Adi Shankracharya & Guru Paduka Stotram (Guru Paadukabhyam Stotram)

What is Guru Paduka (Guru Paadukabhyam) Strotram ?

Guru Paduka Stotram, also known as Guru Paadukabhyam, is a great devotional prayer written by Adi Shankaracharya. This devotional prayer is dedicated to the Sandals of the Teacher (Guru) which is  salutations to his guru, in this case meaning the Lord. The English language translation of the first verse means:

Salutations and Salutations to the sandals of my Guru,
Which is a boat, which helps me, cross the endless ocean of life,
Which endows me, with the sense of devotion to my Guru,
And by worship of which, I attain the dominion of renunciation.

Who is Adi Shankracharya?

Adi Shankracharya was born to a Brahmin couple Shivaguru and Aryamba who lived in Kerala in 788 A.D. He studied all the four Vedas, when he was still a child. At 7, he mastered all the holy shastra and upanishads. At the early age of 8 he renunciated the world. He met Shri Guru Govindanath of whom he became an ardent disciple and who conferred on him the degree of 'Acharya' meaning professor for his knowledge about Adwait philosophy, Upanishads and other Shastras.

He established Mathas or monasteries at Badrinath, Dwarka, Sringeri, Puri and Kanchi. The heads of the Mathas are named after him while the sanyasins who are his followers are called Dashnamis as they are known by the ten appellations namely, Teerth, Ashram, Vana, Aranya, Giri, Parvat, Sagai; Saraswati, Bharati and Puri.

 
Shankracharya has also been called 'Shanmat Sthajianacharya' because he founded the following six religious culls: 

(i) Ganapatyan, 
(ii) Kaumaram, 
(iii) Vaishnavam, 
(iv) Sauram, 
(v) Saktani and 
(vi) Shaivam. 

His literary works include commentaries called Shankar Bhasya. The philosophy that was systematized by Shankracharya was the Adwait philosophy. In other words, he was a philosophical genius who created Vedanta, the end (or conclusion) of the Vedas. It is this philosophy that dominates Hinduism today. It rests on the wisdom of the three basic Hindu texts: the Upanishads, Vedanta Sutras, and Bhagavad Gita. Shankara's Vedanta philosophy taught that the world is illusory, or maya, and only the transcendent ultimate reality, the Brahman, is real. You may search for his biography thru search engine or read Shankara Vijayam (biographies of the Advaita philosopher Adi Shankara).

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Guru Paduka Stotram - Adi Shankaracharya

Guru Paduka (Guru Paadukabhyam) Strotram and Meaning :

 

Anantha samsara samudhra thara naukayithabyam guru bhaktithabhyam,
Vairagya samrajyadha poojanabyam, namo nama sree guru padukhabyam,

Salutations and Salutations to the sandals of my Guru, which is a boat, which helps me, cross the endless ocean of life, which endows me, with the sense of devotion to my Guru, And by worship of which, I attain the dominion of renunciation.

Kavithva varasini sagarabhyam, dourbhagya davambudha malikabhyam,
Doorikrutha namra vipathithabyam, namo nama sri guru padukabyam
 
Salutations and Salutations to the sandals of my Guru,
which is the ocean of knowledge, resembing the full moon,
which is the water, which puts out the fire of misfortunes,
and which removes distresses of those who prostate before it.

Natha yayo sripatitam samiyu kadachidapyasu daridra varya,
Mookascha vachaspathitham hi thabhyam, namo nama sri guru padukabyam
 
Salutations and Salutations to the sandals of my Guru,
which makes those who prostate before it,
Possessors of great wealth, even if they are very poor,
and which makes even dumb people in to great orators.

Naleeka neekasa pada hrithabhyam, nana vimohadhi nivarikabyam
Nama janabheesthathi pradhabyam namo nama sri guru padukabyam

Salutations and Salutations to the sandals of my guru
which attract us, to lotus like feet of our guru
which cures us, to the unwanted diseases
and which helps fulfill the desires of those who salute.
Nrupali mouleebraja rathna kanthi sariddha raja jjashankanyakabhyam
Nrupadvadhabhyam nathaloka pankhthe, namo nama sri guru padukabyam

Salutations and Salutations to the sandals of my guru
which shine like gems on the crown of a king
which shine like a maid in the crocodile infested stream
and which makes the devotees attain the status of a king.
 
Papandhakara arka paramparabhyam, thapathrayaheendra khageswarabhyam
Jadyadhi samsohana vadaveebhyam namo nama sri guru padukabyam

Salutations and Salutations to the sandals of my guru
which is like a series of Suns, driving away the dark sins
which is like the king of eagles, driving away the cobra of miseries,
and which is like a terrific fire drying away the ocean of ignorance.

Shamadhi shatka pradha vaibhavabhyam samadhi dhana vratha deekshitabyam
Ramadhavadeegra stirha bhakthidabhyam, namo nama sri gurupadukabyam
 
Salutations and Salutations to the sandals of my guru
which endows us, with the glorious six qualities like Shama,
which gives the students, the ability to go into eternal trance
and which helps to get perennial devotion to the feet of Vishnu.

Swarchaparana makhileshtathabyam, swaha sahayaksha durandarabyam
Swanthachad bhava pradha poojanabyam, namo nama sri guru padukabyam

Salutations and Salutations to the sandals of my guru
with bestows all desires of the serving disciples
who are ever involved in carrying the burden of service
and which helps the aspirants to the state of realization

Kaamadhi sarpa vraja garudabhyam, viveka vairagya nidhi pradhabyam
Bhodha pradhabyam drutha mokshathabhyam, namo nama sri guru padukabyam

Salutations and Salutations to the sandals of my guru
which is the Garuda, which drives away the serpent of passion
which provides one with the treasure of wisdom and renunciation
which blesses one with enlightened knowledge
and blesses the aspirant with the speedy salvation