Sri Shankaracharya

[Guest guest]

Jaya Jaya Shankara !

Namastripurasundaryai !

Namo Chandramouleeshwaraaya !

Namo Naarasimhaaya !

 

Greetings to dear brothers and sisters on this sacred day of Shankara

Jayanthi. So great and majestic

majestic was his life that it is not possible for ordinary mortals to

speak about his divine Charita completely. This is just a selection

of some inspiring articles by great men on Srimadacharya, the great

incarnation of Dakshinamurthy.

The influence of Advaita Vedanta preached by Sri

Shankaracharya has pervaded the whole of world. It was this message

of Vedanta that Swami Vivekananda, the messenger of Sri Ramakrishna,

the harmoniser of all religions propagated in the east and the West.

The realization of Advaita is the final stage of religious

experience. But Shankara never disdained the steps that have to be

traversed to attain this stage. It is for this reason that Shankara

appears to us an enthusiastic organizer of worship, devotion and

rites. He was not merely a monist traversing the path of knowledge. A

rare and supreme devotion tempers his entire life and all his

writings. The whole of Hinduism is brilliantly and uniquely reflected

in the ideals of his life. The effulgent form that he gave to the

Sanatana Vedic Dharma may have been dimmed by the passage of time,

but it has not been obliterated. The Hindus owe an eternal debt to

this teacher whose life span extended over only thirty-two years. He

opened up a new and radiant horizon for the spiritual life of India

and brought about a revolutionary transformation in her social life.

To call Srimadacharya a mere monist would be to denigrate his

personality and his impact. His life in fact appears to be a meeting

ground of Advaita, Dvaita and he has gone beyond all these stages to

stand effulgent in the radiant light of the self. Rarely among the

great does one encounter such harmonization.

Swami Vivekananda has said: " The modern civilized world

marvels at the writings of this sixteen year old boy." The modern

civilized world is a world of science and reason. Shankara was able

to establish the religion of the Vedanta on the firm foundation of

science and reason.

Shankara's life offers interpretation of his philosophy.

Hence it would be of immense inspiration to know about the life of

this great incarnation of Sri Dakshinamurthy. This is a presentation

of his life based on Anandagiri's Shankara Vijaya, Maadhaveeya

Shankara Vijaya and works by Swami Apoorvananda.

 

Acharya Shankara is one of those god-men who have appeared in

the world in historical times in order to establish religion firmly.

Shankara's advent took place at a very critical period in the

national and in the religious life of India. At that time the

Buddhist faith in the Indian sub-continent has passed through many

stages of rise and fall for over a thousand years. It had sunk to a

condition in which it was not only of absolutely no use for Indian

religion and culture, but was positively ruinous. Subjected to the

influence of degenerate Buddhism, the eternal Hindu faith had become

enfeebled, devastated and disintegrated.

Within two centuries of Acharya's lifetime, India had to

encounter the powerful incursion of the Islamic faith. Degenerate

Buddhism would not have possessed the vigor to resist the onrush. It

was only the immense strength of the Vedic faith, which is eternal

and man-made, and is the repository of universal truth, that could

stand and did effectively resist the inroad of Islam. The advent, the

career, the life work and the teaching of Acharya endowed the Hindu

faith with the energy needed for the task ahead of self-defence and

survival and ensured the everlasting stability of the Vedic religion

by firmly establishing it on very sure foundations. Such a claim for

Shankara is amply supported by historical evidence. Has Shankara not

come on the scene, it would have been quite within the bounds of

possibility that Hinduism got transformed into a veritable Islamistan.

If the Hindus of today can legitimately be proud of their

great Vedic religion, it is in no small measure due to the services

of this thirty-two year old monk. This needs to be adequately

realized by all especially those belonging to man-made cults and

sects who dismiss Acharya as a Mayavadi. It is unfortunate that some

people indeed have succumbed to falsehood despite of Acharya's

efforts. Shankara strengthened the foundations of the eternal Vedic

faith to such an extent that the vigor imparted by him was an

unfailing support in later years to the work and mission of people

like Madhwa, Ramanuja, Nimbaraka etc. this is an undeniable

historical fact. In Shankara's life and teaching and propagation lies

embedded the immense vitality, which is responsible for the safe

preservation and sure sustenance of the eternal Vedic faith.

To designate Shankaracharya as just an upholder of Monism,

just like any other sectist Acharya's is a tone down to his gigantic

personality and to dilute his contribution. Not in any of his

writings does any evidence exist of one-sided outlook, the narrow

vision, the vigorlessness, and the incompleteness, which are the

characteristics of most of the later preachers and teachers. Indeed

Shankara was the greatest, the noblest and the most luminous

representative of expansive, universal and all embracing Sanatana

Vedic Dharma. All that is sublime, strengthening, glorious in the

Vedanta faith as it obtains today is the handiwork of this

distinguished monk, and this is true not only in respect of the

philosophical aspect of that faith, but also in respect of its

practical side. The resplendent story of Sri Acharya's life is a

veritable lighthouse illumining the path of the universal Vedic faith.

Acharya Shankaracharya is not to be ranked with ordinary

religious aspirants. To style him as a Siddha, a perfected master is

also not saying the whole thing about him. Lets bow down to the great

guru and seek his blessings to

escape the limiting world of material consciuosness and to fly in the

skies of the attributeless Parabrahman.

 

A brief account of Srimadacharya's glorious Life :

 

About 2500 years ago, when the spiritualisation of the people greatly

reduced, all the Gods and the Rishis went to Kailash and pleaded with

Lord Shiva to revive the world. Lord Shiva agreed with their request

and informed that he will be born in this world. Lord Brahma, Indra

and others also agreed to be born in this world to help Lord Shiva.

In Kaladi, Kerala, a learned brahmin, by the name of Sivaguru, and

his wife, Aryambal, spent their life in pooja and in giving alms to

poor and in other good deeds. This childless couple went to Trichur

and performed puja for 48 days to Lord Vadakkunathan (Lord Shiva) and

prayed for a son. Lord Shiva melted in their devotion and appeared

before them and told them "I am extremely happy with your devotion

and you will get what you want. But tell me whether you want a number

of dull children or a son who is extremely intelligent, who will live

for a short period only." The couple replied the decision could not

be theirs as the Lord knows what is good for them.

Lord Dakshinamurthy, pleased with the reply, was born to Aryambal

under the star "Thiruvaithhirai". As the Lord had already promised

that he will be born to do good to this world, the child was named

Sankara. Sam means prosperity and Karathi means te giver. All the

visitors stood in awe at the divinity of the child and said "This is

not an ordinary child".

As Shankara grew up, he attraced everybody with his intelligence and

kindness. At the age of three, he was given "Aksharabyas", i.e., the

learning of writing and reading. At the age of four, he lost his

father. At the age of five, he was initiated in Brahmacharyam i.e.,

the holy thread ceremony was conducted and he was sent to Gurukul for

learning of scriptures. As per the practice the brahmachari has to go

from house to house and take alms and submit this to his guru. On a

Dwadasi day Sankara happened to go to the house of a very poor lady

jand asked for the alms. The lady did not have a single grain of rice

in her house to give. However she had kept a single Amla fruit for

herself as it was a Dwadasi day. She unhesitatingly gave this Amla

fruit to Sankara as she could not send a Brahmachari empty handed.

Sankara was moved by her selflessness and the poverty of the lady and

prayed to Goddess Lakshmi in a beautiful sloka which is

called "Kanaka Dhara Stotram". On completion of this stotram, Goddess

Lakshmi appeared in person and showered a rain of golden coins on the

poor lady's house.

One day, the rishis came to him and reminded him of his duty to the

land in spreading spiritualism. Sankara agreed it was time to become

a Sanyasi and go all over the country to kindle religious ferver.

One day when Sankara was taking bath, a crocodile caught hold of his

leg. Sankara called out to his mother. Aryambal came running and to

her horror she found her son in the grip of the crocodile and she

cried that se did not know how to help her son.

 

Sri Sankara informed his mother that his life was nearing to an end,

but if he became a Sanyasi, he could start a new life as a sannyasi.

Thus Sri Sankara obtained permission from his mother to become a

sannyasi.

Sri Sankara went in the search of a Guru to be formally initiated as

a Sannyasi. At the banks of the river Narmada, he found the river

gushing forth into floods. By using his powers, he encapsulated the

river in his Kamandal (a vessel sannyasi's carry) and released it in

the banks of the river. Sri Govinda Bagawathpathar, an ascetic who

saw this, marvelled at Sri Sankara dn took him on as a Shishya.

Sri Govinda Bagawathpadar taught various vedas to Sri Sankara. He

also taught about Advaita, the principle that every one in this world

is the manifestation of God and that God and Atman are one and the

same. He advises Sri Sankara to go out in the world and spread this

truth throughout the country.

Sri Sankara went to Kasi and by that time, he had a lot of disciples.

One of them, Sanandhyaya, was drying the clothes of his Guru and

suddenly Sri Sankara called him to the other bank of the river as he

needed the clothes urgently. Sanandhyaya, little realising that he

would drown, starts walking into the river. However, the Grace of his

Guru resulted in a lotus materialising wherever he was keeping his

foot. When asked as to how did he cross the river, he says that when

his Guru calls, he is not to worry about anything. Sri Sankara named

him as Padma Padar (lotus feet).

Once, in Kasi, when Sri Sankara was going to the Vishwanath Temple,

his path was blocked by an "untouchable" who was accompanied by his

wife and 4 dogs. The disciples of Sri Sankara shouted at him to make

way, and to keep a distance. The untouchable smiled and

said, ""According to your principle of Advaita, which you practice,

all the Jivatma are same as God. How do you ask me to go? How am I

different from your Paramacharya? What you say is unreasonable. How

can I go away from myself?"

Sri Sankara realised that it was not an ordinary person and

understood that it was Lord Shiva himself who had come along with His

escort and the four Vedas. He prostrated before the Lord and sang

five slokas called "Manisha Panchakam". Lord Shiva presented himself

along with Visalakshi and blessed Sri Sankara.

When Shri Sankara was 16, a very old Brahmin of ill health started

arguments with him about Brahmasutra bashyam which Shri Sankara had

written. Shri Sankara was astounded by his intelligence and arguments

but they continued their discussion. The arguments continued for days

together and the more Shri Sankara argued, his ideas crystallised

more and more and he understood that the old man was none other than

Vyasa Rishi, who was the creator of Brahmasutra. Sri Sankara said

that he has done a great disrespect to the sage by entering into an

argument. Vyasa Rishi said "I fully agree with your bashyam and I

wanted to establish that yours is correct. I bless that you should

live another 16 years and you should spread this Advaita throughout

the country."

Sri Sankara learnt that there was a great learned person by the name

Mandana Mishra who lived in Mahishmati and who followed the Karma

Mimaamsa method of devotion. Sri Sankara arrived at his house and

found his house was closed and Mandala Mishra was carrying out some

rituals inside his house. Sri Sankara entered the house by using his

powers and entered the house. Mandala Mishra became very angry and

shouted at Sri Sankara. But Sri Sankara smiled and explained the

uselessness of such rituals.

However, Mandana Mishra admired the intelligence of Sri Sankara and

started discussions with him after completing the rituals. Sri

Sankara said that there should be a judge to decide the winner and

suggested that Sarasawani, the wife of Mandala Mishra, to be the

judge. Sarasawani, who was extremely intelligent and learned,

realised that Sri Sankara was none other than Lord Shiva, did not

want to declare her husband as the loser. She suggested that both of

them should wear a garland of flowers and whichever garland fades

first, that person would be the loser. Naturally, Sri Sankara won.

As per the original condition, Mandana Mishra became an ascetic and

started to leave the house. Unable to bear the separation, Sarasawani

stood transfixed and told Sri Sankara that according to our faith,

the husband and wife, even though have two bodies, are spiritually

one and she would be incomplete without her husband.

Sri Sankara accepted this and started discussion with this lady.

Saraswani showered questions like rain and Sri Sankara gave very

beautiful answers and Sarasawani acknowledged him, and followed Sri

Sankara and her husband's footsteps.

In their travels, they reached Sringeri in Karnataka, which is on the

banks of Tungabadra. While Sri Sankara and Mandala Mishra were

walking, Sarasawani did not move and stood fixed in the sands of

Tungabadra. Sri Sankara turned back and realised by his divine powers

that Sarasawani did not want to proceed any further and created a

seat for her for spreading the Advaita. This seat is today called the

Sharada Peetham or the Seat of Sharada. This was the first Mutt

installed by Sri Sankara, with the direction that all the heads of

the Mutts will be called Sankaracharayas and they will have a lineage

of Shishyas or disciples.

When Sri Sankara was in Sringeri, he divined by his superior powers

that his mother was in her deathbed, and as per his promise while

taking Sanyas that he would be by her side while she breathes her

last, he reached Kaladi and paid his last respects to the old lady.

Aryambal was happy that her son had come back. Sri Sankara prayed to

Lord Venkateswara who appeared in person and blessed Aryambal. Sri

Sankara did the last rites for his mother but the people of Kaladi

said that a Sanyasi does not have the right to do the last rites, but

he did not hear that and carried the body of Aryambal and put her in

the pyre himself and lit it himself.

After the death of his mother, he went all over the country and

converted the people of other faith to Advaita. He revived a number

of temples and using his powers, he established a number of Yentras

in these temples to spread the blessings of Parasakthi. During his

travels, he arrived at Mukambi, a religious place in Karnataka. A

poor brahmin came to Sri Sankara with his deaf and dumb son and

prostrated before Sri Sankara. Sri Sankara asked the boy, "who are

you?". The dumb and deaf child, for the first time, opened his mouth

and explained, "The body is not me, it is the Paramatma who is my

body." Sri Sankara was pleased with his answer and he gave an amla

fruit and named this boy as Hastaaamalakan. (Hastaa means hand and

Amalakan means amala). Hastaamalaka became one of the principle

disciples of Sri Sankara.

Sri Sankara, with his three principle disciples, namely, Padmapadar,

Sureshwarar (Mandala Mishra) and Hastaamalaka, went from place to

place, and preached Advaita. Sri Sankara gave intense training to his

disciples. One of the other disciples, Giri, while listening to the

discourses, would not ask any doubts, would not open his mouth, and

would be silent all the time. Some of the other disciples thought

that this Giri was a dumb idiot and did not know anything. One day,

all the disciples were ready to listen to Sri Sankara's discourses.

Sri Sankara waited for Giri to arrive. Ultimately, Giri turned up but

instead of keeping silent on that day, burst forth into eight slokas

which had never been heard by the disciples earlier. These were the

creation of Giri. On hearing this, all the disciples felt ashamed and

praised Giri. These slokas are called "Thotaka ashtakam". Giri was

named as Thotakar by Sri Sankara.

Sri Sankara visited Thiruvidaimarudur in Tanjore district of

Tamilnadu, which is a great religious place, and the ruling deity in

the temple was Lord Shiva. The learned Saivites of the temple

informed Sri Sankara that Lord Shiva is the creator and that they are

all merely lowly life created by Lord Shiva, and if that was so, how

does Sri Sankara say that they were one with the Lord ? They did not

agree with the Advaita principle. Sri Sankara asked them to enter the

temple. As they reached the Sanctum Santorum of the temple, their was

a thunderous statement "Satyam is Advaita". This was repeated thrice

and it was also followed by a hand which came out of the Linga which

conformed the truth. All the learned persons acknowledged the

principle of Advaita and accepted Sri Sankara as their Guru. Even

today, there is a Sankara Mutt at Thiruvaimarudur and there is a

linga with a hand materialising out of it.

Sri Sankara visited Thiruvanaikar, near Trichy in Tamilnadu. In this

temple, the Goddess Akhilandeswari was having a feirce power and

people who went to have her darshan could not stand the fierceness of

this Goddess. Sri Sankara created two sets of earrings which are

called Tatankam and he presented these to the Goddess. The fierceness

of the deity reduced. This tatankam, the earrings, has been

maintained over time by the Acharyas of the Kanchi Mutt.

Sri Sankara visited Tirupathi and recited the Sloka "Vishnu pathathi

keshanta stotra" which describes the Lord from his foot to the head.

He wanted the people to visit the Lord in great numbers and get his

blessings, he established an yantra. From that day the number of

followers of the temple increased and is increasing day by day.

Arjuna tree is the tree of "Marutha" and the place where Lord Shiva

appears as a Linga under this "Martha" tree is called Arjuna Kshetra.

The Thiruvadaimaruthur which Sri Sankara visited earlier is called

Madhyaarjunam. Srisaila, in Andhra, is called Mallikarjunam as Lord

Shiva resides under a Marutha Tree which has also got Jasmine

creepers on this tree. Sri Sankara visited this tree and became

ecstastic on seeing the linga at the foot of this tree. His happiness

flowed like the waves of a flood and became a sloka called

Sivanandalahiri.

Near Srisailam, there is a forest called Hatakeshwaram, that no man

enters. Sri Sankara entered this place and did penance for many days.

During this time, a Kabalika, by name Kirakashan appeared before him.

Kapalikas are a set of people who live in the burial grounds and pray

to God by giving human and animal sacrifice. They were against

Advaita which preaches love and affection and shuns violence. He

asked Sri Sankara that he should give his body as a human sacrifice

to Lord Shiva. Sri Sankara was happy to hear this request and agreed.

Kirakashan was about to cut off Sri Sankara's head when Lord

Narasimha appeared in the form of a lion and killed Kirakashan.

Sri Sankara completed his travels and went to Badrinath. Lord Vishnu

appeared before him and told that his sculpture in Alaknanda river

should be taken out and a temple should be built for it. This temple

is called Badrinarayan temple and is one of the important religious

places for Hindus.

 

 

Sri Sankara Bhagavatpada !

A discourse by His Holiness Jagadguru Sri Chandrasekharendra

Sarasvati Mahaswamigal Sri Sankaracharya of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham

 

 

This day is the birth anniversary of Sri Sankara. It was by

His avatara that the Vedas and the Works of the Rishis were

rehabilitated. It was only by their rehabilitation that the

observance of the holy Sri Ramanavami, Sri Narasimha Jayanti, Sri

Krishna jayanti, Uttarayana Sankranthi and Sivaratri and other holy

days was revived. The avatara of Sri Sankara made the remembrance and

celebration of other Jayantis possible. Sri Sankara jayanti comes off

every year on the 15th day of the Maadhavi month in the Vasanta Ritu.

Like the pure white jasmine, which is also called Vasanti and

Maadhavi, may the Vasanta madhava jayanti fill our spiritual

perception with its own rich fragrance.

 

Who is Sri Sankara? He is lokasankarah; he makes for the welfare of

the whole world. He is Siva Himself. Sivam means auspiciousness or

what is propitious.

 

What does `Sam'' mean in the name 'Sankara'? It means sukham, bliss

or aananda. The Brihadaaranyakopanishad speaks of it as 'Priyam',

that which is dear. Ordinarily, the people of the world do not know

where that sam, priyam or aanandam can be found. Hence they are

afflicted with worldly sorrows. Sri Bhagavatpada was filled with

compassion at the sight of world thus afflicted. He desired that men

should enjoy the unlimited bliss of self-realisation What is that

bliss by realising which Sri Sankara Himself left misery far behind?

Sri Sankara says: "One's own self is Sukam or bliss. One's own self

is all. One's own self is Brahman. Brahman alone is all that we

perceive. Everything is the effect of Brahman. The cause itself is

the effect. The effect is non-different from the cause. Everything is

Sam or bliss. Let this Sam or bliss be enjoyed, in all our

experiences. Let it be enjoyed as one's own inner self or Atman."

 

In the world Everything external to the self is dear for the reason

that it is related to the self. The self alone is ultimately dear to

everyone. Realisation of the self as non-different from Brahman is

Supreme Bliss.

 

Sri Sankara taught that Paramaatman is one, tat everything is

Brahaman and that all is one. What the veda taught is also what Sri

Sankara taught. Sri Sankara said that as all is Brahman there is

nothing apart from Brahman materialists hold that the world alone is

real and the Brahaman does not exist. The Nyaaya logicians and other

dualists said that the world and Brahman are both real. The Buddhists

denied both the world and no reality in its own right apart from

Brahman is the teaching of Sri Sankara.

 

Even in Buddhistic days, the systems anterior to it did not cease to

exist. Chaarvaaka philosophy could not displace the systems of

thought before its time. But on the emergence of Sri Sankara's

philosophy, all earlier systems lost their appeal like stars losing

their light on the rising of the Sun. Need it be said the partial

light becomes dimmed before the Supreme and limitless effulgence of

Universal Light? The methods of Bhakti, Upaasana and ethical virtues,

and the conflicting paths of Tantra, Aachaara, Yoga and Samadhi, all

these get absorbed in the indivisible Bliss of the non-dual Atman

just as river flowing east, south, west and north get merged in one

ocean. That Supreme Bliss is the goal of all these paths.

 

The teaching of the Bhagavatpada, as well as the teachings of other

Aachaaryas, which, following the Vedas, are intended for the

purification and elevation of one's Atman, prescribes that the

Dharmas mentioned in the vedas should be practised by men in

accordance with their respective Varnas and Ashramas. The Varnashrama

Dharmas have been ordained by Sastras, not merely to foster among men

an attitude of mutual helpfulness or only to promote the general

cooperative material well-being of society. They have been prescribed

for self-purification which they effect by developing peace, an

essential means to liberation, and which cannot be otherwise

experience.

 

The four means to Moksha, viz. Vairagya and others, accrue to a

person by observance of his own Varnashrama Dharmas; and their

dedication to Sri Hari. In the view, Sri Sankara closely follows the

Gita where it is said:

 

 

tasmaat saastram pramaanam te kaaryaakaaryavyavasthitau

Therefore in the determination of what should or should not be done,

Sastras are your mentor and guide. The word 'tasmaat'

meaning, 'therefor', which occurs in this sloka, refers to a reason

in the Sastraic determination of what should or should not be done.

What is the reason? It is set out in the immediately preceding slokas

of the Gita in that very context. In these slokas Sri Krishna says:

 

The gateway to hell which makes for self-destruction is three-fold,

namely, desire, anger and avarice. Hence these three ought to be

given up. One released from these three gates of darkness practices

what makes for his elevation and then attains the supreme goal. But,

if one violates the sastraic injunction and acts according to one's

will and pleasure, one does not attain self-realisation. He can

neither be happy nor reach the supreme goal."

 

After these verses occurs the verse beginning with 'tasmaat saastram

pramaanam te'. Thus Sri Sankara follows the Gita when He declares

that the observance of Varnashrama Dharma leads to self-purification

and elevation of the Atman.

 

Expounding his Bashyas and the truths enshrined in the Upanishads, in

a language which is profoundly sublime and yet transparently simple,

the ascetic that was Sri Sankara traversed the whole of the Bharata

Bhoomi on foot, from Rameswaram in the South to the Himalayas in the

North. Rivers and sacred spots, villages and towns and temples have

all been sanctified by him, and their spirituality augmented by his

yantras and mantras and the invocations he made. Generally speaking,

there is no holy spot in India, whose sanctity has not been

heightened by his association. Even now, in every part of the

country, people speak with pride that the temple in their place had

been satisfied by Sri Sankaracharya and made famous by the Yantra he

established. In all regions, where Vedic studies were prevalent,

there is no spot where Sri Sankara's Bhashyas have not been studied

with devotion by those who sought liberation, following the Guru-

sishya sampradaya. Even now, Sri Sankara's Bhashyas are learnt in

every place where Vedic studies are in vogue.

 

The growth of modern science is said to be responsible for the

increase of lethal weapons calculated to destroy all life and too be

pregnant with infinite danger to the world. Yet, from another angle,

on calm and careful reflection, it will be clear that the growth of

science shows the way for the promotion of peace among men. Fifty

years ago, physicists held the view that matter was made of number of

distinct elements and they held the theory of absolute difference

among things. Now however, denying the distinctiveness of individual

elements of matter and mutual difference between what is with form

and mutual difference between what is with form and what is without

form, they proclaim that they are all evolutes of one Energy. Thus it

will be clear to all thinkers that modern scientists are giving up

the theory of difference and are gradually getting oriented to the

philosophy of non-difference. Especially great savants like Einstein,

Sri James Jeans and Eddington have come very near the doctrine of

Advaita taught by Sri Sankara Bhagavatpada. Declaring that he

phenomenal world of perception is not ultimately true, but only

relatively real, they have come in effect to reject difference

itself. the scientific thought of the present day progressively

approximates to and supports the conclusion of Sri Sankara in the

repudiation of the world of difference. This modern view will prepare

the way for inculcating a sense of peace in the world. With the

obliteration, through proper insight of sense of difference among the

citizens of the world, among leaders of men, and among

administrators, the wise, the brave and the thoughtful ones will no

longer feel that others are different from themselves. They will

realise their oneness even with the men of enemy countries.

Themselves afflicted by the afflictions of the people of those lands,

they will prove to be the foundation for raising the edifice of world

peace.

 

On his holy day of anniversary of Sri Sankara's birth, may the truth,

Advaita or non-difference to which modern scientific thinkers are

getting attuned, a Truth which has been proclaimed by eternal Sruti,

and which has been rendered radiant by Sri Sankara Bhagavatpada be

broadcast to all the world by thinkers and wise men, each in his

measure, with earnestness and fervor. Many the malady of absence of

peace which afflicts all mankind be cured by the life-giving nectar

of the realisation of non-difference. May 'Sam' in the name of

Sankara, i.e., peace, reign everywhere.

 

The genius of Bhagavatpada

 

 

 

Saastram saareera meemaamsaa

Devastu paramesvarah !

Aacaaryaah Sankaraachaaryaah

Santu janmani janmani

Every one of us is anxious that he should not be born again, that he

should not have another janma. All Saastras have been propounded to

show the way to get rid of future births. They teach us how to bring

about the cessation of the alternations of birth and deaths, Sankara

says: punarapi jananam punarapi maranam. But the sloka I have quoted

seems to contradict this universal desire to annul all future births.

On the other hand, it seems to contain a prayer for any number of

janmas in the future. But, the prayer also contains three conditions.

it says, "if, in every future birth the sheet anchor of my faith and

understanding is the Saarera Meemaamsa, is my study, if the God I

worship is Paramesvara Himself, if the Guru who will be my refuge is

Sri Sankaracharya, it does not matter how many janmas I am to take.

May these three be granted to me in life after life." This is the

prayer of one among the crores of sishyas (disciples) of our Sri

Sankara Bhagavatpada.

 

In a similar manner, Sri Sankara himself says in the Sivanandalahari

Stotra:

 

 

Naratvamdevatvam nagavanamrigatvam masakataa,

pasutvam keetatvam bhavatu vihagatvaadi jananam

Sadaa tvat-paadaabja smarana paramaananda laharee

vihaaraasaktam chet hridayamiha kim tena vapushaa

 

"Let me be born as a men, as a god, as a

bird, as a monkey which jumps from tree to tree, as

a mosquito, or even as a worm. I do not decline any

janma if only it is given to me to enjoy the bliss

of contemplating the Lotus Feet of Sri Paramesvara.

What does it matter which form the body takes?(Kim tena vapushaa?)

 

The heart must be pure and directed to God, thought the body be ugly

or even despicable. A handsome body concealing a heart devoid of

devotion will only degrade human nature instead of elevating it. In

fact, good men dread the prospect of another life(punar janmam), only

because they are afraid their heart should be fouled by the

enticement of the world.

 

God is the ocean of mercy. He loves us all. Devotion to Him is the

sure way to our salvation. The Guru shows Him to us and instructs us

in the Saastras that speak about Him. The Guru is most literally our

friend, philosopher and guide in the fullest sense of that

expression. In the sloka quoted at the beginning, the sishya prays

that the Guru for him should always be Bhagavatpada Sri Sankara.

