Dakshinamurthy () is an aspect of the Hindu god

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

as a

guru Guru ( sa, गुरु, IAST: ''guru;'' Pali'': garu'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: traditionally, the guru is a reverential ...

(teacher) of all types of knowledge. This aspect of Shiva, as the original guru, is his personification as the supreme or the ultimate awareness, understanding and knowledge. This form represents Shiva as a teacher of

yoga Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consci ...

, music and wisdom, and giving exposition on the ''

shastra ''Shastra'' (, IAST: , ) is a Sanskrit word that means "precept, rules, manual, compendium, book or treatise" in a general sense.Monier Williams, Monier Williams' Sanskrit-English Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Article on 'zAstra'' The wo ...

s''. He is worshipped as the god of wisdom, complete and rewarding meditation. According to Hindu scriptures, if a person doesn't have a guru, they can consider and worship Dakshinamurthy as their guru. Eventually they will be blessed with a self-realised human guru, if they are worthy.

Meaning

Dakshinamurti literally means 'one who is facing south ()' in

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

. According to another school of thought 'Dakshinya' means Karuna in Sanskrit or kindness (benevolence). So this manifestation of Shiva is a benevolent teacher who accords wisdom to seekers of salvation. In most of the Siva temples, the stone image of Dakshinamurthy is installed, facing south, on the southern circumambulatory path around the sanctum sanctorum. Perhaps, of all Hindu Gods, he is the only one sitting facing south. Ramana Maharshi said in letter 89: one meaning of ''Dakshina'' is efficient; another meaning is 'in the heart on the right side of the body'; ''Amurthy'' 'means Formlessness' . "Dakshinamurthy Stotra" in Sanskrit, means the "Shapelessness situated on the right side".

Depiction

In his aspect as Jnana Dakshinamurti, Shiva is generally shown with four arms. He is depicted seated under a banyan tree, facing the south. Shiva is seated upon a deer-throne and surrounded by sages who are receiving his instruction. He is shown as seated with his right foot on mythical

apasmara According to Hindu mythology, Apasmāra also known as "kaal" or "brahm" is a dwarf who represents spiritual ignorance and nonsensical speech.Hindu mythology, is the personification of ignorance) and his left foot lies folded on his lap. Sometimes even the wild animals, are depicted to surround Shiva. In his upper arms, he holds a snake or rosary or both in one hand and a flame in the other; while in his lower right hand is shown in vyakhyanamudra, his lower left hand holds a bundle of kusha grass or the scriptures. The index finger of his right hand is bent and touching the tip of his thumb. The other three fingers are stretched apart. This symbolic hand gesture or mudra is the Gnana Mudra (or Jnana Mudra or Jana Mudra), a symbol of knowledge and wisdom. Sometimes, this hand is in the

Abhaya Mudra The Abhayamudrā "gesture of fearlessness" is a mudrā (gesture) that is the gesture of reassurance and safety, which dispels fear and accords divine protection and bliss in Buddhism and other Indian religions. The right hand is held upright, a ...

, a posture of assurance and blessing. In

Melakadambur Melakadambur is a village located from Chidambaram, and can reach at 6 km from Kattumannarkoil, Cuddalore district, Tamil Nadu, India. It is known for Arulmigu Amirthakateshwarar Thirukkoil temple, constructed during the reign of Cholas ...

the statue of the Dakshinamurthy appears seated on a bull under a banyan tree with a hole extending from one ear to the other. Dakshinamurthy is portrayed as a powerful form brimming with ever-flowing bliss and supreme joy while being in the yogic state of abstract meditation. Variations of this iconic representation include Veenadhara Dakshinamurthy (holding a

Veena The ''veena'', also spelled ''vina'' ( sa, वीणा IAST: vīṇā), comprises various chordophone instruments from the Indian subcontinent. Ancient musical instruments evolved into many variations, such as lutes, zithers and arched harps ...

) and Rishabharooda Dakshinamurthy (mounted on a Rishabha - the bull).

Significance

Indian tradition accords a special reverence to the guru or the spiritual teacher. Dakshinamurti is regarded as the ultimate guru, the embodiment of knowledge and the personification of ignorance (as represented by the demon being crushed under the feet of the deity). The Jnana Mudra is interpreted in this way:- The thumb denotes the god and the index finger denotes the man. The other three fingers stand for the three congenital impurities of man viz. arrogance, illusion and bad deeds of the past births. When man detaches himself from these impurities, he reaches God. Another interpretation is that the other three fingers denote the three states of life: Jagruti (Fully awake through senses and mind), Swapna (Sleep state - When the mind is awake) and Sushupti (True-self - When the senses and mind go into soul - Atma). The Abhaya Mudra, a gesture with the hand lifted above thigh with palm facing out, fingers pointing, is interpreted as his grace upon his students. The rosary or the snake signifies tantric knowledge. The fire represents illumination, removing the darkness of ignorance.

