Preface ″Uttaram yat samudrasya Himadreschaiva Dakshinam

Varsham tad Bharatam nama Bharati yatra santatih″



Gayatri devah kila geetakari dhanyastu yey Bharata bhumibhage

Wwargapavargaspado marabhute bhavati bhuyah purushah saratwat



Durlabham Bharate janma paurashasyacha va pashoah

Visargasya cha va jantoah vrikshapastana yorapi



Atrapi Bharatam Shreshttham Jambudveepe nahamne

Yatoti kormabhuresha yatonya bhogabhumayah



Atra janmasahasranam sahasrairapi sattama

Kadaschiuabhate janturmanushyam punyasanchayath



Desah prthvi tasyam simavath samudrantaram udichyaat

Yojanasahasraparimanam tiriyatichatravartikshetram There are several citations as above which not only depict the fact that Bharata which extends from the Himalayas in the north to the legendary Rama Sethu in the south has been a nation from times immemorial, but modern intellectuals deny this fact. They cite the examples of kingdoms of the past being perpetually at war with one another and thus question how such people could constitute a nation. But those who raise this objection do not know the difference between a state and a nation as understood in our tradition. A king has the natural tendency of extending the boundaries of his kingdom. If he is devoid of this quality, the very essence of kingship is lost: ″Asantushto Dwijo nashtah, santushto hi mahipatih″ – A discontented Brahmana and a contented king are sure to be destroyed. It is something unique about Bharata that though there were different types of kingdoms in different places, and the kings were at war with one another, it has remained a nation from Himalayas in the north to the ocean in the south. ″Samrajyam bhojyam swarajyam vairajyam parameshtim rajyam maharajyamadhipatyam prithivyai samudra paryantaya ekahraat – Samrajya, Bhojya etc. are different kinds of states in the country. Nevertheless, it is one Raashtra – Nation.″ is what the Vedas declare. ″Vayam rashtre jagriyama purohitah″ – it is the bounden duty of the purohita to be vigilant and safeguard this unity. Such is the exhortation to the purohitas. If one asks, ″what is the distinguishing mark of this nationhood?″ It is to be found in the values and ideals that the people of this country cherish. It is the firm faith of our people that Moksha is the ultimate goal of this life and that one should lead a life that is compatible with this ultimate ideal. Only because these values and ideals have still survived, that people go on pilgrimage to innumerable holy places located in different parts of the country. Their ardent desire is to bathe in all the rivers of this country, as every river flowing through this land has potency of washing off sin. Kumbhamela holds an irresistible attraction for all. The prevalence of such common beliefs and values can be attributed to the Vedas, the Puranas, Ramayana, Mahabharata and other holy scriptures as well as the great sages who initiated these great traditions in this country. The Shastras give valuable guidance not only to the common man but also to the warring kings. Even war has to be fought in a legitimate way as laid down in the Shastras. Keeping in view the kingly desire for conquest and extension of territories, the Shastras prescribe performance of Ashwamedha and the notion of single sovereignty over the whole country. This spirit of unity and patriotism still survives in our people. When our country attained independence 64 years ago after a continuous struggle of nearly twenty five centuries, an incredible event of 600 kings voluntarily giving up their separate kingdoms to be merged in the new Republic witnessed in this country, is something unheard of in the history of any other country of the world. Further, when the government declared the policy of ″land belongs to the tiller″ landlords voluntarily gave up their land to the government. Such a willing sacrifice can happen in no other part of the world. There would have been a bloodbath if such a policy was attempted in any other country. Thus, it is amply clear that Bharata was and continues to be a nation and will certainly survive as a nation. But those modern intellectuals who desire to know the essence of this Dharma cannot do so unless they free themselves from the vicious influence of western culture. Shastras reveal that even this Dharma established by the sages of yore gradually loses its hold on the society in course of time. Dharma which stands firmly on four legs in the Krita Yuga, with the advent of new yugas gets deprived of these supporting legs one by one, till in the Kali Yuga it is left with only one leg for its support. With the entry of the Kali Yuga, Parikshit who was none other than the scion of the noble Pandavas, being the son of Abhimanyu and grandson of Arjuna, behaves like a depraved youth. Offended on getting no response to his query from Shamika, who was seated in deep meditation, garlands him with a dead snake. If such is the effect of the Kali Yuga even on a person of noble descent, what could be its effect on common people! They begin to lose faith in the Vedas and begin to value more their own little knowledge. Varnashrama Dharma, which forms the bedrock of a healthy social order, gradually loses its hold on the society. Some clever people who depend solely on mere perception and inference, formulate their own individual ideologies. In the early stages, this is done with a semblance of respect to the Vedas. But later, like the Jaina ideologues, they totally abandon the Vedas. Further on, ever opposing the Vedas like Sugatha, some individuals begin to put forth independent ideologies. Those who are opposed to the Vedas try to get primacy for their individual theories by organizing partisan groups. The validity of such ideologies comes to be decided by the number of members of the partisan group. And thus, people begin to adopt deceit and force or violence to increase the membership of their group, and that leads to disruption of the social order. This is what has happened in Bharata during the last 2500 years.