True, many others had also been called "Aachaaryas", like Bhishma and

Drona. We have also Sayanacharya, Udayanacharya, Bhaskaracharya and

many others. In fact the propounder of every Saastra went by the name

of Acharya. Regarding the qualifications of an Acharya, it has been

laid down that he one who teaches the meanings of the Saastras, puts

them into practice himself, and establishes others in those achaaras.

 

 

Aachinoti ca saastraathaan

Aachare sthaapayaityapi;

Svayam aacharate yasmaat

Tasmaad aachaarya uchyate.

In respect of others like Drona, Bhishma, and Charaka, the

suffix "Acharya" has to be specially added to their names. But when

the word "Acharya" is by itself used, it denotes only Sri

Bhagavatpada Sankara.

 

According to tradition, our Bharatadesa was originally dived into 56

kingdoms. (the Bhagavata Purana speaks of the Saptadveepas and of the

vedas having been current in all of them. We have references to Mitra

and Varuna in literature of Mesopatomia and Scandinavia). Our Acharya

traversed on foot all the 56 kingdoms of Bharatadesa and established

the Advaita Tatva as the final truth of Vedanta. Prior to him, the

Saankhyas propounded the theory of plurality of atmas and denied a

Paramatman. The Meemaamsakas, on the other hand, affirmed the

superiority of observing Vedic rituals (vedokta karmaanushtaana) over

jnana as the means to moksha. The Buddhas said that there was no

sayyavastu and promulgated the Soonya Vaada. The Jains advanced the

Sapta-bhangi-naya and adopted a shifting criterion of truth. Thus,

there were as many as 72 schools of thought. when the Aachaarya

appeared on the scene, many of them were in conflict with one

another. it was in this predicament that the Eesaana of Sarva Vidyaas

took human form as the son of pious Sivabhakta, Sivaguru by name, and

his devoted wife, Aaryamba. Before that event, both Sivaguru and

Aaryamba, who were yearning for a child, had an identical dream in

which they were asked if they wanted a number of long lived but

stupid sons or one learned child, who will, however, be short-lived.

Not able to decide between the two choices, they said that they would

abide by the will of God Himself. Accordingly, Sankara was born,

destined to die in his eighth year. When he was eight years old, he

confronted his mother-his father having predeceased her-with the

dilemma of either agreeing to see him die devoured by a crocodile in

the river near their home or consenting to his renouncing the world

by embracing the sannyasa asrama. The first occasion, in the dream,

was a dilemma realizing to the birth of her child, while this one was

a dilemma realizing to his death. Now too, knowing not how to decide,

she left the choice to her son, to do as he thought best, and the

result was that the child Sankara became the Acharya Sankara.

 

A person acquires a new lease of life similar to the old, upon his

adapting the Sanyaasa Aasrama in the prescribed manner. And so, our

Acharya, who was "born again" as a Sanyaasi, got a repetition of the

eight years of life originally allotted to him. In the second lease

of life, he sought a guru on the bank of the Narmada, Govinda

Bhagavatpada by name. after completing his novitiate under him, Sri

Sankara went to Kasi where he wrote the Bhashyas, Prakaranagranthas

and the stotras. All the scholars of Bharatadesa, who came to stay in

Kasi in their pilgrimage to that holy city, listened to the Bhashyas

which they carried to their respective regions on their return. To

give the seal of approval to Sankara's exposition of Brahma Sutra,

Sage Vyasa, the author of the Sutras himself appeared as an ordinary,

old man of ugly appearance, and invited Sri Sankara to a debate,

which went on without intermission, for days together, neither

disputant getting the better of the other. Amazed at this, Sri

Sankara's disciple Padmapada discerned by divine vision (jnana

drishti) that the old man was none other than Vyasa himself and

exclaimed:

 

Sankaras sankarassakhshaat vyaso naraayano harih ! tayoh vivaaade

sampraapte kinkarah kim karomyaham !!

 

"Sankaracharya is Bhagavan Sankara Himself. Vyasa is Hari, the

Supreme Narayana. When these two are engaged in debate, what can I,

humble attendant, do?"

 

Vyasa was so pleased with the exposition of his Brahma Sutra by our

Acharya that he declared that Sankara's teaching was the Vedanta

tatva. Giving him another lease of life for sixteen more years, Vyasa

desired our Acharya to travel through out the whole of Bharatadesa

and establish the truth of Advaita Vedanta. Our Acharya said that his

mission has been accomplished when he laid his Bhashya at the feet of

the sage. But he was told that though scholars who had gathered in

Kasi had carried the text of the Bhashya to their homelands the

Acharya should go to those places to give darshan to the people

living there. Thus it was that the Acharya traveled throughout our

country and, in diverse places, he found a number of shrines at which

he established the worship of Sri Chakra, dedicated to the Goddess

Uma, who is the embodiment of the Brahmavidya, spoken of in the

kenopanishad.

 

It is worthy of note that Buddhism, Jainism, the Saankhya, and the

Meemaamsa systems of thought were prevalent and popular, in each

case, the philosophies that were propounded prior to it, were still

current. But after the advent of Acharya, all the earlier systems

lost their hold on the minds of the people and Advaita Vedanta,

taught in the mahaavaakyaas of the Upanishads, gained universal

acceptance. Other schools of Vedanta that arose and are prevalent in

particular parts of our country are only small deviations of Advaita.

To Sri Sankara belongs the distinction of having liquidated all other

anterior systems, vaidika and advaidika alike. So conclusively

convincing was the was the Advaita tatva, which he established as

paramataatparya the supreme import of the Upanishads, that other

thinkers willing gave up their differing views, and acquiesced in it,

wholeheartedly. Great philosophers of foreign countries too were

attracted to it in such a measure that they expressed their

undisguised admiration of its sublimity. at the hands of our

Achaarya's successors, Admiration of its sublimity. At the hands of

our Achaarya's successors, Advaita Vedanta acquired an added

brilliance, as it was sharpened on the grinding stone of dialectical

controversies with critics belonging to other schools of Vadanta.

Swami Vivekananda proclaimed "Let the lion of Vedanta roar", and

carried the message of Advaita which he declared as" the most

scientific philosophy" to America and Europe. Thus our Achaarya's

matam became Sarva sammatam (accepted by all). The matam, however,

was not a theory which he advanced on his own; it was the Supreme

Truth of Upanishads he expounded. it was Aupanishadam matam.

 

It is remarkable that our Acharya established the Upanishadic truth

of Advaita within the brief period when he was in his teens. his span

of life was very short compared to that of Sri Sayanacharya, who,

treading the path of Sri Sankara, wrote his monumental Bhashyas on

all the Vedas, and also that of many other posterior Acharya who

promulgated one or the other of the six paths of devotion proclaimed

by our Acharya in the form of Shanmatam, and thereby earning the

distinction of being "Shanmatasthaapanacharya".

 

Siva, Vishnu, Devi and other manifestations of the Supreme are

worshipped by us, Hindus, every day. The vratas relating to the

worship of these manifestation survive in our midst today only

because of our Acharya. For, if he had not been born, Buddhism,

Jainism, the Saankhya and Meemaamsa would still be flourishing in our

land, and all of them together would have expelled God from the

hearts and minds of our people. If today, we celebrate Sri Rama

Navami, Janmashtami, Sivaratri, Durga Puja and other festivals

connected with the different manifestations of the Supreme, Sri

Sankara alone has made it possible. It is to remind ourselves of the

irredeemable debt that we owe to our Acharya and to express our

gratitude to him for his service to our religions that we a celebrate

Sri Sankara Jayanti.

 

BHAGAVATPADA'S SERVICE TO HINDUISM

 

Sri Sankara Bhagavatpada taught us the truth that all the deities we

hereditarily worship are but the manifestations of the One supreme

Paramaatma. He established the worship of the moorthies of Siva,

Vishnu, Ambika, Surya, Vinayaka and Subrahmanya all sanctified in the

Vedas, and each having a specific Gayatri Mantra. If worshipped with

devotion. all of them will enable us to attain the paramaatma,

proclaimed by the Vedas as Sat Purusha, or Brahman. In that way he

established the practical interpretation of the Gita teaching.

 

 

Yo yo yaam Yaam tanum bhaktah

sraddhaya architum icchati;

Tasya tasyaachalaam shraddhaam

Taam eva vidadhaamyaham

and came to be known as Shanmatasthaa-panaacharya. He traveled in all

the 56 kingdoms of this country, where the Vedas were prevalent, and

proclaimed the Advaitic principle of Oneness of God. Like the same

God who is within us and within everything we perceive, the seer, the

seen and the seeing (drashta, drisyam and drishti) are all aspects of

the same paramaatma.

 

In darkness, a rope is mistaken for a snake. But when examined with a

light, we will find that the supposed snake is only a rope. The

superimposed snake disappears, when disappears, when light

(knowledge) is thrown on it. Even for an illusion, there must be a

basis in reality. the bases in the above example being the rope. All

illusion will be superimposed on truth, and conversely what remains

after the illusion is dispelled is the truth. When a person wakes up

from a dream, everything seen and felt in the dream disappears, and

what remains is only the dreamer. It means that we project ourselves

into the objects of our dream. When the dream passes away on the dawn

of awakening, we realise that there is nothing outside us. Similarly,

the reflection in a mirror has no substantiality, but is only an

appearance of what already exists. When we realise, with the aid of

jnana, that God is the only ultimate Truth and everything else is

illusion, anger, desire, hatred, pain, grief and other emotions will

not affect us. We begin to dwell in the fullness of Supreme Bliss.

This idea is clearly brought out by Sri Sankara Bhagavatpada in the

first verse of his Sri Dakshinamurti Ashtaam.

 

 

Visvam darpana drisyamaana nagaree tulyam nijaantargatam,

Pasyannatmani maayayaa bahirivodbhootam yathaa nidrayaa;

Yah saakshaatkurute prabodhasamaye svaatmaana-mevaadvayam,

Tasmai sreegurumoortaye nama idam Sree Dakshinaa-moortaye.

The last verse in this Ashtakam is :

 

Bhoorambhamsyanolo anilombaramaharnaatho himaamsu:pumaan,

Ityaabhaati charaacharaatmakam idam yasyaiva moortyashtakam!

Naanyat kincanavaidyate vimrusataam yasmaat parasmaad vibho

Tasmai Sree gurumoortaye nama idam Sree Dakshinaa-moortaye!!

 

The verse points out that earth, water, fire, air, ether, Sun, moon,

and purusha are all one. Paramesvara bears the name of Ashtamurti and

it is He who appears in the eight forms enumerated above. Therefore,

when we turn our thoughts inward and make some research, we arrive at

the realisation that Paramatma is the Ultimate Truth. We cease to

covet anything. But this does not imply inaction; on the other hand,

for the welfare of the word (lodasamgraha), each of us has to perform

the duty assigned to him. when we do so with the Advaitic

consciousness of oneness of God we shall be able to perform our

duties, freed from every attachment. The Acharya made his appearance

in the world to teach us this great truth and has, thereby, rendered

an invaluable service to humanity. By paying homage to this great

religious and spiritual preceptor, who reoriented philosophic thought

to its Upanishadic traditions and whose achievements within a short

span of life is unparalleled in history, we shall earn his grace

which will guide us along the path of God-realisation. It is due to

Sri Bhagavatpada and his compositions in praise of the different

manifestations of God that a new life has come to be breathed into

temple worship and the festivals associated with temples. Had it not

been for him the observance of such festivals like Janmashtami,

Vinayaka Chaturthi, Sri Rama Navami and Sivaratri in our homes would

have ceased owing to the spread of atheism. Our elders, who profited

from the teachings of Bhagavatpada, adhered to the various religious

observances. It is their abundant faith that is responsible for the

continuance of these observance even today, in spite of the neglect

of succeeding generations.

 

By his upadesa, Sri Adi Sankara became a Jagadguru (world teacher) in

the fullest meaning of that expression. We are proud to call

ourselves his followers and to pay homage to him. But there is one

drawback in us, and that is, we do not live up to the advice tendered

by him. Each one of us is enjoined to perform the daily anushtanaas

prescribed for him, to worship the deity hereditarily worshipped, and

to meditate on the mantra given to him by a guru. But unfortunately,

in these days, we thin of God only when faced with some calamity, and

begin to do this pooja or that. Of what avail are these special

poojas and rituals, if we have not built up our spiritual life on the

bases of the anushtaanaas, enjoined upon us? In fact these special

rituals to ward off a threatened calamity may not become necessary at

all if we had been strictly adhering to our anushtaanaas, which are

the means by which man can acquire the fund of divine grace without

which not an atom will move in this universe. In the absence of this

basic requirement, whatever else we do later on, will not bear fruit.

 

My stay in Madras will have produced some result if at least those

who claimed allegiance to the Math observed the sastraic way of life

and perform the basic anushtaanaas and, in that way, recapture the

spiritual glory that once was ours. Otherwise, I will be in the same

predicament as the commander of an undisciplined army. Spiritual

discipline is as rigorous as military discipline. If we really want

to fulfill the purpose of life, we must subject ourselves to that

discipline. Then we need fear none. Purity in our life will command

for us the respect and regard of the rest of the world.

 

 

Guru Bhakthi !!!

 

A discourse by His Holiness Jagadguru Sri Jayendra Sarasvathi

Svamigal Sri Sankaracharya of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham

 

 

 

It is said that Guru(preceptor) is greater than God, devotion

to preceptor is more meritorious than that to God. If we ask why, the

answer is that God has not been seen by any one, But the preceptor is

present here and now before us. If a Preceptor who is immaculate and

pure, full of wisdom and steadiness of vision completely free from

weakness, were available to us, the mental peace in search of which

we pray to God is at our reach by devotion to the preceptor. Hence it

is declared

 

 

"Gurur - Brahma

Gurur - Vishnuh

Guru -devo Maheswarah

Gurur - sakshat Param Brahma

Tasmai Sri Gurave namah

 

The Preceptor is Brahma, Vishnu, is the God Maheswara, is verily

Brahma itself. Salutation to such a Preceptor

 

In this verse it is to be noted that total identity between the

Preceptor and Brahman reality is declared. Incidentally, since in

this verse both Siva and Vishnu are clubbed together, if we prostrate

before the preceptor uttering this verse we will get the sense of the

identity of Siva and Vishnu.

 

God performs the works like creating and protecting the world. But

the preceptor does not have these responsibilities. God has

an 'office' while the Preceptor does not have one. is much easier to

get things done by the grace of the preceptor than by the officer God

whom we will have to disturb.

 

Whatever great and auspicious qualities God possesses, the Preceptor

also has, namely, blem-ishless purity, truth, devoid of deceit or

dissimulation, complete control of the senses, infinite compassion

and wisdom. The only difference is that we are able to see the

Preceptor by our eyes, while God is invisible. Hence if we begin to

develop devotion to the preceptor clinging to his holy feet we will

gain with ease all the benefits that we expect from God with effort.

That is why our elders said that devotion to Preceptor is superior in

its effects than that to God.

 

However we should not forget to practice devotion to god, because we

are led to the presence and proximity of the Preceptor only by God.

if the grace of God were not operating, how could one get near the

Preceptor at all?

 

Acharya Sankara has stated in the beginning of the Vivekacudamani

that three things are hard to obtain without God's Grace. They are(1)

birth as a human being, (2) desire to know the truth and to get

liberated and (3) the attainment of holy Preceptor.

 

 

"Durlabham trayameva etat devanugraha - hetukam

manushyatvam mudmukshutvam-purusha-samsargah"

For all people at all ages, the Preceptor is one only. He is

Dakshinamurthy.

 

 

"Sa purvesham api guruh

Kaalena-anavacchedaat."

How could true knowledge have been transmitted to one Preceptor

except through Preceptor of that Preceptor except through Preceptor

of that Preceptor and so on? If we thus trace the line or Preceptor

backwards, God Himself ultimately will become the First preceptor to

his first disciple. That is why we are told not to forget God.

 

Sometimes this matter is stated in a different way. If instead of

speaking of God and Preceptor as two different persons, if we treat

them as one and the same and assume that God has appeared in the form

of a Preceptor, we need not practice two-fold devotion separately as

devotion to the Preceptor. we can consider God Himself as the

preceptor and surrender to Him totally. He will save us by His grace

through the preceptor in human form who after all is only His

manifestation. hence we are taught even at the very outset that the

preceptor is the basis of trinity of God viz. Brahma, Vishnu and

Siva.

 

 

 

"Gurur - Brahma

Gurur - Vishnuh

Gurur - Devo Maheswarah

Gururs - Sakshat Param Brahma

Tasmai Sri Gurave namah

The meaning of the above verse is used sometimes to be explained more

tastefully with reference to Sage Vyasa who is the most important of

all the teachers of the Brahma-vidya.

 

 

"acatur-vadano brahmaa, dvibaahur-aparo-harih;

Aphaalalocanah sambhuh, bhagavaan baadaraayanah."

'Baadaraayana' is another name of Vyasa. He is Brahmaa without four

faces. He is Vishnu with only two hands; He is Siva without the eye

on the forehead. Such is the greatness of Vyasa-Baadadraayana.

 

There is no one greater than the preceptor. We should have full faith

in him. It should be genuine faith. if we have faith that God himself

has appeared in the preceptor's form, then even God is not necessary.

This faith and the devotion that we nourish towards Him, will of

themselves redeem us.

 

For the Vaishnava, devotion to Preceptor is the most important and

primary.

 

If we commit and offence against God, there is no need to seeking

pardon from God himself. It is enough if the Preceptor pardoned us.

God's anger will at once be appeased. On the contrary, if one offends

the preceptor, and seeks pardon from God, nothing would happen. God

himself would tell him that He is helpless in the matter. he will ask

us to get the pardon from the preceptor alone.

 

The Preceptor can intercede on behalf of the disciple and recommend

to God to pardon the sinner. God will never disregard this

recommendation. If, on the contrary, the preceptor is sinned against

there could be none to protect the sinner. There is a verse which

tells us this.

 

 

 

"Gurur-pitaa, gurur-maataa, guru-daivam, guru-gatih,

Sive-rysgte gurustraataa, gurur rushte na kascana.

That is why the scriptures enjoin the devotion to the preceptor. If a

Preceptor, perfect in all respects is not available, one has to take

to some Preceptor as a spiritual guide even though he is of a grade

less and practice devotion to him and through him to God.

 

No benefit accrues to God or Guru by our devotion to them. The great

benefit is only ours. What is that?

 

We have impurities and are fickle-minded. We are not able to fix the

mind in one point even for a second. Only when we set our thought on

one who is ever pure, is full of wisdom, is constant and inflexible

like a dried wood, that state of immutability will be won by us also.

We will become the same as He. The object of our thought need not

necessarily be God. It may be any object or any person whom we

consider to be possessed of such spiritual qualities as those of a

Preceptor. We will become one with Him. Only when the mind stops to

wander, self will shine forth. That is, we will know our true nature

of bliss. Devotion to Guru or God is indispensable for the restraint

of the mind.

 

In the Chandogya Upanishad itself it is declared that only by the

grace of the Guru true knowledge is possible. It says "aacaaryavaan

purusho veda" (only one who has a Preceptor, gains true knowledge).

 

It puts the idea in the form of short story.

 

A man belonging to Gandhara (now known as Kandahar) was kidnapped by

some dacoits and was abandoned blindfold in a forest. what will be

his predicament? How could he return to his country not knowing where

he was?

 

Similar is the case with us. Maya, the deluding power, has left us

blindfold in the world. In the above story, some wayfarer happens to

come on the way in the forest. He removes the blind and instructs him

on the way back to Gandhara. The poor man follows the instructions

and reaches his place.

 

Similarly, we are now blinded by ignorance and can, following the

instruction of the Preceptor, get our ignorance removed and attain

release. This is the parable in the Chandogya Upanishad.

 

Sri Sankara Bhagavatpada, renowned as the world teacher (Jagadguru),

sings the praise of the Guru everywhere. He asked "What if one has

all the glories? What is the use of it all if his mind is not bound

to the lotus feet of the Preceptor?" He asks "what if?" not once, but

repeatedly. In the poem Gurdvashtakam (consisting of eight verses),

he asks as a refrain at the end of every line "What if" in all the 32

lines.

 

And also in the teaching just on the eve of his casting off the

mortal coils he commands; "Take to a Preceptor who is a savant and is

pure. Then do service at his holy feet every day. Seek the

instruction on Brahman, symbolised in the single syllable Om! Listen

to the Mahavaakyas of Upanishads!"

 

 

"Sad-vidvan upasrpyatam pratidinam

tatpadukaa sevyatam brahmaika akasaram

arthyatam srutisriri-vaakyam samaakarnyataam."

There is no parallel to the Guru. He may be compared a philosopher's

stone which turns the base metal into gold. But even this comparison

is not Quite correct because the philosopher's stone turns base metal

only into gold. it does not transform that metal into another

philosopher's stone. But the Preceptor turns even the dullard into a

wise sage like him.

 

When we look at the line of the Preceptors one by one, and our

Paramacharya, the doubt deepens whether there could be any one

comparable to him. We should contemplate on the Paramacharya not

merely as a God walking amidst us but the Supreme non-dual Brahman

who is beyond all difference and determinations.

 

Narayana Narayana

 

 

 

The life and work of Sri Sankara By Prof. P. Sankaranarayanan

 

 

 

Among the renowned personalities celebrated in the

hagiographies of the world, by far the most distinguished for all

time is Sri Sankara, reverently referred to as Sri Sankara

Bhagavatpada, or simply as the Bhagavatpada. Whether considered, as

tradition and the Puranas would have it, as an incarnation of Lord

Siva Himself or only looked upon as a surpassing human being, either

way, he is pre-eminent among the prophets and religious leaders of

all times. His achievements during the little over three decades of

his earthly life constitute a marvel of uncommon rate.

 

He was an intellectual prodigy who attained a phenomenal mastery over

the scriptures even when he was less than eight years of age. Using

the Sanskrit language with a felicitous clarity all his own, he wrote

elaborate commentaries on the tripod of Hindu religion and philosophy

evincing a dialectical skill which even to this day is the despair

and envy of his adversaries. The original treatises that he produced

on Advaita Vedanta ranging from a single verse to a thousand for all

grades of mental comprehension live even today as fresh as ever, in

the thoughts and tongues of men. His triumphal digvijaya to all parts

of our land more than once had a double purpose, to vindicate the

truths of Advaita Vedanta against the onslaughts of its disputants

and to purify our religious theories and practices out of the

accretions that had gathered round them by the lapse of time and the

inroads of perverted minds. Mere sacerdotalism which went by the

letter ignoring the spirit and the corruption of designing people had

for long fouled the clear springs of our pristine religion, resulting

in the adoption of ways of worship which were neither civilised nor

moral. All this had happened before Sri Sankara came on the scene. He

accomplished the stupendous task of ridding our religion of its

unfortunate excrescence and raised it to a pedestal of worshipful

dignity. Buddhism, the rebel child of the Vedic religion and

philosophy, denied God and the soul, laid the axe at the very roots

of Vedic thought and posed a great danger to its very survival. This

onslaught was stemmed betimes, compelling Buddhism to seek refuge in

other lands. While the credit for this should go primarily to the

Mimamsaka, Kumarila Bhatta, it was because of Sri Sankara's

dialectical skill and irrefutable arguments that it ceased to have

sway over the minds of the inheritors of Vedic religion.

 

Having thus enthroned our ancient religion and philosophy in the

hearts and minds of his countrymen, Sri Sankara established in

several parts of the country guardians of his teachings to preserve

and propagate it to countless generations of the future. While these

should have been numerous when he established them, five stand to

this day as pontificates bearing his name, and function at Kanchi,

Sringeri, Puri, Dwaraka and Badri, covering the whole of Bharata

Varsha. There is not in legend or in history a life like Sri

Sankara's so short in years and yet so packed with achievements in

the realm of the spirit and whose glory extends beyond the bounds of

space and time. No wonder that even today, much as protagonists of

other schools may regret and protest, Vedanta is identified with

Advaita which Sri Sankara drew out of the Upanishads, distilled out

of the Bhagavad Gita and described in his commentaries on the Brahma

Sutras, and that this school of Vedanta has compelled the conviction

and obtained the assent of the thinking minds of the West.

 

It is unfortunate that no biography of Sri Sankara was

written by his contemporaries. For details about his life, we have to

depend on Sankara Vijayas composed at different times long after he

lived. They do not agree in all particulars about his life. The

traditional date of Sri Sankara varies from that assigned to him by

modern historians. While the latter fix him as having lived from 788

to 820 A.D., the tradition determined by the pontifical succession in

the celebrated Pithas that he established take him to a time long

before the Christian era. Be that as it may, we may glean from the

different biographies extant today a generally accepted account of

his life and work.

It is agreed on all hands that Sri Sankara belonged to a Nambudiri

Brahmana family of Kerala in the hamlet of Kaladi situated on the

banks of the Churna river. His father was a pious wealthy person

called Sivaguru and his mother was Aryamba. Not blessed with a son

for a long time, the devout pair went to worship Lord Siva in the

nearby celebrated temple at Trichur. The story goes that, pleased by

their devotion, the God appeared before them in a dream and asked

them to choose between a number of long-lived sons who would remain

ignorant and stupid and one who would live for eight years only, but

would be possessed of phenomenal intellectual gifts. Sivaguru and his

wife had no hesitation in choosing the latter. According to the

legend, it was conveyed to them that Lord Siva Himself would

condescend to be born to them.

 

In fullness of time, Aryamba bore a child carrying such divine marks

on its person that those who beheld it proclaimed it an incarnation

of Lord Siva Himself. It was given the significant name of Sankara,

calculating by the season, the day and time of its birth and also as

if to predict the great service the child was destined to render to

the world. (Sam Karoti iti Sankarah: 'Sankara' is one who does good).

As ill-luck would have it, Sivaguru passed away before the child was

five years old and it was then brought up with care and affection by

his mother. With the assistance of her kinsmen, Aryamba got the

upanayanam ceremony performed for her precocious boy who then

mastered all the Vedas and Sastras which seemed to wait on his lips,

eager to be uttered by him for their own sanctification.

 

The eight years of the boy's allotted life were drawing to a close.

The fateful day dawned. On that day it happened that Aryamba and Sri

Sankara went to the Churna river to bathe. The mother finished her

ablutions and was resting on the bank of the river. Suddenly she

heard a cry of distress from her son telling her that a terrific

crocodile had got his leg in its mouth and was dragging him down. The

agony of the mother was indescribable.

 

Then Sri Sankara told her that he could free himself from the grip of

the monster if, then and there, he assumed the Sannyasa asrama

bringing about thereby the 'death' of his former condition and the

start of a new life. Else, the crocodile would devour him and that

would be the end of his physical life. 'Choose' said he, 'this

instant; for there is no time to lose. Shall I pass away devoured by

the crocodile or shall I live converting myself into a sannyasin?'

Aryamba was in a dilemma; but her maternal instinct made her consent

to Sri Sankara to live as a sannyasin if thereby she could keep him

alive. Then and there, standing in the water, the boy Sankara uttered

the incantation which automatically admitted him into the holy order

of mendicant sannyasins. And, for a wonder, the crocodile loosened

its grip and disappeared from water to appear again on the sky, so

the story goes, as a celestial Gandharva released from his erstwhile

curse by which he was condemned to be an aquatic monster. Thus Sri

Sankara 'died' as a Brahmachari at the ordained age of eight and

obtained a further lease of another eight years.

