SRI SANKARA VIJAYA

Mankind will be very ungrateful if it does not remember the  great contribution rendered

to religion and philosophy by the intellectual giant Adi Sankaracharya! He was the founder of the Advaita school of philosophy and commentator of the Upanishads and the Brahma sutras, and the Bhagavad-Gita. Though his lifespan was only sixteen years, he lived for thirty two years, wiped out Buddhism and Jainism from our soil and established the superiority of the Vedas and the Upanishads. He is considered as the incarnation of Lord Siva himself! Born in Kaladi in Kerala to the pious parents Sivaguru and Aryamba Sankara was a precocious child and troubled his teacher by asking questions that he could not answer! Sankara’s life is full of incredible and mIraculous incidents. On an occasion when he went to beg for food, as for the custom of brahmacharis, the lady had nothing except a gooseberry for young Sankara! She was very poor and apologetic! Compassionate Sankara pitied her state and praised Goddess Maha Lakshmi to shower her grace on the poor lady. Soon there was a shower of golden gooseberries in her  small home! ‘Kanaka dhara’ stotra thus became very famous!

Young Sankara changed the course of river Purna so that his mother could fetch water comfortably! When the king wondered at the miracle and offered diamonds and other wealth,, Sankara refused them and accepted the three books he had written! He refused the request of his mother to marry and settle down. But he wanted to take to sanyasa and. wanted his mother’s permission which she promptly refused. Sankara enacted a drama to force her. When he went for bath in the river, a crocodile caught his feet! Sankara cried and his mother wept bitterly! Sankara said if she permits him to  take up sanyasa the crocodile would leave him!  Poor Aryamba had to agree and permit him. The crocodile disappeared as silently as it appeared! Sankara went to the famous Govinda Yogi as a disciple and drank deep all the sastras, scriptures and Puranas and the Vedas. One day, while his Guru was in samadhi, river Narmada  came in floods very dangerously near the ashram. Sankara caught the entire river in his 'Kamandalu’ and saved the ashram! The Guru was astounded at Sankara's power, blessed him and directed him to write the commentary for the Brahma Sutras for which he is eminently qualified! To teach a lesson to his other sishyas on Guru bhakthi, Sankara asked his close disciple Vishnu Sarma to walk on Ganges water! He, meditating on Sankara’s name coolly walked, on the water to the astonishment of all! He was thus called ‘Padmapada’ later on.

Seeing a chandala on his way, during his travel, Sankara asked him to get away from his path! The low caste man wondered if there was any difference between his body and that of Sankara! “If you want the soul to get away, how is it possible?” replied the chandala! Sankara prostrated before him as the chandala vanished and Lord Viswanatha stood before him! Feeling very thirsty during the course of his travel, Sankara drank toddy as there was no water available! One disciple drank toddy as his Guru had set an example! Sankara Knew this. He went to a place on the way where Iron was being melted. He drank a cup of molten Iron as easily as we drink coffee or some drink!! The disciples realized that they should follow the right things the Guru does but not the wrong ones! Sankara meets later the old man reciting” Dukrunkarane”and asks him to repeat the name of Govinda for salvation! The Bhajagovinda stotra is a compendium of all the highest truths of the Vedas, the Upanishads and the scriptures! Sankara travelled to Badarikaranya and wrote his commentaries to the ten- Dasa Upanishads, the Brahma Sutras and the Bhagavad Gita. Sage Vyasa came as an old brahmin and had severe discussion with Sankara and appreciated the wonderful commentaries by Sankara!

Deciding to cut at the root of Bhuddhism and Jainism, Sankara meets later Mandana Misra, a famous disciple of Kumarila Bhatta who too wanted to establishlish the Vedas.The debate between the two went on for long witnessed by the Devas! If Sankara loses he would marry and settle down! If Mandana Mishra loses he would take to sanyasa! Bharathi, wife of Mandana Misra would be the judge. Sankara was about win when Bharathi demanded that she should be defeated for a full victory! She put very inconvenient questions on the intricacies of marital life for which Sankara had no answer! He requested for a month’s time when he would be ready with answers! Sankara asked his disciples to keep guard over his body and transmigrated into the body of a dead king nearby. The dead king woke up but his conduct was entirely different from that of the dead King! The smart minister ordered the soldiers to search for all dead bodies and burn them! Sankara's disciples sent him message! Sankara left the King’s body and entered his own body! But the soldiers had seized the body and ignited it! The limbs of Sankara were partially burnt! Sankara prayed to Lord Lakshmi Nrusimha to extend his helping hand and sings the famous “ Karavalamba Stotra"! Miraculously his limbs were restored to their original shape!

Sankara later came to Srisailam in the south where a few Kapalikas tried to sacrifice him for their Goddess! Lord Narasimha through Padmapada' saved Sankara! He came to Gokarna and another miracle happened there! A boy entrusted to a sage fell into the river and died! Feeling  guilty, the sage transmigrated into the body of the boy! The boy was totally detached to worldly !ife! He remained mute and disinterested! The moment Sankara questioned him, he began speaking the highest philosophy! Sankara named him “Hasthamalaka” as he explained the knowledge of the Brahman easily! Sankara came to Tungabhadra river and established Sri Sarada Peeta. He argued with,Sakthas, Ganapathyas and various other classes of worshippers and defeated them! Meanwhile he performed his mother’s funeral rites!  Thus establishing Advaita, Sankara retired to the Himalayas and meditated on the Brahman on the bank of river Swarna! His Gurubrahma, Gowdapada visited Sankara and appreciated the commentary on his “Mandukyopanishad”! Sankara then went to Kashmir and climbed the great “Sarvgna peeta”

which was vacant for long.Then he went to Badarikaranya, visited Kedarnath and concluded his mission on earth! He went back to Kailash, his original abode leaving aside his physical body!  Jaya Jaya Sankara! Hara Hara Sankara! Jaya Jaya Sankara Hara Hara Sankara Jaya Jaya !