Lord Shiva Wall Poster – ‘शिवोऽहम् शिवोऽहम्’, Bholenath | Bharatvarsh Arts

Shivoham Meaning: शिवोऽहम् and the Nirvana Shatakam Verses

शिवोऽहम् (śivo'ham, “Shivoham”) means “I am Shiva”. It is the refrain of the Nirvana Shatakam, also called the Atma Shatakam: six Sanskrit verses traditionally attributed to Adi Shankaracharya. Each verse lists what the self is not, and ends the same way: चिदानन्दरूपः शिवोऽहं शिवोऽहम्, my form is consciousness and bliss, I am Shiva, I am Shiva.

The correct spelling has a small mark, “ऽ” (avagraha). “शिवोहम्” without it is a common misspelling. This page also answers “na punyam na papam”, which is verse 4.

Verse 1: the “Shivoham” verse

मनोबुद्ध्यहङ्कारचित्तानि नाहं
न च श्रोत्रजिह्वे न च घ्राणनेत्रे।
न च व्योम भूमिर्न तेजो न वायुः
चिदानन्दरूपः शिवोऽहं शिवोऽहम्॥
manobuddhyahaṅkāracittāni nāhaṃ
na ca śrotrajihve na ca ghrāṇanetre
na ca vyoma bhūmir na tejo na vāyuḥ
cidānandarūpaḥ śivo'haṃ śivo'ham
“I am not the mind, the intellect, the ego or the memory; not the ears or the tongue, not the nose or the eyes; not sky, not earth, not fire, not wind. My form is consciousness and bliss — I am Shiva, I am Shiva.”
मैं न मन हूँ, न बुद्धि, न अहंकार, न चित्त; न कान, न जीभ, न नाक, न आँखें; न आकाश, न पृथ्वी, न अग्नि, न वायु। मैं चेतना और आनन्द का रूप हूँ — मैं शिव हूँ, मैं शिव हूँ।
Nirvana Shatakam (Atma Shatakam), verse 1 — the “Shivoham” verse · traditionally attributed to Adi Shankaracharya

Verse 4: “na punyam na papam”

न पुण्यं न पापं न सौख्यं न दुःखं
न मन्त्रो न तीर्थं न वेदा न यज्ञाः।
अहं भोजनं नैव भोज्यं न भोक्ता
चिदानन्दरूपः शिवोऽहं शिवोऽहम्॥
na puṇyaṃ na pāpaṃ na saukhyaṃ na duḥkhaṃ
na mantro na tīrthaṃ na vedā na yajñāḥ
ahaṃ bhojanaṃ naiva bhojyaṃ na bhoktā
cidānandarūpaḥ śivo'haṃ śivo'ham
“Not merit, not sin; not pleasure, not pain; not mantra, not pilgrimage, not the Vedas, not sacrifice. I am not the eating, not the food, not the eater. My form is consciousness and bliss — I am Shiva, I am Shiva.”
न पुण्य, न पाप; न सुख, न दुःख; न मन्त्र, न तीर्थ, न वेद, न यज्ञ। मैं न भोजन हूँ, न भोज्य, न भोक्ता। मैं चेतना और आनन्द का रूप हूँ — मैं शिव हूँ, मैं शिव हूँ।
Nirvana Shatakam (Atma Shatakam), verse 4 · traditionally attributed to Adi Shankaracharya
Word by word
शिवः (śivaḥ)
Shiva. The word also means “auspicious, pure”.
अहम् (aham)
“I”.
शिवोऽहम्
शिवः + अहम् joined in sandhi. The ऽ marks the “a” of अहम् that merged into the word before it.
चिदानन्दरूपः
“whose form (रूप) is consciousness (चित्) and bliss (आनन्द)”.
न पुण्यं न पापम्
“not merit, not sin”.
न सौख्यं न दुःखम्
“not pleasure, not pain”.

Meaning in Hindi and English

English: “I am Shiva” is not a boast. In Advaita, the teaching behind these verses, the self is not the body, the mind, a role or a reputation, but pure consciousness, and that consciousness is Shiva. Each verse strips away one more thing we mistake for ourselves, and then says what remains: I am Shiva.

Hindi: “मैं शिव हूँ।” मैं शरीर, मन, बुद्धि या अहंकार नहीं; न पुण्य, न पाप; न सुख, न दुःख। मैं चेतना और आनन्द का रूप हूँ, मैं शिव हूँ।

Where it comes from

The Nirvana Shatakam (Atma Shatakam), six verses in Sanskrit. Its colophon names Adi Shankaracharya as the author, and that is the tradition; scholars debate many of the stotras ascribed to him, so “traditionally attributed” is the honest way to put it. It is not a Vedic mantra, and not from the Shiva Purana.

One small variant: some printings of verse 4, including the one on our “न पुण्यं न पापं” poster, read “न वेदो न यज्ञः” where the text we follow reads “न वेदा न यज्ञाः”. The meaning is the same: not the Vedas, not sacrifice.

The line on our products

Lord Shiva Wall Poster – ‘शिवोऽहम् शिवोऽहम्’, Bholenath | Bharatvarsh Arts
Our Bholenath ‘शिवोऽहम् शिवोऽहम्’ poster, printed with verse 3: “न धर्मो न चार्थो न कामो न मोक्षः चिदानन्दरूपः शिवोऽहं शिवोऽहम्”.
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Lord Shiva Wall Poster – ‘न पुण्यं न पापं’ | Bharatvarsh Arts
Verse 4, “न पुण्यं न पापं”, on our Lord Shiva poster.
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Lord Shiva Laptop Skin – ‘शिवोऽहम् शिवोऽहम्’, Bholenath | Bharatvarsh Arts
Our Bholenath ‘शिवोऽहम् शिवोऽहम्’ laptop skin.
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For the other Shiva shlokas, including the Mahamrityunjaya mantra, the Shiva Tandava Stotram and the Rudrashtakam, with Hindi and English meaning, read Shiva quotes with meaning.

Questions people ask

What does Shivoham mean in Hindi?

“मैं शिव हूँ।” शिवः + अहम् = शिवोऽहम्।

How is Shivoham written in Sanskrit?

शिवोऽहम्, with the avagraha (ऽ). शिवोहम् without it is a common misspelling. In the verses it often appears as शिवोऽहं शिवोऽहम्.

What does “na punyam na papam” mean?

“Not merit, not sin.” It opens verse 4 of the Nirvana Shatakam: न पुण्यं न पापं न सौख्यं न दुःखं, not merit, not sin, not pleasure, not pain. The self is beyond all of them.

Who wrote the Nirvana Shatakam?

It is traditionally attributed to Adi Shankaracharya.

Is “Shivoham” a mantra?

It is the refrain of a hymn rather than a Vedic mantra, but many people chant it, and the whole Nirvana Shatakam, as a meditation.

Can I use it as an Instagram bio, DP or WhatsApp status?

Yes. शिवोऽहम् fits any bio; for a status, the last line, चिदानन्दरूपः शिवोऽहं शिवोऽहम्, reads well on its own.

Is it a good tattoo?

It is one of the most chosen Shiva tattoos. Keep the avagraha (ऽ): without it the word is misspelled. Have the artist copy the Devanagari exactly.

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