 

Upon Aryamba quite innocently bidding her son accompany her home, Sri

Sankara reminded her that he had become a sannyasin, that he had

betaken to an itinerant life and must take leave of her. The mother

was anguished at this, grieving as to who could take care of her son.

She wailed in disappointment that it was not given to her to see her

son grow up, marry and raise a progeny for the continuation of his

line. Sri Sankara consoled her by saying: 'Mother dear! Do not

grieve. The whole world will be my home hereafter. All those who will

initiate me into the sacred lore will be my fathers. All women who

give me bhiksha (alms) will be my mothers. The peace that shall be

mine by the realisation of the Atman will be my consort. All my

disciples will be my sons.' He however promised to be at her bedside

in her last moments and speed her way to heaven by his presence.

Aryamba then gave him unwilling leave to depart. Sri Sankara traveled

on foot from Kaladi to the Narmada banks visiting many a sacred spot

on the way. There, in a place called Omkar Mandhata on the bank of

river Narmada which from then on is called Sankara Ganga, he met

Govinda Bhagavatpada who formally admitted him into the sannyasin

order according to the prescribed rituals and imparted the Brahma

Vidya to him. After serving his guru, for some time, obeying his

command. Sri Sankara went to Kasi (Varanasi) and engaged himself in

writing commentaries on the tripod of Hindu philosophy, namely, the

Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita and the Brahma Sutras. At this time an

interesting incident happened in the life of Sri Sankara. One

morning, he was returning to his monastery after a bath in the Ganga.

Leading four dogs an outcaste, who should not approach him, came

along.

 

He was bidden by Sri Sankara to go away from his path. Upon this, the

outcaste queried him as to what he bade to go away; if it was the

outcaste's body or his Atman. If it was the former, he said, it was

compacted of the same five elements as Sri Sankara's own body and was

not different. So it need not go away. If it was the Atman, then

according to the Advaita that Sri Sankara taught, the Atman of all

persons, brahmana or outcaste, was one only and, being identical and

all-pervasive, it cannot move away. Sri Sankara immediately

understood that his questioner was no ordinary outcaste, but a

realised soul and broke forth into a pentad of verses acclaiming the

outcaste's greatness. Sri Sankara said in the verse that he deemed a

person of such spiritual realisation to be his Guru, be he an

outcaste or a brahmana. According to the legend, it was Lord Siva

Himself who appeared as this outcaste. The dogs were the four vedas.

The outcaste and his retinue vanished and Lord Siva appeared and

blessed Sri Sankara exhorting him to finish writing his commentaries.

 

Another incident occurred some time later. While Sri Sankara was

instructing his disciples in his Vedantic commentaries, an aged

brahmana appeared before him with a request that he would be pleased

to resolve some of his doubts. A vigorous discussion followed between

the Master and the brahmana who disputed for a number of days with

elaborate arguments Sri Sankara's interpretation of one of the

tersest of the Brahma Sutras. This went on for eight days, each side

vindicating its stand and there was no prospect of its conclusion. At

this time, one of Sri Sankara's disciples, Padmapada by name,

wondered who the doughty debater was. In an intuitive flash it struck

him that he must be the great Bhagavan Vyasa, the author of the

Brahma Sutras. He exclaimed: 'Sankara is Siva and Vyasa is Narayana

Himself. When these gods themselves dispute, what can a mere mortal

like me do?' Sri Sankara then realised who his disputant was.

Prostrating before him he begged to be blessed. Sage Vyasa there upon

lauded the fidelity of Sankara's commentaries and gave them the

imprimatur of his approval. Now the extended eight years of Sri

Sankara's life were about to be over. Adding another sixteen years to

the span of his life, Vyasa bade him propagate the Advaita Sastra in

the far reaches of India.

 

 

 

Then began the triumphant digvijaya of Sri Sankara. The first

opponent of Advaita which is the philosophy of the Upanishads (known

as the Uttaramimamsa) was the Purvamimamsaka who believed in the

primacy and the immediacy of the Vedic Karmic rituals as the means to

Moksha. One of the staunchest protagonists of this school was

Kumarila Bhatta who lay on the banks of the Ganga at Prayag (modern

Allahabad) at the point of death, having immolated himself by fire

for the sin of gurudroha (being a traitor to one's Guru), which he

acquired by furtively learning the tenets of Buddhism from a Buddhist

savant in order to controvert them later. Kumarila, according to the

legend, was an incarnation of Kumara, son of Lord Siva. He told Sri

Sankara of his predicament which disabled him from debating with him.

He bade him go to his own disciple, Mandana Misra living in

Mahishmati, saying that he (Mandana) was a more uncompromising

ritualist than himself.

Sri Sankara hastened to Mandana's place. On arriving at the city, he

was at a loss to discover Mandana's house. He enquired of a woman who

was passing by and was told that in the verandah of a house two

parrots would be chirping between themselves whether the Vedas were

true in their own right or if their truth was derived. That, she

said, was Mandana's house. Arriving there, Sri Sankara found the door

closed against intruders as a sraddha ceremony was being then

performed by Mandana. The story is that Sri Sankara let himself in by

his yogic powers. Parrying the abuses of the householder who was

wroth at a sannyasin interposing himself in a sraddha ceremony, Sri

Sankara said that he did not come there for anna bhiksha (alms of

food) but made him agree to a vada bhiksha, (alms of knowledge) after

the sraddha ceremony was over. The disputants agreed that Mandana's

wife Sarasavani who was said to be an incarnation of the Goddess

Sarasvati, (Mandana being Brahma himself), should act as umpire to

the debate. The wager was that if either was defeated, he should

adopt the asrama of the other, that is, either Sri Sankara should

become a householder or Mandana should take to monastic discipline.

Leaving them to debate between themselves, Sarasavani went to attend

to her domestic chores. Before doing so, she adorned each disputant

with a garland of flowers saying that the person whose garland showed

signs of fading must be considered to have been defeated.

 

The debate went on for a number of days. At the conclusion of the

sessions on a particular day, Sarasavani invited both of them

together for bhiksha signifying that her lord Mandana had become

eligible for alms as only a monk is, in other words, that he had been

defeated and should, according to the wager, become a sannyasin. This

he did, adopting the name Suresvara and thence forward accepted the

supremacy of Advaita. He became one of the foremost disciples of Sri

Sankara who had earlier, when he was in Kasi acquired a disciple in

the person of Sanandana. This disciple came to be known as Padmapada

because the river Ganga caused lotuses (padma) to bloom at every step

of his foot (pada) to give support to him, when once in his ecstatic

devotion to Sri Sankara, he walked right on the stream to fulfil a

command of the master on the other bank.

 

 

 

Sri Sankara then traveled to Badri on the Himalayas where His guru

Govinda and His guru's guru Gaudapada were living in the enjoyment of

nirvikalpa samadhi. He made them revert to world conscious-ness by

singing the famous Dakshinamurti Stotra. He received their blessings

and went to Kailas. According to the story he was affectionately

received by his Great Original, Lord Paramesvara who blessed him with

five Siva Sphatika Lingas, the oval emblems of Siva made of

transparent crystals and a transcript of Soundaryalahari, a century

of hymns in praise of the Divine Mother. As ill-luck would have it,

he lost the later fifty nine of these verses which he subsequently

replaced by his own composition. The five lingas given by Siva were

known as Mokshalinga, Varalinga, Bhogalinga, Muktilinga and

Yogalinga. Sri Sankara then returned to Kedara where he installed the

Muktilinga and established one of his pontificates, in the nearby

Badri, which is called the Jyotish Pitha. Proceeding thence to Nepal,

he vanquished the Buddhists who denied the soul and God. He installed

the Varalinga at Nilakanta Kshethra which is even now in worship at

Nepal.

Wending his steps southward the Bhagavatpada went to Dwaraka in the

Western corner of India, sacred to the memory of Sri Krishna. He

established the Kalika Pitha there and also a pontificate. Crossing

the country travelling eastward, he came to Puri where he founded the

Vimala Pitha after worshipping Lord Jagannatha. Thence he went to

Srisailam in the Andhra Pradesh where he composed the famous hymn

Sivanandalahari and installed a Srichakra in front of the shrine of

the presiding goddess Sri Bhramarambika. It was at this time that Sri

Sankara vanquished the Kapalikas and put down the homicidal practice

to which they were addicted to in their religious worship.

 

It was at this time that Sri Sankara's supreme spirit of self-

sacrifice and his boundless compassion towards even an enemy with

murderous intent was evidenced. (The sage of Kanchi used to narrate

the incident with his deep feeling of Guru Bhakthi). The chief of the

Kapalikas wanted to do away with Sri Sankara. But he knew that such a

divine person could not be done away with unless he himself gave his

consent for that. The Kapalika, in addition, also knew the loving

heart of Sri Sankara and his self-sacrificing nature. So he made bold

to request Sri Sankara himself to give permission to behead him! He

further said that he would offer the head to his god Kapali, the

dreadful form of Siva, and by this offer of the head of a true monk

he would reach the heaven of Kapali.

 

Without a moment's hesitation Sri Sankara gave his hearty approval

for the atrocious request! He said, "Till now I had been thinking

that the human body alone is incapable of being of service to fellow

beings. The hide of the sheep serves as blanket, that of the cow for

making musical instruments. The nerves of many animals find use as

strings. So on and so forth. But the human body, once dead is just

burnt or buried, without being of any use to anybody. I have been

thinking so till now. But now, dear man, you say that my head would

serve to confer Kalpali's heaven itself on you. I am glad to be

utilised thus. If you are sure that I am a true monk do quickly chop

off my head before my disciples turn up".

 

Unmoved by even such an exalted expression of love the Kapalika aimed

his sword on Sri Sankara. But before it could touch the neck of Sri

Sankara, the Kapalika himself fell dead due to the outburst of the

wrath of the Almighty Vishnu in the Man-lion form of Narasimha.

 

Traversing thence to the Western Ghats, Sri Sankara worshipped Sri

Mukambika. There he discovered the dumb prodigy who, on being cured

of his defect, became his disciple and attained the name Hastamalaka.

Another of the disciples was one Giri by name, generally considered

to be backward by his fellow-disciples. Receiving a special mark of

grace from Sri Sankara, he broke forth into a soul-stirring hymn of

eight verses in praise of his guru, celebrated as the Totakashtaka,

himself getting the sannyasa name of Totakacharya.

 

Resuming his travel, Sri Sankara went to Karnataka and reached

Sringagiri (Sringeri). Here he erected a shrine to Sri Sarada,

established another pontificate known as the Sarada Pitha and

installed there the Bhogalinga from among those that he had brought

from Kailas.

 

 

Meanwhile, Sri Sankara's mother was on the point of death. True to

his promise to her, Sankara hastened to her bedside and invoked the

grace of Vishnu to take her to Vaikuntha. As a sannyasin should not

engage in any kind of ritual, his kinsmen refused to permit him to

perform the lady's obsequies himself. Upon his insisting that the

duty to one's mother overrode all rules and that he would himself

perform his mother's cremation, they all to a man, withheld their co-

operation. Sri Sankara carried the dead body to the backyard of his

house unaided by anybody and lighted the funeral pyre by invoking his

spiritual prowess. Sri Sankara went thence to Tirupati where he

established the Dhanakarshana Yantra which, to this day, draws vast

sums of wealth from pious devotees. Reaching Jambukeswaram in modern

Tiruchirapalli, he tempered the ferocity of Akhilandeswari, the

presiding Goddess by installing a shrine to Sri Vighneswara in front

of Her, and fixing on the ears of Her person two rings known as

Tatankas in the mystically designed Srichakra pattern. He then went

to the land's end in Rameswaram to worship Lord Ramanatha in the

Linga that he celebrated in his Dvadasalingstotra. in praise of the

Lingas installed in the twelve (dvadasa) foremost temples of Siva.

Returning, he visited Chidambaram and left the Mokshalinga, another

of those he got in Kailas, to be worshipped there.

Travelling through the length and breadth of the country over, Sri

Sankara ultimately reached Kancheepuram near Madras. Kanchi is known

as one of the seven Mokshapuris of our sacred land (places which

confer Liberation) and has had, through the ages, a memorable

political, literary, cultural and religious history. Scholars and

saints of all denominations and sects have either visited it in their

time or taken permanent residence there. It has been the venue of

philosophical disputations of all schools of thought. No religious

leader considered his mission fulfilled or his victory complete

unless he vanquished rivals of other faiths in that famous city. As

its name signifies, Kanchi is the waistline of the earth and its

central spot. It was but appropriate that Sri Sankara also should go

to this place to proclaim the Advaita Vedanta vindicating it against

other schools of religion and philosophy. Acclaimed by everyone as

the supreme master of all that is to know, Sri Sankara ascended

before a large assembly the throne of omniscience known as the

Sarvajna Pitha at Kanchi.

 

He then mitigated the ugrakala, the fierce aspect of the Goddess

Kamakshi drawing it into a Srichakra which he placed in front of Her

and consecrated it. After renovating the temple to Lord Vishnu in the

person of Sri Varadaraja, he asked the reigning king of Kanchi to

fashion the city in the form of a Srichakra giving the central place

to the shrine of Sri Kamakshi.

 

A few things are noteworthy in this connection. Kanchi is famous for

its numerous temples in honour of Vishnu and Siva. But the main tower

of all of them, howsoever distant they may be from the temple of Sri

Kamakshi, face it without exception. The processional idols of all

these shrines are taken round this Kamakshi temple when their annual

festivals are celebrated. In none of the Siva temples of Kanchi is

there a shrine for Siva's Consort, that of Kamakshi doing service for

all of them. The city is famous as the place where Brahma himself

performed a yajna attended by all the celestials.

 

 

 

No wonder that Sri Sankara chose Kanchi to establish the pontificate

known as the Kamakoti Pitha there. Of the five Lingas which he got

from Kailas, he reserved the Yogalinga for worship by himself here in

the Kamakoti Pitha. Entrusting the four chief maths that he had

established in the important religious centers of the country in-

charge of each of his four eminent disciples, Sankara chose the fifth

that he established in Kanchi known as the Saradamatha, for his own

stay and ministration. These five maths function to this day as

bastions of our ancient Sanatana Dharma in general and of Advaita

Vedanta in particular. They have had since Sri Sankara's time a long

and illustrious line of pontifical successors who bear his hallowed

name and continue to discharge the great mission that he entrusted to

them. The Math associated with the Kanchi Kamakoti Pitham has a

special significance by reason of its being the place where Sri

Sankara spent his last days and finally shed his mortal body merging

into the beautitude of Brahmanubhava.

 

The text of the Srimukhas (pontifical epistles) granted by the

Jagadgurus of the Kanchi Kamakoti Pitha since time immemorial refers

to Sri Sankara as Nikila-Pashanda-Kantakotgha patanena visadi- krta-

Veda-Vedanta-Marga-Shanmatha-Pratishthapa-kacharyah: i.e. describes

him as 'one who swept off the thorns that encumbered the various

forms of worship of the six manifestations of God'. Worship of these

deities had waned in our land due to the inroads of Buddhism and

Jainism. It was Sri Sankara who rescued them from oblivion and rid

some of them of their unholy encrustations. Particular mention may be

made of the vamachara practices in the Sakta religion and the

abhorrent rituals of the Kapalikas. Hence Sri Sankara is gratefully

spoken of as Shanmathapratishtapakacharya, which means, not one who

established the six forms of worship for the first time but one who

revived and gave strength and stability to the existing ones. Nor

were they to Sri Sankara six different, and much less, opposed forms.

They are six alternative ways in which the same Supreme God is

worshipped according to the preference of the worshipper. Each

chooses his Ishta devata among them, determined by his family

tradition (kulachara) and his inclination (ruchi), and accommodates

the rest also in a subsidiary way in his pattern of worship. Thus Sri

Sankara was a great integrator within the fold of the Vedic religion

and he brought about intra religious amity among all those who

professed the Hindu faith.

Such was the life and work of the illustrious Sankaracharya who

packed within a brief period of thirty-two years a series of

achievements which are unequalled both in their content and their

variety. Judged by any test, as a writer, as a poet, as a thinker and

debater, as a prophet and mystic, as a religious organiser, and by

any aspect of his diversified personality Sri Sankara is unique among

the great men of the world. He holds a pre-eminent position among the

Master Minds that have shaped the thoughts and actions alike of their

contemporaries and of posterity. Above all, the Advaita Vedanta that

he expounded to such artistic perfection is the one and only

philosophy that will effectively make for personal liberation from

the shackles of life on the one hand, and for universal amity and

peace liquidating social and national rivalries on the other. The

Vedanta associated with his name belongs not to one section of the

Hindus only. It is the philosophy of the entire humanity and deserves

to be carefully studied and scrupulously practised by men in every

part of the globe. Most truly, Sri Sankara is referred to with love

and devotion as Lokasankara, the most brilliant among the benefactors

of mankind for all time and in all times.

 

 

A grand Social Idealist By By Dr. S. Radhakrishnan

 

 

 

The Advaitism of Sankara is a system of great speculative

daring and logical subtlety. It's austere intellectualism, its

remorseless logic, which marches on in different to the hopes and

beliefs of man, its relative freedom from theological obsessions,

make it a great example of a purely philosophical scheme. Thibaut,

who cannot be charged with any partiality for Sankara, speaks of his

philosophy in these words "The doctrine advocated by Sankara is, from

a purely philosophical point of view, and apart from all theological

considerations, the most important and interesting one which has

arisen on Indian soil; neither those forms of the Vedanta which

diverge from the view represented by Sankara, nor any of the non-

Vedantic systems can be compared with the so called orthodox Vedanta

in boldness, depth and subtlety of speculations." It is impossible to

read Sankara's writings packed as they are with serious and subtle

thinking, without being conscious that one is in contact with a mind

of a very fine penetration and profound spirituality. With his acute

feeling of the immeasurable world, his stirring gaze into the abysmal

mysteries of spirit, his unswerving resolve to say neither more nor

less than what could be proved, Sankara stands out as a heroic figure

of the first rank in the somewhat motley crowd of the religious

thinkers of medieval India. His philosophy stands forth complete,

needing neither a before nor an after. It has a self-justifying

wholeness characteristic of works of art. It expounds its own

presuppositions, is related by its own end, and holds all its

elements in a stable, reasoned equipoise.

 

The list of qualifications which Sankara lays down for a student of

Philosophy brings out how, for him, philosophy is not an intellectual

pursuit but a dedicated life. The first, "discrimination between

things eternal and non-eternal" demands of the student the power of

thought, which helps him to distinguish between the unchanging

reality and the changing world. For those who possess this power, it

is impossible to desist from the enterprise of

metaphysics. "Renunciation of the enjoyment of the reward here and in

the other world" is the second requirement. In the empirical world

and man's temporal life within it there is little to satisfy the

aspirations of spirit. Philosophy gets its chance, as well as its

justification, through the disillusionment which life brings. The

seeker after truth must refuse to abase himself before things as they

are and develop an austere detachment characteristic of the superior

mind. Moral preparation is insisted on as the third requisite, and,

lastly, longing for liberation (mumukshutvam) is mentioned. We must

have a mind disposed, as St. Luke expresses it, "for eternal life."

 

Sankara present to us the true ideal of philosophy, which is not so

much knowledge as wisdom, not so much logical learning as spiritual

freedom. For Sankara, as for some of the greatest thinkers of the

world like Plato and Plotinus, Spinoza and Hegel, Philosophy is the

austere vision of eternal truth, majestic in its freedom from the

petty cares of man's paltry life. Through the massive and at the same

time subtle dialectic of Sankara there shows forth a vivid, emotional

temperament, without which philosophy tends to become a mere game of

logic. A master of the strictest logic, he is also master of a noble

and animated poetry which belongs to another order. The rays of his

genius have illumined the dark places of thought and soothed the

sorrows of the most forlorn heart. While his philosophy fortifies and

consoles many, there are, of course, those to whom it seems to be an

abyss of contradiction and darkness. But whether we agree or differ,

the penetrating light of his mind never leaves us where we were.

 

Sankara appeared, at one and the same time, as an eager champion of

the orthodox faith and a spiritual reformer. He tried to bring back

the age from the brilliant luxury of the Puranas to the mystic truth

of the Upanishads. The power of the faith to lead the soul to the

higher life became for him the test of its strength. He felt impelled

to attempt the spiritual direction of his age by formulating a

philosophy and religion which could satisfy the ethical and spiritual

needs of the people better than the systems of Buddhism, Mimamsa and

Bhakti. The theists were veiling the truth in a mist of sentiment.

With their genius for mystical experience, they were indifferent to

the practical concerns of life. The Mimamsaka emphasis on karma

developed ritualism devoid of spirit. Virtue can face the dark perils

of life and survive only if it be the fine flower of thought. The

Advaita philosophy alone, in the opinion of Sankara, could do justice

to the truth of the conflicting creeds, and so he wrote all his works

with the one purpose of helping the individual to a realisation of

the identity of his soul with Brahman, which is the means of

liberation from samsara.

 

In his wanderings from his birthplace in Malabar to the Himalayas in

the north he came across many phases of worship and accepted all

those which had in them the power to elevate man and refine his life.

He did not preach a single exclusive method of salvation, but

composed hymns of unmistakable grandeur addressed to the different

gods of popular Hinduism-Vishnu, Siva Sakti, Surya. All this affords

a striking testimony to the universality of his sympathies and the

wealth of natural endowment. While revivifying the popular religion,

he also purified it. He put down the grosser manifestations of the

Sakta worship in South India. In the Deccan, it is said that he

suppressed the unclean worship of Siva as a dog under the name of

Mallari, and the per-nicious practices of Kapalikas whose god

Bhairava desired human victims. He condemned branding or marking the

body with the metallic designs. He learned from the Buddhist Church

that discipline, freedom from superstition and ecclesiastical

organisations help to preserve the faith clean and strong, and

himself established ten religious orders of which four retain their

prestige till to-day.

 

The life of Sankara makes a strong impression of contraries. He is a

philosopher and a poet, a savant and a saint, a mystic and a

religious reformer. Such diverse gifts did he possess that different

images present themselves, if we try to recall his personality. One

sees him in youth, on fire with intellectual ambition, a stiff and

intrepid debater. Another regards him as a shrewd political genius,

attempting to impress on the people a sense of unity. For a third, he

is a calm philosopher engaged in the single effort to expose the

contradictions of life and though with an unmatched incisiveness. For

a fourth, he is the mystic who declares that we are all greater than

we know. There have been few minds more universal than his.

 

Sankara's system is unmatched for its metaphysical depth and logical

power. Thought follows through naturally, until Advaitism is seen to

complete and crown the edifice. It is a great example of monistic

idealism which it is difficult to meet with a absolutely conclusive

metaphysical refutation. Sankara holds up a vision of life acceptable

in the highest moments of poetry and religion, when we are inclined

to sympathise with his preference for intuition to the light of the

understanding. So long as he remains on this high ground, he is

unanswerable. But a lingering doubt oppresses the large majority of

mankind, who very rarely get into these exalted heights. They feel

that it is unjust to leave in such high disdain the world in which

they live, move and have their being, and relegate it to ajnana or

darkness, offering merely a solace that all disagreeable appearances

will quickly vanish in the eternal light. For them the all -

transforming sunlight of the heights is spurious, and they declare

that Sankara's system is one of mystical indifference to fact. That

human suffering will be healed, that the whole world will vanish like

a pitiful mirage, that all our trouble is of our own making, and that

in the world's finale all people will find that absolute oneness

which will suffice for all hearts, compose all resentments and atone

for all crimes, seem to many to be pious assumptions. The entranced

self-absorption which arms itself with sanctity, involves a cruel

indifference to practical life hardly acceptable to average

intelligence.

 

Sankara knows all this, and so gives us a logical theism which does

not slight the intellect, does not scorn the wisdom of ages and is at

the same time the highest intellectual account of the truth. What is

the relation between the absolutism of intuition and the empirical

theism of logic, Sankara does not tell us; for as Goethe wisely

observed, "man is born not to solve the problem of the universe, but

to find out where the problem begins, and then to restrain himself

within the limits of the comprehensible". Sankara recognises that

there is a region which we cannot penetrate, and a wise agnosticism

is the only rational attitude. The greatness of Sankara's

achievements rests on the peculiar intensity and splendour of thought

with which the search for reality is conducted on the high idealism

of spirit grappling with the difficult problems of life, regardless

of theological consequences, and on the vision of a consummation

which places divine glory on human life.

 

Supreme as a philosopher and a dialectician, great as a man of calm

judgment and wide toleration, Sankara taught us to love truth,

respect reason and realise the purpose of life. Twelve centuries have

passed, and yet his influence is visible. He destroyed many an old

dogma, not by violently attacking it, but by quietly suggesting

something more spiritual too. He put into general circulation a vast

body of important knowledge and formative ideas which, though

contained in the Upanishads, were forgotten by the people, and thus

recreated for us the distant past. He was not a dreaming idealist,

but a practical visionary, a philosopher, and at the same time a man

of action, what we may call a social idealist on the grand scale.

Even those who do not agree with his general attitude to life will

not be reluctant to allow him a place among the immortals.

 

 

 

 

Sankara and the West By Prof. Ninian Smart

 

Sankaracharya had become known to the West mainly as

secondhand. The reason for this is his enormous influence upon modern

expositions of the essentials of Hinduism. An important feature of

the latter has been the thesis that all religions essentially point

to the same goal, to the realization of the Self. Indeed, much of

what counts as Vedanta in the West (as expounded, for example, by

Aldous Huxley, Christopher Isherwood and others) essentially derives

from Sankara. By contrast the Vedantic interpretations of Ramanuja

and Madhva, for example, are much less well known. One reason for

this situation is that Sankara's brilliant exegetical technique and

philosophical thinking were crystallized in the doctrine of differing

levels of truth-a principle which can naturally be applied to the

problem of seeing differing religious formulations as lying on a

continuum from popular cults, through theism, to the absolutism

expressed in Sankara's idealism. The principle resolves certain

apparent contradictions between religious beliefs.

 

Another cause of the influence of Sankara in recent times has been

the fact that at the time when western philosophy and Indian

philosophy came into fruitful symbiosis-- in the later part of the

19th century, absolute idealism, derived from Hegel, was the

dominating motif in Western philosophising. Its apparent analogy to

Advaita Vedanta led to frequent expressions of a new synthesis

between East and West.

 

In the present century also there was the pioneering work of Rudolf

Otto, in his Mysticism East and West, which made an important

comparison between Sankara and Eckhart, thus encouraging the interest

in assimilating the results of the contemplative life, whether East

or West, to the same goal of realizing an absolute lying beyond the

personal God, and issued in a wider synthesis between Christian,

Sufi, Buddhist and Hindu mysticism (i.e.) mysticism in the sense of

the pursuit of the contemplative life, resulting in the realization

of some kind of realization or union or rapport with ultimate

Reality. More recently there are such works as W.T. Stace's Mysticism

and Philosophy which come to general conclusions compatible with the

world picture delineated in Sankara's writings.

 

Consequently it is not absurd to say that Sankara lies behind the

picture of a Hinduism, and specially of Hinduism in its higher

contemplative forms presented to the West in the present century. The

interest in such an Advaitic Hinduism (admittedly modified in various

ways by modern exponents, both East and West) has been boosted by the

increased concern both among young and old in the West for direct

experiential tests of religious truth and the interest in mysticism.

