May the vast expansiveness of Mother Nature bring spaciousness to our mind.
Shiva the meditator, vital, free of pain, and directing inner energy to know the beauty of inner peace.
Om Namah Shivaya Shivāya,
by Krishna Das.
Lyrics, meaning, discussion.
(This was copied from the page in front "Shambho Shangkara namah Shivaya", and given a new page title and url. To help people find it after viewing the amazing Youtube recording by Krishna Das entitled “Om Namah Shivaya.” It is no different to the page in front.)
ॐ नमः शिवाय |
om namaḥ Shivāya
om namah Shivaaya
devotion to (&) move towards
spiritual practice Deity
शम्भो शंकर नमः शिवाय |
Shambho Shaṅkara namah Shivāya
Shambho Shangkara namah Shivaaya
bringing happiness, overcome obstacles,
becoming happy release pain
गिरिजा शंकर नमः शिवाय ||
girijā Shaṅkara namah Shivāya
girijaa Shangkara namah Shivaaya
a beautiful way (to) release pain,
overcome obstacles
अरुणाचल शिव नमः शिवाय ||
aruṇā-chala Shiva namah Shivāya
arunaa-chala Shiva namah Shivaaya
a mountain of
achievement
(Pronunciation note. -ḥ with a dot under is sometimes pronounced -ha.
(ṅ with the dot above = ng as in English sing, sung.)
(ṇ with dot below is pronounced with the tongue pointing towards the roof of the mouth, the palette. Called ‘retroflex’. A more subtle way of pronouncing ‘ng’.)
The Song.
I trust that you enjoyed the extra-ordinary Youtube video recording of Krishna Das and his band performing this mantra. The concert was at the Church of St Paul & St Andrew, New York City, October 26, 2013. Krishna Das spells the lyrics thus –
Shambhu Shankara Namah Shivaya
Girija Shankara Namaha Shivaya
Arunachala Shiva Namah Shivaya
With diacritics -
Shambhu Shankara Namah Shivāya
Girija Shankara Namaha Shivāya
Arunāchala Shiva Namah Shivāya
and I give translation below, with meaning for daily life.
This amazing video is available at –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTc8X37oJBE
There are two other very popular Youtube recordings of other songs from this concert. I provide translations with discussions on : Hare Krishna Hare Rama and Radha Govinda (with links to the Youtube recordings).
A very similar performance of this song is on his “Heart Full of Soul” album, recorded in a concert in Los Angeles in 2007, being tracks 7 – 12. You can listen to this song and buy it as a download as a single, or buy the complete double album from -
https://krishnadas.bandcamp.com/album/heart-full-of-soul
The Mantra Discussed.
This mantra recites four related Names for Deity. Shambho, Shaṅkara (Shangkara) and girijā (girijaa) are related to Shiva, and help explain how Shiva works in our daily life.
Shiva is the principle Name for Deity in our mantra. It cannot be interpreted in just a few words. Indeed, I allocate 10 pages of my treatise to just this one Kirtan word. However, we need something more concise here.
Our Sanskrit mantras about Shiva probably come from the Shiva school, and this will have a subtle effect on the meaning of our Shiva mantras. So let’s explore the Qualities that Shiva devotees attribute to the inner Shiva. These can be viewed as important Qualities of Deity, and they include –
(Adapted from Shiva websites written by Shiva devotees.)
When singing a mantra about Shiva, we can choose one of these Qualities of Shiva that best suits our situation, and focus on it.
When we reflect on these particular Qualities of Presence, we can realise we could be improve on them for much of our daily life. They are important, yet perhaps they do not receive the importance they deserve in our priorities. They are more a Goal to move towards, rather than an accurate description of our daily life experience. Our spiritual practice could be described as moving towards Qualities such as these. Therefore, Shiva appears as Shivāya (Shivaaya) in our mantra.
Moving towards Shiva is often easier said than done. We actually need some commitment and determination to proceed in this direction, instead of getting stuck in painful thought and feeling, misdirected desire, feeling unsafe and ill at ease, being hard and unsympathetic to our vulnerable inner child, being inflexible and stubborn, and having great difficulty in appreciating the beauty of our lives.
Therefore, the word preceding Shivāya (Shivaaya) is namaḥ (namah).
This includes devotion, dedication and commitment to our purification practice. All too often, we lack this important commitment and determination, and so we continue to wallow in our troubles. So namah reminds us to persevere, when the people, pursuits and possessions in our lives fail us. These are times for practise, not indulging in harmful addictions and addictive behaviour.
