Book Description

Dakshinamurti is an aspect of the Hindu god Shiva, as a teacher. Dakshinamurti literally means 'one who is facing south.' An image of Shiva as Dakshinamurti is part of every temple to Shiva, installed facing south. This work primarily contains the Dakshinamurti Stotra, along with commentary by the translator, as well as two shorter works, the Pranava-Vartika and the Dakshinamurti-Upanishad. The Dakshinamurti Stotra is a treatise on Hindu philosophy, attributed to the sage Sankaracharya, comparing various schools of thought, including Buddhism, concerning the nature of reality. PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION INTRODUCTION DAKSHINAMURTI STOTRA CHAPTER I. ATMAN AS THE EGO CHAPTER II. ATMAN AS THE FIRST CAUSE CHAPTER III. UNITY OF ATMAN CHAPTER IV. ATMAN THE ONE EXISTENCE AND LIGHT CHAPTER V. FALSE PERSONATIONS OF ATMAN CHAPTER VI. ATMAN THE ETERNAL EXISTENCE CHAPTER VII. ATMAN, THE ETERNAL LIGHT CHAPTER VIII. MAYA CHAPTER IX. DEVOTION TO ISVARA CHAPTER X. PERFECTION SURESVARACHARYA'S PRANAVA-VARTIKA DAKSINAMURTI-UPANISHAD "Whoso hath highest love for God, and for the Guru as for God, to that Mahatman, the truths here taught shine in full." (Svetasvatara-Upanishad, VI., 23). These are the words with which the Upanishad concludes its teaching and with which Suresvaracharya, like many other teachers, closes his exposition of the Vedanta Doctrine. They form the key-note of the whole Vedic Religion as of all other Religious systems based on Revelation. It behoves, therefore, the student of spiritual wisdom,--nay, it behoves every seeker after Truth,--to study and understand the principle enunciated in the passage quoted above.