Nirvana Shatakam - Ending with Verse 6

अहं निर्विकल्पॊ निराकार रूपॊ विभुत्वाच् सर्वत्र सर्वेन्द्रियाणाम्
न चासंगत नैव मुक्तिर् न मेय: चिदानन्द रूप: शिवोऽहम् शिवॊऽहम् ॥

Literal Translation

I am without any variation (निर्विकल्पॊ) or any form ( निराकार )
I am present everywhere, I am the underlying essence of everything (विभुत्वाच् सर्वत्र)
and behind all sense organs (सर्वेन्द्रियाणाम्)
I am not unrelated (न च असंगत), neither am I free nor limited (नैव मुक्तिर् न मेय:) 
I am Pure Bliss and Consciousness 

In the last five verses, Adi Shankaracharya took us through all the things that the Atman is not. And in this last one he finally tells us how to understand the Atman - what the characteristics and qualities are. 

The first line, translates to mean that the Atman, is ever changeless and does not have variations or modifications or can not be broken into parts. I read this beautiful blog, that describes how everything in the Universe has 6 variations or changes that it undergoes - potential form, birth, growth, transformation, decay and death. Almost everything we see around us has these stages, but since the Atman doesn't ever take birth and is subject to no changes - it skips these 6 parts. 

In the second part of the first line - the Atman is described as having no form - it is neither a part of the manifested reality of the Universe, neither is it present in an un-manifested state (or seed state) anywhere. It exists in Absolute Reality - without any maya (illusion) attached to it.This eternal being is present everywhere - omnipresent and engages with and inhabits all the sense organs. 

The next part is tricky, because in the earlier verses we said, the Atman is not related to anyone and is free from "relations" and here we say, he/she is Not Un-Related. By writing about the Atman as not un-related, Adi Shankaracharya is trying to appeal to the fact that the Atman is related to all of us as our Inner-most Self and in that way is related to everything. 

The Atman is free of all kinds of limitations - he/she is not bound to space, time or all other attributes that everything else in the Universe is bound by. मेय: means a measurement or something finite that binds down all other aspects around us - except the Atman - which is not bound by these parameters. So when the Atman is not bound by anything, then where is the question of liberation? What does it need to be freed from? and Why? 

The Atman, is changeless, without parts and without a duplicate. It is eternal, it is infinite and can not be measured. It is not limited by the boundaries or rules of the manifested Universe. And yet it inhabits everything around us. It is omnipresent and but also omnipotent - with unlimited power, that maybe works on the manifested reality in ways we can not notice or are unknown to us.

And finally, the Atman is Pure Bliss, and associated with Shiva-like Consciousness and Knowledge.


With this post, I end the six part Nirvana or Atma Shatakam series. I find myself gravitating towards it in moments of weakness and when everything seems out of focus. I hope some of you find solace it in ever true and eternal message. I was attracted to it because of my love and admiration for Shiva, only to realise much later that this is not just an Ode to the Lord himself, but all that he stands for - all Shiva-like qualities, including the foremost - Consciousness and Knowledge. There is this Shiva in all of us. We may not feel it, we might not be able to see the Atman or acknowledge it's presence - but it is seated there, waiting for you to understand your own epic potential. 

Everyone has their own interpretations of mantras and the scriptures - the last six posts were my take on the Atma Shatakam. Since it is a part of the scriptures, I take it as my duty apologies anyone I have offended and hope that they look upon my version, as my continued journey of yoga and learning and as a personal prayer to Lord Shiva. 

Namaste