Adi Shankara 2

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SHANKARA ACCEPTS TURIYASHRAMA ……….

 

One day it so chanced that a few astrologers arrived at Shankara's

home. Aryamba and her son Shankara accorded them a proper reception.

After discussing the contents of the scriptures in various ways, the

astrologers expressed a desire to look into the horoscope of

Shankara. On examining the horoscope they said that the time of

Shankara's birth bore the indication of the descent of an incarnation

and they foresaid too that he would become a wandering monk. But an

examination of the astrological position in regard to the longetivity

of his life revealed to them that Shankara would be short lived. They

saw that death might overtake him in his eight or sixteenth or thirty-

second year. On coming to know this, Aryamba was deeply distressed.

But she was told that through penance and austerity the possibility

of death at the eighth year could be averted and an extension of life

by another eight years could be obtained. But death at the sixteenth

year could not, the Brahmins asserted, be escaped except through

divine will. When the Brahmin astrologers took their leave, their

foretelling of coming events had its reaction on Shankara's mind, but

the reaction in his case was of a different kind from that of his

mother's case. He resolved to embrace monasticism. He knew that there

was no possibility of attaining the knowledge of Truth without

resorting to monk hood. And in the absence of knowledge of Truth

there was no possibility achieving liberation from the bondage of

relative existence. Shankara had just then entered on his eighth

year, and that was exactly the time when death might come to him.

Therefore Shankara's only thought now was about how he could manage

to take to monasticism.

 

As day succeeded day, the desire to embrace monasticism became

stronger and stronger in Shankara. He was quite determined on taking

to Sanyasa. One day he found a suitable opportunity to speak to his

mother about it and told her of his intention of becoming a monk.

Hardly did he mention to her his idea when Aryamba started weeping

and wailing. Embracing him and kissing him she said, " Hush child, is

it right for you to speak such a thing. You are such a tender

stripling now. Let me pass out of life first, and then you may turn

out to be a monk. Whom but you I have for a hold. If you turn out a

monk and walk out of home, who is there to look after me, my child?

Who will take me to places of pilgrimage? Who will perform my funeral

rites when I die? No, no, my dear, as long as life pulsated in my

body I shall not let you become a Sanyasin."

 

Shankara remained quiet. Here was a command from the mother not to

embrace Sanyasa. There seemed to be no way out of the situation, and

Shankara prayed with an earnest heart to the Lord beseeching him to

make it possible for him to take Sanyasa. He knew that he had been

born with the mission of preaching the super-knowledge of Advaita and

he knew that for the carrying on of that mission it was imperative

that he took to Sanyasa. He was however confidant that the petty

desires of men and women cannot stand against the divine will.

 

One day, early in the morning, Shankara accompanied by his mother

went for a bath in the Alwai River. Many others were bathing there.

Aryamba finished her bath and came up to the bank. Shankara was still

in the river bathing, when a crocodile caught hold of him. He shouted

out, " Mother, save me, save me! I am seized by a crocodile."

 

Instantly did Aryamba plunge into the river to try to save her son.

Others on the spot also caught hold of Shankara's hands and tried to

pull him up to the bank. But the crocodile continued to pull him down

to deeper waters. Between the pull-up and pull-down, Shankara said, "

Mother I am definitely being taken down by the crocodile. I am in my

last moments. You did not permit me to take Sanyasa. If at least now

you give condescend to grant me permission for Sanyasa, I shall,

contemplating on God, mentally take to the dying hour Sanyasa and

give up life. Even this will give me liberation."

 

Aryamba saw that there was no hope of saving Shankara from death. She

said weeping, " My son, so be it. I grant you the permission to be a

monk." Saying this she fell down in a swoon. Having thus obtained his

mother's permission Shankara with a concentrated mind surrendered

himself at the feet of the Lord and took Sanyasa. All his being was

filled with an indescribable feeling of bliss. All of a sudden, the

crocodile vanished from that place, leaving Shankara free. The

crocodile indeed was Lord Sri Narayana, who had answered Shankara's

prayers. As a result of this taking to Atura Sanyasa the death at the

eighth year to which Shankara was destined was obviated. Shankara and

his mother were brought to the bank. Regaining conscience after a

while, Aryamba hugged Shankara in a warm motherly embrace. She led

Shankara back towards home. Shankara then told his mother, " It is

not for mw to stay at home here after. I am a monk. The scriptures

have prohibited a Sanyasin's residing in his own old house. I shall

therefore stay under a tree."

 

Aryamba felt as if the weight of the sky had descended on her head.

Weeping and sobbing she said, " what is this that you say my boy! You

are but a child, how indeed can you renounce home now? How long am I

going to live? You may indeed leave home after I die."