This degradation became rapid with the coming of Buddha who repudiated the Vedas. Though there are clear evidences to maintain that Buddha was opposed to the Vedas, some modern scholars deny this. Buddhism was limited to the kingdom of Magadha up to three centuries after the demise of Buddha. Later on as Buddhism began to expand beyond Magadha and the number of its adherents grew, Buddhist scholars wrote many treatises wherein they expressed divergent views. But every scholar claimed that he was faithfully reproducing the opinions of Buddha. Whatever that be, the one common theme of all these scholars is the repudiation of the Vedic tradition. The opinion of some recent researchers is that Buddha was not opposed to the Vedas, but his followers have misunderstood his ideas. But there are contradictory opinions among the Buddhist scholars regarding this view also. It is futile to enter into these endless disputations. If in course of time it is unanimously accepted that Buddha was not opposed to the Vedas, it will be only a matter of joy and satisfaction for us. That in the name of Buddha several books have been written during the last 2000 years, which have only contributed to the downfall of our country, has been irrefutably proved by History. The kings who were converted to Buddhism gave up war altogether and became impotent. In pursuance of the kings´ edict that people must support Buddhism, overzealous adherents of Buddhism forcibly converted people to Buddhism. Those Buddhists who wanted to destroy the Vedic way of life did not hesitate even to help the foreign invaders to occupy this country. Stretching the idea of Ahimsa to ridiculous extremes, the kings made meat eaters untouchables. Having thus destroyed the nation, they themselves got destroyed by the very enemies of the nation, the Huns and the Muslim invaders whom they had helped. This is the reason why Shankara speaks very bitterly at the end of his denunciation of Buddhism. When the depredations of Buddhists reached an intolerable limit, Pushyamitra, a Brahmana, adopting Apaddharma, became a king and drove out the enemies of the nation and put down the traitorous Buddhists and established his unchallenged supremacy over the whole country. Maharshi Patanjali, the author of Yogasutra, got consecrated the Aswamedha at the hands of Pushyamitra. About thirteen centuries ago, by the time of Shankara the Buddhist religion was limited to a few scholars and some ignorant people. But the wrong traditions initiated by Buddha, in course of time gave rise to diverse individualistic ideologies and cults and even superstitious beliefs. Vedic learning waned and Varnadharma got derailed. It was only with the tireless efforts of Shankara that this Dharma was restored. But the so-called modern intellectuals raise a noisy protest against this. This is nothing new. It started with Buddha. This is how their argument runs: ″ The concept of the division of Varnas as practiced now is erroneous. Any attempt to protect it is not correct. It is wrong to say that people born in the respective castes of Brahmana, Kshatriya, Vaishya or Shudra naturally belong to that particular Varna and it is also wrong to prescribe unique functions and a unique way of life for each Varna on the basis of birth. This is because the supposed characteristics that are the distinguishing marks of different varnas are really not unique to the members of that particular Varna only. The so-called unique qualities – Gunas – of a particular Varna are not exclusive but found in the members of the other Varnas also″. This argument needs to be examined carefully and with a balanced mind. Before critically examining this argument one has to consider what this argument has already conceded and then analyze what remains to be decided. It has conceded that for an orderly social life a division into four groups based on the principle of Varna dharma is necessary. It is also conceded that this arrangement should be based on Gunas. Further what the Shastras prescribe as appropriate Guna for a particular Varna should be the deciding factor inclusion in a Varna – whether Varna should be decided on the basis of the present guna of the individual or on the basis of birth. Their argument is that Varna should be decided by worth and not birth – by an individual´s actions and character – charana and charitra.

