Dear Friends
We have been watching, discussing, debating and enjoying the stories of many heroes portrayed through the various channels, atleast the real hero behind the reel heroes. They have all been great warriors of their time in their own way. And they were quite unsurpassed in wielding their weaponry then. That, many millions were tamed, controlled, won over. And to their support were their large or the small army. The history is abundant of such great heroes across the globe.
We have also heard of Chanakya who with his sheer intelligence achieved greater goals and acquired larger kingdoms into the fold of Bharat Varsh by channelizing and executing his intelligence through Chandragupta Maurya.
Now, I would like to draw your attention to reminisce about a Great Hero who by his sheer intellect won over many greats of the time. Yes, all the victories were gained without wielding a single weapon, but merely by his razor sharp intellect!
If you have guessed it already, yes, I am talking about Sri Adi Shankara. It is his Jayanti (birthday) today and I am tempted to make this post, where we are discussing about the heroes of history. Wish you all a very happy Shankara Jayanti!
A quick look at his life to inspire ourselves:
As we know he was Lord Siva incarnate, in line with Lord Krishna's preaching that whenever there is a decline of dharma and a rise of adharma, God incarnates to reestablish the stated dharma.
Shambormurti carati bhuvane Shankaracharya rupah|
Divine Advent
It was a time, some 1200 years ago, when Hinduism was in its wane, as precedence to rituals were given than the path of salvation. And the rituals such as animal sacrifice etc. were also practiced then, and because of these there were offshoot of other schools of thoughts then such as Buddhism, Jainism etc. to which also people were turning to as we know from history.
On this holy thithi, a 1200 years ago, the child Shankara shining with divine brilliance, was born to a learned, pious couple Sivaguru and Aryamba from the Kalady town in Kerala. Their many years of prayers for a son were acceded to by Lord Shiva who gave them two options to choose from - either a short lived son with supreme wisdom and all virtues or a dull witted one with a long life. And we know they chose the former. Even during conception Aryamba had dreams where she was being carried on the white bull and greeted by celestials. This divine boy had a mark of moon on his head, impression of an eye on his forehead and the sign of trishul on his hands! And his body was crystal complexioned (as that of Lord Siva as we know)!
Looking at the intelligence of the child even when one year old, his upanayana (thread ceremony) was performed at the age of five (minimum age requirement for upanayana). His father had passed away by then. Sri Shankara commenced his Vedic lessons staying at his guru's place and serving him well. The teachers were amazed by this student who was an "eka santa grahi" (one who graps things exactly even when taught just once)! By the age of seven (just 2 years of learning!!), Sri Shankara had mastered everything and was hence sent home from his gurukul (as nothing more to learn!). Coming back home, Sri Shankara then started teaching (at this age of seven!).
Sri Shankara's greatness revealed
Once, during his Brahmachari days at the gurukul, as per tradition he went out to get the daily alms (this tradition is there to cast of the impurities of the mind such as ego, pride etc.) and reached a Brahmin's house and chanted "Bhavati bhikshandehi" (O Venerable lady of the house, give me food). The lady was very poor and was agonized at being unable to offer food to this divine brahmachari. She searched all over her place and finally ended up with one dry stale amla which she offered requesting to accept it. Sri Shankara's heart melted at this and he resolved to end her suffering and thereby invoked Goddess Lakshmi with a beautiful hymn, which came to be known as the famous Kanakadhara Stotra later. Obliging to his prayers, the Goddess showered golden amla-s into the poor lady's house. Soon, Sri Shankara's fame spread quickly and people started treating him with great respect. Once, Sri Shankara found his old mother lying unconscious on the banks of the Poorna river. Pained at his mother's strain to take the daily bath in the river that is far away, he prayed to Goddess Poorna to change course and flow near his house so that his mother is rid of any strain. In response Goddess Ganga Herself assured the same and soon river Poorna was found flowing near his house.
Hearing of Sri Shankara's superhuman powers the king of Kerala sent a messenger expressing his desire to meet him. Gently refusing the royal gifts being a Brahmachari, he sent a message back to the king to ensure that his subjects practiced the duties prescribed in the Vedas. Hearing this, now even more convinced of the divine incarnation, the king himself rushed to have his darshan. A great scholar himself, the king dedicated the three plays that he had authored to Sri Shankara. The king was also granted the prayers for a son. Sri Shankara is still seven years old at this time! (Many years later when Sri Shankara visited Kerala again, the king met him when he sadly mentioned about having lost all his works. At that Sri Shankara told the king "I remember what you read out to me when you met me first. I can dictate them and you can write them"!!!)