 

Shankara did not however loosen his resolve. He said, " It was with

your permission, mother, that I took to Sanyasa at the last moment,

with all my heart. I am one born of your womb, and I shall not render

false an utterance of yours. I shall carry out my renouncing home."

 

He consoled the wailing Aryamba with these words, " Who do you think

saved me from becoming a prey to the crocodile? That very God will

look after everything. Whether it be day or night, if in your last

moment you but think of me, I shall wherever I may then be, know of

it, and I shall reach your abode. Before life ebbs out of you I shall

help you have a vision of your chosen deity. That indeed is the

essence of all pilgrimages."

 

The circumstances which attended Shankara's birth now came to

Aryamba's memory and she saw that all these happenings were but

inevitable and in a voice choked with emotion said, " So be it my

son, I bless you by heart and soul that you attain your desired goal."

 

It was now clear that Shankara's earnest prayers had reached the

Lord. By the grace of the Lord, Aryamba's entire being was filled

with an ineffable joy. She would no longer hinder her son's ascending

to the absolute Brahman. Shankara then prostrated at the feet of his

mother, and receiving her blessings on his head walked out to have a

view of the family deity Sri Keshava Bhagavan. And the sun just rose

to view on the eastern horizon.

 

KESHAVA ! NARAYANA ! HARI HARI ………..

 

Aryamba, very like a mad woman followed behind Shankara. Hundreds of

villagers, both men and women, also followed the boy monk. On every

lip was the question, where is Shankara going? With slow and gentle

steps and downcast looks, Shankara arrived at the temple of Keshava.

An ocean of love Supreme was surging within his being then. He leaped

out from Symbol to Reality, from Form to Formless, from worldly

bondages to Universal boundlessness, from microcosm to macrocosm.

 

Shankara knelt down before the image of Keshava. The eternal anguish

that lies hidden in the great silence of creation welled out from

within his heart. Tears of deep love flowed down his cheeks. With

eyes closed, he saluted the deity in a charming hymn of mellifluous

rhythm composed by himself, and adored and worshipped it. After

holding Keshava in an ardent embrace, he came out of the temple, when

the priests drew his attention to the dilapidated condition of the

temple. The Alwai had been changing its course for some years past,

and this had weakened the temple structure, which was about to

collapse. Shankara saw that unless the image was removed to a safer

place, it would soon be lost in the riverbed. So, after getting the

approval of all the people, Shankara, with the image of Keshava

leaning on his chest carried it to a secure place and set it there

and requested the assembled villagers to construct a temple at the

spot.

 

There are other accounts of this incident. One is that when Shankara

went in for sight of the holy image, there was a voice from heaven

and Keshava told him, " please remove me from here to safer and

secure place and fix me up there. This temple will fall down into the

river the very next moment ". And Shankara carried out the divinely

given message, and transferred the image to a safer spot. Yet in

another biography of Sri Acharya, it is said that Sri Krishna himself

gave dream instructions to Shankara for the removal of the image to a

new area.

 

While studying the great commentary (the Mahabhashya) of Patanjali

for his lessons on grammar, Shankara had learnt from his Guru that

the master-yogi Patanjali himself had been staying in a cave by the

river Narmada for a thousand years in deep Samadhi. He was now known

as Govinda Bhagavatpada. He was the chief of the incomparable Sri

Gaudapaadaachaarya. Govindapada was no ordinary saint, but a great

yogi who had realized the ultimate Truth and had his mind firmly

established in the knowledge of Advaita Brahman. On hearing from his

teacher of Govindapada, Shankara had mentally selected him as his

Guru and had been waiting impatiently for the blessed moment when he

could sit at his feet and attain the knowledge of Advaita. That

auspicious time had now come for the realization of Shankara's ardent

desire of discipleship under Govindapada.

 

AT THE FEET OF GOVINDA BHAGAVATPADA …..

 

Step by step did Shankara leave the village behind, and proceeded

north. Aryamba followed behind. So did the villagers too. As the

margin of the village was reached Aryamba said, " My child! Here at

the outskirts of the village you may put a cottage and carry on with

your austerities. Do not go away leaving me unsupported." This was

her last effort to restrain him from going away. But he made all of

them see things aright and again made his obeisance to his mother and

silently marched out northward in the direction of Narmada.

 

Shankara was his mother's only son, and yet he left his widowed

mother in a helpless state and went away! Was he not cruel-hearted?

Is this after all, the ideal of Sanyasa? No ! Shankara offered, in

the form of Arghya or oblation, his devotion to his mother at the

altar of a larger good. For fulfilling the divinely ordained purpose

did he leave unfulfilled his duty to his mother, and walk out of his

home. But he was ever deeply attached to his mother. At every level

of his being his mother was to him a veritable Yashoda and he was the

little Krishna, the darling of her affection.

