūjā.

7. Mantraḥ (मन्त्रः) -

om̐ namo bhagavate dakṣiṇāmūrtaye ham̐sassoha mahyaṃ medhāṃ prajñāṃ prayaccha svāhā

ॐ नमो भगवते दक्षिणामूर्तये हँसस्सोहँ मह्यं मेधां प्रज्ञां प्रयच्छ स्वाहा

Meaning: This is a twenty-eight syllabled mantra with some syllables representing bīja (seed) mantras. The parts of the main mantra including the bījas are described below. –

  1. The bīja (seed) mantra om̐ () consists of – ‘au’ => healing and deep cleansing, m̐’ => removes misery. Ushers in auspiciousness.
  2. The bīja (seed) mantra namo (नमो) refers to our salutations to the Divine and constitutes a bond that is nurtured in our heart.
  3. The words “bhagavate dakṣiṇāmūrtaye (भगवते दक्षिणामूर्तये)” refer to the Divine eminence of Śrī Dakṣiṇāmūrti referred in the vocative case.
  4. ham̐sa (हंसः) is the prāsādaparā mantra. The letter ‘ha’ represents Śiva and ‘sa’ stands for Śakti. The ending ‘’ indicates liberation of the individual consciousness (ātma or self). The exhalation of the vital air prāṇa is associated with ham̐’ and the inhalation with ‘saḥ’. The reversal of this leads to the activation of the Kuṇḍalinī śakti.
  5. The mantra so'ham̐ (सोऽहँ ) is the parāprāsāda mantra. The letter ‘ha’ represents Śiva and ‘sastands for Śakti. The ending ‘’ indicates the individual consciousness (ātma or self). When the breathing is reversed with ‘ham̐’ for inhalation and ‘saḥ’ for exhalation, the Kuṇḍalinī śakti gets activated.
  6. The word “mahyaṃ” means “unto me”.
  7. The word “medhāṃ” indicates prudence and wisdom.
  8. The word “prajñāṃ” indicates the power to analyze and make the right decisions in disseminating the knowledge and grace.
  9. The word “prayaccha” means “please bestow”.
  10. The Vahnisundarī bīja (seed) mantra svāhā (स्वाहा) represents complete submission and surrender to the Divine.

Salutations to the highly revered Divine Father in the form of Śrī Haṃsa Dakṣiṇāmūrti (form of Lord Śiva and the Divine Mother Śakti) to bestow upon us prudence, wisdom and spiritual knowledge and also lead us towards liberation from the bindings of the mundane world!

He grants spiritual knowledge and transforms us completely and makes us realize that we are none other than the blemish-less and pure super-consciousness, known as Brahman.

The 28 lettered Śrī Śrīhaṃsa Dakṣiṇāmūrti mantra should be recited at least 108 times. Initiation is essential.

8. Ṣaḍāṅga nyāsaḥ (षडाङ्गन्यासः) -

S.no.

IAST

Devanāgari

Procedure

1

om̐ ām̐ om̐ – hṛdayāya namaḥ ।

ॐ आँ ॐ – हृदयाय नम: ।

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 head.

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 there is a tuft of hair.

4

om̐ aim̐ om̐ - kavacāya huṃ ।

ॐ ऐँ ॐ - कवचाय हुं ।

Cross both the hands and touch both shoulders with the palms.

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 ॥

Thus ends the six-part Ṣaḍāṅga nyāsa.

bhūr-bhuva-ssuvarom-iti digvimokaḥ

भूर्भुवस्सुवरोम् इति दिग्विमोकः

Meaning: May the directions get unlocked to allow ourselves to experience the grace from all the triads of the three realms.

9. Dhyānam (ध्यानम् ) -

dhyāyet padmāsanasthāṃ hṛdi kamale sūpaviṣṭaṃ vareṇyam ।

sat-cit-brahmāmṛtākhyaṃ ravi-śaśi-daha-khyāti vijñapti netraṃ ॥

candrārkāṇupradīpta prādhīta nijatanuṃ candracūḍāvataṃsaṃ ।

śaṃbhuṃ devādhināthaṃ paśupātiṃ dakṣiṇāmūrtimādyaṃ ॥

ध्यायेत् पद्मासनस्थां हृदि कमले सूपविष्टं वरेण्यम् ।

सत्-चित्-ब्रह्मामृताख्यं रवि-शशि-दह-ख्याति विज्ञप्ति नेत्रं ॥

चन्द्रार्काणुप्रदीप्त प्राधीत निजतनुं चन्द्रचूडावतंसं ।

शंभुं देवाधिनाथं पशुपातिं दक्षिणामूर्तिमाद्यं ॥

10. Pañcapūjā (पञ्चपूजा) -

S.no.

IAST

Devanāgari

Procedure

1

lam̐ pṛthvyāthmane gandham kalpayāmi namaḥ ।

लँ पृथ्व्यात्मने गन्धम् कल्पयामि नमः

Hold the lower tip of the bottom phalange of the little fingers of both hands with the upper tip of the thumbs.

2

ham̐ ākāśātmane puṣpam kalpayāmi namaḥ ।

हँ आकाशात्मने पुष्पम् कल्पयामि नमः ।

Hold the lower tip of the bottom phalange of the thumbs of both hands with the upper tip of the index fingers.

3

yam̐ vāyvyātmane dhūpam kalpayāmi namaḥ ।

यँ वाय्व्यात्मने धूपम् कल्पयामि नमः

Hold the lower tip of the bottom phalange of the index fingers of both hands with the upper tip of the thumbs.

4

ram̐ vahnyātmane dīpam kalpayāmi namaḥ ।

रँ वह्न्यात्मने दीपम् कल्पयामि नमः ।

Hold the lower tip of the bottom phalange of the middle fingers of both hands with the upper tip of the thumbs.

5

vam̐ amṛtātmane naivedyam kalpayāmi namaḥ ।

वँ अमृतात्मने नैवेद्यम् कल्पयामि नमः ।

Hold the lower tip of the bottom phalange of the ring fingers of both hands with the upper tip of the thumbs.

6

sam̐ sarvātmane karpūramiśrita tāmbūlādi sarvopacārān kalpayāmi namaḥ ।

सँ सर्वात्मने कर्पूरमिश्रित ताम्बूलादि सर्वोपचारान् कल्पयामि नमः ।

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

7

Iti Pañcapūjā

इति पञ्चपूजा

Thus ends the Pañcapūjā.

11. Samarpaṇam (समर्पणम्) –

guhyādi guhya goptvātvam gṛhaṇāsmat kṛtaṃ japaṃ
siddhirbhavatu me deva tvat prasadān mayī sthirā

गुह्यादि गुह्य गोप्त्वात्वम् गृहणास्मत् कृतं जपं ।

सिद्धिर्भवतु मे देव त्वत् प्रसदान् मयी स्थिरा

Meaning: O Lord, you are the most hidden secret of all secrets. May these mantra japa counts performed by me, be offered to you in totality. Our prayers and hope, are that your grace shall remain with us always.

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