How far is this contention correct? It is evident that all the three gunas, Sattva, Rajas and Tamas, are found in every individual. Each individual sometimes acts in a sattvic manner while at other times he may act in rajasic or tamasic manner, which means that the manifestation of a particular guna depends on circumstances and its presence cannot be detected if it is not manifest. Further, the very same guna gets manifested in different persons differently. Tamas may render a person lazy and keep him without activity. But it may send another person to sleep and may induce some other person to get drunk. A person may be angry under the effect of rajas while one may just frown, another person may thrash and another may even kill. When sattva guna is predominant one may embrace a child with love while other may begin to study a holy book and yet another go into deep meditation. Why do such differences exist? It depends on the intensity of the other two gunas. Though all the three gunas are present in everyone, different persons are driven to act differently. It may also drive a person to act differently at different points of time. Therefore, if only one could decide by observing a person the proportion in which these gunas exist in him and in what direction these are changing, then one may perhaps be able to decide his Varna. But is it humanly possible to decide it or measure these changes? Can any doctor examine his pulse and give a certificate for this? Or can it be measured with the help of any instrument? Even if it be possible, will anyone accept such results arrived at by another person? Even if someone can decide it, what can be the criterion of this validity? If one can decide it unilaterally for oneself, it should not lead to conflict in society because the system of Varna is only for peace and harmony in the society. Who can then determine the gunas of individuals? And for what purpose and how? These are the questions that confront us. Who can decide it if not God Himself? That which is not be done any human being is accomplished by God alone. This can be taken as the definition of God. None else can create either the world or the living beings. It is only God who is omniscient and omnipotent who can create them. I am the one who indulges in karma as prompted by my crazy will and who must perforce enjoy its fruits. On the other hand, the Almighty God is free from the performance of any karma or the enjoyment of its fruits, but is the perennial witness to my gunas and the karmas I indulge in under their influence. Thus it is only He, who is immanent in all beings, who can decide the individual´s characteristic guna. If one asks what is the need for deciding the individual´s gunas – it is this: I am caught inextricably in the maze of these gunas and the karmas that they induce me to perform. It must transcend these gunas to attain absolute peace. It is only He who can lift me out of this morass and bless me with Salvation - state which transcends these gunas and leads me to absolute bliss. I have to agree to attain this state of Moksha, I have to perform appropriate karma, prescribed by Him, to become deserving to attain Moksha. The karma that I have to perform should depend on my inherent gunas and should have the ability to regulate them. But I am ignorant of both: what those gunas are and how I can transcend them through karma. It is Almighty God who alone can determine this. How does God determine my gunas? He Himself has declared this. Gunas and karmas have a non-exclusive relationship and are mutually dependent. Each one is affecting the other perpetually. That is why gunas are extremely complicated. God, who is always witness to my gunas and karmas at the time of my death, determines my gunas in the next birth, making me take birth in an appropriate family. When I am born in that family, the appropriate karma is prescribed by Him for me. If I follow that, I can evolve to a higher plane. If I discard it, it leads to my regression. The declaration ″Chaturvarnyam maya srishtam guna karma vibhagashah″ clearly enunciates how gunas originate: They have their source in individual swabhava. It implies that they are the product of the individual´s samskaras acquired in his past lives, and karma is what is prescribed for the present life (janma). It was because Buddha abandoned God that the path which could have led him to this conclusion was not open to him. Thus far regarding Varna Dharma. Now what is Ashrama Dharma? A man with discrimination knows that tireless effort is inevitable all through in life – ″Kurvanneveha karmani jijivisheth shatam samah″. Effort for what purpose? For attainment of Moksha. But there is no worldly life in Moksha, and as man is under the influence of the gunas, there is no liberation for man from worldly life. There is no instant transition to Moksha. An individual has to make his way towards Moksha only through worldly life. In view of this, Shastras have prescribed four-stage advancement towards the goal of Moksha. Those are the four Ashramas. The foremost is the Brahmacharya Ashrama wherein the effort is directed towards adhyayana or study. This adhyayana should at least introduce him to the concept of Moksha. The second is Grihasta Ashrama. In this stage the effort aims at performing karmas that prepare the mind for attaining Moksha. The third is Vanaprastha Ashrama. Though as a householder, one enjoys the worldly pleasures being prompted by gunas, subsequently the person having attained wisdom decides to spend his life in a forest abode and his effort there is directed towards performance of tapasya to attain Moksha. When this effort reaches its fulfillment, a person having reached a state of complete renunciation, will lead his further life always immersed in the thought of Almighty God and this is the final stage of Sanyasa Ashrama. These Ashramas are meant to lead a person by stages through virtuous deeds enabling him to transform his gunas and finally attain Moksha that transcends gunas following Varnashrama Dharma. Therefore, it is wrong for a person to claim ″I am endowed with the guna of some other Varna, and hence, I can perform the karma of that Varna better and I will adopt that karma.