 

Where lay the Narmada? Who will give him the direction of the way to

it? Shankara had only heard that Narmada lay somewhere in the north,

but did not exactly know the path leading to it. But trusting the

goodness of chance, he trod on and on. An eight year old boy full of

dispassion towards worldly pleasures and having cast off mother's

affectionate shelter now went about in the eternal quest of the human

soul, the search for the ultimate truth.

 

Those who saw this shaven-headed boy clad in a Sanyasi's orche-

coloured robe with staff and water bowl called kamandala in hand,

could not take their eyes off from him but gazed on in speechless

wonder. Loving mothers, who saw him, shed silent tears thinking of

his mother who had borne this beam of brilliance, and a strange but

tangible sensation. Sensation of Vatsalya- mother's filial love for

the child welled up in their tender bosoms heart. Shankara himself

was unaffected by anything he heard or saw. Inquisitive glances,

compassionate sighs, eager queries, nothing affected him. He was

indifferent to everything except the Spirit and Reality. Meditating

with a one-pointed mind on the All-pervading Supreme Energy, the soul

behind all creation, he walked on. In the coolness of the mornings he

would cover long distances on foot and at noon do Madhukari-ask for

alms, accepting food, well-cooked or ill, judging not, from wayside

temples or a hamlet hut. After rest for a while under tree shade, he

was again on his feet, spending the nights under trees or in temple

yards. Thus in the quest of the Unknown he passed through many a

village and populated human habitations, towns and cities, crossed

many a field and meadow, wild animal infested forests, hills and

dales, rivers and rivulets and trod along many unknown paths.

 

Shankara thus, absorbed in thought, did make his way north towards

Narmada in order to find his guru who would bestow on him the wisdom

of self-knowledge. Shankara was indeed the model of what an aspirant

should be. Qualities like a peaceful temperament, a rigid restraint

of the naturally outgoing senses, a climate of moderation in all

things, an overflowing abundance of love not rooted in selfishness, a

spiritual wander-lust that would not quiet down till the very Everest

of Self-Knowledge was reached, were what marked him as the most

eligible candidate for spiritual Sadhana. After many days and weeks

of traveling, something told the heroic boy that his quest was

nearing its end. He began to ask everyone he met where he could find

Govindapada. He had by then reached Omkarnath by the river Narmada.

There he learnt that a great Yogi had been living in an ecstatic

trance for hundreds and thousands of years in a cave. Shankara's

heart was filled with indescribable ecstasy. Advancing a short

distance, Shankara met a few old monks who lived in and near the

caves at Omkarnath and he enquired them of Govindapada. They marveled

at him. The gray-haired ones looked on in amazement at the arresting

figure of the boy-monk, whose eyes shone with a strange luster and

revealed a soul within, of immense potentiality and promise. They

soon learnt a few details about him, about his native place and the

object of his quest. Seeing how learned and cultured he was, they

marveled all the more. How far indeed was Kerala. This boy at an age,

when others of his years were still playing with toys and battling

with the alphabet, had come alone and on foot, all the way from home

in search of a Guru! And he had mastered all the scriptures with

their numerous commentaries at such a tender age and what was ever

more wonderful was that not only did he digest and assimilate them,

but also attained the state of knowledge beyond knowableness.

 

An old monk told Shankara, " Child. The holy Yogi Govindapada lives

in that yonder cave. He has been in trance for a long long time. The

march of time touches him not. None here knows how long he has been

in that state. In the hope of having the privilege of listening to

his words, when he emerges out of his Samadhi, we have been waiting

here, and have grown old in waiting. Blessed indeed are you child!

Commendable is your Guru Bhakti. "

 

Shankara listened to these words with bated breath. In joy and

amazement his mind and heart throbbed. And very eagerly he asked the

old monk, " May I get the Darshan of the great sage? Yes, you

certainly may." Answered the good old monk, " But the entrance to the

cave is extremely narrow, and within the cave it as all dark. There

is a lamp here, light it and walk into the cave, and you can see the

great sage."

