30/09/2025
Hastamalaka Strotra is the reply of HastAmalakAcharya, a 12 year old boy, on being asked to introduce himself by AdiSankara. (Read previous post). It will require patience to read this post but Sadhakas might get something
AdiSankara had himself given similar answer to his Guru Govindpada when he was asked who he is, the composition/answer is known as NirvanaShatakam
॥हस्तामलक स्तोत्रम्॥
शंकरः उवाच ।
(इन्द्रवज्रा छन्द -)
कस्त्वं शिशो कस्य कुतोऽसि गन्ता किं नाम ते त्वं कुत आगतोऽसि ।
एतन्मयोक्तं वद चार्भक त्वं मत्प्रीतये प्रीति विवर्धनोऽसि ॥ १॥
हस्तामलक उवाच ।
नाहं मनुष्यो न च देव-यक्षौ न ब्राह्मण-क्षत्रिय-वैश्य-शूद्राः ।
न ब्रह्मचारी न गृही वनस्थो भिक्षुर्न चाहं निजबोध रूपः ॥ २॥
(भुजङ्गप्रयात छन्द -)
निमित्तं मनश्चक्षुरादि प्रवृत्तौ निरस्ताखिलोपाधिराकाशकल्पः ।
रविर्लोकचेष्टानिमित्तंयथा यः सनित्योपलब्धिस्वरूपोऽहमात्मा ॥ ३॥
यमग्न्युष्णवन्नित्यबोध स्वरूपं मनश्चक्षुरादीन्यबोधात्मकानि ।
प्रवर्तन्त आश्रित्य निष्कम्पमेकं सनित्योपलब्धिस्वरूपोऽहमात्मा ॥ ४॥
मुखाभासको दर्पणे दृश्यमानो मुखत्वात् पृथक्त्वेन नैवास्ति वस्तु ।
चिदाभासको धीषु जीवोऽपितद्वत् सनित्योपलब्धिस्वरूपोऽहमात्मा ॥ ५॥
यथा दर्पणाभाव आभासहानौ मुखं विद्यते कल्पनाहीनमेकम् ।
तथा धी वियोगे निराभासको यः सनित्योपलब्धिस्वरूपोऽहमात्मा ॥ ६॥
मनश्चक्षुरादेर्वियुक्तः स्वयं यो मनश्चक्षुरादेर्मनश्चक्षुरादिः ।
मनश्चक्षुरादेरगम्यस्वरूपः सनित्योपलब्धिस्वरूपोऽहमात्मा ॥ ७॥
य एको विभाति स्वतः शुद्धचेताः प्रकाशस्वरूपोऽपि नानेव धीषु ।
शरावोदकस्थो यथा भानुरेकः सनित्योपलब्धिस्वरूपोऽहमात्मा ॥ ८॥
यथाऽनेकचक्षुः-प्रकाशो रविर्नक्रमेण प्रकाशीकरोति प्रकाश्यम् ।
अनेका धियो यस्तथैकः प्रबोधः सनित्योपलब्धिस्वरूपोऽहमात्मा ॥ ९॥
विवस्वत् प्रभातं यथा रूपमक्षं प्रगृह्णाति नाभातमेवं विवस्वान् ।
यदाभात आभासयत्यक्षमेकः सनित्योपलब्धिस्वरूपोऽहमात्मा ॥ १०॥
यथा सूर्य एकोऽप्स्वनेकश्चलासु स्थिरास्वप्यनन्यद्विभाव्यस्वरूपः ।
चलासु प्रभिन्नः सुधीष्वेक एव (प्रभिन्नासु धीष्वेवमेकः) सनित्योपलब्धिस्वरूपोऽहमात्मा ॥ ११॥
घनच्छन्नदृष्टिर्घनच्छन्नमर्कम् यथा निष्प्रभं मन्यते चातिमूढः ।
तथा बद्धवद्भाति यो मूढ-दृष्टेः सनित्योपलब्धिस्वरूपोऽहमात्मा ॥ १२॥
समस्तेषु वस्तुष्वनुस्यूतमेकं समस्तानि वस्तूनि यन्न स्पृशन्ति ।
वियद्वत्सदा शुद्धमच्छस्वरूपं सनित्योपलब्धिस्वरूपोऽहमात्मा ॥ १३॥
उपाधौ यथा भेदता सन्मणीनां तथा भेदता बुद्धिभेदेषु तेऽपि ।
यथा चन्द्रिकाणां जले चञ्चलत्वं तथाचञ्चलत्वं तवापीह विष्णो ॥ १४॥
॥ इति श्रीहस्तामलकाचार्यरचितं
हस्तामलकसंवादस्तोत्रं सम्पूर्णम् ॥
AdiSankara asks :-
O Child, who are you, where are you going?
What is your name? From where are you coming?
For the sake of my liking to you to increase,
Please tell answers to what I have asked?
Hastamalaka spoke (every one is stunned to hear him in this ornamental Sanskrit as they boy never spoke or displayedany interest in formal learning)
2. I am neither man, God, yaksha, brahmin, kshatriya, vaisya, sudra, brahmachari, householder, forest-dweller, nor sannyasi; but I am pure awareness alone.
3. Just as the sun causes all worldly movements, so do I — the ever-present, conscious Self — cause the mind to be active and the senses to function. Again, just as the ether is all-pervading, yet devoid of any specific qualities, so am I free from all qualities.
4. I am the conscious Self, ever-present and associated with everything in the same manner as heat is always associated with fire. I am that eternal, undifferentiated, unshaken Consciousness, on account of which the insentient mind and senses function, each in its own manner.
5. I am that conscious Self of whom the ego is not independent, as the image in a mirror is not independent of the object reflected.
6. I am the unqualified, conscious Self, existing even after the extinction of buddhi, just as the object remains ever the same even after the removal of the reflecting mirror.
7. I am eternal Consciousness, dissociated from the mind and senses. I am the mind of the mind, the eye of the eye, ear of the ear and so on. I am not cognizable by the mind and senses.
8. I am the eternal, single, conscious Self, reflected in various intellects, just as the sun is reflected on the surface of various sheets of water.
9. I am the single, conscious Self, illumining all intellects, just as the sun simultaneously illumines all eyes so that they perceive objects.
10. Only those eyes that are helped by the sun are capable of seeing objects, not others. The source from which the sun derives its power is myself.
11. Just as the reflection of the sun on agitated waters seems to break up, but remains perfect on a calm surface, so also am I, the conscious Self, unrecognizable in agitated intellects though I clearly shine in those which are calm.
12. Just as a fool thinks that the sun is entirely lost when it is hidden by dense clouds, so do people think that the ever-free Self is bound.
13. Just as the ether is all-pervading and unaffected by contact, so also does the ever-conscious Self pervade everything without being affected in anyway. I am that Self.
14. Just as a transparent crystal takes on the lines of its background, but is in no way changed thereby, and just as the unchanging moon on being reflected on undulating surfaces appears agitated, so is it with you, the all-pervading God.
