Hindu Article-Adi Sankara's philosophy

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Adi Sankara's philosophy

 

 

CHENNAI NOV. 13. Followers of all religions have a

common goal, which is universal in nature. The

ultimate aim of every individual is to reach the

Supreme Lord. In order to achieve it, the core need

for human beings is to escape the cycle of births and

deaths. Pointing out to a devotee the right direction

as the role of religion in its entirety from time

immemorial,there has been only one desirable way of

leading one's life — that of following the path of

virtue. While in earlier ages it was easier to remain

steadfast in the pursuit of the goal, with the advent

of Kali Yuga the attendant distractions on the human

mind are a major factor to contend with. Helping the

devotee out of this self-created maze becomes the role

of preceptors and saints.

 

Sri Jayendra Saraswathi, Kanchi Sankaracharya, in a

discourse paid glowing tributes to Adi Sankara as a

beacon light to the spiritually floundering flock. At

a time when there was a multiplicity of spurious cults

Adi Sankara's life and philosophy was a turning point

in the spiritual ethos. His commentaries on Vyasa's

works and other scriptures put spiritual knowledge

within the easy reach of the ordinary devotee. The

cornerstone of Adi Sankara's philosophy, Adwaita, is

enshrined in the Upanishads. What are the difficulties

that a devotee faces in his quest for the ultimate? On

the one hand it is the challenge of grasping the

abstruse and the subtle; on the other it is the

ubiquitous struggle in transcending one's ego and

achieving union with God.

 

If one follows the spiritual recommendations, then

God-realisation becomes but a natural extension of

one's life. Both Saivism and Vaishnavism, which have

been in place since the origin of earth, also lay

emphasis on the supremacy of the Lord. Saints like

Ramanuja and the Nayanmars, have played a stellar role

in perfecting the formula for purifying oneself

through devotion in order to qualify for the kingdom

of God. Sankara's philosophy advocates attaining pure

consciousness or ultimate reality in this life itself.

Such a guideline is however not to be mistaken for

"quick fix" method. Rather it is a state of being to

be achieved by resolving inner confusions with

knowledge and conflicts through devotion with the

added aid of absolute control of senses. In the

ultimate analysis, truth is one, philosophy is one;

the difference lies only in the manifold choices and

approaches available to a devotee. Adwaita is of

universal import, broad based on the Divinity of the

Self and does not conflict with other schools of

thought.

 

copy right: The Hindu-daily

 

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