Shivoham Shivoham — Meaning & the 'I am Shiva' Affirmation
Meaning, pronunciation and long-form chant of Shankara's great refrain
Two words, endlessly repeated: Śivo'ham — 'I am Shiva'. The phrase is the refrain of Ādi Śaṅkarācārya's Nirvāṇa Ṣaṭkam, where each verse strips away something the self is not, and returns to this. It is less a claim than a remembering.
Affirmation / nāma-japa — the refrain of the Nirvāṇa Ṣaṭkam, arranged as a repeated chant · 2h 8m chant
Listen
This is Spiritual Awakening's own long-form recording — the official way to listen. There is no separate audio hosted on this page.
Best suited for: Meditation and self-enquiry · Steady repetition (japa) · Calm listening before sleep
Sacred text
Devanagari
शिवोऽहम् शिवोऽहम् शिवोऽहम् शिवोऽहम्
IAST transliteration
Śivo'ham Śivo'ham Śivo'ham Śivo'ham
Simple pronunciation
Shi-vo-ham Shi-vo-ham
In this recording: This recording repeats the refrain alone as a continuous chant. In its source, the Nirvāṇa Ṣaṭkam, the phrase closes each of six verses — so the sung form is an arrangement of the refrain rather than the complete poem.
Meaning
I am Shiva. I am Shiva — pure awareness and bliss, not the body, not the mind, but the auspicious Self.
- Literal meaning
- Shiva I am. Shiva I am. (śivaḥ + aham → śivo'ham)
- Devotional interpretation
- In its source the line arrives only after everything else has been let go — not the mind, not the breath, not the body, not name or lineage. What remains is said simply: I am Shiva. Repeated slowly, it works less like an assertion than like something being remembered.
Word-by-word meaning
| Word | IAST | Literal meaning | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| शिवः | śivaḥ | Shiva; the auspicious one | Both the deity's name and the ordinary adjective 'auspicious, kindly'. |
| अहम् | aham | I | The first-person pronoun — the subject of the sentence, and its whole subject matter. |
| शिवोऽहम् | śivo'ham | I am Shiva | The two words joined by sandhi (śivaḥ + aham). The verb 'am' is unstated, as Sanskrit often leaves it — the identity is simply placed side by side. |
शिवःśivaḥ
- Literal meaning
- Shiva; the auspicious one
- Explanation
- Both the deity's name and the ordinary adjective 'auspicious, kindly'.
अहम्aham
- Literal meaning
- I
- Explanation
- The first-person pronoun — the subject of the sentence, and its whole subject matter.
शिवोऽहम्śivo'ham
- Literal meaning
- I am Shiva
- Explanation
- The two words joined by sandhi (śivaḥ + aham). The verb 'am' is unstated, as Sanskrit often leaves it — the identity is simply placed side by side.
Translations are prepared with editorial review against the Sanskrit text, transliteration and English master meaning. Sanskrit words may carry layers of meaning that no single translation can fully express.
How to chant
Preparation
- Sit with an easy, upright spine.
- Let the breath settle before starting; this chant suits a slow pace.
Pronunciation notes
- Shi-vo-ham — three even syllables, with the 'o' full and open.
- The apostrophe in Śivo'ham marks an elided 'a' (avagraha); nothing is pronounced there.
How many times
Best repeated slowly and for a while, rather than counted. If you prefer a count, 27 or 108 suits it. Let the meaning register rather than racing.
To close
Stop chanting but stay sitting for a minute. The silence after is part of the practice.
How to use the recording
Chanting along
Repeat softly with the recording, matching its unhurried pace.
Meditation
Let the phrase return on its own; notice what quietens when it does.
Prayer or pūjā
Play it during quiet contemplative time rather than active ritual.
Sleep listening
Keep the volume low; the steady repetition suits drifting off.
Morning practice
A few minutes of it before the day's identities reassert themselves.
Background atmosphere
Let it play quietly while you read, write, or rest.
Background & sourcesClassification, origin, historical context, symbolism, intentions & occasions
What kind of sacred text is this?
As presented here this is an affirmation repeated as japa — a devotional arrangement rather than a complete traditional text. The phrase itself is not modern: it is the refrain of the Nirvāṇa Ṣaṭkam (also called Ātma Ṣaṭkam), six verses attributed to Ādi Śaṅkarācārya. Each verse there lists what the self is not and ends by returning to 'cidānanda-rūpaḥ śivo'ham śivo'ham'. What this recording offers is that refrain alone, sustained — which is why we classify the page as an adaptation while crediting its source clearly.
Origin and textual source
- Tradition / work
- Nirvāṇa Ṣaṭkam (Ātma Ṣaṭkam)
- Section
- The refrain closing each of the six verses
- Attribution
- Traditionally attributed to Ādi Śaṅkarācārya
- Variants
- The full refrain in the poem runs 'cidānandarūpaḥ śivo'ham śivo'ham' — 'I am of the nature of consciousness and bliss; I am Shiva, I am Shiva'.
Historical and devotional context
The Nirvāṇa Ṣaṭkam belongs to the Advaita Vedanta tradition, which holds that the innermost self (ātman) is not different from ultimate reality. The poem proceeds by negation — 'I am not the mind, not the intellect, not the ego' — a method called neti neti, 'not this, not this', clearing away every partial identification until only awareness remains.
Because it is short and its meaning is a whole philosophy in two words, the phrase has travelled far beyond formal Vedanta study. It is used as a meditation seed, sung in kirtan, and repeated quietly by people who simply find that it settles the mind. Devotees of Shiva and students of Advaita use it differently but not incompatibly.
Symbolism and inner meaning
- 'Shiva' meaning both a name and 'the auspicious': the self recognised as inherently good, not merely powerful.
- The unstated verb: identity placed rather than argued.
- Repetition as method — the phrase is not meant to be understood once but returned to.
Traditionally associated intentions
Traditional purpose
- Self-enquiry and meditation in the Advaita tradition
- Remembrance of the self as not limited to body and mind
- Repetition (japa) as a settling practice
Devotional intentions
- Self-knowledge
- Inner stillness
- Freedom from over-identification
- Devotion to Shiva
This recording is for
- Long-form japa
- Meditation and self-enquiry
- Calm listening before sleep
- A quiet contemplative atmosphere
A note on wellbeing: Many people find this kind of slow repetition calming and clarifying. It is a contemplative and devotional practice — not medical or psychological treatment.
When is it traditionally chanted?
Daily meditation
Its most natural use — a seed phrase for a regular sitting practice, on any day.
Maha Shivaratri
Shiva's great night is often kept with sustained chanting; this phrase suits long, quiet repetition.
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