Atha Dvāviṃśatyakṣara Śrī Dakṣiṇāmūrti Mahāmantraḥ (अथ द्वाविंशत्यक्षर श्री दक्षिणामूर्ति महामन्त्रः) :-

Source :- Śiva Pūjā Paddhati.

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 deisties. It is also believed, that His mantras can grant vāk siddhi, which empowers the sAdhaka to materialize all spoken words.

1.Viniyogaḥ (विनियोगः) :-

om̐ asya dakṣiṇāmūrti mantrasya ।

caturmukha ṛṣiḥ ।

gāyatrī chandaḥ ।

vedavyākhyānatatpara dakṣiṇāmūrti devatā ।

sarveṣṭa siddhaye jape viniyogaḥ ॥

ॐ अस्य दक्षिणामूर्ति मन्त्रस्य ।

चतुर्मुख ऋषिः ।

गायत्री छन्दः ।

वेदव्याख्यानतत्पर दक्षिणामूर्ति देवता ।

सर्वेष्ट सिद्धये जपे विनियोगः ॥

Meaning:- This prayer/mantra japa is to invoke Śrī Dakṣiṇāmūrti and perform His mantra japa to obtain His complete grace in all aspects, and to obtain the four puruṣārtha-s – dharma (justice, law), artha (wealth), kāma (desires) and mokṣa (liberation) and all desires that one may seek from the Divine. The sage (ṛṣiḥ) is the four headed Caturmukha Brahma, the meter (chandas) for the mantra is Gāyatrī and the deity is Vedavyākhyāna tatpara Śrī Dakṣiṇāmūrti Devatā.

2.Rṣyādi nyāsa ( ऋष्यादि न्यास ) :-

3.karanyāsaḥ (करन्यासः) :-

4.aṅganyāsaḥ (अङ्गन्यासः) :-

bhūr-bhuva-ssuvarom-iti digbandhaḥ ॥

भूर्भुवस्सुवरोमिति दिग्बन्धः॥

5.Dhyānaṃ (ध्यानं) :-

vaṭavṛkṣaṃ mahocchrāyaṃ padmarāga-phalojjvalam gārutmantamayaiḥ patrair-vicitra-rūpa śobhitam ।

navaratna mahākalpair-lambamānair-alaṃkṛtam vicintya vaṭamūlasthaṃ cintayel-loka-nāyakam ॥ 1 ॥

वटवृक्षं महोच्छ्रायं पद्मरागफलोज्ज्वलम् गारुत्मन्तमयैः पत्रैर्विचित्ररूप शोभितम् ।

नवरत्न महाकल्पैर्लम्बमानैरलंकृतम् विचिन्त्य वटमूलस्थं चिन्तयेल्लोकनायकम् ॥ १ ॥

Meaning :- Salutations to the Supreme Lord Dakṣiṇāmūrti, who is stationed at the base of a massive banyan tree, rising very high into the sky, widespread, very dense and decorated with dazzling rubies, emerald green leaves and all types of precious stones including the highly coveted nine precious stones (navaratna-s). He is in deep thought and bliss and immersed in the welfare of the entire Creation at all times.

The dense tree signifies the entire cosmos and the various dimensions containing life forms and various energies, depicted as emeralds and rubies. In the human context, we can associate with the brain and nervous cells, as well as the spinal cord and the six cakras.

sphaṭika-rajata-varṇaṃ mauktikīm akṣamālām amṛta-kalaśa vidyājñāna-mudrā karābjaiḥ ।

dadhatam-uraga-kakṣaṃ candra-cūḍaṃ trinetram vidhṛta vividhabhūṣaṃ dakṣiṇāmūrtimīḍe ॥ 2 ॥

स्फटिकरजतवर्णं मौक्तिकीमक्षमालाममृतकलश विद्याज्ञानमुद्रा कराब्जैः ।

दधतमुरगकक्षं चन्द्रचूडं त्रिनेत्रम् विधृत विविधभूषं दक्षिणामूर्तिमीडे ॥ २ ॥

He is white in complexion, holding a pearl rosary (mālā) and also a rosary of rudrākṣa mālā in one set of upper arms. The lower arms hold a vessel of ambrosia (amṛta kalaśa) and display the knowledge and bliss granting vidyājñāna mudrā. He is adorned by a great snake wrapped around His  girdle and a moon on the tuft of His hair. He is three-eyed and adorned with various ornaments and possessions. He is Lord Dakṣiṇāmūrti.

