Shikshashtakam

The Shikshashtakam (IAST: Śikṣāṣṭakam)

is a 16th-century Gaudiya Vaishnava Hindu
prayer of eight verses composed in the
Sanskrit language. They are believed to be
the only verses left personally written by
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486 – 1534)[1]
with the majority of his philosophy being
codified by his primary disciples, known as
the Six Goswamis of Vrindavan.[2] The
Shikshashtakam is quoted within the
Chaitanya Charitamrita,[3] Krishnadasa
Kaviraja Goswami's biography of
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, written in Bengali.
The name of the prayer comes from the
Sanskrit words Śikṣā, meaning
'instruction', and aṣṭaka, meaning
'consisting of eight parts', i.e., stanzas. The
teachings contained within the eight
verses are believed to contain the essence
of all teachings on Bhakti yoga within the
Gaudiya tradition.

Text
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu

The first eight verses of the following are

the complete text of the Shikshashtakam,
as written in Sanskrit by Sri Chaitanya
Mahaprabhu. They are found in
Krishnadasa Kaviraja's Sri Chaitanya
Charitamrita (Antya-līlā, chapter 20, verses
12, 16, 21, 29, 32, 36, 39 and 47).[4] The
final verse is a Bengali quotation from Sri
Chaitanya Charitamrita, Antya-līlā 20.65 - it
is not part of the actual Shikshashtakam,
but is often appended to the end when it is
recited, describing the result of reciting the
Shikshashtakam faithfully.[5][6]

Verse 1

ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam bhava-
mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇaḿ

śreyaḥ-kairava-candrikā-
vitaraṇaḿ vidyā-vadhū-jīvanam

ānandāmbudhi-vardhanaḿ
prati-padaḿ
 pūrṇāmṛtāsvādanaḿ

sarvātma-snapanaḿ paraḿ
vijayate śrī-kṛṣṇa-sańkīrtanam

Synonyms

chitta-mind; darpana-mirror; mārjanam —

cleansing; bhava-mahā-dāva-agni —
existence-mega-forest-fire; nirvāpaṇam —
extinguishing; śreyaḥ — excellence; kairava
— lotus; candrikā — moonshine; vitaraṇam
— spreading; vidyā — knowledge; vadhū —
spouse; jīvanam — life; ānandambudhi—
ocean of bliss; vardhanam — increasing;
prati-padam — at each step; pūrṇa-amṛta
— full nectar; āsvādanam — taste giving;
sarva-ātma-snapanam — all atma
attracting; param — parallel/supreme;
vijayate — let be victorious; śrī-kṛṣṇa-
sańkīrtanam — śrī-kṛṣṇa's sankirtana,
chanting of names of shri krishna

Translation

chitta-mirror-cleansing, material forest

mega-fire extinguishing, excellence-lotus
moonlight spreading, vidya-spouse life-
giving, bliss-intellect increasing, at each
step complete amrita taste-giving, all-
atma-attracting, shri krishna's sankirtana
parallel let be victorious

"'Let there be all victory for the chanting of

the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṇa, which can
cleanse the mirror of the heart and stop
the miseries of the blazing fire of material
existence. That chanting is the waxing
moon that spreads the white lotus of good
fortune for all living entities. It is the life
and soul of all education. The chanting of
the holy name of Kṛṣṇa expands the
blissful ocean of transcendental life. It
gives a cooling effect to everyone and
enables one to taste full nectar at every
step."
Verse 2

nāmnām akāri bahudhā nija-

sarva-śaktis

tatrārpitā niyamitaḥ smaraṇe

na kālaḥ

etādṛśī tava kṛpā bhagavan

mamāpi

durdaivam īdṛśam ihājani

nānurāgaḥ

Synonyms
nāmnām — of (divine) names; akāri —
manifested; bahudhā — many; nija-sarva-
śaktiḥ — own full shakti/potency; tatra —
therein; arpitā — bestowed; niyamitaḥ —
regulated; smaraṇe — in remembrance; na
— not; kālaḥ — (according to) time; etādṛśī
— as such; tava — thy; kṛpā —
grace/compassion; bhagavan —
bhagavan/lord; mama — mine; api —
also/although; durdaivam — misfortune;
īdṛśam — as such; iha — here; ajani — born;
na — no; anurāgaḥ — interest.

