Maneesha Panchakam By Adi Shankaracharya

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The king of Kasi welcomed Sankara and offered royal comforts in his palace

for his stay.Sankara said that such a stay is not for ascetics and he

requested him to make a small dwelling on the banks of Ganga for the stay of

his disciples and himself.He also declined any food offering stating that

they would take food only on alms.

 

Sankara used to teach the disciples from Kasi and also to those who came

with him from Naramada country.After early morning bath, he expounded

teachings of Vedas and Upanishads and also the atma vichara. Then he and his

disciples would go for bhiksha.This Satsangh was going on for some time.

Then in the same period, he composed Sri Annapurna Ashtakam and Sri Kasi

Viswanatha Ashtakam. Nityanandakari Varabhayakari Soundarya Ratnakari......

Gangadharanga kamaneeya Jadakalabam......

 

There in Kasi, one miracle also took place upon Sankara. He had his early

morning bath and was returning in one of the bylanes to his residence. He

found an outcaste, a dog eater, smelling of toddy all over his body, in

tattered clothes, without any bath for days, holding a oozing toddy leather

pouch on his shoulders, -- coming on the opposite direction. There was no

space to go for both, without brushing on each other. Some stories say that

even wife of outcaste,came with him.

 

Sankara says: Andhi vesha dharam dhrushtva gacha gacha idhi cha abravit....

O outcaste! Move away! Move away!

 

The outcaste asks Sankara:

 

1. O noble among the brahmins! Whom do you want to move away? Is it one body

which is made up of food to the other body which is also made up of food?

Or, should the Chaitanya in me move away from the Chaitanya that is in you?

 

2. Is there any difference between the Sun that is reflecting on Ganga and

the ditch water that is near my home? Is the Space that is within a gold

vessel, different from the Space that is within a mud pot? Wherefrom do you

get the delusion, in the all-expanding Pure Space which is the waveless

Ocean of Bliss, as between a brahmin and a dog eating out caste?

 

Sankara thought for a second about this mind-blowing question! He meditated

and looked in front and could see Siva and Uma,smiling. Siva was holding the

leash of four dogs! He looked in the form of Kalabairava!

 

Sankara then sang in a cry:

 

3. That eternal Pure Awareness, which is the Witness of wakeful, dreaming

and deep sleep states, which is in all souls from an ant to Brahma, as the

sphurna, as I,I,I.., the One who is having this stable Atmajnana, he is my

Guru regardless of whether he is a brahmin or an outcaste!

 

4.I am Brahman.This entire universe is the expansion of this one

Brahman-consciousness.I am unaware of this only due to my sattvic,rajas and

tamas characteristics which produce this ignorance and I am deluded into

thinking that all un-Brahman are Brahman. All these are delusions. There is

one Pure Awareness which is Brahman and this is all pervading. One who is

having this stable Brahma Jnana, he is my Guru, regardless of whether he is

a brahmin or an outcaste!

 

5. With Guru's Upadesa, my determination that this entire universe is

perishable will be strengthened. With that non vacillating mind,I shall

meditate on Brahman and burn my past and future karmas in that Pure

Awareness. I shall leave this body to the current,Prarabdha Karma and remain

unmoving. This is my conviction.

 

(The Prayatna Mahavakyam, the great saying for practise, is mentioned here:

I am Brahman. Aham Brahmasmi.)

 

6.That Pure Awareness which stay in the Heart of men and animals and devas,

as I,I,I,; in whose effulgence the solid non-shining mind, senses, body,

knowledge, shines;the Awareness which is hidden by ignorance like Sun hidden

by clouds, The yogi meditates upon and remains in peace. He is my Guru. This

is my conviction.

 

(This is the great saying for experience. Anubhava Mahavakyam.Tatvam Asi.

You are That.)

 

7. From this great ocean of bliss, even Indra and Devas get satisfied by

taking a droplet.The peaceful Sages feel completion. The One who has merged

into that ocean of biss, Brahman, will become Brahman. Who ever is such a

realized Sage, his feet are to be worshipped even by Indra. This is my

conviction.

 

This is the famous Maneesha Panchakam. The whole thing is a play for the

sake of the seekers. Even though casteism and untouchability were rampant in

Sankara's days, one cannot think that Sankara had such a feeling of

separateness.

 

Maneesha means, my conviction.

 

Sources:

 

1) http://sanskritdocuments.org/all_pdf/manishhaa5.pdf

2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manisha_Panchakam

 

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