The Deity Facing the South

Guru Dakshinamurthy is seated under a banyan tree and is represented with four arms, one with the Jnana Mudra (symbol of wisdom), one with sacred scriptures, another with a rosary, and one holding the Rudra Veena. Furthermore, he is depicted seated with his right foot placed on an apasmara (devil) who represents ego and ignorance.

{Picture courtesy: Art piece done by me under the guidance of Mahalakshmi ma'am:)}

गुरवे सर्वलोकानां भिषजे भवरोगिणाम्।

निधये सर्वविद्यानां दक्षिणामूर्तये नमः ॥

Gurave Sarva-Lokaanaam Bhissaje Bhava-Roginnaam |
Nidhaye Sarva-Vidyaanaam Dakshinnaamuurtaye Namah ||

Salutations to Sri Dakshinamurthy, who is a receptacle to all Knowledge, who is a Medicine to all the diseases of worldly bondage,
 who is a Guru to all the worlds; salutations to Sri Dakshinamurthy.

The term 'Guru' has a profound significance in Hindu culture. A Guru is someone who surpasses a teacher. A Guru teaches us the life skills and knowledge we require. He/she is a revered personality who is regarded to be equal to or greater than our parents, because a Guru reveals the meaning of life to individuals and helps an individual move from the path of darkness to light. One is destined to achieve vast heights of knowledge and prosperity under the direction of an ideal Guru. Guru Dakshinamurthi, an avatar of Lord Shiva who incarnated with the sole aim of rescuing us from ajnana, or mistaken knowledge, is a common Guru for all of us.

Dakshinamurthi, meaning "the one who faces the south," is an important Hindu deity who enlightens us with true knowledge and liberates us from ego and ignorance. But one mystery remains: why is he the deity facing south when most Hindu deities face north?

The deity facing the south

 Lord Brahma, the creator of the cosmos and one of the holy trinity, had four children: Sanaka, Sanatana, Sanandana, and Sanatkumara, who were collectively known as the Kumaras. These Kumaras were eternal and bestowed with the ability to stay youngsters forever, never growing into adults. Though they appeared to be four young boys, they were incredibly learned and knowledgeable, and their primary goal was to travel around the cosmos and wander together across the materialism and spiritualistic universes without any desire but with the intention of teaching.

One day, the Kumaras became profoundly fascinated in the core of real knowledge. Despite having travelled to every part of the universe, they had yet to encounter the real form of wisdom, and with this question remaining in their minds, they became immensely restless and concerned. Lord Shiva emerged as Guru Dakshinamurthy to relieve their mental anguish. In the attire of a kind Guru, he approached the Kumaras and urged that they solely visualise his teachings. When they first sat, Guru Dakshinamurthy was facing the north, and the Kumaras had to face the south in order to obtain knowledge, but the Shastras claimed that the south represented death, therefore the four children of Brahma refused to sit facing the south.Instead, they sought that Guru Dakshinamurthy face south, garnering the latter the appellation of "the deity facing south." Another significant aspect of Dakshinamurthy is that this specific manifestation of Lord Shiva manifested to transmit true spiritual wisdom, which could only occur when one is liberated from the bonds of death (i.e. the southern direction). 

Guru Dakshinamurthy taught through silence, which is beyond the grasp of words and is the ultimate knowledge. He imparted the divine speech, which was inaudible to those who were bound by worldly desires.

 It is often said that one does not need to chant special hymns in dedication to Dakshinamurthy to attain knowledge, one can achieve moksha(liberation) by just observing his face ,which is the epitome of wisdom.