 

Shankara did not waste a single moment. He lighted the lamp and led

by its dim light, found his way into the cave, and there in a corner

found a tall majestic figure in Padmasan. His body was emaciated, and

matted locks in plenty covered his head. His long drawn eyes closed

in meditation had an invisible charm. His skin was dry but his body

beamed with eternal effulgence. Seeing the eternal hermit sitting in

Samadhi like the great lord Shiva himself, Shankara's heart was

flooded with an inexpressible sublime bliss and driven by a powerful

urge of devotional emotion he fell prostrate before the deathless

master, and with tears welling up from within and flowing down his

tender cheeks, he stood with folded hands and broke into a hymn, "

Lord, you are the greatest among the Yogins. You have come here to

earth to impart the knowledge of Parabrahman to those who seek refuge

in you. You are verily the sage Patanjali, the personification of

Yoga Shastra. You are born of the great serpent king Ananta. Like the

drum of Mahadeva, you sound and resound supreme wisdom. Your glory is

infinite. You have perfection, having imbibed total knowledge from

Sri Gaudapada, the disciple (son according to some scriptures) of

Shukadeva, the son of Vedavyasa. I beseech you to accept me as your

pupil and bestow on me the knowledge of Brahman. Rise O Lord, from

your ecstasy and grant the prayer of this humble seeker by opening to

him the doors of the Final Truth."

 

Then the assembled monks witnessed a wonder. The rigid body of

Govindapada relaxed, a quiver passed through his frame, his suspended

faculties awoke to the exterior. He heaved a deep sigh and opened his

eyes. The silent entranced idol was now living God. Shankara fell

prostrate before the awakened sage. The assembled monks followed suit

and offered salutations to the great sage. The cave reverberated with

joyous peal and supplication. Gradually the mind of the great Yogi

came down to the plane of consciousness of the physical world. The

news, that the arrival of a boy-monk had broken the thousand-year old

Samadhi of Govindapada, soon spread far and wide. It brought

countless souls, men and women, from distant places to Omkarnath for

the audience of the King of the Yogis. This turned that Sylvan

peaceful spot into a holy place of plgrimage pulsating with life.

 

Just one look at Shankara was enough for Govindapada to realize that

this was the boy he had been waiting for. He immediately understood

that it was in order to instruct this boy, the Shiva Incarnate in the

discipline of Advaita Sadhana that he had been waiting in ecstasy for

a millennium. One of Shankara's outstanding contributions he foresaw

was to be the writing of monumental commentaries on Veda Vyasa's

Brahma Sutra, and thereby spreading the true knowledge of Advaita or

non-dualism, the science of realization of the self as the one

without a second.

 

Advaita Vedanta is a very ancient philosophical system. Acharya

Shankara preached its doctrine with a singular fullness and clarity

and convincingness, his exposition of its standpoint displaying rare

analytical power with a unique power of argumentative ability and

refuting capacity. Shankara did not of course newly propound the

doctrine for the first time (like Madhwa or Ramanuja, who actually

found their doctrines on the basis of their limited understanding of

scriptures) but had instead imbibed it from a distinguished lineage

of seers. The mighty sage Badarayana Vyasa gave a strong

philosophical foundation to Advaita theory by writing out the

unparalleled Brahma Sutras. Later he taught this secret science to

his son Shuka Muni. Form Shuka Deva, it was passed to Shankara

through Gaudapada and Govindapada.

 

Govindapada, at an auspicious moment, formally accepted Shankara as

his disciple, after having the prescribed rites performed in the

manner enjoined in the Vedas. Without losing any time, Govindapada

started instructed Shankara, the discipline of Yoga. Other Sanyasin's

also accepted his discipleship. The aged monks at the place who had

till then to be content with being in the silent proximity of the

trance-merged Govindapada now sat with Shankara to receive spiritual

instruction. The course of studies started with Hatha Yoga in the

first year. Shankara easily mastered

 

the techniques of Hatha Yoga before the year was out. Raja Yoga, the

science of disciplining the mind-stuff, was then taken up. Shankara

stained mastery in this discipline in the second year. As a result he

became gifted with psychic powers like telepathy, clairvoyance,

movement in space unseen and above all death at will.

 

In the third year, Govindapada initiated his disciple very

confidently into the high discipline of Jnana Yoga, the Realization

of Ultimate Reality through Knowledge. Man's final destiny lies not

in reaching anything distant and new and foreign to his self but in

simply knowing and asserting what he really is. Salvation is not so

much attainment as affirmation. Jnana Yoga is thus the royal road to

perfection since it helps us perceive Truth in its naked unity devoid

of any trappings, coverings or maskings. And only a Sadhaka who is

utterly free from all illusions and delusions, who is remarkably

clear-minded and fearless, who is not stained by any longings, high

or low, and who is qualified to make the last, bold leap into the

Impersonal beyond and like a salt-doll lose all sense of

individuality in the ocean of Infinity, only such a Sadhaka can be a

Jnana Yogi. But if ever there was a qualified aspirant fit to be

initiated into this Royal Science, Govindapada intuitively felt, it

was this boy. Govindapada made Shankara undergo through the duly

regulated scheme of Sravana-Manana-Nidhidhyasana i.e. hearing the

spiritual truths and secrets from the mouth of the preceptor,

investigating and discussing it and constant contemplation on it.