Mission revealed:
Once, a group of sages passing by revealed to Aryamba about Sri Shankara's short life span of eight years but acceding to her earnest prayers blessed the boy with another eight years of life. Aryamba wanted her son settled in married life, while his interest was to take up sanyasa. Though he conveyed his interest to his mother, he did not want to upset her much and so left the matter then. Soon, a divine drama followed, where while at bath a crocodile caught hold of Sri Shankara's leg. When he shouted for help, his mother ran to him and was willing to do anything to save her son's life. Sri Shankara then requested his mother to grant him permission for sanyasa as it is the only way to save him from the crocodile (while taking sanyasa, as per sanyasa dharma, the person taking sanyasa chants "abhayam sarvabhuteshu" thrice, granting fearlessness to all beings). Soon, with his mother permission Sri Shankara mentally took up sanyasa and the crocodile left him free. Sri Shankara immediately recounced everything and wearing the ochre robe proceeded to the banks of Narmada and surrendered at his Guru Sri Govindapada's feet, who initiated him into the Mahavakya. (All these were done according to the tradition though Sri Shankara was already a realized soul. As per tradition, one must surrender to the Guru, be recipient of his grace who will then bestow the knowledge conferring liberation upon his sishya. We know Sri Krishna also went to the Sandeepani ashram to learn at the feet of a Guru.)
Razor sharp intellect and mission accomplished:
Sri Shankara set on foot to Badrinath to complete the next major task assigned to him, the writing of commentaries. Sri Shankara finished these commentaries, including the commentaries for the Srimad Bhagavad Gita and taught them to his disciples. All these were accomplished even when he was 16 years old!
One day at Badrinath, Veda Vyasa wanting to listen to the commentary himself, appeared as a Brahmin in front of Sri Shankara and started a debate on the Brahma Sutra-s. The debate continued nonstop for seven days! One of Sri Shankara's disciple, Sanandana, realising that it is Veda Vyasa (incarnation of Lord Vishnu) debating with Lord Shiva (His Guru) and this debate could never end, lay prostrate and requested them to stop it. Sri Shankara smiled and prostrated to Veda Vyasa. Sri Shankara then requested Veda Vyasa to be there for another one muhurtha (48 mts) so that he would have the sowbhagya of casting off his body in front of the holy one. However, Veda Vyasa blessed him with another 16 years as per the wishes of Lord Viswanatha and asked him to propogate the sanatana dharma across the country and defeat scholars of different schools of thoughts that are misaligned from the sacred Vedas, which are verily the words of the God.
A visionary
Bhagavatpada Shankara as he is reverentially referred, established four monasteries on the four directions of India - Puri (East), Sringeri (South), Dwaraka (West) and Badri (North). The objective being to spread the tenets of Sanatana dharma through the length and breadth of the country and guide aspirants in the years to come. Each monsastery has a specific Veda as its presiding Veda. Also, each monastery was established on the bank of a teertha (holy river) and was assigned a Mahavakya and also a sampradaya.
Four great disciples
Padmapada - Sri Sanandana was Sri Shankara's first disciple and would instantly carry out any of his Guru's order. One day, Sri Sanandana was on the other side of the river washing his clothes, when Sri Shankara called out to him. The river was in spate and was difficult to cross. However, the illustrious disciple started walking on the river the moment the call came, completely oblivious of the danger of such an act. The Goddess of the river was so pleased by his devotion that she made a lotus emerge from within the water to gently hold his feet with each step he made. The Guru was extremely happy by this blessing and devotion and people stated calling him Padmapada (Padma meaning lotus). One day a Kaapalika (one from the community that believes in occult and evil practices) seeing that people are following the path of Sri Shankara and wanting him rid off, approached him in the pretense of helping him perform a sacrifice by offering his own head, as offering such a great one's head would be highly meritorious. Without hesitating Bhagavatpada accepted this request and told him to come at a time when his disciples would be away, so that the job could be accomplished easily. Next day, in the same manner, the Kaapalika saw the Acharya alone in meditation and raised his sword to cut his head off. At the same time, Padmapada, an ardent devotee of Lord Narasimha, who was doing penance at a distance had a vision of this. Immediately, with a roar that terrified and shook the entire universe, he landed at the site of the event and tore the Kaapalika and put his intestines as a garland. There was only Lord Narasimha then there who he was in a rage. Sri Shankara immediately prostrated to the Lord and composed a beautiful hymn and calmed him by his prayers. Slowly, Lord Narasimha disappeared and in his place the disciple Padmapada reappeared. Yet another time, Sri Shankara suffered from a disease due to the black magic caused by one Abhinava Gupta. Though he was indifferent to the affliction, his disciples pleaded him to cure himself. Granting their request, he invoked the Ashwini devata-s who said that it cannot cured by medicine as it is due to black magic. Padmapada was furious about the affliction caused on his Guru and he started chanting the Nrsimha mantra. The dreadful disease moved from his Guru and afflicted the person who did the black magic and terminated him. Once, Padmapadacharya went on a pilgrimage. During the rough tour, he lost his works completely. When he submitted this in great sorrow to his Guru, Sri Shankara asked him to rewrite the whole thing as he would dictate them them memory as he had heard it from Padmapada once before. Such was Sri Shankara's memory! Padmapadacharya became the first guru of the Puri (East) monastery established by Bhagavatpada.