However, we need more than just commitment to purification practice to succeed. Something prevents us from rising up to our full potential as enlightened human Beings in our daily life. Something hinders our progress, and blocks the release of our pain. There is some kind of attachment to defilements, that prevents us letting go of what we need to let go of.
So I have prepared extensive discussion on defilements and how we may transcend them, and so achieve our purpose in spiritual practice. Published on this website. For it is important to overcome such hindrance and obstacles to our Path to Peace, the Way to Liberation. Which brings us to a translation for the second Name for Deity in our mantra.
This includes unblocking the channel for release of pain. This can be like clearing a blocked sewerage pipe, unpleasant for the unfortunate plumber, yet entirely necessary.
When we succeed in this important and heroic task, then we can let go of our troubles and become unburdened. Then it will be so much easier for us to cultivate our enjoyment, appreciation, inspiration, good will, forgiveness and tolerance, and restore our confidence. Which brings us to the first Name in each line of our mantra.
This “mountain of achievement” can represent all we have achieved and built up in our spiritual practice over the years (and decades). When we are fully practised and fully practising, when we are using all these skills we have developed, then it is like standing on a mountain of our achievement. Then it will be so much easier for us to let go of pain, and cultivate our happiness, contentment and clarity.
Shiva is the principle Name for Deity in our mantra. It cannot be interpreted in just a few words. Indeed, I allocate 10 pages of my treatise to just this one Kirtan word. However, we need something more concise here.
Our Sanskrit mantras about Shiva probably come from the Shiva school, and this will have a subtle effect on the meaning of our Shiva mantras. So let’s explore the Qualities that Shiva devotees attribute to the inner Shiva. These can be viewed as important Qualities of Deity, and they include –
- a refuge or safe place and space, where we feel at ease, untroubled, confident, and open to share good things with others, and building this safety
- the release of painful thoughts, intentions, attitudes, so they may dissipate and dissolve, and no longer trouble us
- the vitality, energy and health of our body, and caring for it.
- the harmony, rhythm, dynamic motion of the Dance of life, that releases tension and guides action
- enjoying the simplicity of our lives, and appreciating all the good things we have
- directing our desires and motives down healthy and wholesome paths
- spiritual insight, that ability we have to see into the core of the troubles that beset us, and so come to a radical and lasting solution
- wisdom and knowing about spiritual practice and the healing process
- Perceiving all these pursuits as (part of) the Goal in our life, and our spiritual practice and healing
- Perceiving and valuing the beauty, serenity, spirituality, stability, purity of these pursuits
- The revelation of such spiritual wisdom, and then practising it.
(Adapted from Shiva websites written by Shiva devotees.)
When singing a mantra about Shiva, we can choose one of these Qualities of Shiva that best suits our situation, and focus on it.
When we reflect on these particular Qualities of Presence, we can realise we could be improve on them for much of our daily life. They are important, yet perhaps they do not receive the importance they deserve in our priorities. They are more a Goal to move towards, rather than an accurate description of our daily life experience. Our spiritual practice could be described as moving towards Qualities such as these. Therefore, Shiva appears as Shivāya (Shivaaya) in our mantra.
- Shivāya (Shivaaya) means “moving towards Shiva.”
Moving towards Shiva is often easier said than done. We actually need some commitment and determination to proceed in this direction, instead of getting stuck in painful thought and feeling, misdirected desire, feeling unsafe and ill at ease, being hard and unsympathetic to our vulnerable inner child, being inflexible and stubborn, and having great difficulty in appreciating the beauty of our lives.
Therefore, the word preceding Shivāya (Shivaaya) is namaḥ (namah).
- namaḥ (namah) means devotion.
This includes devotion, dedication and commitment to our purification practice. All too often, we lack this important commitment and determination, and so we continue to wallow in our troubles. So namah reminds us to persevere, when the people, pursuits and possessions in our lives fail us. These are times for practise, not indulging in harmful addictions and addictive behaviour.
However, we need more than just commitment to purification practice to succeed. Something prevents us from rising up to our full potential as enlightened human Beings in our daily life. Something hinders our progress, and blocks the release of our pain. There is some kind of attachment to defilements, that prevents us letting go of what we need to let go of.
