देहबुद्‍ध्या त्वदासोऽहम्

भक्तिः, रामायणम् 2 Minutes

On being asked by Rama what he thought of him, Hanuman said:

देहबुद्‍ध्या त्वद्दासोऽहं जीवबुद्‍ध्या त्वदंशकः।
आत्मबुद्‍ध्या त्वमेवाहम् इति मे निश्चिता मतिः॥
dehabuddhyā tvaddāso’haṁ jīvabuddhyā tvadaṁśakaḥ |
ātmabuddhyā tvamevāham iti me niścitā matiḥ ||

When I am conscious of my body, I am Thy servant. When aware of myself, I am a part of Thine.
When I know my essence, I am verily Thyself. This is my certain belief.

[Thanks to Shri Ram] 🙂

EDIT 2: Also see the comments by Shri. Shiva and Shri. Shankara below…

EDIT:
Was hunting for more information about this shloka and found these two wonderful links:

Link 1: http://kirtimukha.com/surfings/Valmiki/ValmikiRamayanam.htm

Link 2: http://rasikas.org/viewtopic.php?id=2540&p=3: A particular member of the forum has given this beautiful alternative interpretation, if Hanuman said the same to Ravana!

When Rama asked Hanuman:
kastvam (who are you) he replied:
dEhabuddhyA tvadAsOsmi jIvabuddhyA tvadamshakaH |
AtmabuddhyA tvamEvAhamiti mE nishcitA matiH ||
which essentially means what you have quoted. But let me elaborate the padArtha for the benfit of those who do not know sanskrit
dEhabuddhyA = by my physical(corporeal) self
tvadAsOsmi = tva dAsaH asmi = I am your servant
jIvabuddhyA = by my living (holistic) self
tvadamshakaH = tvat amshakaH = I am a part of you (I am an extension of you!)
AtmabuddhyA = by my spiritual (innate/True) self
tvamEvAham = tvam Eva aham = I am thou
iti mE nishcitA matiH = such is my confirmed opinion/resolve

I reanalyzed the shloka and constructed the following scenario(the idea is my own

When RavaNa asked Hanuman the same question
kastvam (who are you) Hanuman (who is ‘Sollin Selvan’) replied exactly the same
dEhabuddhyA tvadAsOsmi jIvabuddhyA tvadamshakaH |
AtmabuddhyA tvamEvAhamiti mE nishcitA matiH ||

Now here is the analysis:
dEhabuddhyA = by my physical(corporeal) self
tvadAsOsmi = tu adAsaH asmi(note by sandhi tva =tu+a) = I am but ‘not’ your servant
jIvabuddhyA = by my living (holistic) self
tvadamshakaH = tva damshakaH = I am your eater (a stinger who has come to destroy you)
(note the self-effacing statement where he compares himself to a flea sent by the Lord)
AtmabuddhyA = by my spiritual (innate/True) self
tvamEvAham = tu ama Eva aham  = I am but the terror/plague (for you)
(a fraction of the holocaust yet to come from the Lord)
iti mE nishcitA matiH = such is my confirmed opinion/resolve

What is the inherent beauty, power and depth of the Sanskrit language! Aren’t we blessed by this divine gift from our forefathers?

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7 thoughts on “देहबुद्‍ध्या त्वदासोऽहम्”

  2. In the explanation for
    tvadAsOsmi = tva dAsaH asmi = I am your servant
    Please explain how does “tvadAsOsmi” simplified to “tva dAsaH asmi”. If it is a samasa then it should be “tvad-dAsOsmi”. If it were a word then “tava dAsOsmi”.
    IMHO “tvadAsOsmi” as such can be split as only “tu adAsOsmi” if it has to mean “I’m your servant” then it must either be “tvaddAsOsmi” or “tava dAsOsmi”.

    Similar is the use of word “tvadamshakaH”, in the address to Ravana it must either be “tvaddamshakaH” or “tava damshakaH”

    Please correct me if I understood wrongly.

    dhanyOham
    Shiva

    Reply

  6. Karthik,

    I sincerely appreciate your love for Sanskrit.

    I have seen and heard this sloka many a time in the past. As far I know it is “देहबुध्या तु दासोऽस्मि…” I agree with the correction pointed out by Shiva above. त्वदासोऽस्मि cannot mean I am your servant.

    I read somewhere that this verse is from “Mahanataka”, but could not find that text.

    Reply

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