″ But that is not correct – Shreyan swadharmo vighnati Paradharmath swanushtitaah. Swadharme nidhanam shreyah, para dharmo bhayavahah – Even if a person cannot perform the karma of his own Varna properly, even the attempt made by a person to perform his prescribed karma brings him credit. Adopting the karma of another Varna can only be harmful. Performing the karma prescribed for one´s Varna alone is the way forward. According to Shastras, accumulation of wealth is permitted only to the Vaishyas. If this injunction is viewed as being partial to Vaishyas and is prompting this argument, it is futile. The reason is: For a means of livelihood under unavoidable circumstances, a person is permitted by the Shastras to follow the vocation of another Varna. If on finding it more suitable, it is continued for five generations, they naturally merge with the adopted varna. The restrictions are only on amushmika karmas i.e. karma related with other worlds. How proper performance of Varna Dharma alone leads to peace and prosperity in a society? Look at the history of our country. Our country has been the victim of repeated invasions during the last 2500 years. If Bharata was not prosperous, why would Persians, Greeks, Yavanas, Huns, Shakas, Arabs, British, French, Portuguese, Dutch and ever so many other marauders invade this country? Which other country has such a history to its credit? Just observe the inner vitality of this nation. Even after 9 to 10 centuries of depredations of the Muslim invaders and two centuries of British imperialistic exploitation, both aimed at destruction of this nation by inhuman cruelty, loot and deceit, this nation is not dead. It has not only survived, but is rising. Which other nation has this glory? Enemies of this nation sprang like mushrooms and got inflated and ultimately perished. Their life span was one or two centuries. But Bharata is alive and is immortal. Some of our intellectuals cannot see what is so crystal clear. Afflicted by blindness, they join hands with the enemies and try to destroy Varnashrama Dharma. But those who are loyal to Dharma need not despair. Though, ever so many Hiranyakshas, Hiranyakashipus, Ravanas and Kamsas as well as Muslims and Britishers attempted to destroy it, all of them perished like a clod of earth striking a rock. Though we may feel distressed with this inability of some of our unwise fellowmen to appreciate the inner vitality of this Dharma, their lack of wisdom can bring no harm to it. It is true that passage of time brings about deterioration in any system and people governed by that system show laxity in observing the codes of that system. This is the law of nature. Thus, whenever deficiencies crop up in a system, attempts should be made to set them right and not destroy what has come down from times immemorial. Remedy for headache does not lie in cutting off the head. The varnas are the limbs of the Samaja Purusha. Varna Dharma is the blood of this society. Even among those who have been converted to Christianity or Islam, it has persisted in one form or other, even after a lapse of centuries. The inhabitants of the Island of Bali even today proudly claim that they are adherents of Varna Dharma. Therefore, it is in the interest of all that the intellectuals and well-wishers of the society try to clean up this system and make it workable. Here is an instance that took place in Japan, where along some power lines, birds built nests and often got electrocuted, causing disruption in the power supply. At first they tried to solve the problem by killing the birds. Still, the birds did not stop building nests along the power lines. Scientists were asked to find a solution for this problem. After studying the problem from all angles, the scientists suggested that facilities should be created along the way parallel to the power lines for the birds to build their nests. The solution was implemented and the problem was solved and the birds were also saved. Similarly, intellectuals of our society should apply their mind and examine the deficiencies that have cropped up in Varna Dharma dispassionately and thoroughly and suggest solutions which can lead to peace and harmony in the society. Some learned people say that Varna system has engendered a notion of superiority and inferiority and that has led to large scale conversions of our people to other religions. But what history says is quite contrary to this. Buddhism which had repudiated Varna Dharma had spread extensively in Sindh, Gandhara and Vanga. After the invasion of Muslims, all Buddhists in those regions got converted to Islam. Those regions have now become Pakistan and Bangladesh. But in Magadha, where the kings had protected and retained the Varna Dharma, such conversions did not take place. The region of Magadha has even now continued in Bharata by the name Bihar. The reason for Hindu religion surviving in Tripura is the preservation of Varna Dharma done by Brahmanas very intelligently. Not only this, even before the time of Shankara, the Chandalas who had been converted to Buddhism, which had no Varna Dharma, became