 

It is true that this Western concern for Eastern forms of

contemplation has different forms, and is sometimes negative. It is

sometimes negative in that it expresses an alienation from

traditional forms of religion in the West and from the social milieu

in which traditional Christianity made living sense for the majority

of the population. Dissatisfaction with present religious practices

and institutions is not necessarily the correct basis for an

exploration of the ideas and ideals of Sankara. Nevertheless it

testifies to the sense that religion, to be revitalised, needs to be

made directly experiential-and the implicit experientialism of

Sankara and of modern Advaitic Hinduism therefore can have a powerful

appeal. However, Sankara is not the only teacher to whom people in

the West, thus dissatisfied with traditional formulations and

practices, are liable to turn. There is, as it happens, an even

greater interest in Buddhism. This is partly because Buddhism in the

past was a 'universal' or missionary religion. Whereas Sankara was

primarily teaching and working within the structure of the Indian

tradition, Buddhism even before the time of Sankara was already

widespread over Asia. This 'universalism' of Buddhism, as expressed

in the diversity of cultural forms in which it works, makes it easier

to assimilate in the Western context. It also happens that the Vedic

principle of transcendental revelation, less prominent in Buddhism,

is less well adapted to present-day Western consciousness, which is

so explicitly anti-authoritarian in matters of religion. This is

where Vivekananda's Advaitic humanism scored, in that it was pitched

in terms of the realization of man's potential, a theme of course

implicit in Sankara, but obscured by the fact that his best-known

work consists in the interpretation of a scriptural tradition.

 

Another problem from the point of view of the modern West is

Sankara's doctrine of Maya. It is true that "illusion" is not the

best translation. Nevertheless it has become commonly accepted in the

West, and rather misleadingly, that the central teaching of Hinduism

about the world is that it is unreal. As a merely metaphysical

doctrine this might not matter, but is seems to have valuational

consequences. Hence present-day concerns to alter and change the real

world for the better, both materially and socially, run counter to

the Western interpretation of Hinduism as world-negating. To say the

least, this tension is unfortunate. As Ramanuja pointed out with

critical clarity, Sankara's criterion of "illusoriness" was

impermanence - a very different idea from unreality. Moreover, the

usual Western picture of Hinduism is mainly grounded on ignorance and

derivative from stupid folktale about Hindu self-mortification (of

course, the phenomenon exists, but is almost never seen in context by

Westerners). This trend against idealistic accounts of the world has

created wrong judgments about the new formulations on Hinduism

inspired ultimately by the revolutionary work of Sankara.

 

Another reaction towards Sankara in the West is represented by the

specifically Christian sentiments. Since Christianity by definition

focuses above all on Christ and since Christ is a personal figure-

thus implying the personal character of God--there is disquiet at the

transcendence of Isvara contained in Sankara's account of ultimate

reality. It is also a theme in many modern Hindu writings. e.g., the

late Paul Tillich in his expositions of a new Christian theology, who

would seem to be in close agreement with this idea. But on the other

hand, the great bulk of Christian theologians are, doubtless

inevitably, wedded to a picture of ultimate reality very different

from that delineated in Sankara's writings.

 

My own view is that these issues will be resolved in the process of

the dialogue between religions. I do not think that the divergences

between different schools of thought and spiritual traditions can be

glossed over. Sankaracharya himself would not have approved of such a

glossing over. He was a great reformer, a tremendous philosopher and

exegete, and he was concerned to stake out a true picture of

spiritual reality, in distinction from other viewpoints. It follows

therefore that he will remain a central human exponent of religious

ideas and will thus play a vital role in the dialogue of religions

and ideologies to which I have referred.

 

 

 

 

Tributes by Ancient and Medieval Saints

 

Sri Padmapadacharya

 

Honey-bees from all directions seek the ambrosial nectar in the lotus

which grows in the sacred lake, the Manasasaras. Like those bees,

devout and disciplined seekers of wisdom draw inspiration and

instruction from the Bhashyas that came out of the lotus lips of the

supreme Teacher, Sri Sankara before whom I bow my head in humble

obeisance.

 

 

Sri Suresvaracharya

Salutations with body, mind and speech to the glorious Sun that is

Sri Sankara struck back by the lustre of whose knowledge the

splendour of the solar orb became dim like the moon, and the

effulgent renown of whose disciples enveloped all the countries from

the Far East to the Far West and dispelled the darkness of ignorance

from every region.

 

 

Sri Totakacharya

 

The sunlight of Sri Sankara's intellect has completely expelled from

the recesses of my heart the darkness of ignorance which is the cause

of ceaseless swinging between birth and death. Bands of disciples

adorned with the excellences of Vedic lore, self-control and humility

and taking refuge in His Holy Feet are immediately liberated from

samsara. I shall be tenedering my obeisance to that pre-eminent

ascetic till the end of my life.

 

Sri Sarvajnatmamuni

 

I bow to Sri Sankara whose holy feet are worshipped and by contact

with whose exposition the besmirched dirt of faulty interpretation of

the Veda by perverted reasoning was completely removed and the name,

Nitya Saraswati of the Veda has its true meaning restored.

 

Sri Appayya Dikshita

 

The relative Path of attaining the fruit of contacting the personal

forms of God by leading the souls to the respective celestial regions

is shown by the different Upanishadic Upasanas (contemplations) and

expounded by the various Bhashyas. But, like a river flowing into the

ocean and becoming an indivisible part of it, that Path finds its

Goal in the ocean of (Advaitic) bliss, the greatest fruit of human

aspirations and the sanctuary of Shastra (the Veda), which have been

unveiled by Acharya Pada.

Hails the auspicious word (the Bhashya) flowing from the lotus face

of Bhagavat-Pada explaining the Brahman bereft of all duality,

destroying every possibility of rebirth taking a thousand different

arms of expositions due to the contact of various Acharyas anterior

to me, as the celestial river (Ganga) issuing from the feet of Vishnu

assumes different shapes and colours by flowing through different

types of land and helps mortals to avoid rebirth.

 

 

A cambodian Inscription

 

[An inscription in an ancient temple known as Bhadreswaram in the

forests of Cambodia refers to one Sivasoma who was the teacher of

king Indravarman. About the teacher Sivasoma, it says. "By whom were

learnt all the Sastras from Bhagavan Sankara whose lotus feet were

swarmed by the bees of the bowing heads of all learned men without

exception."]

 

GREAT MINDS ON THE GREAT MASTER

Swami Vivekananda

 

I have neither the time nor the inclination to describe to you the

hideousness that came in the wake of Buddhism. The most hideous

ceremonies, the most horrible, the most obscene books that human

hands ever worte or the human brain ever conceived, the most bestial

forms that ever passed under the name of religion, have all been the

creation of degraded Buddhism.

But India has to live, and the spirit of the Lord descended again. He

who declared "I will come whenever virtue subsides", came again, and

this time the manifestation was in the South, and up rose the young

Brahmin of whom it has been declared that at the age of sixteen he

had completed all his writings; the marvellous boy Sankaracharya. The

writings of this boy of sixteen are the wonders of the modern world,

and so was the boy. He wanted to bring back the Indian world to its

pristine purity, but think of the amount of the task before him...

The Tartars and the Baluchis and all the hideous races of mankind

came to India and became Buddhists, and assimilated with us, and

brought their national customs and the whole of our national life

became a huge stage of the most horrible and the most bestial

customs. That was the inheritance which that boy got from the

Buddhists, and from that time to this day his whole work in India is

a re-conquest of this Buddhistic degradation by the Vedanta. It is

still going on, it is not yet finished. Sankara came as a great

philosopher and showed that the real essence of Buddhism and that of

the Vedanta are not very different, but that the disciples did not

understand the Master and have degraded themselves, denied the

existence of the soul and of God and have become atheists. That was

what Shankara showed and all the Buddhists began to come back to the

old religion.

 

The greatest teacher of the Vedanta philosophy was Shankaracharya. By

solid reasoning he extracted from the Vedas the truths of Vedanta,

and on them built up the wonderful system of Jnana that is taught in

his commentaries. He unified all the conflicting descriptions of

Brahman and showed that there is only one infinite Reality. He showed

too that as man can only travel slowly on the upward road, all the

varied presentations are needed to suit his varying capacity. We find

something akin to this in the teachings of Jesus, which he evidently

adapted to the different abilities of his hearers. First he taught

them of a Father in heaven and to pray to him. Next he rose a step

higher and told them, "I am the vine, you are the branches", and

lastly he gave them the highest truth: "I and my Father are one,"

and "The kingdom of Heaven is within You" Shankara taught that three

things were the great gifts of God: (1) human body (2) thirst after

God and (3) a teacher who can show up the light. When these three

great gifts are ours, we may know that our redemption is at hand.

Only knowledge can free and save us but with knowledge must go

virtue.

 

Books cannot teach God, but they can destroy ignorance; their action

is negative. To hold to the books and at the same time open the way

to freedom is Shankara's great achievement.

 

Shankaracharya had caught the rhythm of the Vedas, the national

cadence. Indeed I always imagine that he had some vision such as mine

when he was young and recovered the ancient music that way. Anyway,

his whole life's work is nothing but that, the throbbing of the

beauty of the Vedas and the Upanishads.

 

 

Sister Nivedita (Margaret Noble)

 

"Whenever the dharma decays, and when that which is not dharma

prevails, then I manifest myself. For the protection of the good, for

the destruction of the evil, for the firm establishment of the

national righteousness I am born again and again." So says, the

Bhagavat Gita and never was any prophecy more conclusively vindicated

than this, by the appearance of the Sankaracharya.....

This wonderful boy-for he died at the age of thirty two had already

completed a great mission when most men were still dreaming of the

future. The characteristic product of oriental culture is always a

commentary (on the earlier Scriptures). By this form of literature

the future is knit firmly to the past, and though the dynamic power

of the connecting idea may be obscure to the foreigner, it is clearly

and accurately conveyed to the Eastern mind. By writing a new

commentary on a given sutra, the man of genius has it in his power to

re-adjust the relationship between a given question and the old

answer. Hence it is not surprising to find that the masterpiece of

Sankaracharya's life was a commentary on the Vedanta Sutras.

 

The whole of the national genius awoke once more in Sankaracharya.

Amidst all the brilliance and luxury of the age, in spite of the rich

and florid taste of the Puranic period, his soul caught the mystic

whisper of the ancient rhythm of the Vedic chants, and the dynamic

power of the faith to lead the soul to super-consciousness, became

for him the secret of every phase of Hinduism. He was on fire with

the love of the Vedas. His own poems have something of their

classical beauty and comprehensive sentences of the Upanishads, to

which he has contributed links and rivets.

 

Sankaracharya wandered, during his short life, from his birthplace in

the South as far as the Himalayas, and everything that he came across

in his travels related itself to the one focus and centre in his

mind. He accepted each worship, even that which he was at first

adverse. But always he found that the great mood of One-without-a-

second was not only the Vedic, but also the Puranic goal.

 

This is the doctrine that he expresses in his twelve epoch-making

commentaries especially in his crowning work, the commentary on

Vedanta Sutras. And this idea, known as the Advaita Philosophy

constitutes,for the rest of the Hindu period, the actual unity of

India.

 

Western people can hardly imagine a personality such as that of

Sankaracharya. In the course of so few years to have nominated the

founders of no less than ten great religious orders, of which four

have fully retained their prestige to the present day; to have

acquired such a mass of Sanskrit learning as to create a distinct

philosophy, and impress himself on the scholarly imagination of India

a pre-eminence that twelve hundred years have not sufficed to shake;

to have written poems whose grandeur makes them unmistakable, even to

the foreign and unlearned ear; and at the same time to have lived

with his disciples in all the radiant joy and simple pathos of the

saints-this is greatness that we may appreciate, but cannot

understand...

 

The work of Sankaracharya was the relinking of popular practice to

the theory of Brahman, the stern infusion of mythological fancies

with the doctrine of the Upanishads. He took up and defined the

current catchwords-maya, karma, reincarnation, and others-and left

the terminology of Hinduism what it is today.

 

His complete appropriation by this nation only shows that he is in

perfect unison with its thought and aspiration.

 

 

Annie Besant

 

(The) proclamation (of Buddha) was not made primarily for India. It

was given in India, because India is the place whence the great

religious revelations, go forth by the will of the Supreme. Therefore

was He born in India, but His law was specially meant for nations

beyond the bounds of Aryavarta, that they might learn a pure

morality, a noble ethic disjoined-because of the darkness of the age-

from all the complicated teachings which we find in connection with

the subtle, metaphysical Hindu Faith.

Hence you find in the teaching of the Lord Buddha two great

divisions; one, a philosophy meant for the learned, then an ethic

disjoined from the philosophy so far as the masses are concerned,

noble and pure and great, yet easy to be grasped. For the Lord knew

that we were going into an age of deeper and deeper materialism, that

the nations were going to arise, that India for a time was going to

sink down for other nations to rise above her in the scale of

nations. Hence was it necessary to give a teaching of morality-fitted

for a more materialistic age, so that even if nations would not

believe in the gods they might still practise morality and obey the

teachings of the Lord. In order also that this law might not suffer

loss, in order that India itself might not lose its subtle

metaphysical teachings and the widespread belief among all classes of

people in the existence of the God, and their part in the affairs of

men, the work of the great Lord Buddha was done. He left morality

built upon a basis that could not be shaken by any change of faith,

and having done His work, passed away. Then was sent another Great

One, Sri Shankaracharya, in order that by His teaching He might give

the Advaita Vedanta, the philosophy which would do intellectually

what morally the Buddha had done, which intellectually would guard

spirituality and allow a materialistic age to break its teeth on the

hard knot of a flawless philosophy. Thus in India metaphysical

religion triumphed, while the teaching of the Blessed One passed from

the Indian soil, to do its noble work in lands other than the land of

Aryavarta, which must keep unshaken its belief in gods, and where

highest and lowest alike must bow before their power. That is the

real truth about this much disputed question as to the teaching of

the ninth Avatara (Buddha), the fact was that His teaching was not

meant for His birthplace, but was meant for other younger nations

that were rising up around, who did not follow the Vedas, but who yet

needed instruction in the path of righteousness; not to mislead them

but to guide them, was His teaching given. But, as I say, and as I

repeat, what in it might have done harm in India had it been left

alone was prevented by the coming of the great Teacher of Advaita.

You must remember that His name has been worn by man after man,

through century after century; but Shri Shankaracharya on whom was

the power of Mahadeva descended was born but a few years after the

passing away of the Buddha, as the records of the Dwaraka Math show

plainly-taking date after date backward until they bring His birth

within sixty or seventy years of the passing away of Buddha.

 

 

Paul Deussen (Kiel, Germany)

 

This system of Vedanta as founded on the Upanishads and Vedanta

Sutras and accompanied by Sankara's commentaries on them-equal in

rank to Plato and Kant-is one of the most valuable products of the

genius of mankind in his researches of the eternal truth.... The

conclusion is that the Jeeva being neither a part nor a different

thing, nor a variation of the Brahman must be the Paramatman, fully

and totally himself, A conclusion equally held by the Vedanta by

Sankara, by the platonic Plotinus and the Kantian Schopenhauer. But

Sankara in his conclusion, goes, peprhaps more fully than any of

them.

 

Charles Johnstone

 

What shall we say then of Master Sankara? Is he not the guardian of

the sacred waters, who by his commentaries has hemmed about against

all impurities of time's jealousy, first the mountain-tarns of the

Upanishads, then the serene forest-lake of the Bhagavad Gita and last

the deep reservoir of the Sutras,adding from the generous riches of

his wisdom, lively fountains and lakelets of his own, the crest-

jewel, the Awakening and Discernment.

 

Sir John Woodroffe (Arthur Avalon)

 

Others have written commentaries and books on Vedanta Sutras and the

Upanishads, but there is none who is venerated as Sankara is all over

the sacred land.It may be noted that even a Roman Catholic Missionary

has discovered the harmony of the Vedanta with Christian Philosophy

(Vedanta Vindicated by Rev J.F. Pessein), and has so far as his

dogmas have permitted him, accepted Sankara's exposition.

The Hindu does not worship many Gods. What he does is that he has the

same respect for the faith of others as he has for his own. (Post-

script to the introduction to Prapanchasaara, Vol. XVIII of the

Tantrik Texts, edited by Aruthur Avalon).

 

 

Rev. J.F.Pessein

 

"Great credit is due to Sankara and his school for having fought

strenuously against the upholders of self-existence of the material

world and brought the whole universe under the sway of God to whom it

owes not only its organisation but also its very being. Sankara

understood that the independent existence of another being would

imply limitation of God." (Vedanta Vindicated by J.F.Pessein).

 

Dr. Rajendra Prasad, First President of India.

 

The name of Sankara is a name to conjure with, not only in India, but

in other parts of the world. We all admire the wonderful way in

which, within a short span of 32 years, he managed not only to study

almost all philosophy, but also write a tremendous lot and tour all

over the country from Cape Comorin right upto Himalayas.

 

Jawaharlal Nehru

 

I have mentioned in this letter the names of some kings and dynasties

who lived their brief life of glory and then disappeared and were

forgotten. But a more remarkable man arose in the south, destined to

play a more vital part in India's life than all the kings and

emperors. This young man was known as Shankaracharya. Probably he was

bron about the end of the eighth century. He seems to have been a

person of amazing genius. He set about reviving Hinduism. He fought

against Buddhism - fought with his intellect and arguments.

Sankaracharya's record is a remarkable one. Buddhism, which had been

driven south from the north, now almost disappears, from India.

Hinduism becomes stirred up intellectually by Shankara's books and

commentaries and argument. Not only does he become the great leader

of the Brahman class, but he seems to catch imagination of the

masses. It is an unusual thing for a man to become a great leader

chiefly because of his powerful intellect, and for such a person to

impress himself on millions of people and on history. Great soldiers

and conquerors seem to stand out in history. They become popular or

are hatred, and sometimes they mould history. Great religious leaders

have moved millions and fired with enthusiasm, but always this has

been on the basis of faith. The emotions have been appealed to have

been touched.

 

It is difficult for an appeal to the mind and to the intellect to go

far. Most people unfortunately do not think: they feel and act

according to their feelings. Yet Shankara's appeal was to the mind

and intellect and to reason. It was not just the repetition of a

dogma contained in an old book. Whether his argument was right or

wrong is immaterial for the moment. What is interesting is his

intellectual approach to religious problems, and even more so to the

success he gained inspite of this method of approach.

 

The Vedanta system arising out of the Upanishads, developed and took

many shapes and forms, but was always based on the foundation of the

early Vedanta. Shankara (or Shankaracharya), built a system which is

called the Advaita Vedanta or non-dualist Vedanta. It is this

philosophy which represents the dominating philosophic outlook of

Hinduism to-day.

 

How the Absolute Soul, the Atman, pervades everything, how the one

appears as the many, and yet retains its wholeness, for the Absolute

is indivisible, all these cannot be accounted for by the process of

logical reasoning, for our minds are limited by the finite world.

Finite individuals cannot ima- gine the infinite without limiting it;

they can only form limited and objective conception of it. Yet even

these finite forms and concepts rest ultimately in the Infinite and

Absolute. Hence the form of religion becomes a relative affair and

each individual has liberty to form such conceptions as he is capable

of.

 

Shankara accepted the Brahminical organization of social life on the

caste basis, as representing the collective experience and wisdom of

the race. But he held that any person belonging to any caste could

attain the highest knowledge.

 

There is about Shankara's attitude and philo- sophy a sense of world-

negation and withdrawal from the normal activities of the world in

search of that freedom of the self which was to him the final goal

for every person. There is also a continual insistence on self-

sacrifice and detachment.

 

And yet Shankara was a man of amazing energy and vast activity. He

was no escapist retiring into his shell or into a corner of the

forest, seeking his own individual perfection and oblivious of what

happened to others. Born in Malabar in the far south of India,

meeting innumerable people, arguing debating, reasoning, convicing,

and filling them with a part of his own passing and tremendous

vitality, he was evidently a man who was intensely conscious of his

mission, a man who looked upon the whole of India from Cape Comorin

to the Himalayas as his field of action and as something that held

together culturally and was infused by the same spirit, though this

might take many external forms. He strove hard to synthesize the

diverse currents that were troubling the mind of the India of his day

and to build a unity of outlook out of that diversity. In a brief

life of thirty-two years he did the work of as many long lives and

left such an impress of his powerful mind and rich personality on

India that it is very evident today. He was a curious mixture of a

philosopher and scholar, an agnostic and a mystic, a poet and a

saint, and, in addition to all this, a practical reformer and an able

organizer...

 

There is a significance about (the) long journeys of Shankara

throught out this vast land at a time when travel was difficult and

the means of transport very slow and primitive. It would seem that

Shankara wanted to add to the sense of national unity and common

consciousness. He functioned on the intellectual, philosophical and

religious planes and tried to bring about a greater unity of thought

all over the country. He functioned also on the popular plane in many

ways, destroying many a dogma and opening the door of his philosophic

sanctuary to everyone who was capable of entering it.

 

 

Rajaji

 

Sri Sankara crossed the ocean of Maya as easily as one steps over a

small irrigation channel in the field. He wrote a number of Vedantic

works for imparting the knowledge of the Self. He composed a number

of hymns to foster the sense of devotion in the hearts of men and

this I consider to be his greatest service... If Sri Adi Sankara

himself, who drank the ocean of knowledge as easily as one sips water

from the palm of one's hand, sang hymns to develop devotion, it is

enough to show that knowledge and devotion are one. No other

testimony is needed. Sri Sankara has packed into the "Bhaja Govindam"

song the substance of all the Vedantic works that he wrote and he has

set the truth of the union of devotion and knowledge to melodious

music which delights the ear... Goddess of learning Herself speaks

through Sankara. He spoke about what he thoroughly knew... Sri

Sankara's teaching is not only for the Sanyaasins who have renounced

the world. He sings also for the ordinary men who eke out their

livelihood with the labour of their hands...Sri Sankara speaks from

experience...Sri Sankara says that by no other means can one find the

bliss that one can find through renunciation. You must accept this as

true when one so great as Sankara declares it. He has experienced the

bliss of renunciation and preaches it to others. The great Acharya

who had attained the highest wisdom has blended devotion, wisdom and

austerities.

 

Dr. Sir C.P. Ramaswami Aiyar

Sri Shankaracharya was almost unique in the history of thought. He

combined in himself the attributes of a poet, a logician, a devotee

and a mystic as well as being the architect of the monistic system of

philosophy that bears his name. He was an inspired poet whose appeal

was, in turn, to every human feeling and sentiment. His descriptions

of nature and his appraisal of human and divine personality reached

the summit of art, and his command over the navarasas (nine kinds of

poetic flavour or sentiments) was superb.

 

At the same time, In his commentaries on the Prasthanatraya ( the

three bases of Vedanta, viz., the Upanishadas, Brahma-sutras and the

Gita), he displayed a rare faculty or relentlessly logical and

concatenated argument and refutation, and such subtlety of reasoning

as has been rarely surpassed in the philosophical writings of the

world. He vindicated and firmly established the Advaita philosophy

which has been described as one of the supreme achievements of

Hinduism.

 

Sankara was simultaneously the author of some of the sweetest lyrics

like Saundaryalahari, which are devoted to the description of the

personal God head in several manifestations....

 

In the Vivekachudamani Shankara says: "Deliverance is not achieved by

repeating the word 'Brahman' but by directly experiencing Brahman."

 

Having proceeded so far, Shankara thereafter expounds the view that

the nirakara (formless) Absolute becomes akaravat or embodied for the

individual worshipper as a personal saguna God which is but a form in

which the Absolute can be comprehended by the finite mind.

 

The religion of a personal God is not a mere dogma but is a product

of realization and experience. As the end religion is sakshatkara,

what is termed bhakti is a striving for this sakshatkara or

realization by means of a personal God or a symbol, Pratika, which

may be an image, a painting or an object in nature. It will thus be

seen that Shankara does not exclude or expel the framework of the

external world. This is an aspect which is not always understood by

those who deal with the Vedanta system.

 

It may be observed that similar conception (about the oneness of the

individual soul and the Absolute) and thought have occurred to men

and women in many other countries and in other ages. St. Catherine of

Genoa exclaims, "My 'me' is God, nor do I recognize any other 'me'

except God Himself"; and the Sufi saint, Bayazid stated, "I went from

God to God, until they cried from 'me' in 'me', 'Oh thou l'." When

someone knocked at the saint's door and asked " Is Bayazid here?" his

answer was "Is anybody here except God?"

 

In that remarkable compilation of Aldous Huxley entitled The

Perennial Philosophy occurs the following passage: "That are thou.

Behold but one in all things, God within a God without. There is a

way to reality in and through the world, and there is a way to

reality in and through the soul. But the best way is that which leads

to the Divine ground simultaneously in the perceiver and in that

which is perceived."

 

That inspired medieval philosopher, Ruysbroeck, has stated: "The

image of God is found essentially and personally in all makind. In

this way we are all one, intimately united in our external image

which is the image of God and the source in us of all our life."

 

Perhaps, however, one of the truest successors of Shankara was

Spinoza. According to him the totality of all existing things is God.

God, according to him, is not a cause outside of things, which passes

over into things and works upon things from without. He is immanent,

dwelling within, working from within, penetrating and impregnating

all things. In this short treatise, Spinoza utters the truth as

manifested to him: "Nature consists of infinite attributes. To its

essence pertains existence so that outside it there is no other

essence or existence. It thus coincides exactly with the essence of

God."

 

What may be called the Shankara system has thus pervaded and

influenced not only all aspects of Indian thought but has had

significant repercussions amongst medieval Christian saints, Sufi

divines, and more recent thinkers like Nietzsche and Schopenhauer.

There is, furthermore, a growing body of scientific thinkers, who,

confronted by the phenomena and development of nuclear, atomic and

cosmic theories, feel irresistibly drawn to Shankara's enunciations

as the most legitimate and satisfactory explanation of the universe,

physical, psychological and para-psychological.

 

The special glory of Shankara is that over and above being the

protagonist of the monistic approach, he is the author of innumerable

stotras (hymns) as already stated. The jnana of Shankara is not a

cold study of books but a warm-hearted striving to realize the truth,

which when turned towards a personal deity, becomes bhakti. Shankara

is as insistent as Buddha on the supreme importance of ethics as one

of the fundamentals of spiritual life. But his outlook on Karma, on

temple worship and on domestic ceremonial is synthetic and

harmonious, and not at all destructive. (Vedanta for East and West I

VIII-6)

 

 

Colonel Jacob

 

It may be admitted that if the impossible task of reconciling the

contradictions of the Upanishads and rendering them into a harmonious

and consistent whole is to be attempted at all, Sankara's system is

about the only one that could do it.

 

 

MAJOR WORKS OF SRI SHANKARACHARYA

 

 

Major works :

commentary on brahmasuutra

commentary on bhagavad giitaa

commentary on the following upanishhads :

iisha, aitareya, kaTha, kena, chaandogya, taittiriiya, prashna,

brhadaara.nyaka, maaNDuukya and muNDaka. The authorship of the

commentary of shvetaashvataropanishhad attributed to shankara is

slightly doubtful. In addition there is the wonderful commentary of

Shankara of the mANDUkya upanishhad.h.

 

 

Minor philosophical works :

upadeshasaahasrii {Thousand teachings}

viveka-chuuDaamaNi {crest jewel of discrimination}

aatma-bodha{awakening of atman}

drig-drishya-viveka {discrimination between the seer and seen}

aparokshhaanubhuuti {not invisible realization}

shata-shlokii {a hundred slokas} {attribution doubtful}

sarva-darshana-siddhaanta-sa.ngraha (attribution is doubtful)

{collection of the essence of all schools}.

yoga suutra bhashya vivarna (a subcommentary on the vyasa's

commentary of yoga sutras).

commentary on the adhyatma patala of the apastamba suutraa {yoga for

right living}.