Then he established Shankara firmly in the higher planes of spiritual

striving and truth-experiencing. He found that, as the popular saying

goes, Shankara became oil as soon as a suggestion of mustard was

given, unlike most others in whose case a lot of squeezing of mustard

was needed before a drop of oil could me made to flow out. Soon

Shankara's mind came to dwell all the time in super-sensual regions

of ever new divine thrills which he experienced through meditation on

the One Self. Brahma Jyoti, the brilliance, the Light Infinite was

shining on his face and was pulsating through his limbs. His entire

persona beamed with a radiant charm and a celestial glow. The normal

tendency of the human mind to roam out was now one of indrawnness,

and it was with an effort and a pressure that he could force his

faculties down to the plane of earthly phenomena. In a very short

time he came to attain the Nirvikalpa Samadhi in which all mentation

merges in one unchanging Awareness, all modifications disappear in

one continuing Is-ness. Govindapada found that Shankara's spiritual

practice and education completed and he had reached the came of

spiritual striving, the last rung of the ladder. He needed no more

training and no further instruction. He had become firmly established

in Self-Knowledge. And the Upanishads found a new and fresh

verification of their statement : " When that Supreme Brahman is

realized, the heart's knots get snapped, all doubts are resolved and

one's actions become dissipated." Shankara was now a living

illustration of the great utterance, " The knower of the Supreme

attains the Highest" and of the declaration, " The Knower of the

Supreme verily becomes the Supreme."

 

As a piece of wood placed amidst incandescent embers soon becomes

glowing fire, so had Shankara's contact with Govindapada made the

disciple indistinguishable from master. The one was now as Purna-

perfect as the other. The practice of Hatha Yoga had brought to

Shankara unsought many Siddhis or occult powers. Clairvoyance and

clairaudience, assuming light and subtle forms, bursting into

hugeness, becoming atomic or cosmic, flying through space, entering

and operating other bodies and minds, death at will, all these

Siddhis were now matters of course for him, because all the laws,

gross and subtle, of Nature responded to his volition. But the man of

true illumination never gives a thought to these acquired powers and

if at all he now and then makes any use of them it is only for doing

some good to humanity. The so-called miracles emanate from a sense of

passion on his part.

 

The rains set in and Omkarnath and the Narmada were a panorama of

enchanting loveliness. But the rains were unusually heavy that year

and the waters of Narmada swelled above the danger mark. The banks

were submerged and the whole area was a sea of water. Village folk

with their domestic animals moved to higher areas of safety.

Govindapada was, in one of his frequently occurring trances, in the

cave and was not conscious of the rising of the river. It became very

clear soon that the waters would enter his cave and he would be

drowned. The monks saw that it might not be possible to de-trance him

quickly and the only way out was to lift him away. But to handle a

Sage in Samadhi that was the height of discourtesy and they were in a

fix. Shankara surveyed the situation and acted quickly. He placed his

Kamandala near the entrance to the cave, and in an assuring voice

told the anxious monks, " You do not worry. There is no need to

disturb in any manner our Guru in Samadhi. The rushing flood waters

will quietly enter the jar and be contained in it. They will not

enter the cave any further." The monks smiled at the childish

behavior of Shankara and felt he was indulging in doll-playing, but

great was their surprise to see the madly rushing mighty volume of

waters being received into the jar and being held in its small

capacity. The cave was safe, afloat as it were amidst the surrounding

expanse. Everyone marveled at this expression of Shankara's deep

devotion to his Guru and of his supernormal powers. After a time, the

floods subsided and Govindapada came out of Samadhi. Learning of the

incident of the jar and the flood-waters, he was highly pleased and

placing his holy right palm on Shankara's head in a warm blessing he

said, " My son, you are indeed Loka Sham Kara - the doer of good to

the world. You are indeed cast in the mould of the Supreme Mahadeva.

My Guru Gaudapada had long ago told me that you would come to me. His

Guru Shuka Mahamuni had informed him that just as you have contained

the surging torrents of the Narmada in an earthen jar, you will by

your lucid and irrefutable commentary on the Brahma sutras, succeed

in reconciling all the apparently conflicting creeds and the mutually

exclusive theories, on the high plane of the universally valid and

all-inclusive philosophy of Advaita Vedanta. It is in order to

fulfill this mission that you have come down to earth. I bless you

that you may brilliantly succeed in performing your life's task in a

manner that will shed the true light on all humanity for all ages to

come. May you in your commentaries and works bring out the true

import and the full sense of all the Vedas."

 

In the writings of Madhavacharya, we find that hearing from the mouth

of Govindapada, the Mahavakya-the great sentence, Shankara entered

into Asampragnata Samadhi. On coming down from this Samadhi he found

his Guru absorbed in trance. To bring him down to the plane of

material consciousness, Shankara suppressed the current of Narmada.

