A new light on Adi Sankara -Hindu Article

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friends,

 

i was readind this article in the hindu on sunday. and

it ia very interesting as it gives new facts which

many may not be aware of. i reproduce this for all to

read.

 

cdr bvn

 

 

 

A new light on Adi Sankara

 

 

OF ALL the works written about Sakthi, Adi Sankara's

Soundaryalahari is considered to be the best.

According to legend Adi Sankara composed

Soundaryalahari in Kailas. Some others say that he

wrote the book when he was in Kashmir. But there is

evidence to infer that Soundaryalahari, the monumental

work on Sakthi was composed by Adi Sankara at

Kanyakumari where Adi Parasakthi dwells.

Adi Sankara started from Rameswaram and reached

Anandasayanam, modern Thiruvananthapuram touching

Thiruchendur, Kanyakumari and Suchindrum. He composed

Subramanya Bhujangam at Tiruchendur, Soundaryalahari

at Kanyakumari and wrote 21 verses about the Trinity

of Hindu pantheon Sthanumalayan at Suchindram.

(Sthanu-Siva, Mal-Vishnu and Ayan-Brahma).

A doubt may arise whether Adi Sankara visited

Kanyakumari and Suchindrum because of the fact that

there is no direct mention of Sankara's visit to these

places in Sankaravijayas which are considered to the

life history of Adi Sankara written by various

scholars. But one cannot deny the fact that some

implied references are found in these biographies

regarding his visit to these two holy places.

Adi Sankara's Soundaryalahari is an outstanding work

on Devi Parasakthi. The first part of 41 verses called

`Aanandalahari' is regarded a `Mantra Sastra'

describing the gross and subtle form of Devi and mode

of worship of the Divine Mother.

The remaining 59 verses contain an exquisite portrayal

of the physical form of Devi from head to foot ending

with a prayer for Her grace. The very first verse of

Soundaryalahari points out that "Sakthi is supreme.

Siva is able to create only when He is united with

Sakthi. Otherwise Mahadeva cannot even move about!"

Adi Sankara adds: "O Lady of the ever-smiling

counternance and the limitless virtues".

The multicoloured sands found on the beach of

Kanyakumari containing Thorium, which generates atomic

energy represents the manifestation of the miraculous

power of the Supreme. It is a symbolic representation

of Sakthi which Adi Sankara describes as the "Matrix

of the universe."

The life-like image of Devi Kanyakumari with a smiling

face is a combination of innocence, purity and beauty.

Here Devi who stands alone continues her eternal

penance and radiates sanctity all around. The lines in

Soundaryalahari which read "O Goddess Jagadambal, you

have given me the faculty of speech. I compose this

poem in your praise and offer it to you" confirm the

view that Adi Sanakra standing at the feet of our

Mother India, composed this outstanding work on Devi.

There is no Siva shrine in the Devi temple.

 

 

The idol of Kanyakumari whom Adi Sankara extolled in

his `Soundaryalahari' ...

Adi Sankara exclaimed, "O Mother your right eye being

the Sun creates day and your left eye being the Moon

creates night". The rising Sun and the setting Sun can

only be seen at Kanyakumari. On the full-moon days the

rising Moon and the setting Sun can be simultaneously

seen only at Kanyakumari and not elsewhere. Chithra

Pournami is a scene of beauty par-excellence.

Having seen such marvellous environment Adi Sankara

compared the right eye of the Devi as Sun and left eye

as Moon. In all probability Adi Sankara might have

visited Kanyakumari on the full-moon day of Chithirai

and the natural beauty of the place, the delightful

locale of the holy spot and the divine beauty of Devi

Parasakthi at Kanyakumari inspired Adi Sankara to

write the monumental work Soundaryalahari.

Is there any evidence to show that Adi Sankara had

visited Kanyakumari? Adi Sankara's visit to

Anandasayanam (modern Thiruvananthapuram) is noted in

the Sankara Vijayas of Anandagiri, Madhava, Chidvilasa

and Raja Chudamani Dikshita. From Anandagiri's Sankara

Vijaya it is learnt that Adi Sankara reached

Anandasayanam from Rameswaram. Hence it can be

surmised that the route of Adi Sankara to

Thiruvananthapuram should should be via Tiruchendur,

Kanyakumari and Suchindrum.

The Chapter 28 of Chidvilasa's Sankara Vijaya refers

to Sankara's visit to Anandasayanam from Madurai

through some sacred places. One of the verses referes

to Sankara's bathing in the Ratnakara sea. Probably

this may suggest his visit to Kanyakumari, the

confluence of three oceans and his holy dip in its

ancient bathing ghat which was glorified in several

literary works like the Mahabaratha in Sanskrit and

Silapadhikaram in Tamil.

The verse 37 in Chapter 29 of Chidvilasa's Sankara

Vijaya refers to the name of Goddess Tamragowri on the

shore of Ratnakara. Some scholars hold the view that

Tamragowri refers to the Goddess at Gokarnam. But in

all probabilities Tamragowri is but the Devi of

Kanyakumari who stands near the river Tamraparani

which flows in the present district of Kanyakumari. In

P.W.D. records the river flowing through Kuzhithurai

is mentioned as Tamraparani. It is interesting to note

here that the old name of Srilanka is Tamaraparani and

the river flowing through the districts of Tirunelveli

and Chidambara-nar also bears the same name. There is

also one version that Tamraparani flowed through India

and Srilanka touching Kanyakumari before the deluge.