Commentary on vishhNusahasranaama

Commentary on sanat.h sujaatiiya

Commentary on lalitaatrishati

 

 

Verses :

-X- indicated below indicates availability of the verses in

transliterated format on the web. Some of them have an introduction

and translation. Please note that though all the below verses are

attributed to Shankara, the attribution of some is doubtful. Most of

the verses indicated as available are available at Sanskrit Document

List. Please e-mail me if you need like to know the current state of

progress in transliteration and translation.

 

-X-shrii mahaagaNesha paJNcharatnaM

-X-dakshiNaa-muurtiistotra (praise of Shiva)

-X-guruvaashhTakaM (eight poems to the Guru)

-X-bhaja govindaM

-X-shivaanandalaharii (wave of bliss of Shiva)

-X-saundaryalaharii (attribution doubtful) (wave of bliss of Devi)

-X-tripurasundarii ashhTakam --tripurasundarii veda pada stotra --

bhavaanyashhTakaM (eight verses to bhavaani, na taato na maataa)

-X-annapuurNaa-stotra (praise to the giver of food)

--vishhNu-shhaT-padi (six verses to VishhNu, avinayamapanaya vishhNo)

-X-shriiga.ngaa stotraM (Praise to river/goddess Ganga)

--shriiga.ngaashhTakaM (bhagavati tava tiire)

-X-devii-aparaadha-kshamaapaNa-stotra (praise to Devi for

forgiveness)

--vedasaara-shiva-stotra (praise of Shiva as the essence of Veda)

--shivanaamaalyashhTakaM (eight lines in praise of Shiva)

-X-shiva-aparaadha-kshamaapana-stotra (praise to Shiva for

forgiveness)

-X-kaupiina-paJNchakaM (five verses on the loin cloth of an ascetic)

-X-manishha paJNchaKaM -X-nirvaaNa-shhaTakaM (six verses on

liberation)

-X-shivamaanasapuujaa (mental worship of Shiva)

-X-shriigovindaashhTakaM (eight verses on the glory of Govinda)

--prapa.nchasaaratantraM (work on tantra)

--paJNchikaraNaM

--shivaashhTakaM (tasmaai namaH paramakaaraNakaaraNaaya)

-X-shivapaJNchaakshara stotraM

--lalitaapaJNchakaM(praataH smaraami lalitaavadanaaravindaM)

-X-miinaakshiipaJNcharatnaM (udyadbhaanusahasra- koTisadRishaaM)

-X-aanandalaharii (bhavaanii stotuM tvaaM)

--shriilakshmiinRisi.nhastotraM (shriimatpayonidhiniketana)

--achyutaashhTakaM (achyutaM keshavaM raama)

--kRishhNaashhTakaM (shriyaashlishhTo vishhNuH)

-X-shriikRishhNaashhTakaM (bhaje vrajaikamaNDanaM)

--yamunaashhTakaM (kRipaapaaraavaaraaM)

--shriiyamunaashhTakaM (muraarikaayakaalimaaM)

--praataHsmaraNaM (numbers in prenthesis are the number of shloka-s.)

1) parabrahmaNaH (praataHsmaraami hRidi sa.nsphuradaatmatattvaM 4)

2) shriivishhNoH (praataH smaraami bhavabhiitimahaarttishaantyai 3)

3) shiiraamasya (praataHsmaraami raghunaathamukhaaravindaM 6)

4) shriishivasya (praataH smaraami bhavabhiitiharaM sureshaM 4)

5) shriidevyaaH (chaaJNchalyaaruNa 2)

6) shriigaNeshasya (praataH smaraami gaNanaathamanaathaba.ndhuM 4)

7) shriisuryasya (praataH smaraami khalu tatsaviturvereNyaM 4)

--saadhanapaJNchakaM (vedo nityamadhiiyataaM)

--dhanyaashhTakaM (tajGYaanaM prashamakaraM)

--paraapuujaa (akhaNDe sachchidaanande)

--ratnamaalaa

-X-hastaamalak

--prabodha sudhaakar

--upadesha paJNchaka

--yatipaJNchaka

-X-dashashlokii

--maayaapaJNchaka

--jiivanamuktaana.ndalaharii

--yogataaraavalii

-X-adhyaatmapaTal

--svaatmaprakaashikaa

-X-maniishhaapaJNchaka

--advaita paJNcharatnaM

--advaitaanubhuutii

--brahmaanuchi.ntanam.h

--sadaachaaraanasusa.ndhaanam.h

--anaatmashriivigarhaNaprakaraNam.h

--svaruupaanusa.ndhaanaashhTakam.h

--tattvopadesha

-X-ekashlokii

--prauDhaanubhuuti

--brahmaGYaanaavaliimaalaa

--laghuvaakyavRitti

--nirvaaNama.njarii

--vaakyavRitti

 

 

VIVEKA CHUDAMANI OF SRI ADI SHANKARA

 

First Steps on the Path

PROLOGUE

 

(Verses 1 - 15)

I bow before Govinda, the objectless object of final success in the

highest wisdom, who is supreme bliss and the true teacher.

 

For beings a human birth is hard to win, then manhood and holiness,

then excellence in the path of wise law; hardest of all to win is

wisdom. Discernment between Self and not-Self, true judgment,

nearness to the Self of the Eternal and Freedom are not gained

without a myriad of right acts in a hundred births. This triad that

is won by the bright one's favor is hard to gain: humanity,

aspiration, and rest in the great spirit. After gaining at last a

human birth, hard to win, then manhood and knowledge of the teaching,

if one strives not after Freedom he is a fool. He, suicidal, destroys

himself by grasping after the unreal. Who is more self-deluded than

he who is careless of his own welfare after gaining a hard-won human

birth and manhood, too? Let them declare the laws, let them offer to

the gods, let them perform all rites, let them love the gods; without

knowing the oneness with the Self, Freedom is not won even in a

hundred years of the Evolver. "There is no hope of immortality

through riches," says the scripture. It is clear from this that rites

cannot lead to Freedom.

 

Therefore let the wise one strive after Freedom, giving up all

longing for sensual self-indulgence; approaching the good, great

Teacher (the Higher Self), with soul intent on the object of the

teaching. Let him by the Self raise the Self, sunk in the ocean of

the world, following the path of union through complete recognition

of oneness. Setting all rites aside, let the wise, learned ones who

approach the study of the Self strive for Freedom from the bondage of

the world. Rites are to purify the thoughts, but not to gain the

reality. The real is gained by Wisdom, not by a myriad of rites. When

one steadily examines and clearly sees a rope, the fear that it is a

serpent is destroyed. Knowledge is gained by discernment, by

examining, by instruction, but not by bathing, nor gifts, nor a

hundred holdings of the breath. Success demands first ripeness;

questions of time and place are subsidiary. Let the seeker after self-

knowledge find the Teacher (the Higher Self), full of kindness and

knowledge of the Eternal.

 

THE FOUR PERFECTIONS

 

(Verses 16 - 34)

He is ripe to seek the Self who is full of knowledge and wisdom,

reason and discernment, and who bears the well-known marks.

 

He is ready to seek the Eternal who has Discernment and Dispassion;

who has Restfulness and the other graces.

 

Four perfections are numbered by the wise. When they are present

there is success, but in their absence is failure.

 

First is counted the Discernment between things lasting and

unlasting. Next Dispassion, the indifference to self-indulgence here

and in paradise. Then the Six Graces, beginning with Restfulness.

Then the longing for Freedom.

 

A certainty like this -- the Eternal is real, the fleeting world is

unreal; -- this is that Discernment between things lasting and

unlasting.

 

And this is Dispassion -- a perpetual willingness to give up all

sensual self-indulgence -- everything lower than the Eternal, through

a constant sense of their insufficiency.

 

Then the Six Graces: a steady intentness of the mind on its goal; --

this is Restfulness.

 

And the steadying of the powers that act and perceive, each in its

own sphere, turning them back from sensuality; -- this is Self-

control.

 

Then the raising of the mind above external things; -- this is the

true Withdrawal.

 

The enduring of all ills without petulance and without self-pity; --

this is the right Endurance.

 

An honest confidence in the teaching and the Teacher; -- this is that

Faith by which the treasure is gained.

 

The intentness of the soul on the pure Eternal; -- this is right

Meditation, but not the indulgence of fancy.

 

The wish to untie, by discernment of their true nature, all the bonds

woven by unwisdom, the bonds of selfishness and sensuality; -- this

is the longing for Freedom.

 

Though at first imperfect, these qualities gradually growing through

Dispassion, Restfulness, and the other graces and the Teacher's help

will gain their due.

 

When Dispassion and longing for Freedom are strong, then Restfulness

and the other graces will bear fruit.

 

But when these two -- Dispassion and longing for Freedom -- are

lacking, then Restfulness and the other graces are a mere appearance,

like water in the desert.

 

Chief among the causes of Freedom is devotion, the intentness of the

soul on its own nature. Or devotion may be called intentness on the

reality of the Self.

 

Let him who possesses these Perfections and who would learn the

reality of the Self, approach the wise Teacher (the Higher Self),

from whom comes the loosing of bonds; who is full of knowledge and

perfect; who is not beaten by desire, who really knows the Eternal;

who has found rest in the Eternal, at peace like a fuelless fire; who

is full of selfless kindness, the friend of all that lives. Serving

the Teacher with devotion and aspiration for the Eternal, and finding

harmony with him, seek the needed knowledge of the Self.

 

THE APPEAL TO THE HIGHER SELF

 

(Verses 35 - 40)

"I submit myself to thee, Master, friend of the bowed-down world and

river of selfless kindness.

 

"Raise me by thy guiding light that pours forth the nectar of truth

and mercy, for I am sunk in the ocean of the world.

 

"I am burned by the hot flame of relentless life and torn by the

winds of misery: save me from death, for I take refuge in thee,

finding no other rest."

 

The great good ones dwell in peace, bringing joy to the world like

the return of spring. Having crossed the ocean of the world, they

ever help others to cross over.

 

For this is the very nature of the great-souled ones (Mahatmas) --

their swiftness to take away the weariness of others. So the soft-

rayed moon of itself soothes the earth, burned by the fierce sun's

heat.

 

"Sprinkle me with thy nectar voice that brings the joy of eternal

bliss, pure and cooling, falling on me as from a cup, like the joy of

inspiration; for I am burnt by the hot, scorching flames of the

world's fire.

 

"Happy are they on whom thy light rests, even for a moment, and who

reach harmony with thee.

 

"How shall I cross the ocean of the world? Where is the path? What

way must I follow? I know not, Master. Save me from the wound of the

world's pain."

 

THE BEGINNING OF THE TEACHING

 

(Verses 41 - 71)

To him, making this appeal and seeking help, scorched by the flame of

the world's fire, the Great Soul beholding him with eyes most pitiful

brings speedy comfort.

 

The Wise One instils the truth in him who has approached him longing

for Freedom, who is following the true path, calming the tumult of

his mind and bringing Restfulness.

 

"Fear not, wise one, there is no danger for thee. There is a way to

cross over the ocean of the world, and by this path the sages have

reached the shore.

 

"This same path I point out to thee, for it is the way to destroy the

world's fear. Crossing the ocean of the world by this path, thou

shalt win the perfect joy."

 

By discerning the aim of the wisdom-teaching (Vedanta) is born that

most excellent knowledge. Then comes the final ending of the world's

pain. The voice of the teaching. plainly declares that faith,

devotion, meditation, and the search for union are the means of

Freedom for him who would be free. He who is perfect in these wins

Freedom from the bodily bondage woven by unwisdom.

 

When the Self is veiled by unwisdom there arises a binding to the not-

Self, and from this comes the pain of world-life. The fire of wisdom

lit by discernment between these two -- Self and not-Self -- will

wither up the source of unwisdom, root and all.

 

THE PUPIL ASKS

 

"Hear with selfless kindness, Master. I ask this question: receiving

the answer from thy lips I shall gain my end.

 

"What is, then, a bond? And how has this bond come? What cause has

it? And how can one be free?

 

"What is not-Self and what the Higher Self? And how can one discern

between them?"

 

THE MASTER ANSWERS

 

"Happy art thou. Thou shalt attain thy end. Thy kin is blest in thee.

For thou seekest to become the Eternal by freeing thyself from the

bond of unwisdom.

 

"Sons and kin can pay a father's debts, but none but a man's self can

set him free.

 

"If a heavy burden presses on the head others can remove it, but none

but a man's self can quench his hunger and thirst.

 

"Health is gained by the sick who follow the path of healing: health

does not come through the acts of others.

 

"The knowledge of the real by the eye of clear insight is to be

gained by one's own sight and not by the teacher's.

 

"The moon's form must be seen by one's own eyes; it can never be

known through the eyes of another.

 

"None but a man's self is able to untie the knots of unwisdom,

desire, and former acts, even in a myriad of ages.

 

"Freedom is won by a perception of the Self's oneness with the

Eternal, and not by the doctrines of Union or of Numbers, nor by

rites and sciences.

 

"The form and beauty of the lyre and excellent skill upon its strings

may give delight to the people, but will never found an empire.

 

"An eloquent voice, a stream of words, skill in explaining the

teaching, and the learning of the learned; these bring enjoyment but

not freedom.

 

"When the Great Reality is not known the study of the scriptures is

fruitless; when the Great Reality is known the study of the

scriptures is also fruitless.

 

"A net of words is a great forest where the fancy wanders; therefore

the reality of the Self is to be strenuously learned from the knower

of that reality.

 

"How can the hymns (Vedas) and the scriptures profit him who is

bitten by the serpent of unwisdom? How can charms or medicine help

him without the medicine of the knowledge of the Eternal?

 

"Sickness is not cured by saying 'Medicine,' but by drinking it. So a

man is not set free by the name of the Eternal without discerning the

Eternal.

 

"Without piercing through the visible, without knowing the reality of

the Self, how can men gain Freedom by mere outward words that end

with utterances?

 

"Can a man be king by saying, 'I am king,' without destroying his

enemies, without gaining power over the whole land?

 

"Through information, digging, and casting aside the stones, a

treasure may be found, but not by calling it to come forth.

 

"So by steady effort is gained the knowledge of those who know the

Eternal, the lonely, stainless reality above all illusion; but not by

desultory study.

 

"Hence with all earnest effort to be free from the bondage of the

world, the wise must strive themselves, as they would to be free from

sickness.

 

"And this question put by thee to-day must be solved by those who

seek Freedom; this question that breathes the spirit of the teaching,

that is like a clue with hidden meaning.

 

"Hear, then, earnestly, thou wise one, the answer given by me; for

understanding it thou shalt be free from the bondage of the world."

 

 

----

----------

 

Self, Potencies, Vestures

The first cause of Freedom is declared to be an utter turning back

from lust after unenduring things. Thereafter Restfulness, Control,

Endurance; a perfect Renouncing of all acts that cling and stain.

 

Thereafter, the divine Word, a turning of the mind to it, a constant

thinking on it by the pure one, long and uninterrupted.

 

Then ridding himself altogether of doubt, and reaching wisdom, even

here he enjoys the bliss of Nirvana.

 

Then the discerning between Self and not-Self that you must now

awaken to, that I now declare, hearing it, lay hold on it within

yourself.

 

THE VESTURES

 

(Verses 72 - 107)

Formed of the substances they call marrow, bone, fat, flesh, blood,

skin and over-skin; fitted with greater and lesser limbs, feet,

breast, trunk, arms, back, head; this is called the physical vesture

by the wise -- the vesture whose authority, as "I" and "my" is

declared to be a delusion.

 

Then these are the refined elements: the ethereal, the upper air, the

flaming, water, and earth.

 

These when mingled one with another become the physical elements,

that are the causes of the physical vesture. The materials of them

become the five sensuous things that are for the delight of the

enjoyer -- sounds and other things of sense.

 

They who, fooled in these sensuous things, are bound by the wide

noose of lust, hard to break asunder -- they come and go, downwards

and upwards on high, led by the swift messenger, their works.

 

Through the five sensuous things five creatures find dissolution to

the five elements, each one bound by his own character: the deer, the

elephant, the moth, the fish, the bee; what then of man, who is

snared by all the five?

 

Sensuous things are keener to injure than the black snake's venom;

poison slays only him who eats it, but these things slay only him who

beholds them with his eyes.

 

He who is free from the great snare, so hard to be rid of, of longing

after sensuous things, he indeed builds for Freedom, and not another,

even though knowing the six philosophies.

 

Those who, only for a little while rid of lust, long to be free, and

struggle to reach the shore of the world-ocean -- the toothed beast

of longing lust makes them sink half way, seizing them by the throat,

and swiftly carrying them away.

 

By whom this toothed beast called sensuous things is slain by the

sharp sword of true turning away from lust, he reaches the world-

sea's shore without hindrance. He who, soul-destroyed, treads the

rough path of sensuous things, death is his reward, like him who goes

out on a luckless day. But he who goes onward, through the word of

the good Teacher who is friendly to all beings, and himself well-

controlled, he gains the fruit and the reward, and his reward is the

Real.

 

If the love of Freedom is yours, then put sensuous things far away

from you, like poison. But love, as the food of the gods, serenity,

pity, pardon, rectitude, peacefulness and self-control; love them and

honor them forever.

 

He who every moment leaving undone what should be done -- the freeing

of himself from the bonds of beginningless unwisdom -- devotes

himself to the fattening of his body, that rightly exists for the

good of the other powers, such a one thereby destroys himself.

 

He who seeks to behold the Self, although living to fatten his body,

is going to cross the river, holding to a toothed beast, while

thinking it a tree.

 

For this delusion for the body and its delights is a great death for

him who longs for Freedom; the delusion by the overcoming of which he

grows worthy of the dwelling-place of the free.

 

Destroy this great death, this infatuation for the body, wives and

sons; conquering it, the pure ones reach the Pervader's supreme

abode.

 

This faulty form, built up of skin and flesh, of blood and sinews,

fat and marrow and bones, gross and full of impure elements;

 

Born of the fivefold physical elements through deeds done before, the

physical place of enjoyment of the Self; its mode is waking life,

whereby there arises experience of physical things.

 

Subservient to physical objects through the outer powers, with its

various joys -- flower-chaplets, sandal, lovers -- the Life makes

itself like this through the power of the Self; therefore this form

is pre-eminent in waking life.

 

But know that this physical body wherein the whole circling life of

the Spirit adheres, is but as the dwelling of the lord of the

dwelling.

 

Birth and age and death are the fate of the physical and all the

physical changes from childhood onward; of the physical body only are

caste and grade with their many homes, and differences of worship and

dishonor and great honor belong to it alone.

 

The powers of knowing -- hearing, touch, sight, smell, taste -- for

apprehending sensuous things; the powers of doing -- voice, hands,

feet, the powers that put forth and generate -- to effect deeds.

 

Then the inward activity: mind, soul, self-assertion, imagination,

with their proper powers; mind, ever intending and doubting; soul,

with its character of certainty as to things; self-assertion, that

falsely attributes the notion of "I"; imagination, with its power of

gathering itself together, and directing itself to its object.

 

These also are the life-breaths: the forward-life, the downward-life,

the distributing-life, the uniting-life; their activities and forms

are different, as gold and water are different.

 

The subtle vesture they call the eightfold inner being made up thus:

voice and the other four, hearing and the other four, ether and the

other four, the forward life and the other four, soul and the other

inward activities, unwisdom, desire, and action.

 

Hear now about this subtle vesture or form vesture, born of elements

not fivefolded; it is the place of gratification, the enjoyer of the

fruits of deeds, the beginningless disguise of the Self, through lack

of self-knowledge.

 

Dream-life is the mode of its expansion, where it shines with

reflected light, through the traces of its own impressions; for in

dream-life the knowing soul shines of itself through the many and

varied mind-pictures made during waking-life.

 

Here the higher self shines of itself and rules, taking on the

condition of doer, with pure thought as its disguise, an unaffected

witness, nor is it stained by the actions, there done, as it is not

attached to them, therefore it is not stained by actions, whatever

they be, done by its disguise; let this form-vesture be the minister,

doing the work of the conscious self, the real man, just as the tools

do the carpenter's work; thus this self remains unattached.

 

Blindness or slowness or skill come from the goodness or badness of

the eye; deafness and dumbness are of the ear and not of the Knower,

the Self.

 

Up-breathing, down-breathing, yawning, sneezing, the forward moving

of breath, and the outward moving -- these are the doings of the life-

breaths, say those who know these things; of the life-breaths, also,

hunger and thirst are properties.

 

The inner activity dwells and shines in sight and the other powers in

the body, through the false attribution of selfhood, as cause.

 

Self-assertion is to be known as the cause of this false attribution

of selfhood, as doer and enjoyer; and through substance and the other

two potencies, it reaches expansion in the three modes.

 

When sensuous things have affinity with it, it is happy; when the

contrary, unhappy. So happiness and unhappiness are properties of

this, and not of the Self which is perpetual bliss.

 

Sensuous things are dear for the sake of the self, and not for their

own sake; and therefore the Self itself is dearest of all.

 

Hence the Self itself is perpetual bliss -- not for it are happiness

and unhappiness; as in dreamless life, where are no sensuous things,

the Self that is bliss -- is enjoyed, so in waking-life it is enjoyed

through the word, through intuition, teaching and deduction.

 

THE THREE POTENCIES

 

(Verses 108 - 135)

The power of the supreme Master, that is called unmanifested,

beginningless unwisdom whose very self is the three potencies, to be

known through thought, by its workings -- this is glamor (Maya),

whereby all this moving world is made to grow.

 

Neither being nor non-being nor of the self of both of these; neither

divided nor undivided nor of the self of both of these; neither

formed nor formless nor of the self of both of these -- very

wonderful and ineffable is its form.

 

To be destroyed by the awakening to the pure, secondless Eternal, as

the serpent imagined in a rope, when the rope is seen; its potencies

are called substance, force, and darkness; each of them known by

their workings. The self of doing belongs to force, whose power is

extension, whence the pre-existent activities issued; rage and all

the changes of the mind that cause sorrow are ever its results.

 

Desire, wrath, greed, vanity, malice, self-assertion, jealousy, envy,

are the terrible works of Force, its activities in man; therefore

this is the cause of bondage.

 

Then enveloping is the power of Darkness, whereby a thing appears as

something else; this is the cause of the circling birth and rebirth

of the spirit, and the cause whereby extension is drawn forward.

 

Though a man be full of knowledge, learned, skillful, very subtle-

sighted, if Darkness has wrapped him round, he sees not, though he be

full of manifold instruction; he calls good that which is raised by

error, and leans upon its properties, unlucky man that he is; great

and hard to end is the enveloping power of Darkness.

 

Wrong thinking, contradictory thinking, fanciful thinking, confused

thinking -- these are its workings; this power of extension never

leaves hold of one who has come into contact with it, but perpetually

sends him this way and that.

 

Unwisdom, sluggishness, inertness, sloth, infatuation, folly, and

things like these are of the potency of Darkness. Under the yoke of

these he knows nothing at all, but remains as though asleep or like a

post.

 

But the potency of substance is pure like water, and even though

mixed with the other two, it builds for the true refuge; for it is a

reflected spark of the Self, and lights up the inert like the sun.

 

Of the potency of Substance when mixed the properties are self-

respect, self-restraint, control, faith and love and the longing to

be free, a godlike power and a turning back from the unreal.

 

Of the potency of substance altogether pure the properties are grace,

direct perception of the Self, and perfect peace; exulting gladness,

a resting on the Self supreme, whereby he reaches the essence of real

bliss.

 

The unmanifest is characterized by these three potencies; it is the

causal vesture of the Self; dreamless life is the mode where it lives

freely, all the activities of the powers, and even of the knowing

soul having sunk back into it.

 

Every form of outward perceiving has come to rest, the knowing soul

becomes latent in the Self from which it springs; the name of this is

dreamless life, wherein he says "I know nothing at all of the noise

of the moving world."

 

The body, powers, life-breaths, mind, self-assertion, all changes,

sensuous things, happiness, unhappiness, the ether and all the

elements, the whole world up to the unmanifest -- this is not Self.

 

Glamor and every work of glamor from the world-soul to the body, know

this as unreal, as not the Self, built up of the mirage of the

desert.

 

But I shall declare to you the own being of the Self supreme, knowing

which a man, freed from his bonds, reaches the lonely purity.

 

There is a certain selfhood wherein the sense of "I" forever rests;

who witnesses the three modes of being, who is other than the five

veils; who is the only knower in waking, dreaming, dreamlessness; of

all the activities of the knowing soul, whether good or bad -- this

is the "I";

 

Who of himself beholds all; whom none beholds; who kindles to

consciousness the knowing soul and all the powers; whom none kindles

to consciousness; by whom all this is filled; whom no other fills;

who is the shining light within this all; after whose shining all

else shines;

 

By whose nearness only body and powers and mind and soul do their

work each in his own field, as though sent by the Self;

 

Because the own nature of this is eternal wakefulness, self-

assertion, the body and all the powers, and happiness and unhappiness

are beheld by it, just as an earthen pot is beheld. This inner Self,

the ancient Spirit, is everlasting, partless, immediately experienced

happiness; ever of one nature, pure waking knowledge, sent forth by

whom Voice and the life-breaths move.

 

Here, verily, in the substantial Self, in the hidden place of the

soul, this steady shining begins to shine like the dawn; then the

shining shines forth as the noonday sun, making all this world to

shine by its inherent light; knower of all the changing moods of mind

and inward powers; of all the acts done by body, powers, life-

breaths; present in them as fire in iron, strives not nor changes at

all.

 

This is not born nor dies nor grows, nor does it fade or change

forever; even when this form has melted away, it no more melts than

the air in a jar.

 

Alike stranger to forming and deforming; of its own being, pure

wakefulness; both being and non-being is this, besides it there is

nothing else; this shines unchanging, this Supreme Self gleams in

waking, dream and dreamlessness as "I," present as the witness of the

knowing soul.

 

BONDAGE AND FREEDOM

 

(Verses 136 - 153)

Then, holding firmly mind, with knowing soul at rest, know your self

within yourself face to face saying "This am I." The life-ocean,

whose waves are birth and dying, is shoreless; cross over it,

fulfilling the end of being, resting firm in the Eternal.

 

Thinking things not self are "I" -- this is bondage for a man; this,

arising from unwisdom, is the cause of falling into the weariness of

birth and dying; this is the cause that he feeds and anoints and

guards this form, thinking it the Self; the unreal, real; wrapping

himself in sensuous things as a silk-worm in his own threads.

 

The thought that what is not That is That grows up in the fool

through darkness; because no discernment is there, it wells up, as

the thought that a rope is a snake; thereupon a mighty multitude of

fatuities fall on him who accepts this error, for he who grasps the

unreal is bound; mark this, my companion.

 

By the power of wakefulness, partless, external, secondless, the Self

wells up with its endless lordship; but this enveloping power wraps

it round, born of Darkness, as the dragon of eclipse envelops the

rayed sun.

 

When the real Self with its stainless light recedes, a man

thinking "this body is I," calls it the Self; then by lust and hate

and all the potencies of bondage, the great power of Force that they

call extension greatly afflicts him.

 

Torn by the gnawing of the toothed beast of great delusion; wandered

from the Self, accepting every changing mood of mind as himself,

through this potency, in the shoreless ocean of birth and death, full

of the poison of sensuous things, sinking and rising, he wanders,

mean-minded, despicable-minded.

 

As a line of clouds, born of the sun's strong shining, expands before

the sun and hides it from sight, so self-assertion, that has come

into being through the Self, expands before the Self and hides it

from sight. As when on an evil day the lord of day is swallowed up in

thick, dark clouds, an ice-cold hurricane of wind, very terrible,

afflicts the clouds in turns; so when the Self is enveloped in

impenetrable Darkness, the keen power of extension drives with many

afflictions the man whose soul is deluded.