 

Govindapada felt that his part in the training of Shankara to

function as an Acharya had been played and that the time for his

departure from the world of relative existence had come. He called

Shankara to him one day and asked him, " My son do you have any

doubts in your mind? Do you feel in you any imperfection, or want or

incompleteness? Or are you at peace with yourself and with the entire

universe, feeling the tough of reality in everything and the

consciousness of Fullness in all? " Shankara in a tone of profound

gratitude and utmost humility, but expressive of deep satisfaction

and undisguised certitude replied to his Guru, " Sire, by your grace

I see that there is nothing for me to be yet learnt, nothing to be

yet acquired. You have filled me through and through. My contentment

is through and perfect. My only wish is to be graciously permitted by

you to remain merged for ever in unbroken Samadhi and experience the

bliss of Nirvana." Govindapada after a moment of silence addressed

Shankara in a calm and collected voice, " My son, you are born with a

divine mandate to re-establish the Vedic religion. There is a cosmic

purpose in your advent. The pursuit and attainment of individual

salvation is not the mission of an exceptional soul like you. Your

task is not to merely swim safely across the turbulent waters of life

and death, which you have done as naturally as a fish swimming in a

river. You have to help others to do the swimming across. You are not

a mere pilgrim, you are a carrier of men. See reflections of Rama,

Krishna and Vyasa in yourself. I have been waiting for a thousand

years at the behest of my Guru to instruct you in the doctrine of

Advaita, otherwise I would long ago have cast off my physical frame.

Now my task is done. The treasure of Jnana I inherited from my Guru I

have passed down to your eminently worthy hands, and you are destined

to accomplish much. It is now high time that I enter final

deliverance in self-realization. I shall drop my body like a sere

leaf and merge with Parabrahman. Proceed now to Varanasi, the

Mokshapuri - the city of salvation. You will have a vision of Lord

Shiva Mahadeva and Parashakti Bhavani. They will instruct you, and

you act according to their guidance. You are not just an individual,

but a whole institution in yourself, not just an isolated star but an

entire Solar System. "

 

Shankara listened and acknowledged the behest with silent consent. On

an auspicious day selected for the purpose, Govindapada smilingly

cast off his aged body in Samadhi. The pious disciples performed the

enjoined last rites on the banks of Narmada in devotion and solemnity

befitting the prince of Yogis.

 

An ordinary Jiva takes several births to reach the final goal of

existence, and he plods along a particular religious path. His effort

is all praiseworthy, no doubt. But Shankara was not of the ordinary.

In three different and exalted Yogas he has attained mastery, an

unusually short period for such a Himalayan achievement. This fact

demonstrates not only the powers of the great Siddha Yogi

Govindapada, but also the receptive powers of Shankara in the

spiritual field. At Omkarnath, at the time when Shankara reached

illumination, there stayed many old Sanyasins, each mature in his own

way, who all became disciples of Govindapada too. But it was Shankara

only who mastered the three Yogas in such a short time. Others could

possibly achieve the same after several hundreds of births. Shankara

had appeared in human form with a reserve of immense spiritual powers

in order to fulfill a mission under a divine dispensation. The

several instances of Shankara's uncommon spiritual powers have been

narrated in this sketch of his life till now. It is no wonder then

that the world's veneration has been pouring at the feet of this boy

prodigy all down the ages. The scriptures in describing the nature of

the Lord say, " One who knows the truths about the projection and the

subsiding of the universe, about the arrival and the course of

departure of beings, and about knowledge and nescience may be styled

Bhagawan - Vishnu Purana 6-5-78 ." It is God, the possessor of the

six divine attributes that incarnates as Ideal Man to lead humanity

on the path of true religion. It is indeed lucky that in the case of

Shankara we have a fairly full record of all his doings from birth.

This record is the account of a continuous opening out of amazingly

extraordinary faculties. It is the fascinating story of a charming

childhood, a precocious boyhood, a full-blooded pupil hood, a sweet

mother-son relationship, a stern renunciation at a tender age, as

astonishingly rapid practice of Yogic discipline, and a total

realization of Reality. It is worthy to note that neither in the case

of Rama nor of Krishna is there any systematically and

chronologically recorded evidence of schooling and discipleship. We

have to be satisfied with brief accounts and suggestive points.

