Siva in the form of Dakshinamurthy is regarded as the ultimate Guru, for he confers knowledge that destroys ignorance in a unique way, through silence. The upadesa mudra, also known as chin mudra or jnana mudra, is his typical distinguishing mark.
Goddess Sarada and Krishna are also seen with this chin mudra. They are all none other than the Supreme Brahman in various forms who continue to inspire jnana and bless humanity, said Sri B. Sundarkumar in a discourse.
The chin mudra is represented as the gesture of the right hand, where the forefinger is joined with the thumb and the other three fingers remain separate. The thumb which stands apart from the other fingers is said to denote God while the index finger denotes the jivatma. The other three fingers are seen as the three gunas of Prakriti that bind a jivatma to samsara. Or it could also mean the three states of life, the waking, sleep and deep sleep states of the jivatma.
The joining of the index finger with the thumb is symbolic of the union of the jivatma with the Paramatma, which is the essence of realisation. Krishna as the Jagadguru instructs not only Arjuna but the entire human race on the essence of the Upanishads to enable one to lead a worthwhile life and attain salvation.
In the Sarada Bhujanga Stotra, Adi Sankara extols Goddess Sarada’s jnana mudra and her compassionate glances that represent not only her innate ability to grant wishes and boons to her devotees, but also her keenness to bring about the inner realisation in them. Kalidasa sees the Mother Goddess as the perennial source of inspiration for all his extraordinary literary output that is soaked in spiritual wisdom. Mooka Kavi sees Kamakshi as his guru who has conferred on him unlimited graces.
