Nidhaye Sarvavidyanam

निधये सर्वविद्यानां भिषजे भवरोगिणाम् |
गुरवे सर्वलोकानां दक्षिणामूर्तये नमः ‖

nidhaye sarvavidyānāṃ bhiṣaje bhavarogiṇām |
gurave sarvalokānāṃ dakṣiṇāmūrtaye namaḥ ‖

Salutations to Sri Dakshinamurti, the reservoir of knowledge (the abode of all learning), the healer of all those who suffer from the disease of samsāra, and the teacher of the whole world.

Description

This is a popular verse from Sri Dakshinamurti Stotram, composed by Sri Adi Sankaracharya.

Meaning of Dakshinamurti
Amürtih is the one who is formless and who is the truth of everything. With maya-sakti Isvara is daksinah, the one who has the capacity to be the creator and sustainer, and also the one who can take back the whole creation into himself. Therefore, Isvara who is daksina as well as amürti is Daksinamürti.

Daksina also means the southern direction. He is the Lord who is facing the south, daksinn-dik-abhi-mukha murtih. What is the significance of the southern direction? The north attracts, and it stands for moksha. The south stands for samsara; it is Lord Yama’s place. The Lord is everywhere, but the one who wants release from samsara faces the Lord in the north. The Lord has to face you to teach. As the source of all-knowledge, he faces the south. Salutations unto Lord Daksinamürti who is the source of all-knowledge and the source of all blessing.

Meaning of this Sloka
Nidhi means treasure-house or reservoir. Nidhaye is in the dative case which gives the meaning, unto the treasure-house, reservoir. Of what? Sarvavidyānām, of all knowledge.

Bhisaje bhavaroginam. A bhisak is doctor. The Lord is considered to be a doctor. He is the Vaidyanātha, the Lord of physicians. For what kind of disease? The bhavaroga, the disease of becoming, which is samsara. Bhavaḥ eva rogaḥ, bhavarogaḥ, a life of becoming alone is disease whose cause is self-ignorance. The Lord is the physician who cures the people suffering from the disease of samsāra; unto him the treasure-house of all- knowledge, nidhaye, namaḥ, salutations. Salutation unto the one who is the healer, whose grace removes this disease of samsāra, a life of becoming.

Gurave sarvalokānām.The word gurave means unto the Guru, the teacher, who is sarvalokānāṁ Guru, the teacher of all teachers. He is the jagad-guru, the one who is the source of all knowledge and who is the teacher of all. Unto that Dakṣiņāmūrti, (my) salutations.

Excerpt from the book “Prayer Guide” by Swami Dayananda