Vasishta, the great sage gave Sri Rama instructions in scripture. But

we find Sri Rama there already as the Ideal Man and knower of

Paramatman-Supreme Self. In Sri Krishna's case, we are told that

after his sacred thread ceremony, he studied the scriptures under

sage Sandipini. Some of the Puranas hold that Sri Krishna underwent

Tapasya-spiritual discipline at Badarikashrama though he was already

the knower of the Brahman established in the self, repository of

knowledge and revealer of the essence of all scriptures. The

Bhagavata says that Sri Krishna stayed at Sandipini's hermitage for

sixty-four days mastering one art each day and becoming proficient in

all the traditional sixty-four arts in record time. The spiritual

depth, the supreme knowledge and the supernormal faculties expressed

in the lives of supermen whom the world adores are certainly not the

product of any instruction, training or practice. They are inborn and

possessed from very birth. So too is the highest realization of God

theirs, not by any penance or striving, it is already theirs when

they are born. The exercises they undergo are for setting an example

to men, for doing good to the world, for resuscitating religion. That

is why we do not find an identical preparatory stage in all the

Avatars, not a uniform course of discipline in all of them. The mode

of life, the stages of development, the ways of equipping themselves,

the manner of working out the life mission, all these differ from

Avatar to Avatar, according to the needs of the times and the demands

of the age.

 

Shankara was just eleven now. We stand amazed at his mastery over

different systems of Yogas and the manifestation of supernatural

powers in him at so tender an age. We shall observe henceforth that

such powers were pre-eminently needed for the fulfillment of the

Divine Mission.

 

 

 

MOKSHAPURI KASHI, THE CITY OF SALVATION ……….

 

After the passing away of Govindapada, Shankara along with a few

other Sanyasins proceeded towards Varanasi even as his Guru had

counseled him. He passed through the Vindhya forests, and visited

Prayaga, the great confluence of rivers and a noted pilgrim center.

>From there he walked on to Kashi, the city of knowledge and

salvation. He stayed in the Manikarnika Ghat in Varanasi in a

secluded and quiet spot. Suffused as his mind was with the

consciousness of Brahman, he found Varanasi peculiarly suited to his

temperament. Bathing in the waters of the holy Ganga and having the

Darshan of Lord Vishwanatha and Mother Annapurana Visalakshi every

day, he was immersed most of the time in meditation, his cultured

mind freed from all worldly fretters, easily finding its habitat in

the contemplation of the ` Satyam Jnanam Anantam Brahma `- the

Absolute that is Truth, Wisdom and Infinity. It was not however

possible for him to stay for long in solitude. He got

easily `discovered'. He was self-luminous and earnest seekers and

scholars flocked to him in increasing numbers. He was too kind-

hearted to turn them away even for the self-absorption that he so

much relished. He gladly began teaching them and telling them of the

Ultimate Truth. Within a very short time, his vast learning, unusual

gifts of exposition, astounding intellectual keenness and charming

personality became the talk of the town. Scholars and monks belonging

to diverse philosophical sects and schools and owing allegiance to

various systems of thought approached Shankara and had their doubts

cleared on the Ultimate Truth. Shankara's life task of re-

establishing the pure Vedic faith in the whole of India thus had its

auspicious beginnings in Varanasi.

 

Shankara re-established in the undivided Bharat, the Sanatana Vaidika

Dharma by freeing the entire country from the baneful influence of

distorted and decayed Buddhism and Jainism. It was because of his

life that the Vedas and Vedic faith were protected and preserved. He

did not build the monastic order only ( the ten monastic orders

Shankara established are Tirtha, Ashrama, Vana, Aranya, Giri,

Parvata, Sagara, Saraswati, Bharati and Puri). He entrusted the great

responsibility of sustaining and protecting the Sanatana Dharma to

the Sanyasins, especially to the Abbots of the Maths he established.

As a result of this within a short time the Vedic religion revived in

the whole of India. He was the architect of the glorious renaissance.

It was because of the vitality infused into the Vedic Dharma that in

later years despite heavy onrush and oppression of the outsiders and

people of differing creeds that India could stand firm and maintain

her distinct cultural identity. Hence even today the Sanatana Vedic

Dharma is not only alive but her influence in full glory has spread

throughout the globe.

 

Even from pre-historic times, Varanasi has been one of the chief

centers of Sanatana Vedic Dharma. It has verily been the abode of the

serene God, Shiva Vishwanatha ever lost in the contemplation of his

own Gory. Countless generations of spiritual aspirants of diverse

schools and renowned scholars of varied interests have realized the

fulfillment of their mission in the holy city of Kashi. At the time

of Shankara's arrival in Varanasi, there lived in it aspirants

belonging to many different sects- Shaiva, Pashupata, Sankhya,

Patanjala, Soura, Shakta, Ganapatya, Jaina and Bauddha orders of

seekers and scholars, all intent on achieving the Supreme God in ways

suited to them. Many of them were drawn to Shankara hearing the news

of his arrival and about his genius and soon Shankara's lodgings

became a place of sacred pilgrimage. Many, to establish the

superiority of their view points, wound enter into debate with

Shankara. He lent them patient hearing and with comfortable ease

disarmed them all by irrefutable reasonings.

