SELECT WORKS

OF

Sri Sankaracharya

Hymn to Hari.

I praise, with devotion, the All-pervading (Vishnu), Who, Himself without origin, is the origin of the universe, in Whom this wheel of samsara [**] revolves in this wise, and, on realising Whom, this wheel of samsara is destroyed--that Hari, the destroyer of the darkness of samsara, I praise. (1)

Him, from a single aspect of Whom this whole universe has sprung into existence, by Whom again it is held together in this manner, by Whom it is pervaded, and by Whom it is illumined through pleasure and pain,--that Hari, the destroyer of the darkness of samsara, I praise. (2)

Him, Who is all-knowing, Who is indeed all and perfect, Who is bliss itself, Who resides in the qualities [**] and has therefore endless attributes, Who is the Unmanifest that differentiates the undifferentiated, and Who is both the real

and the unreal,--that Hari, the destroyer of the darkness of samsara, I praise. (3)

There is naught else than Him; yet, this universe is not his real nature. He is not the objective world, for He is of the nature of nonobjective consciousness. And though He is devoid of the distinction of the knower, knowledge and the known, He is nevertheless always the knower,--that Hari, the destroyer of the darkness of samsara, I praise. (4)

Him Who is realised as the Supreme Lord by those who, having learnt from proper preceptors the extremely subtle nature of the

[paragraph continues] Immutable, are engaged in the contemplation of the ultimate Unity with the help of renunciation, constant meditation and firm devotion,--that Hari, the destroyer of the darkness of samsara, I praise. (5)

Him Who is realised as "I am the self-resplendent Self" when, by the control of the life-forces, the mind is confined within the heart amidst the repetition of the sound Om and, all other memory being excluded, is merged therein and is finally dissolved,--that Hari, the destroyer of the darkness of samsara, I praise. (6)

Him Whom the knowers of Brahman realise by meditation as the Supreme Lord within themselves known as Brahman, as the second-less, infinite, unborn, subtle, inscrutable Resplendence residing in the heart and attainable only by devotees,--that Hari, the destroyer of the darkness of samsara, I praise. (7)

Him Who is understood as the unsurpassable bliss realisable only by the spirit by those who perceive within their own hearts That which is beyond the senses, being realisable only by the expansion of the individual self, and beyond the cognisable, being cognition itself,--that Hari, the destroyer of the darkness of samsara, I praise. (8)

Him Whom, the Unborn, sages like Sanaka meditate upon by understanding that every object of perception has an underlying reality and is identical with Brahman and by realising "I am That",--that Hari, the destroyer of the darkness of samsara, I praise. (9)