disillusioned with untouchability being practiced in Buddhism, and returned to their original Vedic Dharma. This clearly demonstrates the fact that there was no notion of superiority or inferiority in Vedic religion. But our people getting converted to Islam is only because of the ruthless methods adopted by Muslims and it is also known to all that conversions to Christianity have taken place because of deceit and inducements. In spite of this, it is all well known that even after such conversions, the new entrants in these religions have been treated as inferior members. Therefore, it is baseless to say that discrimination on the basis of superiority and inferiority was being practiced in Vedic religion and that resulted in conversions. Whatever be the reasons for conversions, all those converted should be brought back to their swadharma. Even in the beginning of 9th century, Mahatma Devala of Sindhu Desha had ordained this and the same was continued by Medhathithi. They were contemporaries of Shankara, and there is no wonder if they were inspired by the exhortation of Shankara: ″Chandalostu Sa tu dwijostu gururityesha manisha mama″. Recently many well known saints have continued this work. Under the guidance of Samartha Ramdas, Shivaji and through Hakka and Bukka, Vidyaranya had taken up this task. In modern times, Arya Samaj is doing this work on a large scale. Nowadays Vedic religion is being widely propagated through modern methods of communication like media and improved travel facilities. It is said that 70% of Americans call themselves Hindus as they have come to believe in Hindu Gods and Goddesses, rebirth and yoga. Churches are being closed down in western countries. The revolutions rocking Arab countries indicate that their separatist ideology is also coming to an end. In our own country, followers of these sects seem eager to return their ancient religion. The love of their swadharma which was latent till now is rising. The state of affairs before the time of Shankara and that after him has so far been analyzed and that is enough for our present purpose. Now regarding this book which describes the life history of Shankara in the form of a narrative: In the splendid history of our ancient society, there is very little mention of Sannyasis. Therefore, even in the days of Shankara, some people argued that Sannyasa Dharma was not in conformity with the injunctions of scriptures and that it found its sanctity in later Smritis. That this argument is wrong has been made clear in Shankara´s commentaries. Sannyasis were there always, but they rarely attracted attention of general public, because of the way of life prescribed for them in the Shastras. They have to lead a life of renunciation, begging for their food from somewhere and live in isolation. But whenever there was a decline in Dharma, they came out of their isolation and in pursuance of Apaddharma, performed astonishing deeds. There are accounts of astonishing brave deeds performed by Dandi Sannyasis when Alexander invaded Bharata twelve centuries before the time of Shankara. Even up to this day the Dandi Sannyasis and other associates have followed this tradition. Madhusudana Saraswati, Samartha Ramdas, who gave guidance to Shivaji Maharaj, the sage Vidyaranya who guided Hakka and Bukka, the founders of Vijayanagara Empire, Guru Ganganath who guided Jhansi Lakshmibai are all glorious examples. It was mainly the Bairagis who prepared the ground work for the revolution of 1857. An episode that took place in the life of Madhusudana Saraswati was as follows: Akbar was the king in his days and Birbal was his minister. Rana Pratap had sacrificed not only his entire kingdom but everything that belonged to him just to protect Swadharma. Birbal, who was a relative of Rana Pratap, felt sad that he was the minister of Akbar who was a sworn enemy of Rana Pratap. As an act of expiation for this, he wanted to do something to serve his Dharma. He got an opportunity for it when he heard the news of Muslim fakirs massacring hundreds of Hindu sannyasis. At an opportune moment, when Akbar was extremely friendly with him, Birbal broached this subject. Akbar said that he would not interfere in the fight between fakirs and sannyasis. Birbal at once requested the king to make it a kingly edict. And accordingly a Royal Sansad was issued. Birbal took this to Madhusudana Saraswati, who was in Bengal and asked him to make use of it in appropriate manner. Madhusudana Saraswati took this to a Rana in Rajasthan and begged him for a gift. The king, feeling extremely happy that such a great sannyasi had visited his palace, said, ″What gift you want? If I can, I will certainly give″. Saraswatiji then asked for a platoon of soldiers. The king being shocked at this request by a sannyasi, felt scared of granting this unusual gift. Then Madhusudana Saraswati showed him the Sansad of Abkar. Relieved, the Rana granted his wish. Madhusudana Saraswati ordained the soldiers into the Naga order and exhorted them to consider it their bounden duty to protect the sannyasis against the depredations of Muslim fakirs. These soldiers, in turn, decimated the fakirs and the problem was solved. Some say that the Naga order was initiated by Shankara, but I have found no basis for it. In some versions of Shankara Vijaya, there is a mention of Shankara having got the Buddhists killed, but it is absolutely wrong for the simple reason that by the time of Shankara there were hardly any Buddhists left to be killed. But there were two killings – one in Srishaila and another in Karnataka. But they were not Buddhists but were kapalikas. Even that took place unavoidably at the hands