Impact on Indian Life

The fifth day of the week, Thursday is associated with the planet Jupiter and is referred to as

Brihaspati Brihaspati ( sa, बृहस्पति, ), also known as Guru, is a Hindu deity. In the ancient Vedic scriptures of Hinduism, Brihaspati is a deity associated with fire, and the word also refers to a rishi (sage) who counsels the devas (god ...

, who is the teacher of the Gods. For this reason, many languages have taken to referring to Thursday as Guruvar or Guruvaaram, a simplification of the more formal Brihaspativar (which is retained in languages like Bangla). Thursdays are considered to be auspicious days on which to start any educational endeavor. It is on Thursdays that special worship services are offered to Dakshinamurthy in many Saivite temples. Some temple traditions hold

full moon The full moon is the lunar phase when the Moon appears fully illuminated from Earth's perspective. This occurs when Earth is located between the Sun and the Moon (when the ecliptic longitudes of the Sun and Moon differ by 180°). This means ...

nights, particularly the night of the Guru Purnima as the appropriate time for worship services to Dakshinamurthy.

Temples

Even though the icon of Dakshinamurthy is installed in every Shiva temple, there are only a few temples where Dakshinamurthy is the chief deity. * Only one of the twelve Jyotirlingas is Dakshinamurthy, the Mahakaleshwar in Ujjain. Being the only Dakshinmurthy Jyotirlinga, It holds special importance for Shaivites as a site of learning. * A 112 feet, South-facing

Adiyogi Shiva statue The ''Adiyogi'' statue is a , and steel statue of Shiva with Thirunamam at Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. It is recognized by the ''Guinness World Records'' as the "Largest Bust Sculpture” in the world.Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, and inaugurated by Indian Prime Minister

Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (; born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician serving as the 14th and current Prime Minister of India since 2014. Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Parliament fro ...

on February 24, 2017. It is located at the Isha Yoga Center in Coimbatore, India. The South-facing Adiyogi is seen as a representation of Dakshinamurthy, and is considered the Adi Guru or the first Guru. * Sree Dakshinamurthy Temple at Sukapuram, Edapal Taluk in Malappuram District,

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

. Pratishtha was done by Suka Maharshi. It is estimated to be 1500 years old. * Sree Medha Dakshinamurthy Temple in gujrathipeta, Srikakulam in Andhra Pradesh. * The deity at the famous Shiva temple in Vaikom town in

Kottayam district Kottayam (), is one of 14 districts in the Indian state of Kerala. Kottayam district comprises six municipal towns: Kottayam, Changanassery, Pala, Erattupetta, Ettumanoor, and Vaikom. It is the only district in Kerala that neither borders the A ...

is worshipped as Dakshinamurthy in the morning, Kirathamurthy in the afternoon and as Umamaheshwara in the evening. *

Ettumanoor Mahadevar Temple Ettumanoor Mahadeva temple is an ancient Shiva temple in Kottayam, Kerala, India. Temple tradition has it that the Pandavas and the sage Vyasa had worshipped at this temple. The name of the place has its origin from the word ''manoor'', whic ...

in Kerala, where the deity enshrined in the form of a

Shivalingam A lingam ( sa, लिङ्ग , lit. "sign, symbol or mark"), sometimes referred to as linga or Shiva linga, is an abstract or aniconic representation of the Hindu god Shiva in Shaivism. It is typically the primary ''murti'' or devotional i ...

is considered as Dakshinamurthy * Alangudi, Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu * Sree Dakshinamurthy Temple at Pattamangalam village, in Sivagangai District, Tamil Nadu. It is estimated that this temple is nearly 500 years old. * In the Sivanandeswarar temple in Thirupanthurai, Tanjore, Tamil Nadu, He is depicted in the Ardhanari form. * In Thirupulivanam, we can find Dakshinamurthy in the form of Ardhanariswara. This temple is on the Uthiramerur-Kanchipuram road, 5 km from Uthiramerur, near Chennai. * In March 2007, a big temple of Lord Dakshinamurty (the first in Maharashtra) was created in the Shrutisagar Ashram, about 30 km from

Pune Pune (; ; also known as Poona, ( the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million As of 2021, Pune Metropolitan Region is the largest i ...

* Pragya Dakshinamoorthy at Chibavananda Ashram in Theni, western Tamil Nadu * In Suchindram Thanumalaya temple (5 km from Nagercoil, Kanyakumari Dist.), contrary to tradition, Dakshinamurthy is worshipped instead of

Ganesh Ganesha ( sa, गणेश, ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in Ganapatya sect. His image is found throughout India. Hindu ...

/Vinayaka. Ganesha statue comes last in the worship line. * In Thiruvotriyur, Chennai a dedicated temple to Dhakshinamoorthy exists. It is unique as the Lord faces north and is aptly called VadaGurusthalam (the guru's place of north). * The oldest Dakshnimurthy temple is situated in Poonthottam village in Thiruvarur, Tamil Nadu. It is estimated that this temple is nearly 1000 years old and the idol of the lord was fixed on the day of mahakumbamela that took place 1000 years ago *Dakshinamurthy temple at Vellave near Taliparambu (

Kannur Kannur (), formerly known in English as Cannanore, is a city and a municipal corporation in the state of Kerala, India. It is the administrative headquarters of the Kannur district and situated north of the major port city and commercial hu ...