Translation
in (divine) names thine manifested
multiple own shaktis therein bestowed as
such no rules according to time but it is
my misfortune here that i have no anuraga
( interest) in those names

Verse 3

tṛṇād api sunīcena

taror api sahiṣṇunā

amāninā mānadena

kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ

Synonyms

tṛṇāt — than straw; api - also; su-nīcena —

by being lower; taroḥ — than tree; iva — as;
sahiṣṇunā — by tolerance; amāninā —
devoid honour; māna-dena — giving
honour; kīrtanīyaḥ — kirtaniyah, one who
does kirtana, one who sings praises of the
gods; sadā — ever; hariḥ — hari ( one name
of krishna)

Translation

by considering (self) lower than straw,

more tolerant than a tree, giving honour to
those devoid honour, always do kirtana of
hari.
Verse 4

na dhanaḿ na janaḿ na
sundarīḿ

kavitāḿ vā jagad-īśa kāmaye

mama janmani janmanīśvare

bhavatād bhaktir ahaitukī tvayi

Synonyms

na — no; dhanam — wealth; na — no; janam

— follower; na — no; sundarīm — beauty;
kavitām — peorty; vā — or; jagat-īśa —
jagadisha, universe-master; kāmaye — i
desire; mama — My; janmani — births;
janmani — births; īśvare — unto ishvara,
unto best of ishās; bhavatāt — let be;
bhaktiḥ — devotion; ahaitukī — unmotived;
tvayi — unto thee

Translation

no wealth, no follower, no beauty or poetic

praise desire i; in birth after birth let be
devotion unmotived unto thee o ishvara.

Verse 5
 ayi nanda-tanūja kińkaraḿ

patitaḿ māḿ viṣame

bhavāmbudhau

kṛpayā tava pāda-pańkaja-

sthita-dhūlī-sadṛśaḿ vicintaya

Synonyms

ayi — O (vocative); nanda-tanuja — born of

nanda's body, son of nanda; kińkaram —
servitor; patitam — fallen; mām — Me;
viṣame — in venom; bhava-ambudhau — in
ocean of material existence; kṛpayā — by
kripa, by grace, by mercy; tava — your;
pāda-pańkaja — lotus feet; sthita —
situated; dhūlī-sadṛśam — as particle of
dust; vicintaya — consider.

Translation

o son of nanda, servitor me fallen in

venom of ocean of material existence, by
kripa consider me as particle of dust at
your lotus-feet.

Verse 6

nayanaḿ galad-aśru-dhārayā
 vadanaḿ gadgada-ruddhayā
girā

pulakair nicitaḿ vapuḥ kadā

tava nāma-grahaṇe bhaviṣyati

Synonyms

nayanam — eyes; galat-aśru-dhārayā —

flowing tear streams; vadanam — voice;
gadgada — faltering; ruddhayā — choked;
girā — words; pulakaiḥ — with (erection of
hair due to) ecstacy; nicitam — covered;
vapuḥ — apparition/body; kadā — when;
tava — Your; nāma-grahaṇe — in chanting
of name; bhaviṣyati — shall be.

Translation

with eyes flowing tear-streams, voice

faltering, words choked, with ecstatic
feelings in body when shall i be able to
chant thy (divine) name

Verse 7

yugāyitaḿ nimeṣeṇa

cakṣuṣā prāvṛṣāyitam
 śūnyāyitaḿ jagat sarvaḿ

govinda-viraheṇa me

Synonyms

yugāyitam — yuga comparable ( yuga is

specific time period of 432000 years in kali
yuga; nimeṣeṇa — by moment; cakṣuṣā —
by eyes; prāvṛṣāyitam — showering ;
śūnyāyitam — void/empty comparable;
jagat — world; sarvam — all; govinda —
Govinda, Kṛṣṇa; viraheṇa — in separation;
me — me.

