Nirvana Shatkam: The Meaning of "Shivoham Shivoham"

Nirvana Shatkam, also called Atma Shatkam, is a hymn of six verses composed by Adi Shankaracharya. Every verse ends with the same refrain - "Chidananda Rupah Shivoham Shivoham", "I am of the form of consciousness and bliss; I am Shiva, I am Shiva."

The story behind the hymn

Tradition says that young Shankara, searching for a teacher, met the sage Govinda Bhagavatpada on the banks of the Narmada. The sage asked, "Who are you?" Instead of giving his name, the boy answered with these six verses. Whether taken as history or as legend, the answer is the heart of Advaita Vedanta: our true self is not the body or the mind, but pure awareness.

What the six verses say

• Verse 1: I am not the mind, intellect, ego or memory; not the senses, nor the elements.
• Verse 2: I am not the breath or the five vital airs, nor the organs of action.
• Verse 3: I have no hatred or attachment, no greed or delusion, no pride or envy.
• Verse 4: I am beyond virtue and sin, pleasure and pain, mantras, pilgrimages and rituals.
• Verse 5: I have no fear of death, no caste, no father or mother, no birth.
• Verse 6: I am without form, all-pervading, free and untouched by bondage.

The hymn removes, one by one, everything we usually call "me". What remains is Chidananda - consciousness and bliss.

Listen to Nirvana Shatkam

How to use it in daily life

Many listeners play Nirvana Shatkam before meditation. Close your eyes, follow the refrain and, with each "neti, neti" (not this, not this), let go of one worry or label. When the music ends, sit quietly for a minute and notice the stillness that was always there.

Also by Adi Shankaracharya: the Shiva Aksharamaala Stotram, available on our channel.

If this hymn speaks to you, try the Shiva Aksharamaala Stotram next - another composition of Adi Shankaracharya in which each verse begins with a letter of the Sanskrit alphabet.

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