Sureshwara - Mandana Mishra, who was mentioned earlier, was given the title Sureshwara when he was given sanyasa by Bhagavatpada. Mandana Mishra resided at Mahishmati (Saharsa in Bihar state). When Sri Shankara went to meet him as had been asked by Kumarila Bhatta, he found the door of the house locked from inside. Mandana Mishra was then washing the holy feet of Veda Vyasa and sage Jaimini then, both of whom had paid a visit to his house acceding to his request. Mandana Mishra, a believer of Karma theory, had no respect for ascetics who cast of their tuft and holy thread and renounced all rituals. Sri Shankara, through his mystic powers entered the house through the walls. Mandana Mishra was furious but upon knowing that his guru had sent him agreed for a debate, the condition being the garland on whose neck fades away first being the looser and should accept the other person's path. Mandana Mishra's wife, Ubhaya Bharati was the judge and she had laid down these rules. The debate went on for five days and Mandana Mishra's garland started fading away. Ubhaya Bharati, called both of them for biksha (indicating that Mandana Mishra has to accept sanyasa now). As seen earlier, Ubhaya Bharati, verily Goddess Saraswati was also later defeated in the debate. Sureshwaracharya was appointed the first Guru of the Sringeri monastery in the South.
Hastamalaka
Once while travelling all over the country, Sri Shankara came to Mookambika, where he saw a pious couple weeping over the corpse of their son. Sri Shankara's heart melted and brought the boy back to life. Soon the news spread over and people realized that Sri Shankara was no ordinary person. When he reached Sribali, a nearby village, a well learned and wealthy man brought his son to him complaining that his son chose to remain quiet, inactive and totally disinterested in everything and pleaded him to bless his son. When Sri Shankara looked at the boy and asked "Who are you? Why do you behave in this fashion?", to the surprise of everyone, the boy started anwering in twelve chaste Sanskrit verses indicating his supreme spiritual status. Sri Shankara understanding the boy to be a great soul, told the father that the boy will be of no use to him and so he would take him with him. He was given sanyasa with the name of Hastamalaka. Later, Sri Hastmalaka became the first Guru of the Dwaraka (West) monastery.
Thotaka
Giri was not a learned or intelligent disciple like the others, but was very devoted to his Guru. He served Sri Shankara with great devotion and followed him like a shadow. He would always do what is beneficial to his Master even without his bidding and never do anything that would be even remotely detrimental to his Master. One day Giri had gone to wash his master's clothes and was delayed in returning. While Sri Shankara, the merficul, was waiting for his return, the other disciples wanted the class started as they viewed that Giri was anyway incompetent to understand the import of the Vedantic texts. Understanding what was running in his disciple's mind the great Teacher smiled and wanted to show the power of selfless service to the Guru. He mentally blessed Giri to become the master of all scriptures right at that moment. The unbelievable happened! Giri who was washing the clothes became instantaneously enlightened, while the other disciples were taken aback. Giri approached the ashram with wet clothes of his master in his hand and his lips reciting wonderful chaste sanskrit verses in praise of his Guru! Since this extempore composition was in the 'thotaka' metre as per Sanskrit grammar, He was given sanyasa with the name Thotakacharya. Thotakacharya became the first Guru of the monastery established by Sri Shankara at Badri (North).
Departure
Sri Shankara knowing that his final phase of life of 32 years was drawing to a close decided to complete his human life. Accompanied by his disciples and devotees, He proceeded to Kedarnath. Seeing that they are unable to bear the cold, he invoked the Gods to bless them and instantly hot springs appeared, which exist at Kedaranath till date. Then the great Acharya blessed his teary eyed disciples and instructing them not to follow him went up further. He was eulogized and received there by the great sages and celestials. He transformed into his own form of Lord Shiva, where his danda became the Trishul, saffron robe became the skin that the Lord wears. Sitting majestically on the the holy Nandi He was escorted respectfully back to Kailasha. Even today devotees visit this spot, where the great Acharya blessed his disciples with His last words, and conduct their prayers.
May His divine blessings be on all of us on this holy day. Happy Shankara Jayanti again!
Sruti smriti puraanaanaam aalayam karunaalayam |
Namami Bhagavatpada Shankaram loka shankaram ||
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
