I have always enjoyed this hymn and remember sharing the final line of the refrain with other Siddha Yogis at the local meditation center: “I am Consciousness and bliss. I am Shiva! I am Shiva!”
I have longed to know the melody for this wonderful hymn. Thank you for publishing it. Listening to it brings me joy.
a Siddha Yogi from Florida, USA
By simply listening to this hymn tonight, my careworn mind stops, and I reconnect to my true nature.
Listening to the words and music of the saints and Siddhas brings so much bliss to my heart. My whole body dances and my mind rests in joy and peace. The saints remind me of who I truly am:
Shivo'ham! They remind me that other thoughts about who I am are illusions.
Shivo'ham will be my foremost thought for the days to come.
a Siddha Yogi from St. Bauzille de la Sylve, France
I listened to this beautiful hymn this morning while reading along with the text. I could feel the power of the chant releasing me, dissolving my conceptions of myself. And yet I still existed as stillness.
This was an experience of meditation. The grace of the Siddhas is unfathomable!
a Siddha Yogi from Florida, USA
I have been singing Nirvanasatkam for the last few days, and these words in particular stand out for me: “I am neither detachment nor liberation nor anything that can be measured.”
This has illuminated for me the extent to which I usually identify myself as my ego striving to realize the Self. The line reveals to me that I am nothing that can be measured, but am rather the divine principle, Shiva. This awareness is both radical and liberating. What a leap! What a teaching!
a Siddha Yogi from Canberra, Australia
This beautiful hymn has lightened my spirits during a particularly challenging time for me. As I joined in with the recording, singing it several times this morning, the melody, the meaning, and the sound of the Sanskrit syllables uplifted my heart and mind. I gratefully received the teaching again and again: “I am Shiva! I am Shiva!”
Thank you, Gurumayi, for this precious gift.
a Siddha Yogi from London, United Kingdom
I remember hearing this beautiful hymn when I had the good fortune to offer
seva at Gurudev Siddha Peeth and Shree Muktananda Ashram. Each time I heard or sang it, I was delighted both by the beauty of the hymn and the sense of liberation I felt within me.
I especially remember listening to Gurumayi sing a few of these verses during a
satsang. I always remember this—receiving the sound of my Guru’s voice—as a divine moment of completeness. In that moment I was absorbed in absolute beauty, sweetness, and freedom.
a Siddha Yogi from Richmond, Australia
Last year I learned this hymn during my stay in Gurudev Siddha Peeth, where we recited it every afternoon in the Shiva Temple.
After a year, I developed the sankalpa, the intention, to recite this hymn daily. The morning after I formed this intention, the hymn appeared on the Siddha Yoga path website! I felt so connected and full of joy as I inwardly thanked my Guru for leading me in this direction, for guiding me from within to choose this practice.
a Siddha Yogi from New Delhi, India
Yesterday I was at the dentist undergoing an unexpectedly long procedure. I started repeating the mantra mentally when, very soon, the words cidananda-rupah shivo’ham, shivo’ham from this beautiful hymn came to me and stayed with me for the entire procedure. I felt saturated with love and peace. I was aware of what was happening externally, yet with a new feeling of trust and surrender.
Thank you, Gurumayi!
a Siddha Yogi from Nairobi, Kenya
As I read of his ecstatic experience in this hymn, I realize what an honor it is to have
satsang with the great master Adi Shankaracharya, who lived 1,200 years ago.
Listening to this joyful hymn, I also realize that I am having
satsang with my old self from some thirty years ago, when I started following the path of Siddha Yoga and heard this hymn for the first time. Hearing it now, I perceive and appreciate the trajectory of my own
sadhana and the upward and inward journey it has taken me on.
From 1,200 years ago and thirty years ago, the invitation to live by the Truth that “I am Consciousness and bliss. I am Shiva.” is still my north star.
a Siddha Yogi from California, USA
Reading aloud, singing, and pondering these words, I feel their meaning come to life in me. A blessed insight arises within: “It is better to live a life of attainment than to pursue a life of achievement.”
This insight refreshes and revitalizes me. Softened, humbled, I start my day.
a Siddha Yogi from West Molesey, United Kingdom
Oh how I love this hymn! I could sing it day and night. It makes my heart resonate with happiness and lightheartedness. I see
Shiva Nataraj dancing too, dancing in my heart.
Dearest Gurumayi, thank you so much for this wonderful hymn with its words of wisdom from Adi Shankaracharya.
a Siddha Yogi from Palzing, Germany
How happy I am to read and hear this beautiful hymn! Years ago I learned it with some other Siddha Yogis. At the time I walked around for weeks ecstatically singing to myself, "
cidananda-rupah, shivo-ham, shivo-ham!" It truly made my heart sing.
To hear it, and read the words again, brings back the same ecstasy! This hymn gives me the direct experience of both Shiva and
satsang.
Thank you, Gurumayi, for reminding me of the hymn and of how close that ecstasy is!
a Siddha Yogi from Murrumbeena, Australia
Since yesterday I have been listening to and singing this hymn again and again. It pulls me toward a deep silence, a calm space within. In that space, I feel I am bathing in an ocean of pure love where nothing exists but bliss.
Throughout the day, that blissful state has continued. For me, this is
satsang with my own Self.