The pearl and rudrākṣa rosary mālā-s indicate 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 snake represents the Kuṇḍalini śakti, the primordial energy wrapped at the base of the spine in the root cakra. The three eyes indicate the activation of the third-eye cakra, which is the pineal gland. The moon decorated as a diadem, represents the concept of the dissension of the super-consciousness into matter, also represented as nāda-bindu. The bindu being the dimensionless dot and the nāda is a cup or plate, representing the expansion of the dot indicating Creation!

śaṅkaraṃ tu śaraccandra-nibham-bhoja-madhyagaṃ gaṅgādharaṃ śaraccandra karollāsita śekharam ।

prasanna-vadanāmbhojaṃ tri-netraṃ susmitānanaṃ divyāmbara-dharaṃ devaṃ gandhamālyair-alaṅkṛta ॥ 3॥

शङ्करं तु शरच्चन्द्रनिभम्भोजमध्यगं गङ्गाधरं शरच्चन्द्र करोल्लासित शेखरम् ।

प्रसन्नवदनाम्भोजं त्रिनेत्रं सुस्मिताननं दिव्याम्बरधरं देवं गन्धमाल्यैरलङ्कृत ॥ ३ ॥

The Divine Lord appears as showering auspiciousness, prosperity and all types of bounty. He is to be meditated as, resembling the pleasant and blooming autumnal moon and bearing the river Ganges in His hair locks, adorned with and shining brilliantly like the autumnal moon. appearing like a diadem on His crown. He is three-eyed, displaying a very pleasing and enticing look, adorned with divine apparel, garlands and fragrances. 

The three-eyes represent an awakened and radiant ājñā cakra. The autumnal moon occurs near about when the Sun is directly above the equator and the days and nights are equal in length. This represents a balance in both the material and spiritual pursuits, which should be the key towards a more balanced karmic approach towards life in general. The flow of the Ganges is the flow of the spiritual energy with an awakened sahasrāra cakra, leading us towards spiritual emancipation. Gradually with His grace, our aura also begins to shine forth, as all the cakras activate and radiate through it.

nānaratnamayākalpam-anukalpa vibhūṣitaṃ muktākṣa-mālāṃ dakṣordhve jñāna-mudrām-adhaḥ kare ।

vāmordhve ca sudhākuṃ bhaṃ pustakaṃ tadadhaḥ kare dadhānaṃ cintayed devaṃ muni-vṛndani-sevitam ॥ 4 ॥

नानरत्नमयाकल्पमनुकल्प विभूषितं मुक्ताक्षमालां दक्षोर्ध्वे ज्ञानमुद्रामधः करे ।

वामोर्ध्वे च सुधाकुं भं पुस्तकं तदधः करे दधानं चिन्तयेद् देवं मुनिवृन्दनिसेवितम् ॥ ४ ॥

He is resplendent with the luster of all types of precious ornaments and gems as well as their substitutes. He is verily the luster of all types of precious and semi-precious stones. He bears on His two right arms, a pair of pearl and rudrākṣa mālā-s in one arm and in another, displays the wisdom granting jñāna-mudrā, that leads us to liberation. On the corresponding left arms, He holds a vessel of ambrosia (aṃṛta) and a book containing all the scriptures and knowledge, for both material and spiritual emancipation. He is contemplated upon by all the deities and living beings and is ably assisted and served by an inner circle of sages, who help carry out His wishes of bestowing knowledge and grace upon the entire Creation.

The luster represents His omni-presence in the entire Creation in the form of light, waves and matter. The pair of mālā-s lead us towards spiritual emancipation (mokṣa). The knowledge is granted by His grace and the contents of various scriptures that describe the true nature of Brahman, the singular reality. The vessel of ambrosia (aṃṛta), represents the cerebral fluid that gets generated during deep meditation.

The four sages who assist Lord Dakṣiṇāmūrti, are the mind-born (mānasaputra-s) sons of the Creator Lord Brahma. The mind-born sons are Sanaka, Sanātana, Sanandana and Sanatkumāra.