>From those two powers a man's bondage comes; deluded by them he errs,

thinking the body is the Self.

 

Of the plant of birth and death, the seed is Darkness, the sprout is

the thought that body is Self, the shoot is rage, the sap is deeds,

the body is the stem, the life-breaths are the branches, the tops are

the bodily powers, sensuous things are the flowers, sorrow is the

fruit, born of varied deeds and manifold; and the Life is the bird

that eats the fruit.

 

This bondage to what is not Self, rooted in unwisdom, innate, made

manifest without beginning or end, gives life to the falling torrent

of sorrow, of birth and death, of sickness and old age.

 

Not by weapons nor arms, not by storm nor fire nor by a myriad deeds

can this be cut off, without the sword of discernment and knowledge,

very sharp and bright, through the grace of the guiding power.

 

He who is single-minded, fixed on the word divine, his steadfast

fulfilment of duty will make the knowing soul within him pure; to him

whose knowing soul is pure, a knowing of the Self supreme shall come;

and through this knowledge of the Self supreme he shall destroy this

circle of birth and death and its root together.

 

THE FREEING OF THE SELF

 

(Verses 148 - 154)

The Self, wrapped up in the five vestures beginning with the vesture

formed of food, which are brought into being by its own power, does

not shine forth, as the water in the pond, covered by a veil of green

scum.

 

When the green scum is taken away, immediately the water shines forth

pure, taking away thirst and heat, straightway becoming a source of

great joy to man.

 

When the five vestures have been stripped off, the Self shines forth

pure, the one essence of eternal bliss, beheld within, supreme, self-

luminous.

 

Discernment is to be made between the Self and what is not Self by

the wise man seeking freedom from bondage; through this he enters

into joy, knowing the Self which is being, consciousness, bliss.

 

As the reed from the tiger grass, so separating from the congeries of

things visible the hidden Self within, which is detached, not

involved in actions, and dissolving all in the Self, he who stands

thus, has attained liberation.

 

THE VESTURE FORMED OF FOOD

 

(Verses 154 - 164)

The food-formed vesture is this body, which comes into being through

food, which lives by food, which perishes without food.

 

It is formed of cuticle, skin, flesh, blood, bone, water; this is not

worthy to be the Self, eternally pure.

 

The Self was before birth or death, and now is; how can it be born

for the moment, fleeting, unstable of nature, not unified, inert,

beheld like a jar? For the Self is the witness of all changes of

form.

 

The body has hands and feet, not the Self; though bodiless, yet

because it is the Life, because its power is indestructible, it is

controller, not controlled.

 

Since the Self is witness of the body, its character, its acts, its

states, therefore the Self must be of other nature than the body.

 

A mass of wretchedness, clad in flesh, full of impurity and evil, how

can this body be the knower? The Self is of other nature.

 

Of this compound of skin, flesh, fat, bone and water, the man of

deluded mind thinks, "This is I"; but he who is possessed of judgment

knows that his true Self is of other character, is nature

transcendental.

 

The mind of the dullard thinks of the body, "This is I"; he who is

more learned thinks, "This is I," of the body and the separate self;

but he who has attained discernment and is wise knows the true Self

saying, "I am the Eternal."

 

Therefore, O thou of mind deluded, put away the thought that this

body is the Self, this compound of skin, flesh, fat, bone and water;

discern the universal Self, the Eternal, changeless, and enjoy

supreme peace.

 

So long as the man of learning abandons not the thought, founded on

delusion, that "This is I," regarding the unenduring body and its

powers, so long there is no hope for his liberation, though he

possess the knowledge of the Vedanta and its sciences.

 

As thou hast no thought that "This is the Self," regarding the body's

shadow, or the reflected form, or the body seen in dream, or the

shape imagined in the mind, so let not this thought exist regarding

the living body.

 

The thought that the body is the Self, in the minds of men who

discern not the real, is the seed from which spring birth and death

and sorrow; therefore slay thou this thought with strong effort, for

when thou hast abandoned this thought the longing for rebirth will

cease.

 

THE VESTURE FORMED OF VITAL BREATH

 

(Verses 165 - 166)

The breath-formed vesture is formed by the life-breath determined by

the five powers of action; through its power the food-formed vesture,

guided by the Self and sustained by food, moves in all bodily acts.

 

Nor is this breath-formed vesture the Self, since it is formed of the

vital airs, coming and going like the wind, moving within and

without; since it can in no wise discern between right and wrong,

between oneself and another, but is ever dependent.

 

THE VESTURE FORMED OF MIND

 

(Verses 167 - 183)

The mind-formed vesture is formed of the powers of perception and the

mind; it is the cause of the distinction between the notions

of "mine" and "I"; it is active in making a distinction of names and

numbers; as more potent, it pervades and dominates the former

vesture.

 

The fire of the mind-formed vesture, fed by the five powers of

perception, as though by five sacrificial priests, with objects of

sense like streams of melted butter, blazing with the fuel of

manifold sense-impressions, sets the personality aflame.

 

For there is no unwisdom, except in the mind, for the mind is

unwisdom, the cause of the bondage to life; when this is destroyed,

all is destroyed; when this dominates, the world dominates.

 

In dream, devoid of substance, it emanates a world of experiencer and

things experienced, which is all mind; so in waking consciousness,

there is no difference, it is all the domination of the mind.

 

During the time of dreamlessness, when mind has become latent,

nothing at all of manifestation remains; therefore man's circle of

birth and death is built by mind, and has no permanent reality.

 

By the wind a cloud is collected, by the wind it is driven away

again; by mind bondage is built up, by mind is built also liberation.

 

Building up desire for the body and all objects, it binds the man

thereby as an ox by a cord; afterwards leading him to turn from them

like poison, that same mind, verily, sets him free from bondage.

 

Therefore mind is the cause of man's bondage, and in turn of his

liberation; when darkened by the powers of passion it is the cause of

bondage, and when pure of passion and darkness it is the cause of

liberation.

 

Where discernment and dispassion are dominant, gaining purity, the

mind makes for liberation; therefore let the wise man who seeks

liberation strengthen these two in himself as the first step.

 

Mind is the name of the mighty tiger that hunts in the forest glades

of sensuous things; let not the wise go thither, who seek liberation.

 

Mind moulds all sensuous things through the earthly body and the

subtle body of him who experiences; mind ceaselessly shapes the

differences of body, of color, of condition, of race, as fruits

caused by the acts of the potencies.

 

Mind, beclouding the detached, pure consciousness, binding it with

the cords of the body, the powers, the life-breaths, as "I" and "my,"

ceaselessly strays among the fruits of experience caused by its own

activities.

 

Man's circle of birth and death comes through the fault of

attributing reality to the unreal, but this false attribution is

built up by mind; this is the effective cause of birth and death and

sorrow for him who has the faults of passion and darkness and is

without discernment.

 

Therefore the wise who know the truth have declared that mind is

unwisdom, through which the whole world, verily, is swept about, as

cloud belts by the wind.

 

Therefore purification of the mind should be undertaken with strong

effort by him who seeks liberation; when the mind has been purified,

liberation comes like fruit into his hand.

 

Through the sole power of liberation uprooting desire for sensuous

things, and ridding himself of all bondage to works, he who through

faith in the Real stands firm in the teaching, shakes off the very

essence of passion from the understanding.

 

The mind-formed vesture cannot be the higher Self, since it has

beginning and end, waxing and waning; by causing sensuous things, it

is the very essence of pain; that which is itself seen cannot be the

Seer.

 

THE VESTURE FORMED OF INTELLIGENCE

 

(Verses 184 - 197)

The intelligence, together with the powers of intelligence, makes the

intelligence-formed vesture, whose distinguishing character is

actorship; it is the cause of man's circle of birth and death.

 

The power which is a reflected beam of pure Consciousness, called the

understanding, is a mode of abstract Nature; it possesses wisdom and

creative power; it thereby focuses the idea of "I" in the body and

its powers.

 

This "I," beginningless in time, is the separate self, it is the

initiator of all undertakings; this, impelled by previous imprints,

works all works both holy and unholy, and forms their fruits.

 

Passing through varying births it gains experience, now descending,

now ascending; of this intelligence-formed vesture, waking, dream and

dreamlessness are the fields where it experiences pleasure and pain.

 

By constantly attributing to itself the body, state, condition,

duties and works, thinking, "These are mine," this intelligence-

formed vesture, brightly shining because it stands closest to the

higher Self, becomes the vesture of the Self, and, thinking itself to

be the Self, wanders in the circle of birth and death.

 

This, formed of intelligence, is the light that shines in the vital

breaths, in the heart; the Self who stands forever wears this vesture

as actor and experiencer.

 

The Self, assuming the limitation of the intelligence, self-deluded

by the error of the intelligence, though it is the universal Self,

yet views itself as separate from the Self; as the potter views the

jars as separate from the clay.

 

Through the force of its union with the vesture, the higher Self

takes on the character of the vesture and assumes its nature, as

fire, which is without form, takes on the varying forms of the iron,

even though the Self is for ever by nature uniform and supreme.

 

THE DISCIPLE SPEAKS

 

Whether by delusion or otherwise, the higher Self appears as the

separate self; but, since the vesture is beginningless, there is no

conceivable end of the beginningless.

 

Therefore existence as the separate self must be eternal, nor can the

circle of birth and death have an end; how then can there be

liberation? Master, tell me this.

 

THE MASTER ANSWERS

 

Well hast thou asked, O wise one! Therefore rightly hear! A false

imagination created by error is not conclusive proof.

 

Only through delusion can there be an association with objects, of

that which is without attachment, without action, without form; it is

like the association of blueness with the sky.

 

The appearance as the separate self, of the Self, the Seer, who is

without qualities, without form; essential wisdom and bliss, arises

through the delusion of the understanding; it is not real; when the

delusion passes, it exists no longer, having no substantial reality.

 

Its existence, which is brought into being through false perception,

because of delusion, lasts only so long as the error lasts; as the

serpent in the rope endures only as long as the delusion; when the

delusion ceases, there is no serpent.

 

 

----

----------

 

The Witness

THE MANIFEST AND THE HIDDEN SELF

 

(Verses 198 - 209)

Beginningless is unwisdom, and all its works are too; but when wisdom

is arisen, what belongs to unwisdom, although beginningless --

 

Like a dream on waking, perishes, root and all; though beginningless,

it is not endless; it is as something that was not before, and now

is, this is manifest.

 

It is thus seen that, though without a beginning, unwisdom comes to

an end, just as something, which before was not, comes into being.

Built up in the Self by its being bound by disguise of intellect --

 

Is this existence as the separate life, for there is no other than

the Self, distinguished by its own nature, but the binding of the

Self by the intellect is false, coming from unknowledge.

 

This binding is untied by perfect knowledge, not otherwise; the

discerning of the oneness of the Eternal and the Self is held by the

scripture to be perfect knowledge.

 

And this is accomplished by perfectly discerning between Self and not-

self; thereafter discernment is to be gained between individual and

universal Self.

 

Water may be endlessly muddy, but when the mud is gone, the water is

clear. As it shines, so shines the Self also, when faults are gone

away, it shines forth clear.

 

And when unreality ceases to exist in the individual self, it is

clear that it returns towards the universal; hence there is to be a

rejection of the self-assertion and other characteristics of the

individual self.

 

Hence this higher Self is not what is called the intellectual veil,

because that is changeful, helpless of itself, circumscribed,

objective, liable to err; the non-eternal cannot be regarded as

eternal.

 

The bliss-formed veil is a form containing the reflection of bliss --

although it is tainted with darkness; it has the quality of pleasure,

the attainment of well wished-for aims; it shines forth in the

enjoyment of good works by a righteous man, of its own nature bliss-

formed; gaining an excellent form, he enjoys bliss without effort.

 

The principal sphere of the bliss-formed veil is in dreamless sleep;

in dreaming and waking it is in part manifest when blissful objects

are beheld.

 

Nor is this bliss-formed veil the higher Self, for it wears a

disguise, it is a form of objective nature; it is an effect caused by

good acts, accumulated in this changeful form.

 

When the five veils are taken away, according to inference and

scripture, what remains after they are taken away is the Witness, in

a form born of awakening.

 

This is the Self, self-shining, distinguished from the five veils;

this is the Witness in the three modes of perceiving, without change,

without stain. The wise should know it as Being and Bliss, as his own

Self.

 

THE PUPIL SAID:

 

(Verses 210 - 240)

When the five veils are thus set aside through their unreality,

beyond the non-being of all I see nothing, Master; what then is to be

known as anything by him who knows Self and not-self?

 

THE MASTER SAID:

 

Truth has been spoken by thee, wise one; thou art skilled in

judgment. Self-assertion and all these changes, -- in the Self they

have no being. That whereby all is enjoyed, but which is itself not

enjoyed, know that to be the Self, the Knower, through thy very

subtle intellect.

 

Whatever is enjoyed by anyone, of that he is the witness; but of that

which is not enjoyed by anyone, it cannot be said that anyone is the

witness.

 

That is to be self-witness, where anything is enjoyed by itself;

therefore the universal Self is witness of itself; no other lesser

thing is witness of it.

 

In waking, dreaming, dreamlessness, that Self is clearly manifested,

appearing through its universal form always as "I," as the "I"

within, uniformly. This is "I" beholding intellect and the rest that

partake of varied forms and changes. It is manifest through eternal

blissful self-consciousness; know that as the Self here in the heart.

 

Looking at the reflection of the sun reflected in the water of a jar,

he who is deluded thinks it is the sun, thus the reflected

consciousness appearing under a disguise is thought by him who is

hopelessly deluded to be "I."

 

Rejecting jar and water and the sun reflected there all together, the

real sun is beheld. So the unchanging One which is reflected in the

three modes, self-shining, is perceived by the wise.

 

Putting away in thought body and intellect as alike reflections of

consciousness, discerning the seer, hid in the secret place, the

Self, the partless awakening, the universal shining, distinguished

alike from what exists and what does not exist; the eternal lord, all-

present, very subtle, devoid of within and without, nothing but self;

discerning this perfectly, in its own form, a man is sinless,

passionless, deathless.

 

Sorrowless, altogether bliss, full of wisdom, fearing nothing at all

from anything; there is no other path of freedom from the bondage of

the world but knowledge of the reality of his Self, for him who would

be free.

 

Knowledge that the Eternal is not divided from him is the cause of

freedom from the world, whereby the Eternal, the secondless bliss, is

gained by the awakened.

 

Therefore one should perfectly know that the Eternal and the Self are

not divided; for the wise who has become the Eternal does not return

again to birth and death.

 

The real, wisdom, the endless, the Eternal, pure, supreme, self-

perfect, the one essence of eternal bliss, universal, undivided,

unbroken -- this he gains.

 

This is the real, supreme, secondless, for besides the Self no other

is; there is nothing else at all in the condition of perfect

awakening to the reality of the supreme being.

 

This all, that is perceived as the vari-form world, from unknowledge,

this all is the Eternal, when the mind's confusion is cast away.

 

The pot made of clay is not separate from the clay, for all through

it is in its own nature clay; the form of the pot is not separate;

whence then the pot? It is mere name, built up of illusion.

 

By no one can the form of the pot be seen, separate from the clay;

hence the pot is built of delusion, but the real thing is the clay,

like the supreme Being.

 

All this is always an effect of the real Eternal; it is that alone,

nor is there anything else but that. He who says there is, is not

free from delusion, like one who talks in his sleep.

 

The Eternal verily is this all; thus says the excellent scripture of

the Atharva. In accordance with it, all this is the Eternal only, nor

is there any separate existence of the attribute apart from the

source.

 

If this moving world were the real, then had the Self no freedom from

limitation, divine authority no worth, the Master Self no truth;

these three things the great-souled cannot allow.

 

The Master who knows the reality of things declared: I verily am not

contained in these things, nor do these creatures stand in me. If the

world be real, then it should be apprehended in dreamless sleep; it

is not apprehended there, therefore it is unreal, dreamlike, false.

Therefore the world is not separate from the higher Self; what is

perceived as separate is false, -- the natural potencies and the

like; what real existence is there in the attribute? Its support

shines forth as with attributes illusively.

 

Whatever is delusively perceived by one deluded, is the Eternal; the

silver shining is only the pearl shell. The Eternal is perpetually

conceived as formed; but what is attributed to the Eternal is a name

only.

 

Therefore the supreme Eternal is Being, secondless, of the form of

pure knowledge, stainless, peaceful, free from beginning or ending,

changeless, its own-nature is unbroken bliss.

 

Every difference made by world-glamor set aside, eternal, lasting,

partless, measureless, formless, unmanifest, nameless, unfading, a

self-shining light that illuminates all that is.

 

Where the difference of knower, knowing, known is gone, endless,

sure; absolute, partless, pure consciousness; the wise know this as

the supreme reality.

 

That can neither be left nor taken, is no object of mind or speech;

immeasurable, beginningless, endless, the perfect Eternal, the

universal "I."

 

THAT THOU ART

 

(Verses 241 - 251)

The Eternal and the Self, indicated by the two words "that"

and "thou," when clearly understood, according to the Scripture "THAT

THOU ART," are one; their oneness is again ascertained.

 

This identity of theirs is in their essential, not their verbal

meanings, for they are apparently of contradictory character; like

the firefly and the sun, the sovereign and the serf, the well and the

great waters, the atom and Mount Meru.

 

The contradiction between them is built up by their disguises, but

this disguise is no real thing at all; the disguise of the Master

Self is the world-glamor, the cause of the Celestial and other

worlds; the disguise of the individual life is the group of five

veils -- hear this now:

 

These are the two disguises, of the Supreme and the individual life;

when they are set aside together, there is no longer the Supreme nor

the individual life. The king has his kingdom, the warrior his

weapons; when these are put away there is neither warrior nor king.

 

According to the Scripture saying, "this is the instruction, the Self

is not that, not that," the twofoldness that was built up sinks away

of itself in the Eternal; let the truth of this scripture be grasped

through awakening; the putting away of the two disguises must verily

be accomplished.

 

It is not this, it is not this: because this is built up, it is not

the real -- like the serpent seen in the rope, or like a dream; thus

putting away every visible thing by wise meditation, the oneness of

the two -- Self and Eternal -- is then to be known.

 

Therefore the two are to be well observed in their essential unity.

Neither their contradictory character nor their non-contradictory

character is all; but the real and essential Being is to be reached,

in order to gain the essence in which they are one and undivided.

 

When one says: "This man is Devadatta," the oneness is here stated by

rejecting contradictory qualities. With the great word "THAT THOU

ART," it is the same; what is contradictory between the two is set

aside.

 

As being essentially pure consciousness, the oneness between the Real

and the Self is known by the awakened; and by hundreds of great texts

the oneness, the absence of separateness, between the Eternal and the

Self is declared.

 

That is not the physical; it is the perfect, after the unreal is put

aside; like the ether, not to be handled by thought. Hence this

matter that is perceived is illusive, therefore set it aside; but

what is grasped by its own selfhood -- "that I am the Eternal" --

know that with intelligence purified; know the Self as partless

awakening.

 

Every pot and vessel has always clay as its cause, and its material

is clay; just like this, this world is engendered by the Real, and

has the Real as its Self, the Real is its material altogether. That

Real than which there is none higher, THAT THOU ART, the restful, the

stainless, secondless Eternal, the supreme.

 

THE MANIFEST AND THE HIDDEN SELF

 

(Verses 252 - 268)

As dream-built lands and times, objects and knowers of them, are all

unreal, just so here in waking is this world; its cause is ignorance

of the Self; in as much as all this world, body and organs, vital

breath and personality are all unreal, in so much THOU ART THAT, the

restful, the stainless, secondless Eternal, the supreme.

 

Far away from birth and conduct, family and tribe, quite free from

name and form and quality and fault; beyond space and time and

objects -- this is the Eternal, THAT THOU ART; become it in the Self.

 

The supreme, that no word can reach, but that is reached by the eye

of awakening, pure of stain, the pure reality of consciousness and

mind together -- this is the Eternal, THAT THOU ART; become it in the

Self.

 

Untouched by the six infirmities, reached in the heart of those that

seek for union, reached not by the organs, whose being neither

intellect nor reason knows -- this is the Eternal, THAT THOU ART;

become it in the Self.

 

Built of error is the world; in That it rests; That rests in itself,

different from the existent and the non-existent; partless, nor bound

by causality, is the Eternal, THAT THOU ART; become it in the Self.

 

Birth and growth, decline and loss, sickness and death it is free

from, and unfading; the cause of emanation, preservation,

destruction, is the Eternal, THAT THOU ART; become it in the Self.

 

Where all difference is cast aside, all distinction is cast away, a

waveless ocean, motionless; ever free, with undivided form -- this is

the Eternal, THAT THOU ART; become it in the Self.

 

Being one, though cause of many, the cause of others, with no cause

itself; where cause and caused are merged in one, self-being, the

Eternal, THAT THOU ART; become it in the Self.

 

Free from doubt and change, great, unchanging; where changing and

unchanging are merged in one Supreme; eternal, unfading joy,

unstained -- this is the Eternal, THAT THOU ART; become it in the

Self.

 

This shines forth manifold through error, through being the Self

under name and form and quality and change; like gold itself

unchanging ever -- this is the Eternal, THAT THOU ART; become it in

the Self.

 

This shines out unchanging, higher than the highest, the hidden one

essence, whose character is selfhood, reality, consciousness, joy,

endless unfading -- this is the Eternal, THAT THOU ART; become it in

the Self.

 

Let a man make it his own in the Self -- like a word that is spoken,

by reasoning from the known, by thought; this is as devoid of doubt

as water in the hand, so certain will its reality become.

 

Recognizing this perfectly illumined one, whose reality is altogether

pure, as one recognizes the leader of men in the assembled army, and

resting on that always, standing firm in one's own Self, sink all

this world that is born, into the Eternal.

 

In the soul, in the hidden place, marked neither as what is nor what

is not, is the Eternal, true, supreme, secondless. He who through the

Self dwells here in the secret place, for him there is no coming

forth again to the world of form.

 

When the thing is well known even, this beginningless mode of

thought, "I am the doer and the enjoyer," is very powerful; this mode

of mind lasting strongly, is the cause of birth and rebirth. A

looking backward toward the Self, a dwelling on it, is to be

effortfully gained; freedom here on earth, say the saints, is the

thinning away of that mode of thought.

 

That thought of "I" and "mine" in the flesh, the eye and the rest,

that are not the Self -- this transference from the real to the

unreal is to be cast away by the wise man by steadfastness in his own

Self.

 

 

----

----------

 

Finding the Real Self

BONDAGE THROUGH IMAGINATION

 

(Verses 269 - 276)

Recognizing as thine own the hidden Self, the witness of the soul and

its activities, perceiving truly "That am I," destroy the thought of

Self in all not Self.

 

Give up following after the world, give up following after the body,

give up following after the ritual law; make an end of transferring

selfhood to these.

 

Through a man's imagination being full of the world, through his

imagination being full of the ritual law, through his imagination

being full of the body, wisdom, truly, is not born in him.

 

For him who seeks freedom from the grasping hand of birth and death,

an iron fetter binding his feet, say they who know it, is this potent

triad of imaginings; he who has got free from this enters into

freedom.

 

The scent of sandalwood that drives all evil odors away comes forth

through stirring it with water and the like; all other odors are

driven altogether away.

 

The image of the supreme Self, stained by the dust of imaginings,

dwelling inwardly, endless, evil, comes forth pure, by the stirring

power of enlightenment, as the scent of the sandalwood comes forth

clear.

 

In the net of imaginings of things not Self, the image of the Self is

held back; by resting on the eternal Self, their destruction comes,

and the Self shines clear.

 

As the mind rests more and more on the Self behind it, it is more and

more freed from outward imaginings; when imaginings are put away, and

no residue left, he enters and becomes the Self, pure of all bonds.

 

SELFHOOD TRANSFERRED TO THINGS NOT SELF

 

(Verses 277 - 298)

By resting ever in the Self, the restless mind of him who seeks union

is stilled, and all imaginings fade away; therefore make an end of

transferring Selfhood to things not Self.

 

Darkness is put away through force and substantial being; force,

through substantial being; in the pure, substantial being is not put

away; therefore, relying on substantial being, make an end of

transferring Selfhood to things not Self.

 

The body of desire is nourished by all new works begun; steadily

thinking on this, and effortfully holding desire firm, make an end of

transferring selfhood to things not Self.

 

Thinking: "I am not this separate life but the supreme Eternal,"

beginning by rejecting all but this, make an end of transferring

selfhood to things not Self; it comes from the swift impetus of

imaginings.

 

Understanding the all-selfhood of the Self, by learning, seeking

union, entering the Self, make an end of transferring selfhood to

things not Self; it comes from the Self's reflected light in other

things.

 

Neither in taking nor giving does the sage act at all; therefore by

ever resting on the One, make an end of transferring selfhood to

things not Self.

 

Through sentences like "That thou art" awaking to the oneness of the

Eternal and the Self, to confirm the Self in the Eternal, make an end

of transferring selfhood to things not Self.

 

While there yet lingers a residue undissolved of the thought that

this body is the Self, carefully seeking union with the Self, make an

end of transferring selfhood to things not Self.

 

As long as the thought of separate life and the world shines,

dreamlike even, so long incessantly, O wise one, make an end of

transferring selfhood to things not Self.

 

The body of desire, born of father and mother of impure elements,

made up of fleshly things impure, is to be abandoned as one abandons

an impure man afar; gain thy end by becoming the Eternal.

 

THE REAL IN THINGS UNREAL

 

As the space in a jar in universal space, so the Self is to be merged

without division in the Self supreme; rest thou ever thus, O sage.

 

Through the separate self gaining the Self, self-shining as a resting-

place, let all outward things from a world-system to a lump of clay

be abandoned, like a vessel of impure water.

 

Raising the thought of "I" from the body to the Self that is

Consciousness, Being, Bliss, and lodging it there, leave form, and

become pure for ever.

 

Knowing that "I am that Eternal" wherein this world is reflected,

like a city in a mirror, thou shalt perfectly gain thy end.

 

What is of real nature, self-formed, original consciousness,

secondless bliss, formless, actless -- entering that, let a man put

off this false body of desires, worn by the Self as a player puts on

a costume.

 

For the Self, all that is seen is but mirage; it lasts but for a

moment, we see, and know it is not "I"; how could "I know all" be

said of the personal self that changes every moment?

 

The real "I" is witness of the personal self and its powers; as its

being is perceived always, even in dreamless sleep. The scripture

says the Self is unborn, everlasting; this is the hidden Self,

distinguished neither as what exists nor what has no existence.

 

The beholder of every change in things that change, can be the

unchanging alone; in the mind's desires, in dreams, in dreamless

sleep the insubstantial nature of things that change is clearly

perceived again and again.

 

Therefore put away the false selfhood of this fleshly body, for the

false selfhood of the body is built up by thought; knowing the Self

as thine own, unhurt by the three times, undivided illumination,

enter into peace.

 

Put away the false selfhood of family and race and name, of form and

rank, for these dwell in this body; put away the actorhood and other

powers of the body of form; become the Self whose self is partless

joy.

 

Other bonds of man are seen, causes of birth and death, but the root

and first form of them is selfishness.

 

 

----

----------

 

The Power of Mind-Images

(Verses 299 - 378)

As long as the Self is in bondage to the false personal self of evil,

so long is there not even a possibility of freedom, for these two are

contraries.

 

But when free from the grasp of selfish personality, he reaches his

real nature; Bliss and Being shine forth by their own light, like the

full moon, free from blackness.

 

But he who in the body thinks "this am I," a delusion built up by the

mind through darkness; when this delusion is destroyed for him

without remainder, there arises for him the realization of Self as

the Eternal, free from all bondage.

