Verse 1

Niralamba

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

ॐ नमः शिवाय गुरवे सच्चिदानन्दमूर्तये । निष्प्रपञ्चाय शान्ताय निरालम्बाय तेजसे ॥

निरालम्बं समाश्रित्य सालम्बं विजहाति यः । स संन्यासी च योगी च कैवल्यं पदमश्नुते ॥१॥

Padapatha (Word Split)

ॐ । नमः । शिवाय । गुरवे । सत्-चित्-आनन्द-मूर्तये । निष्प्रपञ्चाय । शान्ताय । निरालम्बाय । तेजसे ।

निरालम्बम् । समाश्रित्य । सालम्बम् । विजहाति । यः । सः । संन्यासी । च । योगी । च । कैवल्यम् । पदम् । अश्नुते ।

IAST Transliteration

oṃ namaḥ śivāya gurave saccidānandamūrtaye | niṣprapañcāya śāntāya nirālambāya tejase ||

nirālambaṃ samāśritya sālambaṃ vijahāti yaḥ | sa saṃnyāsī ca yogī ca kaivalyaṃ padam aśnute ||1||

Translation

أوم. سلامٌ لِشِيفا، للغورو الذي صورته الوجودُ والوعيُ والنعيم؛ للمتجاوزِ لتكاثُرِ الظواهر، الساكنِ المسالم، الذي لا سندَ له (نيرالَمبا) والمتلألئ. من احتمى باللامستند وتركَ كلَّ ما يُستندُ إليه من تعلّقات، فهو سَنّياسيٌّ ويوغيٌّ معًا؛ ينالُ مقامَ الكَيْفَلْيا، العزلةَ المطلقةَ والتحرّر.

Academic Translation

Om. Salutation to Śiva, to the Guru whose form is Existence–Consciousness–Bliss; to the One beyond phenomenal proliferation, peaceful, supportless (nirālamba), and luminous. Whoever, taking refuge in the supportless, abandons what is supported (all dependences), he is both a renunciant and a yogin; he attains the state of kaivalya (absolute aloneness/liberation).

Verse Context

• Nirālamba Brahman (supportless Absolute) as the basis of sannyāsa, yoga, and kaivalya/mokṣa
• Mahavakya: Implicitly aligns with ‘Aham Brahmāsmi’ and ‘Tat Tvam Asi’: taking refuge in the supportless Reality indicates identity of self with Brahman beyond all supports.
• Atharva
• Chandas: Mixed: opening invocatory pāda-s are non-Vedic devotional anuṣṭubh-like; second verse is close to anuṣṭubh (śloka)