The mind-born can be interpreted as the constituents of the causal body (kāraṇa śarīra), which are the mind, intellect, ego and consciousness. Sanaka literally means, the ancient one. Likewise, Sanātana indicates eternal existence, Sanandana is everlasting joy and Sanatkumāra represents eternal youth.

From an individual perspective, when the causal body is fully aligned with and in deep contemplation of the divine (Lord Dakṣiṇāmūrti), the mind perceives Sanaka and identifies the ancient and ever present knowledge of the True Reality. The fruits extend further, with the intellect recognizing Sanātana and discerning the eternal existence of Brahman and the ego experiencing the eternal joy of bliss represented by Sanandana and finally the individual self, revealing itself as part of Brahman and beyond the dimensions of time and matter, indicated by Sanatkumāra!

6.Pañcapūjā (पञ्चपूजा) :-

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 22 lettered mantra of Śrī Dakṣiṇāmūrti is -

om̐ namo bhagavate dakṣiṇāmūrtaye mahyaṃ medhāṃ prayaccha svāhā ।

ॐ नमो भगवते दक्षिणामूर्तये मह्यं मेधां 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 “highly honored”. ‘Medhāṃ’ means “prudence and wisdom”, ‘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)

bhūr-bhuva-ssuvarom-iti digvimokaḥ ॥

भूर्भुवस्सुवरोमिति दिग्विमोकः॥

11.dhyānaṃ (ध्यानं) :-

vaṭavṛkṣaṃ mahocchrāyaṃ padmarāga-phalojjvalam gārutmantamayaiḥ patrair-vicitra-rūpa śobhitam ।

navaratna mahākalpair-lambamānair-alaṃkṛtam vicintya vaṭamūlasthaṃ cintayel-loka-nāyakam ॥ 1 ॥

वटवृक्षं महोच्छ्रायं पद्मरागफलोज्ज्वलम् गारुत्मन्तमयैः पत्रैर्विचित्ररूप शोभितम् ।

नवरत्न महाकल्पैर्लम्बमानैरलंकृतम् विचिन्त्य वटमूलस्थं चिन्तयेल्लोकनायकम् ॥ १ ॥

sphaṭika-rajata-varṇaṃ mauktikīm akṣamālām amṛta-kalaśa vidyājñāna-mudrā karābjaiḥ ।

dadhatam-uraga-kakṣaṃ candra-cūḍaṃ trinetram vidhṛta vividhabhūṣaṃ dakṣiṇāmūrtimīḍe ॥ 2 ॥

स्फटिकरजतवर्णं मौक्तिकीमक्षमालाममृतकलश विद्याज्ञानमुद्रा कराब्जैः ।

दधतमुरगकक्षं चन्द्रचूडं त्रिनेत्रम् विधृत विविधभूषं दक्षिणामूर्तिमीडे ॥ २ ॥

śaṅkaraṃ tu śaraccandra-nibham-bhoja-madhyagaṃ gaṅgādharaṃ śaraccandra karollāsita śekharam ।

prasanna-vadanāmbhojaṃ tri-netraṃ susmitānanaṃ divyāmbara-dharaṃ devaṃ gandhamālyair-alaṅkṛta ॥ 3 ॥

शङ्करं तु शरच्चन्द्रनिभम्भोजमध्यगं गङ्गाधरं शरच्चन्द्र करोल्लासित शेखरम् ।

प्रसन्नवदनाम्भोजं त्रिनेत्रं सुस्मिताननं दिव्याम्बरधरं देवं गन्धमाल्यैरलङ्कृत ॥ ३ ॥

nānaratnamayākalpam-anukalpa vibhūṣitaṃ muktākṣa-mālāṃ dakṣordhve jñāna-mudrām-adhaḥ kare ।

vāmordhve ca sudhākuṃ bhaṃ pustakaṃ tadadhaḥ kare dadhānaṃ cintayed devaṃ muni-vṛndani-sevitam ॥ 4 ॥

नानरत्नमयाकल्पमनुकल्प विभूषितं मुक्ताक्षमालां दक्षोर्ध्वे ज्ञानमुद्रामधः करे ।

वामोर्ध्वे च सुधाकुं भं पुस्तकं तदधः करे दधानं चिन्तयेद् देवं मुनिवृन्दनिसेवितम् ॥ ४ ॥

12.Pañcapūjā (पञ्चपूजा) :-

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) :-

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