 

The treasure of the bliss of the Eternal is guarded by the terrible

serpent of personality, very powerful, enveloping the Self, with

three fierce heads -- the three nature-powers; cutting off these

three heads with the great sword of discernment, guided by the divine

teachings, and destroying the serpent, the wise man may enter into

that joy-bringing treasure.

 

So long as there is even a trace of the taint of poison in the body,

how can there be freedom from sickness? In just the same way, there

is no freedom for him who seeks union, while selfishness endures.

 

When the false self ceases utterly, and the motions of the mind

caused by it come to an end, then, by discerning the hidden Self, the

real truth that "I am that" is found.

 

Give up at once the thought of "I" in the action of the selfish

personality, in the changeful self, which is but a reflection of the

real Self, destroying rest in the Self; from falsely attributing

reality to which are incurred birth and death and old age, fruitful

in sorrow, the pilgrimage of the soul; but reality belongs to the

hidden Self, whose form is consciousness, whose body is bliss; whose

nature is ever one, the conscious Self, the Master, whose form is

Bliss, whose glory is unspeakable; there is no cause of the soul's

pilgrimage but the attribution of the reality of this to the selfish

personality.

 

Therefore this selfish personality, the enemy of the Self, like a

thorn in the throat of the eater, being cut away by the great sword

of knowledge, thou shalt enjoy the bliss of the Self's sovereignty,

according to thy desire.

 

Therefore bringing to an end the activity of the selfish personality,

all passion being laid aside when the supreme object is gained, rest

silent, enjoying the bliss of the Self, in the Eternal, through the

perfect Self, from all doubt free.

 

Mighty selfishness, even though cut down root and all, if brought to

life again even for a moment, in thought, causes a hundred

dissipations of energy, as a cloud shaken by the wind in the rainy

seasons, pours forth its floods.

 

After seizing the enemy, selfishness, no respite at all is to be

given to it, by thoughts of sensual objects. Just this is the cause

of its coming to life again, as water is of the lime tree that had

withered away. [310]

 

The desirer is constituted by the bodily self; how can the cause of

desire be different? Hence the motion of enticement to sensual

objects is the cause of world-bondage, through attachment to what is

other than Self.

>From increase of action, it is seen that the seed of bondage is

energized; when action is destroyed, the seed is destroyed. Hence let

him check sensual action.

>From the growth of mind-images comes the action; from action the mind-

image grows; hence the man's pilgrimage ceases not.

 

To cut the bonds of the world's pilgrimage, both must be burned away

by the ascetic. And the growth of mind-images comes from these two --

imagining and external action.

 

Growing from these two, it brings forth the pilgrimage of the soul.

The way of destroying these three in every mode of consciousness,

should be constantly sought.

 

By looking on all as the Eternal, everywhere, in every way, and by

strengthening the mind-image of real being, this triad comes to melt

away.

 

In the destruction of actions will arise the destruction of

imaginings, and from this the dispersal of mind-images. The thorough

dispersal of mind-images is freedom; this is called freedom even in

life.

 

When the mind-image of the real grows up, in the dispersal of the

mind's alarms, and the mind-image of the selfish personality melts

away, as even thick darkness is quickly melted away before the light

of the sun.

 

The action of the greatest darkness, the snare of unreality, is no

longer seen when the lord of day is arisen; so in the shining of the

essence of secondless bliss, no bond exists nor scent of sorrow.

 

Transcending every visible object of sense, fixing the mind on pure

being, the totality of bliss, with right intentness within and

without, pass the time while the bonds of action last. [320]

 

Wavering in reliance on the Eternal must never be allowed; wavering

is death -- thus said the son of the Evolver.

 

There is no other danger for him who knows, but this wavering as to

the Self's real nature. Thence arises delusion, and thence selfish

personality; thence comes bondage, and therefrom sorrow.

 

Through beholding sensual objects, forgetfulness bewilders a wise man

even, as a woman her favorite lover.

 

As sedge pushed back does not remain even for a moment, just in the

same way does the world-glamor close over a wise man, who looks away

from the Real.

 

If the imagination falling even a little from its aim, towards

outward objects, it falls on and on, through unsteadiness, like a

player's fallen on a row of steps.

 

If the thought enters into sensual objects, it becomes intent on

their qualities; from this intentness immediately arises desire, and,

from desire, every action of man.

 

Hence than this wavering there is no worse death, for one who has

gained discernment, who has beheld the Eternal in spiritual

concentration. By right intentness he at once gains success; be thou

intent on the Self, with all carefulness.

 

Then comes loss of knowledge of one's real being, and he who has lost

it falls; and destruction of him who thus falls is seen, but not

restoration.

 

Let him put away the wilful motions of the mind, the cause of every

evil act; he who has unity in life, has unity after his body is gone.

The scripture of sentences says that he who beholds difference has

fear.

 

Whenever even a wise man beholds difference in the endless Eternal,

though only as much as an atom, what he beholds through wavering

becomes a fear to him through its difference. [330]

 

All scripture, tradition and logic disregarding, whoever makes the

thought of self in visible things, falls upon sorrow after sorrow;

thus disregarding, he is like a thief in darkness.

 

He whose delight is attachment to the real, freed, he gains the

greatness of the Self, eternal; but he who delights in attachment to

the false, perishes; this is seen in the case of the thief and him

who is no thief.

 

The ascetic, who has put away the cause of bondage -- attachment to

the unreal -- stands in the vision of the Self, saying, "this Self am

I"; this resting in the Eternal, brings joy by experiencing it, and

takes away the supreme sorrow that we feel, whose cause is unwisdom.

 

Attachment to the outward brings as its fruit the perpetual increase

of evil mind-images. Knowing this and putting away outward things by

discernment, let him place his attachment in the Self forever.

 

When the outward is checked, there is restfulness from emotion; when

emotion is at rest, there is vision of the supreme Self. When the

Self is seen, the bondage of the world is destroyed; the checking of

the outward is the path of freedom.

 

Who, being learned, discerning between real and unreal, knowing the

teaching of the scripture, and beholding the supreme object with

understanding, would place his reliance on the unreal, even though

longing to be free -- like a child, compassing his own destruction.

 

There is no freedom for him who is full of attachment to the body and

its like; for him who is free, there is no wish for the body and its

like; the dreamer is not awake, he who is awake dreams not; for these

things are the opposites of each other.

 

Knowing the Self as within and without, in things stable and moving --

discerning this through the Self, through its comprehending all

things -- putting off every disguise, and recognizing no division,

standing firm through the perfect Self -- such a one is free.

 

Through the All-self comes the cause of freedom from bondage; than

the being of the All-self there is no other cause; and this arises

when there is no grasping after the outer; he gains the being of the

All-self by perpetually resting on the Self.

 

How should cessation of grasping after the outer not fail for him

who, through the bodily self remains with mind attached to enjoyment

of outward objects, and thus engages in action. It can only be

effortfully accomplished by those who have renounced the sensual aims

of all acts and rites, who are perfected in resting on the eternal

Self, who know reality, who long for reality and bliss in the Self.

[340]

 

The scripture that speaks of "him who is at peace, controlled,"

teaches the ecstasy of the ascetic, whose work is the study of

wisdom, to the end of gaining the All-self.

 

The destruction of personality which has risen up in power cannot be

done at once, even by the learned, except those who are immovably

fixed in the ecstasy which no doubt can assail, for the mind-images

are of endless rebirth.

 

Binding a man with the delusion of belief in his personality, through

the power that veils, the power that propels casts him forth, through

its potencies.

 

The victory over this compelling power cannot be accomplished, until

the power that veils has come to cessation with residue. The power

that veils is, through the force of its own nature, destroyed, when

the seer is discerned from what is seen, as milk is distinguished

from water.

 

Perfect discernment, born of clear awakening, arises free from doubt,

and pure of all bondage, where there is no propelling power towards

delusive objects, once the division is made between the real natures

of the seer and what is seen; he cuts the bonds of delusion that

glamor makes, and, after that, there is no more pilgrimage for the

free.

 

The flame of discernment of the oneness of the higher and the lower,

burns up the forest of unwisdom utterly. What seed of the soul's

pilgrimage can there be for him who has gained being in which there

is no duality?

 

And the cessation of the veiling power arises from perfect knowledge;

the destruction of false knowledge is the cessation of the pain

engendered by the propelling power.

 

The triple error is understood by knowing the real nature of the

rope; therefore the reality of things is to be known by the wise to

the end of freedom from bondage.

 

As iron from union with fire, so, from union with the real, thought

expands as material things; hence the triple effect of this, seen in

delusion, dream, desire, is but a mirage.

 

Thence come all changing forms in nature beginning with personality

and ending with the body, and all sensual objects; these are unreal,

because subject to change every moment; but the Self never changes.

[350]

 

Consciousness, eternal, non-dual, partless, uniform, witness of

intellect and the rest, different from existent and non-existent; its

real meaning is the idea of "I"; a union of being and bliss -- this

is the higher Self.

 

He who thus understands, discerning the real from the unreal,

ascertaining reality by his own awakened vision, knowing his own Self

as partless awakening, freed from these things reaches peace in the

Self.

 

Then melts the heart's knot of unwisdom without residue, when,

through the ecstasy in which there is no doubt, arises the vision of

the non-dual Self.

 

Through the mind's fault are built the thoughts of thou and I and

this, in the supreme Self which is nondual, and beyond which there is

nothing; but when ecstasy is reached, all his doubts melt away

through apprehension of the real.

 

Peaceful, controlled, possessing the supreme cessation, perfect in

endurance, entering into lasting ecstasy, the ascetic makes the being

of the All-self his own; thereby burning up perfectly the doubts that

are born of the darkness of unwisdom, he dwells in bliss in the form

of the Eternal, without deed or doubt.

 

They who rest on the Self that is consciousness, who have put away

the outward, the imaginations of the ear and senses, and selfish

personality, they, verily, are free from the bonds and snares of the

world, but not they who only meditate on what others have seen.

 

The Self is divided by the division of its disguises; when the

disguises are removed, the Self is lonely and pure; hence let the

wise man work for the removal of the disguises by resting in the

ecstasy that is free from doubt.

 

Attracted by the Self the man goes to the being of the Self by

resting on it alone; the grub, thinking on the bee, builds up the

nature of the bee.

 

The grub, throwing off attachment to other forms, and thinking

intently on the bee, takes on the nature of the bee; even thus he who

seeks for union, thinking intently on the reality of the supreme

Self, perfectly enters that Self, resting on it alone.

 

Very subtle, as it were, is the reality of the supreme Self, nor can

it be reached by gross vision; by the exceedingly subtle state of

ecstasy it is to be known by those who are worthy, whose minds are

altogether pure. [360]

 

As gold purified in the furnace, rids itself of dross and reaches the

quality of its own self, so the mind ridding itself of the dross of

substance, force and darkness, through meditation, enters into

reality.

 

When purified by the power of uninterrupted intentness, the mind is

thus melted in the Eternal, then ecstasy is purified of all doubt,

and of itself enjoys the essence of secondless bliss.

 

Through this ecstasy comes destruction of the knot of accumulated

mind-images, destruction of all works; within and without, for ever

and altogether, the form of the Self becomes manifest, without any

effort at all.

 

Let him know that thinking is a hundred times better than scripture;

that concentration, thinking the matter out, is a hundred thousand

times better than thinking; that ecstasy free from doubt is endlessly

better than concentration.

 

Through unwavering ecstasy is clearly understood the reality of the

Eternal, fixed and sure. This cannot be when other thoughts are

confused with it, by the motions of the mind.

 

Therefore with powers of sense controlled enter in ecstasy into the

hidden Self, with mind at peace perpetually; destroy the darkness

made by beginningless unwisdom, through the clear view of the oneness

of the real.

 

The first door of union is the checking of voice, the cessation of

grasping, freedom from expectation and longing, the character bent

ever on the one end.

 

A centering of the mind on the one end, is the cause of the cessation

of sensuality; control is the cause that puts an end to imaginings;

by peace, the mind-image of the personality is melted away; from this

arises unshaken enjoyment of the essence of bliss in the Eternal for

ever, for him who seeks union; therefore the checking of the

imagination is ever to be practiced effortfully, O ascetic!

 

Hold voice in the self, hold the self in intellect, hold intellect in

the witness of intellect, and, merging the witness in the perfect

Self, enjoy supreme peace.

 

The seeker for union shares the nature of each disguise -- body,

vital breath, sense, mind, intellect -- when his thoughts are fixed

on that disguise. [370]

 

When he ceases from this sharing, the ascetic reaches perfect

cessation and happiness, and is plunged in the essence of Being and

Bliss.

 

Renouncing inwardly, renouncing outwardly -- this is possible only

for him who is free from passion; and he who is free from passion

renounces all attachment within and without, through the longing for

freedom.

 

Outward attachment arises through sensual objects; inward attachment,

through personality. Only he who, resting in the Eternal, is free

from passion, is able to give them up. Freedom from passion and

awakening are the wings of the spirit. O wise man, understand these

two wings! For without them you cannot rise to the crown of the tree

of life.

 

Soul-vision belongs to him who is free from passion; steady

inspiration belongs to the soul-seer. Freedom from bondage belongs to

the reality of inspiration; enjoyment of perpetual bliss belongs to

the Self that is free.

 

I see no engenderer of happiness greater than freedom from passion

for him who is self-controlled; if very pure inspiration of the Self

be joined to it, he enters into the sovereignty of self-dominion.

This is the door of young freedom everlasting. There do thou ever fix

thy consciousness on the real self, in all ways free from attachment

to what is other than this, for the sake of the better way.

 

Cut off all hope in sensual objects which are like poison, the cause

of death; abandon all fancies of birth and family and social state;

put all ritual actions far away; renounce the illusion of self-

dwelling in the body, center the consciousness on the Self. Thou art

the seer, thou art the stainless, thou art in truth the supreme,

secondless Eternal.

 

Firmly fixing the mind on the goal, the Eternal, keeping the outward

senses in their own place, with form unmoved, heedless of the body's

state, entering into the oneness of Self and Eternal by assimilating

the Self and rising above all differences, for ever drink the essence

of the bliss of the Eternal in the Self. What profit is there in

other things that give no joy? [378]

 

 

----

----------

 

Free Even in Life

(Verses 379 - 438)

Ceasing to feed the imagination on things not Self, full of darkness,

causing sorrow, bend the imagination on the Self, whose form is

bliss, the cause of freedom.

 

This is the self luminous, witness of all, ever shining through the

veil of the soul; making the one aim this Self, that is the contrary

of all things unreal, realize it by identification with its partless

nature.

 

Naming this from its undivided being, its freedom from all other

tendency, let him know it clearly from being of the own nature of

Self.

 

Firmly realizing self-hood in that, abandoning selfhood in the

selfish personality, stand towards it as a disinterested onlooker

stands towards the fragments of a broken vase.

 

Entering the purified inner organ into the witness whose nature is

the Self, who is pure awakening, leading upward step by step to

unmoving firmness, let him then gain vision of perfection.

 

Let him gain vision of the Self, freed from all disguises built up by

ignorance of the Self -- body, senses, vitality, emotion,

personality -- the Self whose nature is partless and perfect like

universal ether.

 

The ether, freed from its hundred disguises -- water-pots, jars, corn-

measures and the like -- is one and not divided, thus also the pure

supreme, freed from personality, is one.

 

All disguises beginning with the Evolver and ending with a log are

mirage only; therefore let him behold his own perfect Self, standing

in the Self's oneness.

 

Whatever by error is built up as different from that, is in reality

that only, not different from that. When the error is destroyed, the

reality of the snake that was seen shines forth as the rope; thus the

own-nature of all is the Self.

 

The Evolver is the Self, the Pervader is the Self, the Sky-lord is

the Self, the Destroyer is the Self; all this universe is the Self;

there is nothing but the Self.

 

Inward is the Self, outward also is the Self; the Self is to the

east, the Self is also to the west. The Self is to the south, the

Self is also to the north. The Self is above, the Self is beneath.

 

Just as wave and foam, eddy and bubble are in their own nature water;

so, from the body to the personality, all is consciousness, the pure

essence of consciousness. [390]

 

Being verily is all this world, that is known of voice and mind,

there is nothing else than Being, standing on nature's other shore.

Are cup and water-pot and jar anything but earth? He who is deluded

by the wine of glamor speaks of "thou" and "I."

 

"When by repeated effort naught remains but this," the scripture

says, declaring absence of duality, to put an end to false

transference of reality.

 

Like the ether, free from darkness, free from wavering, free from

limits, free from motion, free from change; having neither a within

nor a without, having no other than it, having no second, is the

Self, the supreme Eternal; what else is there to be known?

 

What more is there to be said? The Eternal, the Life, the Self is

seen here under many forms; all in this world is the Eternal, the

secondless Eternal; the scripture says "I am the Eternal"; knowing

this clearly, those whose minds are awakened, who have abandoned the

outward, becoming the Eternal, dwell in the Self, which is extending

consciousness and bliss. This, verily, is sure.

 

Kill out desire that springs up through thought of self in the body

formed of darkness, then violent passion in the formal body woven of

the breath. Knowing the Self whose fame is sung in the hymns, who is

eternal and formed of bliss, stand in the being of the Eternal.

 

As long as the son of man enjoys this body of death, he is impure;

from the enemies arises the weariness that dwells in birth and death

and sickness. When he knows the pure Self of benign form, immovable,

then he is free from these; -- thus says the scripture too.

 

When all delusive qualities attributed to the Self are put away, the

Self is the supreme eternal, perfect, secondless, changeless.

 

When the activity of the imagination comes to rest in the higher

Self, the Eternal that wavers not, then no more wavering is seen, and

vain words only remain.

 

The belief in this world is built up of unreality. In the one

substance, changeless, formless, undifferentiated, what separateness

can exist?

 

In the one substance, in which no difference of seer, seeing, seen,

exists, which is changeless, formless, undifferentiated, what

separateness can exist? [400]

 

In the one substance, like the world-ocean full to overflowing,

changeless, formless, undifferentiated, whence can separateness come?

 

Where the cause of delusion melts away, like darkness in light, in

the secondless, supreme reality, undifferentiated, what separateness

can there be?

 

In the supreme reality, the very Self of oneness, how could any word

of difference dwell? By whom is difference perceived in purely

blissful dreamlessness?

 

For this world no longer is, whether past, present, or to come, after

awakening to the supreme reality, in the real Self, the Eternal, from

all wavering free. The snake seen in the rope exists not, nor even a

drop of water in the desert mirage, where the deer thirsts.

 

This duality is mere glamor, for the supreme reality is not twofold;

thus the scripture says, and it is directly experienced in

dreamlessness.

 

By the learned it has been perceived that the thing attributed has no

existence apart from the substance, as in the case of the serpent and

the rope. The distinction comes to life through delusion.

 

This distinction has its root in imagining; when imagining ceases it

is no more. Therefore bring imagining to rest in the higher Self

whose form is concealed.

 

In soul-vision the wise man perceives in his heart a certain wide-

extending awakening, whose form is pure bliss, incomparable, the

other shore, for ever free, where is no desire, limitless as the

ether, partless, from wavering free, the perfect Eternal.

 

In soul-vision the wise man perceives in his heart the reality free

from growth and change, whose being is beyond perception, the essence

of equalness, unequalled, immeasurable, perfectly taught by the words

of inspiration, eternal, praised by us.

 

In soul-vision the wise man perceives in his heart the unfading,

undying reality, which by its own being can know no setting, like the

shimmering water of the ocean, bearing no name, where quality and

change have sunk to rest, eternal, peaceful, one. [410]

 

Through intending the inner mind to it, gain vision of the Self, in

its own form, the partless sovereignty. Sever thy bonds that are

stained with the stain of life, and effortfully make thy manhood

fruitful.

 

Standing in the Self, realize the Self in being, the Self from every

disguise set free, Being, Consciousness, Bliss, the secondless; thus

shalt thou build no more for going forth.

 

The mighty soul no more regards this body, cast aside like a corpse,

seen to be but the shadow of the man, come into being as his

reflection, through his entering into the result of his works.

 

Drawing near to the eternal, stainless awakening, whose nature is

bliss, put very far away this disguise whose nature is inert and

foul; nor let it be remembered again at all, for the remembrance of

what has been cast forth builds for disdain.

 

Burning this up with its root in the flame of the real Self, the

unwavering Eternal, the wise man stands excellent as the Self,

through the Self which is eternal, pure, awakening bliss.

 

The body is strung on the thread of works already done, and is impure

as the blood of slaughtered kine; whether it goes forward or stands,

the knower of reality regards it not again, for his life is dissolved

in the Eternal, the Self of bliss.

 

Knowing the partless bliss, the Self as his own self, with what

desire or from what cause could the knower of reality cherish the

body?

 

Of the perfect adept this is the fruit, of the seeker for union, free

even in life -- to taste without and within the essence of being and

bliss in the Self.

 

The fruit of cleanness is awakening, the fruit of awakening is

quiescence; from realizing the bliss of the Self comes peace, this

fruit, verily, quiescence bears.

 

When the latter of these is absent, the former is fruitless. The

supreme end is the incomparable enjoyment of the Self's bliss. [420]

 

The famed fruit of wisdom is not to tremble before manifest

misfortune. The various works that were done in the season of

delusion, worthy of all blame -- how could a man deign to do them

after discernment has been gained?

 

Let the fruit of wisdom be cessation from unreality, a continuation

therein is the fruit of unwisdom; -- this is clearly seen. If there

be not this difference between him who knows and him who knows not,

as in the presence of the mirage to the thirsty deer, where is the

manifest fruit of wisdom?

 

If the heart's knot of unwisdom be destroyed without remainder, how

could sensual things cause continuance in unreality, in him who has

no desire?

 

When mind-images arise not in the presence of sensual things, this is

the limit of purity; when the personal idea does not arise, this is

the limit of illumination. When life-activity that has been dissolved

does not arise again, this is the limit of quiescence.

 

He whose thought is free from outward objects, through standing ever

in the nature of the Eternal, who is as lightly concerned with the

enjoyment of sensual things followed by others as a sleeping child,

looking on this world as a land beheld in dream, when consciousness

comes back, enjoying the fruit of endless holy deeds, he is rich and

worthy of honor in the world.

 

This sage, standing firm in wisdom, reaches Being and Bliss, he is

changeless, free from all acts, for his Self is dissolved in the

Eternal.

 

Being that is plunged in the oneness of the Eternal and the Self made

pure, that wavers not and is pure consciousness alone, is called

wisdom.

 

They say he stands firm in wisdom, in whom this wisdom steadfastly

dwells. He in whom wisdom is firmly established, who enjoys unbroken

bliss, by whom the manifested world is almost unheeded, is called

free even in life.

 

He who with thought dissolved is yet awake, though free from the

bondage of waking life, whose illumination is free from impure mind-

images, he, verily, is called free even in life.

 

He who perceives that his soul's pilgrimage is ended, who is free

from disunion even while possessing division, whose imagination is

free from imaginings, he, verily, is called free even in life.

 

He who even while this body exists, regards it as a shadow, who has

no sense of personality or possessions -- these are the marks of him

who is free in life. [430]

 

Whose mind lingers not over the past, nor goes out after the future,

when perfect equanimity is gained, this is the mark of him who is

free even in life.

 

In this world, whose very nature is full of differences, where

quality and defect are distinguished, to regard all things everywhere

as the same, this is the mark of him who is free even in life.

 

Accepting wished and unwished objects with equanimity in the Self,

and changing not in either event, is the mark of him who is free even

in life.

 

When the sage's imagination is fixed on tasting the essence of the

bliss of the Eternal, so that he distinguishes not between what is

within and without, this is the mark of him who is free even in life.

 

Who is free from thought of "I" and "my," in body and senses and

their works, who stands in equanimity, bears the mark of one who is

free even in life.

 

He who has discerned the Eternal in the Self, through the power of

sacred books, who is free from the bondage of the world, bears the

mark of one who is free even in life.

 

He who never identifies himself with the body and senses, nor

separates himself in thought from what is other than these, bears the

mark of one who is free even in life. [438]

 

 

----

----------

 

The Three Kinds of Works

(Verses 439 - 468)

He who through wisdom discerns that there is no division between the

Eternal and the manifested world, bears the mark of one who is free

even in life.

 

Whose mind is even, when honored by the good, or persecuted by the

wicked, bears the mark of one who is free even in life.

 

In whom all sensuous objects, put forth by the supreme, melt together

like the rivers and streams that enter the ocean's treasure house,

making no change at all, since he and they are but the one Being,

this sage self-conquered is set free.

 

For him who has understood the nature of the Eternal, there is no

return to birth and death as of old; if such return there be, then

the nature of the Eternal was not known.

 

If they say he returns to birth and death through the rush of old

imaginings, this is not true; for, from the knowledge of oneness,

imaginings lose all their power.

 

As the most lustful man ceases from desire before his mother; so,

when the Eternal is known, the wise cease from desire, through

fullness of bliss.

 

The scripture says that, even for him who profoundly meditates, there

is a going after outward things of sense, on account of Works already

entered on.

 

As long as there is the taste of pain and pleasure, so long are there

Works already entered on; the fruits come from the acts that went

before; without these acts where would the fruits be?

>From the knowledge that I am the Eternal, the accumulated Works,

heaped up even through hundreds of myriads of ages, melt away like

the work of dream, on awaking.

 

Whatever one does while dreaming, however good or bad it seems, what

effect has it on him, on awaking to send him either to hell or

heaven?

 

On knowing the Self, unattached, enthroned like the dome of heaven,

the man is no longer stained at all by Works to come.

 

As the ether enclosed in the jar is not stained by the smell of the

wine, so the Self encompassed by its vestures, is not stained by any

quality of theirs. [450]

 

Works that have been entered on, before wisdom's sunrise, are not

destroyed by wisdom, until they have reached their fruition; like an

arrow aimed and sent forth at the mark.

 

The arrow discharged by the thought that there was a tiger, does not

stop when it is seen to be a cow, but pierces the mark through its

exceeding swiftness.

 

Verily, Works entered on are the most formidable to the wise, they

disappear only through being experienced. But Works accumulated and

Works to come both melt away in the fire of perfect wisdom.

 

When they have beheld the oneness of the Self and the Eternal, and

stand ever firm in the power of that knowledge, for them those three

kinds of Works exist no longer; for them there is only the Eternal,

free from every change.

 

When the saint rests in the Self, through understanding that the Self

is other than its vestures, that the Self is the pure Eternal; then

the myth of the reality of Works entered on no longer holds him, just

as the myth of union with things of dream no longer holds him who has

awakened.

 

For he who is awake no longer keeps the sense of "I and mine and

that," for his looking-glass body and the world that belongs to it;

but comes to himself merely through waking.

 

Neither a desire for pursuing mythical objects, nor any grasping

after even a world full of them, is seen in him who has awakened. But

if the pursuit of mirages goes on, then it is seen for certain that

the man has not wakened from sleep.

 

Thus dwelling in the supreme Eternal, through the real Self, he

stands and beholds naught else. Like the memory of an object looked

on in dream, so is it, for the wise, with eating or the other acts of

life.

 

The body is built up through Works; the Works entered upon make for

the building up of various forms; but the Self is not built up

through works.

 

"Unborn, eternal, immemorial," says the Scripture, whose words are

not in vain; of him who rests in that Self, what building up of Works

entered on can there be?

 

Works entered upon flourish then, when the Self is identified with

the body; but the identifying of Self with body brings no joy,

therefore let Works entered upon be renounced. [460]

 

Even the building up of a body through Works entered on is a mirage;

whence can come the reality of a mere reflected image? whence can

come the birth of an unreality?