Thank you, beloved Gurumayi
ji, for this melodious hymn, for teaching me through innovative ways, and for being with me always.
a Siddha Yogi from New Delhi, India
Years ago, I happened upon a cassette tape of Baba singing this hymn. It was during a time I was facing great difficulty at work that lasted for months. I found the words and the melody of
Nirvanasatkam so comforting that I played the recording over and over again, sometimes all day long. The knowledge that I was not any of the events happening around me sustained me and helped me through to the other side of this challenging time.
How wonderful to hear this hymn again now! It still has the same soothing effect on me, and takes me into a place of deep silence where the world drops away, and truly all that remains is Consciousness.
I'm very grateful for the gift of this recording!
a Siddha Yogi from Arizona, USA
Nirvanasatkam, one of my favorite hymns, reaffirms the understanding of my true nature. As I go through the verses, Shri Adi Shankaracharya’s words take me, step-by-step, through the process of removing the delusion of duality. Very often, I find myself singing this hymn, and, almost instantaneously, my awareness lands in a space deep within myself.
How blessed am I to be guided by these teachings and to walk the grace-filled path of our dear Siddha Yoga Gurus.
a Siddha Yogi from Chennai, India
This hymn has been one of my favorites since I learned it almost 40 years ago. The words carry such powerful meaning, and the music takes me into meditation.
I had the good fortune to visit one of Adi Shankaracharya's monasteries in India. I realized then how great he was, and I marveled at what he accomplished for the world in just 33 years.
I'm grateful to Gurumayi for giving everyone the opportunity to celebrate his birth, and learn this precious hymn here on the Siddha Yoga path website.
a Siddha Yogi from New York, USA
Early this morning, with the birds singing outside my window, I visited the Siddha Yoga path website to assist me in focusing for my day ahead. In this hymn, I found my focus.
I remember being in Gurudev Siddha Peeth, walking in darkness to the upper garden, sitting in the early morning hours in the Shiva Temple. In those surroundings, rich with
shakti, I rejoiced in
"Shivo’ham, Shivo’ham."
Today, as I prepare to visit my husband in the hospital and support his recovery, I take refuge in the truth: "I am Shiva, I am Shiva." I will take this understanding into my whole being and face the challenges ahead, whatever they may be. I have what it takes; my beloved Gurus have given me true understanding and sustenance. For this, and so much more, I am eternally grateful.
a Siddha Yogi from Massachusetts, USA
This hymn is such a blessing. How can I express my gratitude for those who offer the Truth? I will endeavor to keep it alive in my heart and in my actions.
a Siddha Yogi from Oklahoma, USA
The refrain,
"I am Consciousness and bliss. I am Shiva. I am Shiva," has been ringing in my heart throughout the day, creating a continuous moment of
satsang with my own Self. I have experienced a fresh, new, harmonious energy bubbling within me.
Reading the translation, I gather the understanding that the whole universe, created by Shiva, ultimately dissolves back into Shiva—Bliss and Consciousness.
a Siddha Yogi from Nairobi, Kenya
This was the perfect time for me to listen to and read this incredible hymn.
I have just gone through a difficult change in my life and am having to come to terms with who I am in my new circumstances. The truth that I am divine, I am Shiva, has become my refuge.
And as my external identifications fall away, I move deeper and deeper into my own being.
a Siddha Yogi from California, USA
Before dawn this morning, I read and listened to Adi Shankaracharya’s immensely powerful hymn.
During meditation, the words and melody of the ecstatic refrain kept repeating in my awareness. As thoughts and images drifted through my mind, I remembered that I am not these thoughts, and my attention returned again and again to
cidananda rupah shivo’ham shivo’ham. After some time, my mind became quiet, and I felt I was tasting the bliss of Shiva.
I intend to continue this practice throughout this week as we celebrate the anniversary of Adi Shankaracharya’s birth. His words are still ringing within!
a Siddha Yogi from Massachusetts, USA
Listening to this beautiful hymn sung with such sweetness pulls me into a lovely stillness. I experience the voices as if they were celestial angels.
a Siddha Yogi from California, USA
In honoring Sri Shankaracharya and reciting this sacred hymn, I imagine I'm with the Siddha Yoga
sangham reciting it for Gurumayi.
I often remember and repeat the sacred words of the refrain internally.
Thank you, Gurumayi, for this sweet remembrance that evokes your grace and the power of the Truth.
a Siddha Yogi from North Carolina, USA
I have remembered and loved this hymn since I first heard Baba sing it. I can hear him singing it now—reminding me sweetly not to identify with all the fluctuating feelings, thoughts, and circumstances of my life, but rather to know that “I am Consciousness and bliss. I am Shiva! I am Shiva!”
Not long ago at work, I became aware of feeling insecure in a new setting, and I was comparing myself to my co-workers. I then decided to focus on my breathing, told myself that I was not my uncomfortable feelings, and began repeating to myself, “I am Consciousness. I am Consciousness.” I felt so happy with this awareness—and it totally dissolved my discomfort! I felt I had a secret in my heart, keeping me strong and bringing me bliss.
Thanks to Adi Shankaracharya, a day that started with uneasiness became a memory of clarity, of sweetness, and of joy that sustains me still.
a Siddha Yogi from Kentucky, USA