भूरम्भाम्स्यनलोऽनिलोऽम्बर महर्नाथो हिमांशुः पुमान्
इत्याभाति चराचरात्मकमिदं यस्यैव मूर्त्यष्टकम्।
नान्यत् किञ्चन विद्यते विमृशतां यस्मात् परस्मात् विभो
तस्मै श्रीगुरुमूर्तये नम इदं श्री दक्षिणामूर्तये॥ १०
शङ्करभगवत्पादविरचिते दक्षिणामूर्तिस्तोत्रे॥
bhūrambhāmsyanalo'nilo'mbara maharnātho himāṁśuḥ pumān
ityābhāti carācarātmakamidaṁ yasyaiva mūrtyaṣṭakam|
nānyat kiñcana vidyate vimṛśatāṁ yasmāt parasmāt vibho
tasmai śrīgurumūrtaye nama idaṁ śrī dakṣiṇāmūrtaye|| 10
śaṅkarabhagavatpādaviracite dakṣiṇāmūrtistotre||
भूः bhooH the earth अम्भांसि ambhaamsi waters अनिलः anilaH fire अनलः analaH air, wind
अम्बरं ambaram the sky अहर्नाथः aharnaathaH.. the Sun हिमांशुः himaamshu the moon पुमान् pumaan.. the self, the individual human being इति iti thus चराचरात्मकं characharaatmakam consisting of moveable and immovable object इदं idam this यस्य yasya whose एव eva alone मूर्त्यष्टकम् moorthyashtakam the eight manifestations of the form of आभाति aabhaati shines forth, presents itself manifests , यस्मात् yasmaat from which विभोः vibhoH all pervading being with supreme powers परस्मात् parasmaat from the ultimate being न na no अन्यत् anyat anything else किञ्चन kinchana whatsoever विमृशतां vimrushataam for the persons who perceive, see, consider विद्यते vidyate exists ,
तस्मै tasmai for that श्री the resplendent गुरुमूर्तये gurumoorthaye that splendid form of the Guru श्रीदक्षिणामूर्तये sree dakshinaamoorthay.. for (at the feet of ) Sree Dakshinaamoorthy इदं नमः idam namaH.. we prostrate.. we pay respect
The above slokam is from the great
Daksinamoorthy Stotram created by Shankara Bhagavatpada, the Acharya Swami.
The Lord Dakshinaamoorthy shines forth in eight forms that would cover all the moving and non moving objects.. 1 The earth, 2 the water 3. The fire 4. The Air 5.The Sky 6. The sun 7 The moon and 8. The living human self.. There is nothing else existing here apart from the all pervading Supreme one and no one who has the faculty of perception could know of anything other than His form in anything that is manifest in the universe.. Our pranams now here, to that resplendent form of the supreme Guru Dakshinamoorthy
The Ashtamoorthy swaroopa of Lord Shiva and Dakshinamamoorthy reveals that the Lord Himself is appearing in the shape of all moving and immobile things.
Kalidasa in the opening stanza of Abhijnana Shakuntalam too echoed this very same idea with minor variations .
या सृष्टिः स्रष्टुराद्या वहति विधिहुतं या हविर् या च होत्री
ये द्वे कालं विधत्तः श्रुतिविषयगुणा या स्थिता व्याप्य विश्वं
यामाहुः सर्वबीजप्रकृतिरिति यया प्राणिनः प्राणवन्तः
प्रत्यक्षाभिः तनुभिरवतुवः ताभिरष्ताभिरीशः॥
महाकवेः कालिदासस्य अभिज्ञानशाकुन्तळात्॥।
Yaa shrastuH shritiraadhyaa vahati vidhihutam yaahavir yaa cha hotri,
ye dwe kaalam vidhattah shrutivishayagunaa yaa stitaa vyapya viswam,
yaamaahu sarvabhiijaprakrutiriti yaya praaninah praanavanthaH
pratyakshaabhiH tanubhiravatu vaH taabhirashtaabiriisah...
who is the first among creations..water,
who takes oblations properly made to gods..agni,
which is the offering in yajna the havis,
who is the person making oblation.. brahmana,
who knows the past and future.. time,
who is the medium of hearing and sustains the life of all beings..air,
who pervades the whole universe, the teja in the shape of akasha,
and
who as the prakriti is the mother for all beings..the mother earth...
Lord Ashtamurthi the
Shiva who manifests in these eight forms may protect us.
The very idea of Pantheistic forms of the Lord are put forth in the great chapter Shatarudriyam or Sri Rudram appearing in Yajurvedam too..
note
The Ashtamoorthy tattwa
discussed in the Dakshinamurthy
stotram I quoted earlier is intended for the seeker for Upasana of Sadashiva the Brahmaatmatattva
in the following manner
उपासकः स्वदेहे वर्तमान पञ्चभूतानि व्यष्टिभूतानि समष्टिभूतैः प्राणापनौ च सूर्यशशाङ्काभ्यामेकीकृत्य पञ्चभूतात्मकशरीराभिमानिनं स्वात्मानं अष्टमूर्तिपरमेश्वरेण एकीकृत्य सकलव्यापी अष्टमूर्त्यात्मकः सदाशिवोऽस्मि इति चिन्तयेत्। ततो भावनातिशयेन तत्सायूज्यं प्राप्य सर्वैश्वर्यसंपन्नो अन्ते तत्प्रसादासादिततत्त्वज्ञानेने तत्त्वसाक्षात्कारेण विमुच्यत इति॥ तत्त्वसुधा स्वयंप्रकाशयतीन्द्रपादकृतम्॥
upāsakaḥ svadehe vartamāna pañcabhūtāni vyaṣṭibhūtāni samaṣṭibhūtaiḥ
prāṇāpanau ca sūryaśaśāṅkābhyāmekīkṛtya pañcabhūtātmakaśarīrābhimāninaṁ
svātmānaṁ aṣṭamūrtiparameśvareṇa ekīkṛtya sakalavyāpī aṣṭamūrtyātmakaḥ
sadāśivo'smi iti cintayet| tato
bhāvanātiśayena tatsāyūjyaṁ prāpya sarvaiśvaryasaṁpanno ante
tatprasādāsāditatattvajñānene tattvasākṣātkāreṇa vimucyata iti||
tattvasudhā svayaṁprakāśayatīndrapādakṛtam||
The seeker should
consider that the five elements with which his body is made is in unison with the divine body of
Sadashiva consisting of the the five elements pervading everything, that the prana and apana within him are the
Sun and the Moon existing outside as the manifestation of Sadashiva, and that
he is identifying himself with the Lord Shiva.
When the seeker contemplates in this manner with utter concentration and
sincerity of purpose, He become endowed with the Lordship of everything and enjoys life when he is alive and finally
he becomes the recepient of all
knowledge of truth, which is defined as direct realization, he attains emancipation or Moksham..
This is from the commentary of tattwasudha of svayamprakashayateendra