Translation
moment comparable to yuga, eyes
showering tears, empty appears whole
world to me in separation of govinda

Verse 8

āśliṣya vā pāda-ratāḿ pinaṣṭu

mām

adarśanān marma-hatāḿ
karotu vā

yathā tathā vā vidadhātu

lampaṭo
 mat-prāṇa-nāthas tu sa eva
nāparaḥ

Synonyms

āśliṣya — by embracing; vā — or; pāda-

ratām — feet-enraptured; pinaṣṭu — let
trample; mām — Me; adarśanāt — by non-
darshana, by not granting vision; marma-
hatām — literally softly-struck, broken-
hearted; karotu — let make; vā — or; yathā
— as ; tathā — thus; vā — or; vidadhātu —
let (do) as destined, ; lampaṭaḥ — flirtily;
mat-prāṇa-nāthaḥ — master of my life; tu
— but; saḥ — He; eva — verily; na — not;
aparaḥ — other.

Translation

by embracing with enraptment or

trampling with feet, or breaking my heart
by not granting vision, or flirting here and
there as destined, master of my life is he,
verily no other.

Extra verse 9

prabhura ‘śikṣāṣṭaka’-śloka yei

paḍe, śune
 kṛṣṇe prema-bhakti tāra bāḍe
dine-dine

Translation

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's Shikshashtakam

shlokas who studies or hears, their prema-
bhakti for Krishna increases day by day

Significance
these eight verses are concise but
profound. brief commentary of first verse
presented herein. krishna nama-sankirtana
1. cleanses our chitta which is compared
to a mirror, 2. extinguishes this great
forest-fire of material existence 3. like
lotus of excellence spreads cooling
moonlight 4. gives knowledge of life which
is compared to a spouse who helps us
flourish 5. increases our bliss-intellect 6. at
each step gives taste of complete amrita
(nectar) 7 is all atma-attractive / attracts
atma fully 8. (hence) parallel victorious sri
krishna's sankirtana.

even one verse of chaitanya mahaprabhu

shows brilliance of composition plus
content by showing beginning of sadhana
to complete absorption in love
Within his Shikshashtakam, Chaitanya
Mahaprabhu stresses the importance of
singing (bhajan) and chanting (japa) the
Names of God. This is the primary feature
of Gaudiya Vaishnava spiritual practice
(sadhana). This is particularly evident in
the first three verses of the
Shikshashtakam.

The starting verse of Shikshashtakam

states a number of reasons why
sankirtana (congregational chanting of the
holy names of the Lord, which in Gaudiya
Vaishnavism especially refers to Hare
Krishna) should be emphasized in spiritual
practice.
"The first reason is because it
cleanses the heart of all the dust
that’s been there for many years.
This refers to an internal
cleansing process. If we neglect
to clean a room, soon dust will
appear on the furniture and
under the bed. But the dirt that
the chanting of Hare Krishna
cleans is the dirt of material
desires within the heart.
Whenever we desire something
and forget the pleasure of
Krishna , the Supreme
 Personality of Godhead, that is a
“dirty” desire. Otherwise,
nothing is innately good or bad.
But if we desire anything other
than pleasing the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, that is
inauspicious."

— Satsvarupa dasa
Goswami[1]

See also
Hare Krishna
Vrindavan
 Vaishnavism
Svayam Bhagavan
Radha Krishna
Chaitanya Bhagavata

References
1. Satsvarupa, Dasa Goswami (2005).
"Gaura Purnima - Sri Siksastakam -
Reflections" . www.iskcon.com. Retrieved
2008-08-22.
2. Gaudiya.com "Sri Chaitanya is not
known to have written anything but a
series of verses known as the Siksastaka,
the eight verses of instruction. He
requested a select few among his
followers, who later came to be known as
the Six Goswamis of Vrindavan, to
systematically present in their writings the
theology of bhakti he had taught."
3. CC-Al 6.239 "One who thinks himself
lower than grass, who is more tolerant
than a tree, and who does not expect
personal honor but is always prepared to
give respect to others can very easily
always chant the holy name of the Lord."
4. [1]
5. [2]
6. "Archived copy" . Archived from the
original on 2010-06-21. Retrieved
2010-05-17.
External links
Sikshashtaka: Lord Chaitanya's Mission
(vedabase.net)
Shikshashtakam / श ा कं in English and
Devanagari
"Sri Siksastakam" . www.iskcon.com.

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