of Shankara´s disciples, in the act of protecting their Guru. The miracles performed by sage Shankara are only two – Stopping the Narmada floods and Prakaya Pravesha. These are not products of some fertile imagination. They were achieved by attaining extraordinary powers. But these are not the reasons for Shankara´s name being permanently enshrined in history. It is because of the depth and breadth of his personality, witnessed in the part played by him in resurrecting Dharma which was rapidly declining. Every biographer of Shankara is aware of the lack of historical sources, while writing his life history. His place of birth, abandoning his worldly life at the age of eight, being initiated into sanyasa by Govinda Bhagawatpada, writing commentaries on Prasthana Traya, covering entire length and breadth of the country on foot thrice and the end of this magnificent journey of life at the age of 32, these are generally accepted by most authorities. But lack of historical basis for many episodes described in several versions of Shankara Vijaya makes them feel dismayed. The main reason for it is the modern concept of history as propounded by westerners. History written under their concept may have detailed description of events. Perhaps history of several centuries can be compiled within the span of this measuring rod; but the benefit of its study is very little. ″The only lesson that man learns from history is that he learns nothing″ is a famous saying in English. Who can compile the history of Bharata, which being the Karmabhoomi, has always witnessed the conflict of Dharma and Adharma! What benefit can it ultimately bring? Evidently, all conflicts are actuated by the eternal clash of self interest of individuals prompted by those inveterate enemies of man grouped as ″Ari-Shad-Varga″ – namely Kama, Krodha, Mada, Moha, Lobha and Matsarya. What interest can there be in a history which is repetitive? Therefore in our tradition, history is narrated in a different manner. Based on the main events and transformed by the imaginative power of the author, being blended with Nava-rasas, literature takes birth as history, which has the aim of noble instruction. There should be no detailed description of events and they will not be found there. But there should be such detailed discussion of Dharma that has to be learnt from it. Ramayana and Mahabharata are itihasas – history – only in this sense. We have to view Shankara´s life history only from this point of view. All versions of Shankara Vijaya are in the style of Puranas and are undoubtedly beautiful. But those who have grown up in the modern atmosphere relish novel-like compositions. A few decades ago, the author of Maha Brahmana and Maha Kshatriya, Shri Devudu Narasimha Shastri, is believed to have composed a work Maha Sannyasi, depicting the life story of Shankara. But it has not been published. Later, Shri Lakshmi Narasimha Shastri of Mysore, has become renowned by his work on Shankara´s life history. The present book, Maha Parivrajaka, also belongs to the same genre – a narrative that reads like a fast-paced novel. During the course of narration, attempt has been made to include Shankara´s philosophy in a simple format wherever possible, but rather tough in other places. This book has adopted the episodes narrated in Shankara Vijaya of Madhava, but the topics connected with certain supposed incidents involving Padmapada, have been left out. The so called humorous repartees in the presence of the Guru himself, comparing the co-student Giri to a pillar or when the preceptor entrusted the work of writing commentary on his Bhashya to Sureshvaracharya, the latter creating factions after conspiring with other disciples and opposing the preceptor and as a consequence the preceptor having been scared to withdraw the entrustment or Sureshwara cursing Padmapada for that, are all fictitious slanders, deprecating each of the Shankara pentagon, born out of fertile and childish imagination of some people. The author, Madhava, also declares at the end: ″Litihyamashritya vadanti chaivam tadeva mulam mam bhashane pi yavatkritam tavadihasya kartuh papam tatah syadvigunam pravaktuh – For telling this story, the basis of which is only hearsay, twice that sin of the sinner accrues to him that indulges in its narration″. I have taken this warning seriously and omitted even the mention of those episodes. A new character not found in other versions is that of Prithvidharacharya. It is not just a fictitious character. Vellalakula Umamaheshwara Shastry has asserted the fact that Prithvidhara had written a commentary on Brahma Sutras and that he abandoned it after meeting Shankara. It is his opinion that Prithvidhara had attained eminence. Further in the Oufrect catalogue maintained in Bodleian Library of Oxford, there is the mention of a work named Dwadasha Mahavakya Vivarana written by Vaikuntha Puri. This work cites Prithvidhara as a disciple of Shankara. The initiation of the Dashanami order of Sannyasis is credited to him. ″Prithvidharacharyah tasyapi shishyah dashah thirtha aashrama varna aranya giri parvatha sagarah: Saraswati bharati cha puri namani vai dashah″. It implies that while Padmapada and other 4 disciples were entrusted with the work of propagating the message of Shankara, Pritvidharacharya, who had the capability of maintaining the discipline of the order, became the organizer. He took upon the responsibility of maintaining its constitution. In another reference in the same catalogue, he is named as Prithvidharacharya of Shringeri. But his name is not in the list of heads of Sringeri Peetha. Probably he had settled in Sringeri in his old age.