>From these facts we can assert that Tamragowri only

denotes the Devi of Kanyakumari.

In all probabilities it can be concluded that Adi

Sankara visited Kanyakumari and wrote Soundaryalahari

on Devi Kanyakumari. As a mark of his visit a shrine

of Adi Sankara was erected between the temple of Devi

and the bathing ghat at the tapering end of our

Motherland. There is an arch nearly 30 feet height in

front of the shrine and on the top of the arch an

image of Dakshinamurty is fixed. The main shrine

contains the marble image of Adi Sankara with his four

disciples.

The holy feet of Sankara are also enshrined separately

in the eastern side of the main shrine. The

Kumbhabishekam of the shrine was performed on May 31,

1964 in connection with Sri Sankara Jayanthi day which

falls on May 14. One can also see a shrine of Adi

Sankara at the top of the hill at Srinagar in Kashmir.

The hill in the name of Sankaracharya can be viewed

around the town. Thus the memorials of Adi Sankara at

Kanyakumari and Srinagar adorn the feet and the crown

of India.

>From Kanyakumari Adi Sankara went to Suchindrum and

praised the presiding deity of the temple,

Sthanumalayan in 21 verses. Verse 4 of the Madhava's

Sankara Vijaya refers to Sankara's worship of

Ramanatha at Rameswaram. Dindima's commentary on the

verse quotes about 352 verses from some of the Sankara

vijayas. The epithets `Bhavani Nikatesthnam' in the

commentary may refer to the people near Kanyakumari.

The 350th verse quoted in the commentary refers to a

temple having the deities Rudra, Vishnu, Brahma,

Ganesa, Kumara and Bhairava at some place, perhaps

this may be a reference to Suchindrum since all these

deities are enshrined in the temple. The presiding

deity of the temple at Suchindrum is Sthanumalayan

which denotes Siva, Vishnu and Brahma respectively.

The other deities Ganesa, Kumara and Bhairava are also

enshrined in this temple.

In the Sthalapurana of Suchindrum mention is made of

the visit of Adi Sankara and his composition of 21

verses of four lines each in praise of Sthanumalayan.

All the verses contain salutations to Brahma, Vishnu

and Siva. A few lines of his verses are chanted daily

in front of the shrine of Konrai every day.

They read thus:

"Namosthu Vageesa (Brahma) Harisvaraya (Vishnu)

Nagendra Chappaya Nadeetharaya (Siva)

Namma Suchindresa ithisthuthaya

Gnanadavi saya Namasivaya"

(The old name of Suchindram is Gnanaranya and the

presiding deity of the temple is Sthanumalayan. Adi

Sankara called Gnanaranya as Gnanadavi. Aranya and

Adavi have the same meaning forest).

In honour of Adi Sankara's visit and worship at the

temple a few images of Sankara have been carved on the

pillars in the temple at Suchindram. The 12 images of

Sankaracharya found on the front face of a tall and

massive cubical column and the images of six deities

of Shanmatha on another column both of which are

facing each other confirm the visit of Adi Sankara to

the temple at Suchindram and the people's knowledge

about the establishment of Shanmatha by him. One can

also see the images of Adi Sankara in the Siva Temples

at Thirusanamkappu, Bhoothapandy and Thirupparappu in

Kanyakumari District.

In Kanyakumari district there is a rare festival that

the pilgrims used to run around the 12 Sivalayas —

Thirumalai, Thikkurichi, Thirupparappu,

Thiruandikkarai, Ponmanai, Pannippagam, Kalkulam,

Melankodu, Thiruvidaikodu, Thiruvithankodu,

Thirupantrukodu and Thirunattalam, uttering the names

of Lord Vishnu `Govinda, Gopala' on Sivarathiri. It is

said that Adi Sankara introduced this parikrama as a

token of Saivite and Vaishnavite integration against

the domination of Jainism in the area during the 9th

Century A.D. The image of Adi Sankara carved on one of

the pillars in the Siva temple at Thiruparappu

confirms this version. The image was brought to light

by the Kanyakumari Historical and Cultural Research

Centre during the time of Mahakumbhabishekam.

In Chapter 4 of Anandagiri's Sankara Vijaya,

recognised by Orientalists as the authentic biography

of Adi Sankara, there is a reference of Adi Sankara's

visit to Rameswaram, the defeat of Sakthas at nearby

place and his trip to Anandasayana worshipping a Siva

Kshetra named Rudrapura.

In this case his route should have been Rameswaram,

Tiruchendur, Kanyakumari and Suchindram. Rudrapura is

only Sivanthiram now known as Suchindram. The word

Rudra denotes Siva. Sivanthiram means the places where

Indra worshipped Siva. The inscriptions and the old

people of the area call Suchindram as Sivanthiram.

According to the Sthalapuranam, Indra was purified at

this place and hence the name.

Copyright: the Hindu-daily

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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