The Hindu Article: The Lord's abounding grace

July 17, 2003

Date:16/07/2003 URL:

Miscellaneous - Religion

The Lord's abounding grace

CHENNAI JULY 16 . Human birth becomes meaningful only when a person takes to the

spiritual path and comes under the guidance of a spiritual teacher (Guru). The

spiritual tradition of Sanatana Dharma has been blessed with many saints and

preceptors who have by precept and practice guided the destiny of generations of

aspirants. Among them Adi Sankara occupies a unique position as he appeared at a

crucial juncture in history when faith in religion was diminishing and Dharma

was under threat. So he had to re-establish them on a firm footing though he is

more popularly known for systematisation of the school of Advaita Vedanta.

The Lord had during his advent in the world in human form as Krishna declared in

the Bhagavad Gita that the main purpose of His incarnations was to establish

Dharma whenever it was on the wane. In this sense saints and preceptors are also

hailed in the spiritual tradition as manifestations of God because their lives

and accomplishments are extraordinary when compared to ordinary human beings.

The hagiographical account of Adi Sankara's life as documented in the Sankara

Vijayam reveres him as an incarnation of Parameswara. Lord Siva manifested in

the world as Dakshinamurti to teach the spiritual truth and it was out of His

abounding grace that He once again took birth in human form as Adi Sankara for

uplifting humanity from bondage, said Sri Goda Venketeswara Sastri in his

discourse.

This text relates that the celestials beseeched Lord Siva to intervene seeing

the predicament of mankind. In any enterprise a person cannot remain complacent

that God would take care of him without making personal effort. So Parameswara

told the celestials that they should also take birth in the world simultaneously

as human beings so that the work could be accomplished collectively. The births

of Sage Sankarshana, who contributed four chapters to the Purva Mimamsa of

Jaimini, and Patanjali to establish the tradition of Yoga, were precursors to

the advent of Sankara.

The main work accomplished by Sankara was the writing of commentaries on the

principal texts of the Vedic tradition, the Brahmasutras, Upanishads and the

Bhagavad Gita, from the Advaita standpoint, based on the teachings of preceptors

before him. His four disciples, Suresvara, Padmapada, Totaka and Hastamalaka

helped him in his chosen ministry by consolidating his work.

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