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Dakshinamurthy
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Dakshinamurthy

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Dakshinamurti () is an aspect of the Hindu god Shiva as a guru (teacher). He is regarded to be the personification of the supreme or the ultimate awareness, understanding, and knowledge. Dakshinamurti represents Shiva as a teacher of yoga, music, and wisdom, offering an exposition of the Shastras. He is worshipped as the god of wisdom and meditation.

Key facts

Deity.type
Hindu
Deity.image
MaduraiTempleLordShiva.JPG
Deity.caption
Dakshinamurti sculpture on the southern entrance of the Meenakshi Temple in Madurai.
Deity.affiliation
Shaivism
Deity.deity_of
God of Wisdom
Deity.name
Dakshinamurti

via Wikipedia infobox

~10 min read

Encyclopedic overview

9 sections
Contents
  • Meaning
  • Depiction
  • Significance
  • Temples
  • Hymns
  • Yogadakshinamurti
  • Representation
  • References
  • External links

Dakshinamurti () is an aspect of the Hindu god Shiva as a guru (teacher). He is regarded to be the personification of the supreme or the ultimate awareness, understanding, and knowledge. Dakshinamurti represents Shiva as a teacher of yoga, music, and wisdom, offering an exposition of the Shastras. He is worshipped as the god of wisdom and meditation.

==Meaning== Dakshinamurti literally means 'one who is facing south ()' in Sanskrit. According to another school of thought 'Dakshinya' means Karuna in Sanskrit or kindness (benevolence). So this manifestation of Shiva is a benevolent teacher who accords wisdom to seekers of salvation. In most of the Shiva temples, the stone image of Dakshinamurti is installed, facing south, on the southern circumambulatory path around the sanctum sanctorum.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Dakshinamurthy” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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