So I have prepared extensive discussion on defilements and how we may transcend them, and so achieve our purpose in spiritual practice. Published on this website. For it is important to overcome such hindrance and obstacles to our Path to Peace, the Way to Liberation. Which brings us to a translation for the second Name for Deity in our mantra.
- Shaṅkara (Shangkara) can mean overcoming obstacles and hindrances.
This includes unblocking the channel for release of pain. This can be like clearing a blocked sewerage pipe, unpleasant for the unfortunate plumber, yet entirely necessary.
When we succeed in this important and heroic task, then we can let go of our troubles and become unburdened. Then it will be so much easier for us to cultivate our enjoyment, appreciation, inspiration, good will, forgiveness and tolerance, and restore our confidence. Which brings us to the first Name in each line of our mantra.
- Shambho (Shambhu) can mean “becoming happy and peaceful”, or
- Shambho (Shambhu) can mean “bringing joy and peace” into our daily lives.
- girijā (Girija) can mean “a beautiful way” to achieve all this.
- aruṇāchala (Arunachala) can mean a “mountain of achievement.”
This “mountain of achievement” can represent all we have achieved and built up in our spiritual practice over the years (and decades). When we are fully practised and fully practising, when we are using all these skills we have developed, then it is like standing on a mountain of our achievement. Then it will be so much easier for us to let go of pain, and cultivate our happiness, contentment and clarity.
Derivation Details.
namaḥ (namah) = namo = namas. The simple dictionary meaning of namas is “bow, obeisance, reverential salutation.” Our Kirtan mantras come from the Bhakti tradition of India, and God worship is an important feature of this tradition.
However, people come to Kirtan seeking alternatives, perhaps an alternative to God worship. That can be accessed in any church. In addition, their enthusiasm for Kirtan might not extend to the worship of the Gods of another country. Some other interpretation might serve us better. So -
namaḥ (namah) can mean devotion, and honouring, valuing.
Shivāya (Shivaaya) is the dative form of the noun Shiva, and means “moving towards Shiva”.
Shambho. The h after b in Shambho is quiet, and can’t be heard when learning the mantra from group recitation or most CD’s. Nor do we have this in English. So the h in Shambho is often deleted, and the Name is spelled Shambo.
Shambho = Shambhu is made of two smaller words. From these we can deduce meaning for Shambhu -
- sham = śam = शम् means : well-being, happiness, prosperity, health. It’s generally used to express a blessing or pious wish.
- = śam = शम् also means : to be calm, quiet or tranquil.
- bhū : is a suffix meaning : source, becoming, being or producing.
Shankara is properly spelled Shaṅkara and pronounced Shangkara. But the difference between n as in ‘sin’ and ng as in ‘sing’ is difficult to detect from group recitation or most recordings. So the dot above the ṅ in Shaṅkara is usually deleted, and the Name is spelled Shankara.
Shaṅkara is made of two smaller words . From these, we can deduce a translation for “Shankara” -
- shangka = śaṅkā = शङ्का. It means : hindrances and obstacle like fear, doubt, suspicion,
- hara = हर. It means : taking away or removing, or overcoming.
girijā means “from the mountains”. In this context, it refers to Parvati, the wife of Shiva, who is the Goddess of nurturing and beauty.
aruṇāchala (arunaachala) is the sacred mountain where Shiva dwells, in the above image.
This is in the religious storey telling. A sacred mountain can represent all we have achieved and built up in our spiritual practice over the years (and decades). When we are fully practised and fully practising, when we are using all these skills we have developed, then it is like standing on a mountain of our achievement. This suggests the following translation –
aruṇāchala (Arunachala) can mean “standing on a mountain of our achievement.”
_____________________________________
This website provides much info on spiritual practice, drawn from Hindu and Buddhist themes, and new translations of famous Buddhist and Hindu scriptures. These are adapted out of their origins in prescribed belief and doctrine, and adapted into a form suitable for modern Westerners seeking alternatives in life. For the genuine spiritual aspirant.
To access other pages on this website, about spiritual practice or scriptures,
go to the menu at the page head. Click onto the “more” button,
or the + next to it. Then click onto more + buttons.
My introductory webpages “Mantras Translated A - C”
discuss how to gain the full benefit of these mantra writeups.
go to the menu at the page head. Click onto the “more” button,
or the + next to it. Then click onto more + buttons.
My introductory webpages “Mantras Translated A - C”
discuss how to gain the full benefit of these mantra writeups.