 

In the presence of the genius and personality of the boy-Sanyasin,

the parties aspiring for victory were humbled and the opposing

contestants felt blessed realizing the Truth. The earnest inquirers

would get all their doubts resolved and desire new light in their

spiritual lives. The Sadhaka would feel gratified and receive great

inspiration in strengthening his spiritual living. Shankara's stay at

Varanasi led the spiritual thought-current of the place to flow in

full-flood state.

 

 

 

SANANDANA FINDS HIS GURU IN SHANKARA ……..

 

A Brahmin youth named Sanandana of the Chola country in South India

happened to arrive at Varanasi when Shankara was staying there. He

had been for a long time journeying through many places in search of

a realized Guru who would put him on the sure path to Ultimate

Knowledge. It did not take him long to come to hear of the eminence

of Shankara. He heard of Shankara's supernatural power and uncommon

genius and developed a high regard for Shankara and made bold to go

to him one day with a request to him to be his Guru. Shankara was

delighted to meet Sanandana. He surveyed the supplicating youth, saw

his worth, and after putting a few queries in order to know something

of his past, gave him permission to stay with him. An intimacy of few

days was sufficient to convince Sanandana his Guru of the godly life

of Shankara. He made a gift of himself to his Guru. He ardently

believed that if he could get the grace of Shankara, he could attain

the summum bonum of life- the self-realization. So one day he begged

of Shankara to initiate him into Sanyasa. Shankara was in a gracious

mood and on an auspicious day, initiated Sanandana into Sanyasa. Thus

Sanandana became the first Sanyasi disciple fo Shankara.

 

Sanandana was in every way worthy of Shankara. Even as a boy he had

developed a religious turn of mind, felt an intense dispassion for

things of the world and had proceeded to a hill called Ahobala in the

south to realize God-vision. He had heard that Nrisimhadeva, the man-

lion incarnation of Narayana, who is easily pleased with men and

fulfils ardent desires of those who pray for his vision was ever

available to sincere seekers in that place. Living on a fruit-diet in

the forests on the hill, Sanandana had engaged himself in the worship

of Nrisimha. His yearning for God-Vision grew intense day by day. One

day a youthful hunter came to him and asked him, " why is it that you

live alone in this desolate uninhabited forest ? " Sanandana did not

like to give out his real intention, nor did he like to be guilty of

an untruth. So he gave the hunter a clever reply, " I am looking for

a creature with a lion's face and a human body. Can you help me find

it? " The hunter retreated without a word and then returned after a

while with an image of Nrisimha wrapped in green leaves and bound by

tender creepers. Sanandana prostrated before this image and burst

into a prayer. The hunter disappeared from view and the living form

of Nrisimhadeva stood before Sanandana, asking him, " Dear child, ask

for a boon." Sanandana asked for the boon of Abhaya, fearlessness

and " It is also my prayer that you appear before me to help me out

of any difficulty I may find myself in, whenever I remember you and

desire your intervention. Be it so, " said Nrisimha as he

withdrew out of sight.

 

Blessed Sanandana regarded it as a stroke of singular good fortune

that a Guru of Shankara's eminence had condescended to adopt him as

his disciple. He was highly devoted to his Guru. Guruseva was indeed

his penance. Like his very shadow, he constantly stayed by the side

of Shankara. His greatest Sadhana lay in serving his Guru. Endowed

with a superior intelligence and a deep knowledge of the scriptures,

he was able to win the complete confidence of his master whose

favorite he soon became. He was literally to Shankara what Hanuman

was to Sri Rama. On may an occasion he saved the life of Shankara

from coming to an untimely end, never hesitating to put his own life

into danger.

 

Shankara's masterly proficiency in the Vedic scriptures and his study

of and training in Yoga under the expert direction of Govindapada had

helped him to scale the heights of the realization of the ultimate

reality. He was established totally in self-awareness. To him, in his

lofty perch, Brahman alone was Truth, the universe but an illusion,

and the seemingly bound soul, Jiva, was none but the Brahman. The

grand non-dual knowledge of the individual soul and the Total

Brahman, the Supreme soul, is experienced in the deepest state of

super-conscious Samadhi or utter indrawnness. However on the worldly

plane where the normal senses function in our practical day to day

work and behavior, it is possible in a partial way to maintain

undistorted this perception of Brahman in all, only as a result of

prolonged and steady practice. Over and above everything else, the

Grace of God is needed. The attainment of this state of experience is

extremely different and a very rare privilege for ordinary mortals.

It is but natural for great men and Avadhootas like Sri Dattatreya,

Sri Shankara, Sadashiva Brahmendra etc.