District,

), This is a swayambhoo temple (self evolved) of Dakshinamurthi. This temple is situated 4 km away from the famous Rajarajeshwara Temple, Taliparamba *Panaickal Sree Dakshinamurthy temple at

Kadakkarappally Kadakkarappally is a village in Alappuzha district in the Indian state of Kerala. It is a panchayat which comes under the Cherthala Assembly constituency. The village is home to Thankey church (St.Mary's Forane Church).Arsha Vidya Gurukulam
in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania. * Adiyogi The Abode of Yoga is a 30,000 square foot space located at the Isha Institute of Inner-sciences, Tennessee, USA. It houses a 21 feet statue of Adiyogi Shiva (which is seen as representation of Dakshinamurthy), along with a Shivalinga consecrated by Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev in September 2015. * Gurusthalam at Thiruvallur, Tamil Nad Shree Yoga Gnana Dhakshanamoorthy Peetam

Mantras and hymns

Many

mantra A mantra ( Pali: ''manta'') or mantram (मन्त्रम्) is a sacred utterance, a numinous sound, a syllable, word or phonemes, or group of words in Sanskrit, Pali and other languages believed by practitioners to have religious, ...

s are dedicated to Lord Dakshinamurthy. Lord Dakshinamurthy is prayed to for protection and overall wellbeing, and for success in education. Dakshinamurthy Gayatri Mantra Om Vrishabha-dhvajaaya Vidmahe
Ghruni-Hasthaaa Dheemahi
Thanno Dakshinamoorthy Prachodayaath ॐ वृषभध्वजाय विद्महे घृणिहस्ताय धीमहि , तन्नो दक्षिणामूर्ति प्रचोदयात् , , DakShinamoorthy Stótram by Adi Shankārachārya is a laudatory hymn for this form of Siva. ॐ मौनव्याख्या प्रकटितपरब्रह्मतत्वंयुवानं वर्शिष्ठान्तेवसदृषिगणैरावृतं ब्रह्मनिष्ठैः , आचार्येन्द्रं करकलित चिन्मुद्रमानन्दमूर्तिं स्वात्मरामं मुदितवदनं दक्षिणामूर्तिमीडे ‖ oṃ maunavyākhyā prakaṭita parabrahmatatvaṃ yuvānaṃ varśiṣṭhānte vasad ṛṣigaṇair āvṛtaṃ brahmaniṣṭhaiḥ , ācāryendraṃ karakalita cinmudram ānandamūrtiṃ svātmarāmaṃ muditavadanaṃ dakṣiṇāmūrtimīḍe ‖ I salute Śrī Dakṣiṇāmūrti, the Young Guru, who teaches the knowledge of Brahman through silence, who is surrounded by disciples, who are themselves ṛṣis and scholars in the Vedas. (I worship Śrī Dakṣiṇāmūrti), who is the teacher of teachers, whose hand is held in the sign of knowledge (cin-mudrā), whose nature is fullness, who reveals in himself, and who is ever silent.

Yogadakshinamurti

Yoga Dakshinamurti is an aspect of

as a

(teacher) of

Representation

In his aspect as Yoga

Dakshinamurti Dakshinamurthy () is an aspect of the Hindu god Shiva as a guru (teacher) of all types of knowledge. This aspect of Shiva, as the original guru, is his personification as the supreme or the ultimate awareness, understanding and knowledge. Thi ...

, Shiva is generally represented in any of the two styles described as under: - *He is represented sitting in padmasana posture and engrossed in

meditation Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique – such as mindfulness, or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity – to train attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm ...

. He is shown as having four arms. His four arms are depicted in different ways. In the upper right hand he holds his trident (

trishula The ''trishula'' () is a trident, a divine symbol, commonly used as one of the principal symbols in Hinduism. In Nepal and Thailand, the term also often refers to a short-handled weapon which may be mounted on a ''daṇḍa'' " staff". Unli ...

); he carries a bowl of human skull in his upper left hand; the lower right hand is shown in chinmudra; and the lower left hand is raised to his chest. *In another representation, he is shown as sitting under a banyan tree. His one leg rests on the ground, while the other is on his thigh, with the help of a Yogapatta. His four arms are shown in different ways. He carries an

akshamala A japamala, , or simply mala ( sa, माला; , meaning ' garland') is a loop of prayer beads commonly used in Indian religions such as Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, and Buddhism for counting recitations when performing '' japa'' (reciting a ...

in his upper right hand; the upper left hand is shown as carrying fire; the lower right hand is depicted in dyanamudra; and the lower left hand is shown in abhayamudra. Below his seat, two deer are shown squatting, and a cobra wound around his right arm looks towards him.

References

External links

Dakshinamurthy Stotram
{{HinduMythology Forms of Shiva Knowledge gods