(Some of those interested may like the English meanings also, in case they are not fluent in Hindi. The English transliteration, along with the translation is given below the Hindi text. This is truly the essence of what our Upanishads teach and is inspired by them. Sincere seekers may find this of interest.)
अपने कुरुक्षेत्र में तू, ना कौरव है ना पांडव है
तू ही इनकी सृष्टि है, तू ही इनका तांडव है
ये हैं केवल अंतराल में, ना थे ना रहेंगे
एक दिन प्रारब्ध छोड़, ये गंगा में बहेंगे
तब लौटेगा तू अपने घर, लिए प्रारब्ध की झोली
गिनेगा कितनी गांठे बाँधी, कितनी तूने खोली
जब खाली होगी तेरी झोली, हटेगा इसका भार
तब तुझमें गूंजे गा शिवोहम का सार
शांत चित, ध्यान से सुन, शिवोहम का मूल अर्थ
यही है वास्तविकता तेरी, अन्य सब है व्यर्थ
जो तू था, जो तू हो गा, उसका ये अंतराल
गूंजे अब भी तेरे अंदर, दैवी सुर और ताल
पर सुन ना पाए तू, घेरे बैठी माया
तू उसकी धुन गाए, सच समझे ये साया
ये जंगल, ये नदियाँ, ये पर्वत महान
तू ये सब भी है, ना केवल इंसान
पंछी है तू दूर गगन में, गगन भी तेरा रूप
तू सब है, कोई एक नहीं, तू 'नेति', नेति', अनूप
तेरा कोई नाम नहीं, तू ‘नर-नारी’ के परे
तू ना जन्मे यहाँ, ना ही तू मरे
तेरी ना कोई जात है, ना ही कोई पंथ
अंश है तू सत्य का, जो है आदि अनंत
सब तीरथ तेरे अंदर, तू गंगोत्री, तू प्रयाग
वारा-नसी तेरे ललाट पर, तू नीलकंठ तू नाग
तेरा कहीं न घर है, ना ही कहीं देश
तू बसे वहां, जहाँ ब्रह्मा, विष्णु, महेश
अंदर बाहर सब एक है, पर भीतर इसका द्वार
जो बाहर अटका रहा, जनम लेगा बारम्बार
मौन धारण कर, तू अनाहत* में देख
वहां स्वर्णिम, संदीप्त**, मिलेगा ये लेख -
शून्य है तू, पूर्ण है तू, स्वयं ही संपूर्ण है तू
सच्चिदानन्द ही सार है शिवोहम का, ज्ञानी यही समझाएँ
अंतर्मन में ये गूंजे जब सारी गांठे खुल जाएँ
किशोर अस्थाना
* अनाहत चक्र
** संदीप्त – उज्ज्वल, प्रकाशमान
*** सत + चित + आनंद - वास्तविकता/ब्रह्म +आत्मा + परमानंद
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English transliteration and translation:
Shivoham Saar
The essence of 'Shivoham'
Apne Kurukshetra mein tu na kaurav hai na pandav hai
Tu hi inki srishti hai, tu hi inka tandav hai
In this Kurukshetra (this life, which is the warfield on which your Mahabharata is being fought), you are neither the Kauravs (the hundreds of tendencies of the senses), nor the Pandavs (the five senses) . You are their origin and their end.
Ye haiN kewal antaral mein, na they na rahenge
Ek din prarabdha chhod ye Ganga mein bahenge
These exist only in the interval (between birth & death). They were never real (before birth), nor will they stay (after death). One day they will leave the Prarabdha (the accumulated sum of good & non-good Karma) and float away (in the Ganga, like the 'asthis' - the ashes).
Tab lautega tu apne ghar, liye karmoN ki jholi
Ginega kitni ganthe baandhi, kitni toonay kholi
Then you will return to your (real) home, taking with you your sack of prarabdha, and count how many knots you tied and how many you untied.
Jab khali hogi teri jholi, hatega iska bhaar
Tab tujhmeiN goonje ga, Shivoham ka saar
When this sack (of prarabhda) is empty, then it will no longer weigh you down. Only then will the essence of 'Shivoham' reverberate in you.
Shant chit, dhyan se sun, Shivoham ka mool arth
Yahi hai vastavikta teri, anya sab hai vyarth
In your becalmed mind, pay heed to the basic meaning of Shivoham. That is the only reality, all else is useless.
Jo tu tha, jo tu hoga, uska ye antaral
Goonje ab bhi terey bheetar daivi sur aur taal
What you were, what you will be, this (your present life) is the interval (between these two). Even now the divine music reverberates inside you.
Par tu sun na paaye, gherey baithi maya
Tu uski hi dhun gaaye, sach samjhe ye saya
However, you cannot hear it because you are surrounded by Maya. You only sing its songs, thinking that this illusory shadow is real.
Ye jangal, ye nadiyaN, ye parvat mahan
Tu ye sab hai, na kewal insaan
These forests, these rivers, these high mountains – you’re not only a human, you are all these too,
Pancchi tu hai door gagan mein, gagan bhi tera roop
Tu sab hai, koi ek nahiN, tu 'neti', 'neti', anoop
You are the bird that soars in the sky and the sky is your form too. You are all, not only one; you are ‘not this’, ‘not this’, (neti, neti is the term used to describe the Divine as it cannot be confined to just any one thing). You are unique.
Tera koi naam nahiN, tu nar-naari ke pare
Na tu janme yahaN, na hi tu marey
You do not have any name and you are beyond (the concept of) male/female. You are not born here, nor will you die.
Teri na koi jaat hai, na hi koi panth
Ansh hai tu Satya ka, jo hai aadi ananth
You have no caste, nor sect. You are a fragment of Truth that is eternal and limitless.
Sab teerath haiN terey andar, tu Gangotri, tu Prayag
Vara-nasi tere lalat par, tu Neelkanth, tu naag
All places of pilgrimage are inside you; you are Gangotri (where the Ganga originates), you are Prayag. Vara-nasi is on your forehead (Vara-nasi literally means vara+nasi, ‘above the nose’ - the place between the eyebrows, where the ‘third eye’ is located).
Tera kahiN na ghar hai, na hi kahiN desh
Tu basey wahan, jahaN Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh
You are Shiva and you are the snake (around Shiva’s neck, symbolizing the Kundalini). You have no home, nor any country. Your abode is where Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh exist (everywhere).
Andar baahar sab ek hai, par bheetar iska dwaar
Jo baahar atka rahe, janam le-ga barambar
All is One, inside and outside, but the door (to this one-ness), is inside. Those who get stuck outside (only focus on the external), are bound to take many births.
Maun dharan kar, tu apne hriday meiN dekh
Milega wahaN swarnim, *sandeept, ye lekh
In utter silence, look in your (spiritual) heart. There you’ll find these luminescent, golden words:
Shunya hai tu, purna hai tu, Swayam hi sampoorna hai tu
You are naught, you are complete, you are All-There-Is.
Satchidananda hi saar hai Shivoham ka, gyani yahi samjhayeN
Antarman meiN ye goonje, jab saari gaanthay khul jaayeN
Satchidananda (Sat+Chit+Ananda – pure consciousness, self, bliss) is the essence of ‘Shivoham’. This is what the Wise Ones tell us. It reverberates inside when all the knots get untied (and one is freed from the bonds of rebirth).
This is what Shivoham (really) means.
Kishore Asthana
Sandeept – luminescent
Anahat – The Anahat Chakra in the spiritual heart
Satchidanand (Sat+chit+anand -Reality/Brahm,Soul,Bliss)