Swami Paramananda Bharati

Chapter 1 FROM KAILASHA TO KALADI A remote village in Kerala. The surroundings are beautiful with all encompassing greenery. In the midst of coconut palms, banana plantations and rivulets, some festivity is going on in a house, and relatives and friends having finished their meal, are dozing off in one quarter. In another quarter women squatting on a mat are gossiping. ″Oh, Bhagavati, poor Aryamba has no kids. That is her only source of sorrow″. ″Which Aryamba are you speaking of?″ another lady seated nearby quipped. ″It is Aryamba of Kaladi – the wife of Shivaguru″. ″Oh! No, no. Didn´t you know that after almost 27 years of married life, she gave birth to a male child?″ The lady remarked, exhibiting a mark of surprise. ″Is it so? I had no idea about it,″ said the other, equally surprised. ″Whoever has visited them speaks very highly of the lad. It seems the boy is a gifted child. He is also very good-looking.″ Janakamma who was intently listening to this talk added ″It seems he is very bright. They say that even at two he was asking all sorts questions which even his father could not answer!″ Krishnaveni, another woman in the group, had an interesting news about this prodigy – ″At the age of six he had mastered the four Vedas, they say. It seems he grasps things after hearing only once.″ The gossip continued. ″See, they have performed his Upanayana even at the age of three. They even say that he has mastered the power of Gayatri″. ″That is what I too heard. But poor Shivaguru! It seems he passed away. Do you know this young lad himself runs the Gurukula now!″ ″I can´t just believe it″. ″My husband often goes that side for priestly duties. I will accompany him this time and see this wonderful lad!″ Who was this wonder child? In the village Kaladi of Kerala had settled Vidyadhiraja of Atri Gotra. His son was Shivaguru. At the age of eight he was sent to Gurukula. He completed the study of Krishna Yajurveda along with six additional subjects known as Shadanga1. It was followed by a study of Mimamsa. He returned home at the age of twenty. A village known as Veliyanadu was located at a walking distance of 10-12 hours from Kaladi. There lived a well known scholar by name Magha Panditha. He had a daughter named Aryamba. Her name in her parental home was Sati. As she attained the age of 13, many suitors came seeking her hand. Magha Panditha selected Shivaguru from among the suitors. Both the families were well to do and the wedding was performed in a grand manner. Shivaguru started a gurukula in his house. Nearly ten students became his disciples. The house reverberated with the chanting of Vedas. After studies the youngsters indulged in boyish pranks. The guru and his wife always enjoyed this innocent mischief and never complained about it. Several years passed. A feeling of depression overtook the couple, as even after 26 years of married life they had not been blessed with a child. They decided to perform a religious penance. It was decided that the couple should render service to Vrishabhachaleshwara of Ooshabhadri for a period of two months. The religious austerities were to begin with the onset of Uttarayana on the Pradosha of the bright half of the month of Pushya and to end on the Pradosha of the bright half of the month of Phalguna. As long as they stayed there, they performed pujas and japa and entertained guests with a variety of food. In between on the night of Shivaratri in the month of Magha they observed fast and performed puja keeping awake the whole night. Next day was observed as Paran, a day of partaking meals after observing fast. Naturally next night brought sound sleep. Late in the