Totakashtakam Lyrics Sanskrit Pdf

 Totakashtakam Lyrics Sanskrit Pdf

Totakashtakam Lyrics Sanskrit Pdf

Invocation:

शंकरं शंकराचार्यं केशवं बादरायणम् ।

सूत्रभाष्यकृतौ वन्दे भगवन्तौ पुनः पुनः ॥

Advaita Guru-paramparā:

नारायणं पद्मभुवं वसिष्ठं शक्तिं च तत्पुत्रपराशरं च ।

व्यासं शुकं गौडपदं महान्तं गोविन्दयोगीन्द्रमथास्य शिष्यम् ॥

श्री शंकराचार्यमथास्य पद्मपादं च हस्तामलकं च शिष्यम् ।

तं तोटकं वार्तिककारमन्यानस्मद्गुरून् संततमानतोऽस्मि ॥

॥ तोटकाष्टकम् ॥

विदिताखिलशास्त्रसुधाजलधे महितोपनिषत्कथितार्थनिधे ।

हृदये कलये विमलं चरणं भव शङ्कर देशिक मे शरणम् ॥ १॥

करुणावरुणालय पालय मां भवसागरदुःखविदूनहृदम् ।

रचयाखिलदर्शनतत्त्वविदं भव शङ्कर देशिक मे शरणम् ॥ २॥

भवता जनता सुहिता भविता निजबोधविचारण चारुमते ।

कलयेश्वरजीवविवेकविदं भव शङ्कर देशिक मे शरणम् ॥ ३॥

भव एव भवानिति मे नितरां समजायत चेतसि कौतुकिता ।

मम वारय मोहमहाजलधिं भव शङ्कर देशिक मे शरणम् ॥ ४॥

सुकृतेऽधिकृते बहुधा भवतो भविता समदर्शनलालसता ।

अतिदीनमिमं परिपालय मां भव शङ्कर देशिक मे शरणम् ॥ ५॥

जगतीमवितुं कलिताकृतयो विचरन्ति महामहसश्छलतः ।

अहिमांशुरिवात्र विभासि गुरो भव शङ्कर देशिक मे शरणम् ॥ ६॥

गुरुपुङ्गव पुङ्गवकेतन ते समतामयतां नहि कोऽपि सुधीः ।

शरणागतवत्सल तत्त्वनिधे भव शङ्कर देशिक मे शरणम् ॥ ७॥

विदिता न मया विशदैककला न च किञ्चन काञ्चनमस्ति गुरो ।

द्रुतमेव विधेहि कृपां सहजां भव शङ्कर देशिक मे शरणम् ॥ ८॥

इति श्रीमत्तोटकाचार्यविरचितं श्रीशङ्करदेशिकाष्टकं सम्पूर्णम् ।

Meaning of the Toṭakāṣṭakam

The Toṭakāṣṭakam is a hymn of eight verses composed by Toṭakācārya, one of the four principal disciples of Ādi Śaṅkarācārya. Composed spontaneously upon receiving the grace of his Guru, it is a profound expression of devotion, surrender, and the transformative power of the Guru’s compassion. Each verse begins with the refrain, “bhava śaṅkara deśika me śaraṇam” — “O Preceptor Śaṅkara, be my refuge.”

The hymn opens with the invocation: śaṅkaraṃ śaṅkarācāryaṃ keśavaṃ bādarāyaṇam | sūtrabhāṣyakṛtau vande bhagavantau punaḥ punaḥ || — “I offer obeisances again and again to the two Lords: Śaṅkarācārya, who is Śiva Himself and the commentator on the Brahma Sūtras, and Veda Vyāsa, who is Viṣṇu Himself and the author of those Sūtras.” This establishes the divine lineage of the Advaita tradition, tracing the guru-paramparā from Nārāyaṇa through Brahmā, Vasiṣṭha, Śakti, Parāśara, Vyāsa, Śuka, Gauḍapāda, Govindapāda, and Śaṅkarācārya, followed by his four main disciples: Padmapāda, Hastāmalaka, Toṭaka (the composer), and Sureśvara.

Verse 1: The composer addresses Śaṅkara as one who has fully drunk the nectar-ocean of all scriptures and who expounds the profound meaning of the revered Upaniṣads. He declares, “I meditate upon Your pure lotus feet in my heart. O Preceptor Śaṅkara, be my refuge.” This verse establishes the Guru as the embodiment of all sacred knowledge.

Verse 2: Śaṅkara is called the ocean of compassion. The devotee, whose heart is afflicted by the sorrow of the ocean of birth and death (saṃsāra), prays for protection. He asks the Guru to grant him knowledge of the truths of all philosophical systems, not merely intellectual understanding but direct realization.

Verse 3: It is by the Guru’s grace that people attain well-being. Śaṅkara possesses a beautiful intellect skilled in the inquiry into Self-knowledge (nijabodha-vicāraṇa). The disciple prays, “Make me understand the distinction between Īśvara (God) and the jīva (individual soul) and ultimately their essential unity.” This reflects the Advaitic teaching that the apparent duality is sublated in non-dual realization.

Verse 4: The disciple now expresses profound joy, declaring, “You are indeed Lord Śiva Himself. Knowing this, my mind is filled with great wonder and delight.” Yet he recognizes his own bondage: “Put an end to my vast ocean of delusion (moha).” Even with the conviction of the Guru’s divinity, the devotee seeks liberation from ignorance.

Verse 5: The disciple acknowledges that the intense longing for the realization of Brahman arises only after accumulating much merit (sukṛta) over many births. This desire to see all beings in the light of the One Self (samadarśana) is awakened through the Guru. Now, feeling utterly helpless, he pleads, “Protect me, who am extremely lowly.”

Verse 6: This verse describes the Guru’s compassion manifesting through his disciples. For the sake of protecting the world, the great masters wander, assuming various forms and disguises. Among them, Śaṅkara shines like the sun (ahi-māṃśu — the radiant sun). The Guru is the supreme light dispelling the darkness of ignorance.

Verse 7: Śaṅkara is praised as the best among Gurus (gurupuṅgava). He bears the emblem of the bull, identifying him with Lord Śiva. Among the wise, there is none equal to him. He is described as śaraṇāgatavatsala — one who is affectionate to those who seek refuge — and the very treasure of truth (tattvanidhe). The disciple surrenders completely.

Verse 8: The final verse is a humble admission of utter destitution. “O Guru, I have not understood even one branch of knowledge clearly, nor do I possess any wealth whatsoever.” Recognizing his own emptiness, he pleads, “Quickly bestow upon me that compassion which is natural to You.” The prayer is urgent: the disciple offers no qualification other than his need and the Guru’s innate grace.

The hymn concludes with the colophon stating that this aṣṭaka, composed by the venerable Toṭakācārya, is complete. Each verse, ending with the refrain “bhava śaṅkara deśika me śaraṇam,” is a unified prayer for refuge. The Toṭakāṣṭakam thus encapsulates the essence of the guru-śiṣya relationship in Advaita: the Guru, identified with the Supreme, is the sole refuge for the disciple who, acknowledging his ignorance and helplessness, seeks liberation through grace. The spontaneous composition of this hymn in the difficult Toṭaka meter itself stands as a testament to the transformative power of the Guru’s blessing, which elevates the devoted disciple to the highest knowledge.