 

Whence can come the death of what has not even been born? Whence can

come the entering on of what does not even exist? -- if there be a

melting away of the effects of unwisdom, root and all, through the

power of wisdom.

 

How does this body stand? In the case of him who takes inert things

to be real, Works entered on are supported by the sight of outward

things -- thus says the scripture; yet it does not teach the reality

of the body and the like, to the wise.

 

One, verily, is the Eternal, without a second. There is no difference

at all. Altogether perfect, without beginning or end, measureless and

without change.

 

The home of Being, the home of Consciousness, the home of Bliss

enduring, changeless; one, verily, without a second, is the Eternal.

There is no difference at all.

 

Full of the pure essence of the unmanifested, endless, at the crown

of all; one, verily, without a second, is the Eternal; there is no

difference at all.

 

That can neither be put away, nor sought after; that can neither be

taken nor approached -- one, verily, without a second, is the

Eternal; there is no difference at all.

 

Without qualities, without parts, subtle, without wavering, without

stain; one, verily, without a second, is the Eternal; there is no

difference at all. [468]

 

 

----

----------

 

Master and Pupil

(Verses 469 - 518)

THE TEACHER SPEAKS:

 

That, whose nature no man can define; where is no pasturage for mind

or word; one, verily, without second, is the Eternal; there is no

difference at all.

 

The fullness of Being, self-perfect, pure, awakened, unlike aught

here; one, verily, without second, is the Eternal; there is no

difference at all!

 

They who have cast away passion, who have cast away sensual delights,

peaceful, well-ruled, the sages, the mighty, knowing reality in the

supreme consummation, have gained the highest joy in union with the

Self.

 

Thou worthy one also, seeking this higher reality of the Self, whose

whole nature is the fullness of bliss, washing away the delusions

thine own mind has built up, be free, gaining thy end, perfectly

awakened.

 

Through Soul-vision, through the Self utterly unshaken, behold the

Self's reality, by the clear eye of awakening; if the word of the

scripture is perfectly perceived without wavering, then doubt arises

no more.

 

On gaining freedom from the bonds bound by unwisdom as to the Self;

in the gaining of that Self whose nature is truth, knowledge, bliss;

the holy books, reason, and the word of the guide are one's

evidences; an evidence too is the realizing of the Self, inwardly

attained.

 

Freedom from bondage and joy, health of thought and happiness, are to

be known by one's self; the knowing of others is but inference.

 

As the teachers, who have reached the further shore, and the

teachings tell, let a man cross over through that enlightenment which

comes through the will of the higher Self.

 

Knowing the Self through one's own realization, as one's own partless

Self, and being perfected, let him stand firm in the unwavering Self.

 

This is the last and final word of the teaching: The Eternal is the

individual life and the whole world; rest in the partless One is

freedom, in the Eternal, the secondless; and this too the scriptures

show.

 

Through the word of the Guide, and the evidence of the teaching,

understanding the highest Being, through union with the Self, he

reached perfect peace, intent on the Self, so that nothing could

disturb him any more, resting altogether in the Self.

 

Then after intending his mind for a while on the supreme Eternal,

rising again from the highest bliss he spoke this word: [480]

 

THE PUPIL SPEAKS:

 

Entangling thought has fallen away, its activity has dissolved,

through mastery of the Self's oneness with the Eternal; I know not

this, nor anything that is not this; for what is it? how great is it?

joy is its further shore.

 

This cannot be spoken by voice, nor thought by mind; I taste the

glory of the ocean of the Supreme Eternal, filled full of the

ambrosial bliss of the Self. My mind, enjoying delight, like a

watercourse, that had dried up, when the multitude of waters come, is

full of happiness, even from the slightest portion of the honey-sweet

bliss of the Self.

 

Whither has this world of sorrow gone? what has taken it away?

whither has it dissolved? Now I see that it no longer is -- a mighty

wonder!

 

What is there for me to reject? what to choose? what else exists?

Where is there difference in the mighty ocean of the Eternal, full of

the nectar of partless bliss?

 

I see not, nor hear, nor know aught of this world; for I bear the

mark of the Self, whose form is being and bliss.

 

Honor, honor to thee, my Guide, mighty-souled; to thee, who art free

from sensuous bondage, who art most excellent, whose own nature is

the essence of bliss of the secondless Everlasting, whose words are

ever a mighty, shoreless ocean of pity.

 

As one who was wearied with the heat, bathing himself and refreshed,

in the enveloping light of the rayed moon, thus I have in a moment

gained the partless excellent bliss, the imperishable word, the Self.

 

Rich am I, I have done what was to be done, freed am I from the grasp

of the sorrowing world. My own being is everlasting bliss, I am

filled full, through the favor of the Self.

 

Unbound am I, formless am I, without distinction am I, no longer able

to be broken; in perfect peace am I, and endless; I am stainless,

immemorial.

 

I am neither the doer nor enjoyer; mine are neither change nor act. I

am in nature pure awakening. I am the lonely One, august for ever.

[490]

 

I am apart from the personal self that sees, hears, speaks, acts, and

enjoys; everlasting, innermost, without act; the limitless, unbound,

perfect Self awakened.

 

I am neither this nor that; I am even he who illumines both, the

supreme, the pure; for me is neither inner nor outer, for I am the

perfect, secondless Eternal.

 

The unequalled, beginningless reality is far from the thought of I

and thou, of this and that; I am the one essence of everlasting

bliss, the real, the secondless Eternal.

 

I am the Creator, I am he who makes an end of hell, he who makes an

end of all things old; I am the Spirit, I am the Lord; I am partless

awakening, the endless witness; for me there is no longer any Lord,

no longer I nor mine.

 

For I, verily, consist in all beings, enveloping them within and

without, through the Self that knows; I myself am at once the enjoyer

and all that is to be enjoyed -- whatever was seen before as

separate -- through identity with it.

 

In me, the ocean of partless Bliss, world-waves rise manifold, and

fall again, through the storm-winds of glamor's magic.

 

In me, the material and other worlds are built up by glamor, through

swift vibrations; just as in Time which has neither part nor

division, are built up the world-periods, the years, the seasons,

months, and days.

 

Nor does the Self, on which the worlds are built, become stained by

them, even through the deluded who are stained by many sins; just as

even a mighty flood of mirage waters wets not the salt desert earth.

 

Like the ether, I spread throughout the world; like the sun, I am

marked by my shining; like the hills, I am everlasting and unmoved; I

am like an ocean without shores.

 

I am not bound by the body, as the clear sky is not bound by clouds;

whence then should the characters of waking, dreaming, dreamlessness,

belong to me? [500]

 

The veil comes, and, verily, departs again; it alone performs works

and enjoys them. It alone wastes away and dies, while I stand like a

mighty mountain, forever unmoved.

 

Neither forth-going nor return belong to me, whose form is ever one,

without division. He who is the one Self, without fissure or

separation, perfect like the ether -- how can he strive or act?

 

How should righteousness or sin belong to me, who possess not the

powers of sense, who am above emotion, above form and change, who

experience ever partless bliss; for the scripture teaches that in the

Self is neither righteousness nor sin.

 

What is touched by his shadow, whether heat or cold, or foul or fair,

touches not at all the man, who is other than his shadow.

 

The natures of things beheld touch not the beholder, who is apart

from them, sitting above unchanged, as the character of the house

affects not the lamp.

 

Like the sun which witnesses the act, like the tongued flame that

leads the conflagration, like the rope that holds what is raised;

thus am I, standing on the summit, the conscious Self.

 

I am neither the actor, nor the causer of acts; I am neither he who

enjoys, nor he who brings enjoyment; I am neither the seer, nor he

who gives sight; I am the unequalled Self, self-luminous.

 

When the disguise moves, just as the foolish-minded attribute to the

sun the dancing of its reflection on the water, so one thinks: I am

the doer, the enjoyer; I, also, am slain.

 

Let this inert body move on the waters or on dry land; I am not

thereby stained by their natures, as the ether is not stained by the

nature of a jar.

 

Acting, enjoying, baseness or madness, inertness or bondage or

unloosing are the changes of the mind, and belong not really to the

Self, the supreme Eternal, the pure, the secondless. [510]

 

Let Nature suffer changes ten times, a hundred, a thousand times;

what have I to do with these commotions? For the lowering clouds

touch not the sky.

>From the unmanifest, down to grossest things, all this world

encountered is a mere reflection only. Like the ether, subtle,

without beginning or end, is the secondless Eternal; and what that

is, I am.

 

All-embracing, illumining all things; under all forms all-present,

yet outside all; everlasting, pure, unmoved, unchanging, is the

secondless Eternal; and what that is, I am.

 

Where the differences made by glamor have sunk to final setting, of

hidden nature, perceived in secret, the Real, Wisdom, Bliss, and

formed of bliss, is the secondless Eternal; and what that is, I am.

 

Without act am I, without change, without division, without form;

without wavering am I, everlasting am I, resting on naught else, and

secondless.

 

I am altogether the Self, I am the All; I transcend all; there is

none but me. I am pure, partless awakening; I too am unbroken bliss.

 

This sovereignty, self-rule, and mighty power, through the goodness

of thy pity, power, and might, has been gained by me, my guide, great-

souled; honor, honor to thee, and yet again honor.

 

In that great dream that glamor makes, in that forest of birth and

age and death, I wander wearying; daily stricken by the heat, and

haunted by the tiger of selfishness; thou hast saved me, my guide, by

waking me out of sleep. [518]

 

 

----

----------

 

The Perfect Sage

(Verses 519 - 548)

THE PUPIL SPEAKS:

 

Honor to that one Being, wherever it is; honor to the Light which

shines through the form of all that is; and to thee king of teachers!

 

Beholding him thus paying honor -- a pupil full of worth, full of the

joy of soul-vision, awakened to reality -- that king of instructors,

rejoicing in his heart, that mighty souled one, addressed to him this

final word:

 

THE TEACHER SPEAKS:

 

This world is the offspring of the Eternal's thought; thus, verily,

the Eternal is the Real in all things. Behold it thus by the vision

of the higher Self, with mind full of peace, in every mode of being.

A certain Being, apart from form, is seen everywhere, of those who

have eyes to see. Therefore knowers of the Eternal understand that

whatever is other than this, is but the sport and workmanship of

intellect.

 

Who, being wise, and tasting that essence of supreme bliss, would

delight any more in things of emptiness? Who desires to look on a

painted moon, when the moon, the giver of delight, is shining?

 

For through enjoyment of unreal things, there is no contentment at

all, nor any getting rid of pain. Therefore contented by enjoying the

essence of secondless bliss, stand thou rejoicing, resting on the

Self that is true Being.

 

Therefore beholding thyself everywhere, and considering thyself as

secondless, let the time go by for thee, mighty minded one, rejoicing

in the bliss that is thine own.

 

And wavering doubt in the Self of partless awakening which wavers

not, is but of fancy's building; therefore through the Self which is

formed of secondless bliss, entering into lasting peace, adore in

silence.

 

In the silence is the highest peace, because wavering is the

intellect's unreal work; there the knowers of the Eternal, mighty-

souled, enjoy unbroken happiness of partless bliss, recognizing the

Self as the Eternal.

 

There is no higher cause of joy than silence where no mind-pictures

dwell; it belongs to him who has understood the Self's own being; who

is full of the essence of the bliss of the Self.

 

Whether walking or standing, sitting or lying down, or wherever he

may be, let the sage dwell according to his will, the wise man

finding joy ever within himself.

 

No distinctions of place or time, position or space are to be

regarded as bringing release from bondage, for the mighty-souled, who

has perfectly attained to reality. Of what avail are the rites of

religion for one who has attained to wisdom?

 

What religious rite will help one to know a jar, without having

perceived it? But where there is direct perception, the object is

perfectly understood. [530]

 

So when there is direct perception, the Self shines forth clearly,

without regard to place or time or rites of purification.

 

The direct knowledge, that "I am Devadatta," depends on nothing else;

and it is precisely thus with the knowledge that "I am the Eternal,"

in the case of the knower of the Eternal.

 

How could the not Self, the mere chaff of unreality, be the illuminer

of that through the radiance of which the whole world shines, as

through the sun?

 

How can the scriptures or laws or traditions, or even all beings,

illumine that by which alone they gain their worth?

 

This Self, self-illumined, is of unending power, immeasurable, the

direct knowledge of all; knowing this, the knower of the Eternal,

freed from bondage, most excellent, gains the victory.

 

Things of sense neither distress nor elate him beyond measure, nor is

he attached to, or repelled by them; in the Self he ever joys, the

Self is his rejoicing; altogether contented by the essence of

uninterrupted bliss.

 

As a child, who is free from hunger and bodily pain, finds delight in

play, so the wise man rejoices, free from the sorrow of "I"

and "mine."

 

His food is what is freely offered, eaten without anxiety or sense of

poverty; his drink is the pure water of the streams; he moves where

fancy leads him, unconstrained; he sleeps by the river-bank, or in

the wood; for his vesture is one that grows not old or worn; his home

is space; his couch, the world; he moves in paths where the beaten

road is ended; the wise man, delighting in the supreme Eternal.

 

Dwelling in this body as a mere temporary halting-place, he meets the

things of sense just as they come, like a child subject to another's

will; thus lives the knower of the Self, who shows no outward sign,

nor is attached to external things.

 

Whether clothed in space alone, or wearing other vestures, or clothed

in skins, or in a vesture of thought; like one in trance, or like a

child, or like a shade, he walks the earth. [540]

 

Withdrawing desire from the things of desire, ever contented in the

Self, the sage stands firm through the Self alone.

 

Now as a fool, now a wise man; now as a great and wealthy king; now a

wanderer, now a sage; now dwelling like a serpent, solitary; now full

of honor; now rejected and unknown; thus the sage walks, ever

rejoicing in perfect bliss.

 

Though without wealth, contented ever; ever rejoicing, though without

sensuous enjoyments; though not like others, yet ever seeming as the

rest.

 

Ever active, though acting not at all; though tasting no experience,

yet experiencing all; bodiless, though possessing a body; though

limited, yet penetrating all.

 

This knower of the Eternal, ever bodiless, things pleasant or painful

touch not at all, nor things fair or foul.

 

For pleasure and pain, things fair and foul, are for him who is bound

by the vestures, who believes them real; but for him whose bonds are

broken, for the sage whose Self is real Being, what fruit is fair, or

what is foul?

 

Just as in an eclipse of the sun, people say, "the sun is darkened,"

though the sun indeed is not darkened, and they speak ignorantly,

knowing not the truth of things.

 

Thus verily they behold the most excellent knower of Brahma as though

bound to a body, while he is in truth freed for ever from the body,

and they are deluded by the mere seeming of the body. [548]

 

 

----

----------

 

For Ever Free

(Verses 549 - 561)

THE SERPENT'S SLOUGH

 

But the body he has left, like the cast-off slough of a snake,

remains there, moved hither and thither by every wind of life.

 

As a tree is carried down by a stream, and stranded on every shallow;

so is his body carried along to one sensation after another.

 

Through the mind-pictures built up by works already entered on, the

body of him who has reached freedom wanders among sensations, like an

animal; but the adept himself dwells in silence, looking on, like the

center of a wheel, having neither doubts nor desires.

 

He no longer engages his powers in things of sense, nor needs to

disengage them; for he stands in the character of observer only. He

no longer looks at all to the personal reward of his acts; for his

heart is full of exultation, drunk with the abounding essence of

bliss.

 

Leaving the path of things known or unknown, he stands in the Self

alone; like a god in presence is this most excellent knower of the

Eternal.

 

Though still in life, yet ever free; his last aim reached; the most

excellent knower of the Eternal, when his disguise falls off,

becoming the Eternal, enters into the secondless Eternal.

 

Like a mimic, who has worn the disguises of well-being and ill, the

most excellent knower of the Eternal was Brahma all the time, and no

other.

 

The body of the sage who has become the Eternal is consumed away,

even before it has fallen to the ground -- like a fresh leaf

withered -- by the fire of consciousness.

 

The sage who stands in the Eternal, the Self of being, ever full, of

the secondless bliss of the Self, has none of the hopes fitted to

time and space that make for the formation of a body of skin, and

flesh, subject to dissolution.

 

Putting off the body is not Freedom, any more than putting away one's

staff and water-pot; but getting free from the knots of unwisdom in

the heart -- that is Freedom, in very deed.

 

Whether its leaf fall in a running river, or on holy ground, prepared

for sacred rites, what odds does it make to the tree for good or ill?

 

Like the loss of a leaf, or a flower, or a fruit, is the loss of the

body, or powers, or vital breath, or mind; but the Self itself, ever

one's own, formed of bliss, is like the tree and stands.

 

The divine saying declares the Self to be the assemblage of all

consciousness; the real is the actor, and they speak only of the

destruction of the disguise -- unwisdom.

 

THE SELF ENDURES

 

(Verses 562 - 574)

Indestructible, verily, is the Self -- thus says the scripture of the

Self, declaring that it is not destroyed when all its changing

vestures are destroyed.

 

Stones, and trees, grass, and corn, and straw are consumed by fire,

but the earth itself remains the same. So the body, powers, life,

breath and mind and all things visible, are burned up by the fire of

wisdom, leaving the being of the higher Self alone.

 

As the darkness, that is its opposite, is melted away in the radiance

of the sun, so, indeed, all things visible are melted away in the

Eternal.

 

As, when the jar is broken, the space in it becomes clear space, so,

when the disguises melt away, the Eternal stands as the Eternal and

the Self.

 

As milk poured in milk, oil in oil, water in water, becomes perfectly

one, so the sage who knows the Self becomes one with the Self.

 

Thus reaching bodiless purity, mere Being, partless, the being of the

Eternal, the sage returns to this world no more.

 

He whose forms born of unwisdom are burnt up by knowledge of oneness

with the everlasting Self, since he has become the Eternal, how could

he, being the Eternal, come to birth again?

 

Both bonds and the getting rid of them are works of glamor, and exist

not really in the Self; they are like the presence of the imagined

serpent and its vanishing, in the rope which really does not change.

 

Binding and getting rid of bondage have to be spoken of, because of

the existence, and yet the unreality, of enveloping by unwisdom. But

there is no enveloping of the Eternal; it is not enveloped because

nothing besides the Eternal exists to envelop it.

 

The binding and the getting rid of bondage are both mirages; the

deluded attribute the work of thought to the thing itself; just as

they attribute the cloud-born cutting off of vision to the sun; for

the unchanging is secondless consciousness, free from every clinging

stain.

 

The belief that bondage of the Real, is, and the belief that it has

ceased, are both mere things of thought; not of the everlasting Real.

 

Therefore these two, glamor-built, bondage and the getting rid of

bonds, exist not in the Real; the partless, changeless, peaceful; the

unassailable, stainless; for what building-up could there be in the

secondless, supreme reality, any more than in clear space?

 

There is no limiting, nor letting go, no binding nor gaining of

success; there is neither the seeker of Freedom, nor the free; this,

verily, is the ultimate truth.

 

BENEDICTION

 

(Verses 575 - 580)

This secret of secrets supreme, the perfect attainment, the

perfection of the Self, has been shown to thee by me today; making

thee as my new-born child, freed from the sin of the iron age, all

thought of desire gone, making towards Freedom.

 

Thus hearing the teacher's words and paying him due reverence, he

went forth, free from his bondage, with the Master's consent.

 

And he, the Teacher, his mind bathed in the happy streams of Being,

went forth to make the whole world clean, incessantly.

 

Thus, by this Discourse of Teacher and Pupil, the character of the

Self is taught to those seeking Freedom, that they may be born to the

joy of awakening.

 

Therefore let all those who put away and cast aside every sin of

thought, who are sated with this world's joys, whose thoughts are

full of peace, who delight in words of wisdom, who rule themselves,

who long to be free, draw near to this teaching, which is dedicated

to them.

 

To those who, on the road of birth and death, are sore stricken by

the heat that the rays of the sun of pain pour down; who wander

through this desert-world, in weariness and longing for water; this

well-spring of wisdom, close at hand, is pointed out, to bring them

joy -- the secondless Eternal. This Teaching of Sankara's bringing

Liberation, wins the victory for them.

 

Thus is ended THE CREST-JEWEL OF WISDOM, made by the ever-blessed

SANKARA, pupil at the holy feet of GOVINDA his Teacher, the supreme

Swan, the Wanderer of the World.

 

 

pLEASR read the classic Manisha Panchakam at

http://www.hindubooks.org/manishhaa5.pdf

 

 

 

 

Ashirvachan by

Jagadguru H. H. Shri Shankaracharya

H.H. Shri Bharati Tirtha Swamiji of Sringeri(A summary)

 

 

 

Guru is Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshvara --all rolled into one. Darkness

is always frightening. The gloom of ignorance is even more so. As

light dispels darkness, knowledge dispels the darkness of ignorance.

It is the Guru that sheds this light of knowledge. Hence, He is

always adorable. He ever deserves our meed of devotion and faith. Our

life turns meaningful only when it is enriched with knowledge,

knowledge of the eternal and it is Guru and Guru alone who dispenses

this knowledge which can save us.

 

Who is a Guru? Adi Shankara raises this query and proceeds to answer

that He is one who is "adhigata tatvah shishya hitaya uchyatah

satatam". Guru should be one who has realised the Truth, adhigata

attvah. Well, this alone is not enough. There are some who are

reservoirs of knowledge, but wouldn't part with that treasure even to

deserving pupils. These teachers parry away the importunate pupils

with three magic phases: go on reading (uchyatam), time is up (samayo

atitah) and everything will become clear as you go on reading.

(spashtam agre bhavishyati). So, beloved Adi Shankara adds the

adjective: "One who gives utterance to the Truth always for the

benefit of the disciples". Shankara Himself is hailed not only as a

repository (Alayam) of the Vedas, Shastras and Puranas, but also

Karunalayam (the abode of mercy and tender solicitude for the

disciples). So, the preceptor must know the Truth at first hand, be

established in it and, then, moved by compassion for disciples,

proceed to teach what He has realised.

 

An ideal Guru never fights shy of the questions posed by a deserving

disciple. Nay, he welcomes such questions and goes out of the way to

coax the disciple to question Him. Blind acceptance is never his

credo. Says Gita "tat viddhi pranipatena pariprashnena savayaa,

upadekshyanti tatvadarshinah". Surrender to the Guru, offer

salutations to Him, question Him in all manner possible, serve Him --

this is the art of Guruseva. This is the technique of acquiring

knowledge from the Guru.

 

When you are in doubt, turn to the Guru. When you do not know the way

out of a crisis, turn to the Guru. Says the Upanishad

(Taittiriya): "Now, if there should arise any doubt regarding your

acts or any uncertainty in respect of your conducting life, you

should follow the footsteps of those Knowers of Brahman, who are

wise, self-controlled, kind-hearted, devoted to Dharma and

unattached. Do as they do. (yatha to varteran, tatha tatra

vartethah). This is the seminal service rendered by the Guru. He is

an ideal and an exemplar unto others.

 

Questioning is good, but argumentativeness is not. Kutarka, vain

argument, is taboo. Logic in itself is not praiseworthy. Logic in the

service of Truth enjoined by the scriptures is prescribed by the

sages, Adi Shankara teaches us to abstain from perverse logic

(dustarkaat suviramyatam). He tells us to cultivate logic that is in

tune with the teachings of Shruti, the Vedic lore (shrutimatah tarko

anusandheeyatam). Has not the Lord cautioned in Gita: "The inveterate

doubter comes to grief (samsahayatma vinashyati)?

 

Faith in God is inborn. It is natural. It is disbelief that is

unnatural. Here is an anecdote: once an atheist was waxing eloquent

on his favourite theme that there is no God. He left his listeners

spellbound by his thesis that all faith is blind. When it was all

over and it was time to depart, a lone admirer went up to him and

told him how impressed he was by his performance. Pat came the

answer: All this is by the grace of God! (ellavu devara daye, in

Kannada). This shows that devotion and faith in God are part and

parcel of our nature.

 

Adi Shankara was a phenomenon, the like of whom the world has not

seen again. A celebrated couplet says: "In his 8th year, he was

master of the Vedas; in his 12th year, He was master of all the

Shastras; in His 16th year, He composed his famous commentaries and

lo, in his 32nd year, He was gone for ever." In Gita, the Lord says

that He has nothing to gain or lose, nor any duty to perform, but yet

acts ever anon as otherwise the world would perish. Adi Shankara too

was the Lord in human disguise. He had no personal ends to fulfil.

But He threw himself headlong into Dharmaprachar after composing His

commentaries. He toured over the length and breadth of Bharat and

established Maths. In each Math, He set up a Guruparampara to keep

alive the torch of learning and Dharma.

 

Our land is dotted with hundreds of Maths. They are the nurseries of

human spirit. They are all doing good work in spite of heavy odds.

Your own Shri Chitrapur Math is one of such sacred Maths blessed with

illustrious Gurus. Two hundred eighty years ago, Divine Providence

cast upon Sringeri Math to initiate the first Guru, Shri

Parijnanashram Swamiji. History has repeated itself and the beautiful

relationship between your Math and ours has once again blossomed into

the installation of your 11th Guru, Shri Sadyojat Shankarashram

Swami. He is an ideal Sanyasi. He is well versed in Vedanta and the

teachings of Shankara. Please cherish Him by all means in thought,

speech and deed. Let no discordant note voice arise to smother this

sweet symphony of devotion. To go against the Guru is a cardinal sin

for which there is no atonement. The historical relationship between

these two Maths has once again been revalidated and renewed. We are

very happy indeed. May Lord show you the way to reach Him by the

guidance of your 11th Guru. May the interaction between our two Maths

reach a new high during the reign of Swami Sadyojat Shankarashram!

 

Hara Hara Mahadeva !

 

 

Adi Shankara didn't drive Buddhists out of India: Prof Ramachandra Rao

Publication: The Free Press Journal

June 12, 2000

Renowned indologist Prof S K Ramachandra Rao has ridiculed

the 'pernicious theory' advanced by British historians that Adi

Sankaracharya, the first in the lineage of the three Acharyas, drove

Buddhists out of India, reports PTI.

 

Inaugurating a two-day national seminar on 'Contribution of Sanskrit

study to epigraphy and archaeology' here on Saturday, the renowned

scholar said it was historian Vincent Smith who gave rise to the lie

that the 8th Century Acharya drove Buddhism out of India.

 

"If one cared to study the Sanskrit inscriptions of the period,

nowhere any reference to attack on Buddhism was made. Acharya

attacked Vedic orthodoxy. In fact, in south of Kerala the land where

Sankaracharya was born, in an inscription found partly in Tamil and

mostly Sanskrit, a reference was made to a land being donated to

Buddhist shrine", he said.

 

Stressing the need to reconstruct history and make necessary

corrections in the light of epigraphic findings, Prof Rao called upon

the Indian historians not to become mere 'Manasa Putras' of British

colonists.

 

Focussing on the importance of the study of epigraphy, he said

epigraphy was the backbone of archaeology. By means of this, the

reconstruction of 7000-year-old history of India was possible. Except

China, no other country had such a long history of civilisation, he

said.

 

Mysore University Vice-Chancellor Prof S K Hegde presided. Dr A V

Narasimha, former professor of Ancient History and Archaeology,

opened an exhibition on epigraphy.

 

Prof M A Lakshmi Tatachar, director, Academy of Sanskrit Research,

was the chief guest.

 

The national seminar is being organised by the Mysore University and

union ministry of human resource development. Dr K V Ramesh,

director, Oriental Research Institute, said scholars from all over

the country were participating in the seminar, being organised as

part of the Sanskrit year.

 

 

 

Jaya Jaya Shankara