ශ්රී ශික්ෂාෂ්ටකම්
श्री शिक्षाष्टकम् in Sinhala · සිංහල
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Origin & Story
Chaitanya Charitamrita (Antya-lila 20), by Krishnadasa Kaviraja Goswami · Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu · 16th century CE
Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, revered by Gaudiya Vaishnavas as the combined form of Radha and Krishna, left almost nothing in writing — except these eight verses, the Shikshashtakam. Composed in Sanskrit and treasured in Krishnadasa Kaviraja's Chaitanya Charitamrita, they move from the triumphant glorification of the holy name, through the humble mood required to chant it and the prayer for causeless devotion, to the soaring anguish of separation from Govinda. Together they form Sri Chaitanya's complete and final teaching on the path of harinama-sankirtana and the attainment of pure love of God.
✦ As told in scripture
It is said that in His final years at Jagannatha Puri, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu became wholly absorbed in the ecstatic moods of these verses — especially the separation of the seventh and eighth — weeping rivers of tears and experiencing the love of Sri Radha for Krishna, showing that the Shikshashtakam is not mere poetry but a doorway into the highest divine love.
Complete Text with Meaning
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චේතෝදර්පණමාර්ජනං භවමහාදාවාග්නිනිර්වාපණං ශ්රේයඃකෛරවචන්ද්රිකාවිතරණං විද්යාවධූජීවනම් . ආනන්දාම්බුධිවර්ධනං ප්රතිපදං පූර්ණාමෘතාස්වාදනං සර්වාත්මස්නපනං පරං විජයතේ ශ්රීකෘෂ්ණසඞ්කීර්තනම් .. 1..
ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇaṁ śreyaḥ-kairava-candrikā-vitaraṇaṁ vidyā-vadhū-jīvanam | ānandāmbudhi-vardhanaṁ prati-padaṁ pūrṇāmṛtāsvādanaṁ sarvātma-snapanaṁ paraṁ vijayate śrī-kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtanam || 1||
Meaning:श्रीकृष्ण-सङ्कीर्तन की जय हो, जो चित्तरूपी दर्पण को स्वच्छ करता है, संसाररूपी महादावानल को बुझाता है, कल्याणरूपी कुमुदिनी पर चन्द्रिका बरसाता है, विद्यारूपी वधू का जीवन है, आनन्द के समुद्र को बढ़ाता है, पद-पद पर पूर्ण अमृत का आस्वादन कराता है और सम्पूर्ण आत्मा को स्नात (पवित्र) कर देता है।
නාම්නාමකාරි බහුධා නිජසර්වශක්තිස් තත්රාර්පිතා නියමිතඃ ස්මරණේ න කාලඃ . ඒතාදෘශී තව කෘපා භගවන්මමාපි දුර්දෛවමීදෘශමිහාජනි නානුරාගඃ .. 2..
nāmnām akāri bahudhā nija-sarva-śaktis tatrārpitā niyamitaḥ smaraṇe na kālaḥ | etādṛśī tava kṛpā bhagavan mamāpi durdaivam īdṛśam ihājani nānurāgaḥ || 2||
Meaning:हे भगवन्! आपके नामों में आपने अपनी समस्त शक्तियाँ निहित कर दी हैं, और उनके स्मरण के लिए कोई काल-नियम नहीं है। ऐसी आपकी कृपा है — फिर भी मेरा ऐसा दुर्भाग्य है कि उस नाम में मेरा तनिक भी अनुराग नहीं है।
තෘණාදපි සුනීචේන තරෝරපි සහිෂ්ණුනා . අමානිනා මානදේන කීර්තනීයඃ සදා හරිඃ .. 3..
tṛṇād api sunīcena taror api sahiṣṇunā | amāninā mānadena kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ || 3||
Meaning:तृण से भी अधिक नीच (विनम्र) होकर, वृक्ष से भी अधिक सहनशील होकर, स्वयं मान की इच्छा न रखते हुए और दूसरों को मान देते हुए — सदा भगवान् हरि का कीर्तन करना चाहिए।
න ධනං න ජනං න සුන්දරීං කවිතාං වා ජගදීශ කාමයේ . මම ජන්මනි ජන්මනීශ්වරේ භවතාද් භක්තිරහෛතුකී ත්වයි .. 4..
