This is the English translation of one of the works of Sri Shankaracharya, the great philosopher of Non-Dualism. This work points directly to who you really, really ARE. Read the stanzas carefully and ponder over the meaning behind each of the sentences. Remember, the words are just pointers to the Truth/Reality. Words by themselves are not the Truth/Reality. They just point to the Truth of who you really are. On meditating on these pointers at all times, one gains Realization of his/her True Self. Like a cow chewing on the cud, one must constantly keep the mind focused on the nature of one's True Self.
SIX STANZAS ON NIRVANA
1. Om. I am neither the mind, intelligence, ego, nor chitta (seat of memory;
Neither the ears nor the tongue, nor the senses of smell and sight;
Neither ether, nor air nor fire nor water nor earth;
I AM Eternal Bliss and Awareness - I am Siva! I am Siva!
2. I am neither the Prana (the vital force that sustains life in a physical body), nor the five vital breaths (describing the various functions of prana or vital force);
Neither the seven elements of the body (i.e. water, blood, flesh, fat, bone, marrow and semen), nor its five sheaths (also called Koshas in Sanskrit, the sheaths of food, prana, mind, intelligence and bliss);
Nor the hands, the feet, nor the tongue, nor the organs of action;
I AM Eternal Bliss and Awareness - I am Siva! I am Siva!
3. Neither greed nor delusion, loathing nor liking, have I;
Nothing of pride or ego, of dharma or liberation;
Neither desire of the mind nor an object for its desiring;
I AM Eternal Bliss and Awareness - I am Siva! I am Siva!
4. Nothing of pleasure and pain, virtue and vice, do I know;
Of mantra or sacred place, of Vedas or sacrifice (meaning various rituals);
Neither am I the eater, the food nor the act of eating;
I AM Eternal Bliss and Awareness - I am Siva! I am Siva!
5. Death or fear I have none, nor any distinction of caste;
Neither father nor mother nor even a birth, have I;
Neither friend nor comrade,neither disciple nor guru;
I AM Eternal Bliss and Awareness - I am Siva! I am Siva!
6. I have no form or fancy, the All-Pervading am I;
Everywhere I exist, and yet am beyond the senses;
Neither salvation am I, nor anything to be known;
I AM Eternal Bliss and Awareness - I am Siva! I am Siva!
Need anyone say more? Here the name of Siva is used to mean the Eternal Truth/Awareness/Brahman.