na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ kavitāṁ vā jagad-īśa kāmaye | mama janmani janmanīśvare bhavatād bhaktir ahaitukī tvayi || 4||
Meaning:हे जगदीश! मैं न धन चाहता हूँ, न जन (अनुयायी), न सुन्दरी, न काव्य की कामना करता हूँ। बस जन्म-जन्म में आपमें मेरी अहैतुकी (निष्काम) भक्ति बनी रहे।
අයි නන්දතනුජ කිඞ්කරං පතිතං මාං විෂමේ භවාම්බුධෞ . කෘපයා තව පාදපඞ්කජ-ස්ථිතධූලීසදෘශං විචින්තය .. 5..
ayi nanda-tanuja kiṅkaraṁ patitaṁ māṁ viṣame bhavāmbudhau | kṛpayā tava pāda-paṅkaja-sthita-dhūlī-sadṛśaṁ vicintaya || 5||
Meaning:हे नन्दनन्दन! मैं आपका (नित्य) किङ्कर हूँ, किन्तु इस भयंकर भवसागर में गिर पड़ा हूँ। कृपया मुझे अपने चरणकमलों की धूलि-कण के समान (अपना) मान लीजिए।
නයනං ගලදශ්රුධාරයා වදනං ගද්ගදරුද්ධයා ගිරා . පුලකෛර්නිචිතං වපුඃ කදා තව නාමග්රහණේ භවිෂ්යති .. 6..
nayanaṁ galad-aśru-dhārayā vadanaṁ gadgada-ruddhayā girā | pulakair nicitaṁ vapuḥ kadā tava nāma-grahaṇe bhaviṣyati || 6||
Meaning:हे प्रभो! कब मेरे नेत्र अश्रुधारा से युक्त होंगे, वाणी गद्गद होकर रुक जाएगी, और आपका नाम लेते समय मेरा शरीर रोमांच से पुलकित हो उठेगा?
යුගායිතං නිමේෂේණ චක්ෂුෂා ප්රාවෘෂායිතම් . ශූන්යායිතං ජගත්සර්වං ගෝවින්දවිරහේණ මේ .. 7..
yugāyitaṁ nimeṣeṇa cakṣuṣā prāvṛṣāyitam | śūnyāyitaṁ jagat sarvaṁ govinda-viraheṇa me || 7||
Meaning:हे गोविन्द! आपके विरह में एक क्षण एक युग के समान बीतता है, नेत्रों से वर्षा-धारा-सी अश्रु बहते हैं, और सारा जगत् मुझे शून्य प्रतीत होता है।
ආශ්ලිෂ්ය වා පාදරතාං පිනෂ්ටු මාම් අදර්ශනාන්මර්මහතාං කරෝතු වා . යථා තථා වා විදධාතු ලම්පටෝ මත්ප්රාණනාථස්තු ස ඒව නාපරඃ .. 8..
āśliṣya vā pāda-ratāṁ pinaṣṭu mām adarśanān marma-hatāṁ karotu vā | yathā tathā vā vidadhātu lampaṭo mat-prāṇa-nāthas tu sa eva nāparaḥ || 8||
Meaning:चाहे कृष्ण अपने चरणों में अनुरक्त इस दासी को आलिंगन करें, या अदर्शन देकर मेरा मर्म आहत करें, या जैसा चाहें वैसा करें — वे ही (लम्पट होकर भी) मेरे प्राणनाथ हैं, अन्य कोई नहीं।
Word-by-Word Meaning
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Benefits of Chanting श्री शिक्षाष्टकम्
Reveals the supreme glory and purifying power of chanting Krishna's holy names (sankirtana)
Teaches the essential humility (trinad api sunichena) in which the holy name should be chanted
Inspires the prayer for causeless, selfless devotion (ahaituki bhakti) birth after birth
Cleanses the heart, extinguishes material suffering and floods the soul with bliss
Cultivates the deepest mood of loving separation (viraha) and longing for Govinda
Considered the crest-jewel of Gaudiya Vaishnava teaching, summarising the entire path of bhakti in eight verses
Regular recitation deepens taste for the Hare Krishna maha-mantra and pure love of God
How to Chant श्री शिक्षाष्टकम्
Recite the eight verses slowly and attentively, reflecting on each instruction — the glory of the name, the humble mood, the prayer for pure devotion, and the longing of separation. Many devotees chant the Shikshashtakam before performing japa or kirtan of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, taking these verses as Sri Chaitanya's own guidance for chanting. It can be sung or spoken; sincere, prayerful attention matters far more than speed or count.
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