night, an old man knocked at their door and sought shelter. Even at that late hour, Aryamba prepared food and served the old man. Shivaguru arranged for his sleep. Next day the aged guest, having been fully satisfied with their devoted attention to him, heartily blessed them that their religious austerities would come to fruition and departed. The couple, after finishing the austerities, returned to Kaladi. Having worshipped Vrishabhachaleswara, the outcome could only be positive. The couple were blessed by the Deity and Aryamba became pregnant in. Apastamba has laid down that with the onset of pregnancy, Pumsavana2 must be performed. It is a ritual to ensure the protection of the foetus in the womb and also strengthen the confidence of the child bearing lady. Rangavalli depicting Swadhistana and Ajna3 was drawn and the holy Kalasha was placed on it. Two little lasses prepared a concoction of banyan bud and paddy made into thin paste in milk. Waiting for Aryamba to exhale through the right nostril, this concoction was poured into it. This would ensure the birth of a male child. Later in the month of Margashira, Seemantha was performed. Havan was performed. A paddy seedling, the thorn of a wild boar and dried herbs of scent were placed in front of the kalasha and sanctified with the chanting of mantras. The wife was seated facing north and the husband picked up the sanctified wild boar thorn and slowly moved it on the parting of her hair backwards down her neck and cast it at the back. Later Soma Mantra was chanted in Sri Raga and a venerable lady played it on veena. Now Aryamba was with two souls. In tune with the desires of the growing babe in the womb, this is the time when cravings are experienced by the pregnant mother. But Aryamba was desireless. She had to observe several restrictions to ensure the safety of the growing baby. She was forbidden from fully immersing herself under water while bathing in rivers or sleeping without a pillow, nor could she exercise. Also she was forbidden from climbing stairs or keeping her hair unplaited, though after a bath she could do so for just drying. Once Aryamba, after bathing in the river and worshiping Lord Krishna in the temple, returned home with the sacred offerings. Shivaguru had a full view of his wife and remarked, ″Arya, when I look at your beaming face, I feel that a brilliant kid is growing in your womb.″ Aryamba blushed! On the fifth day of the bright half of the month of Vaishakha, Aryamba developed labour pain. Shivaguru arranged for the Samskara of Jatakarma4 which had to be performed in the labour room itself. ″Let the delivery be easy and pleasant″ with these words Shivaguru led his wife to the labour room, gently massaging her back. He chanted the mantra ″Ma twam vikeshirva Avadhishtha.″ After the delivery, before cutting the umbilical cord, Shivaguru chanted the Vatsapya mantra. To expiate the baby having consumed the secretions in the womb, and for the development of its intellect, the baby was administered a little honey and cow´s ghee. And then the mother fed the baby with the milk of her right breast. Three days after the birth of the baby, Aryamba asked Shivaguru, ″How is the child´s horoscope?″ Shivaguru just replied, ″All is well″ but did not say anything further. Eleventh day was the full-moon day and the naming ceremony had to be performed on that day. The parents and the baby had their ceremonial bath. Discussion turned on the question of choosing the name. Shivaguru prodded his wife to suggest a name and she, in turn, threw the onus on him and at last Shivaguru himself had to decide: ″This child is born to us with the grace of Lord Shiva. We are blessed. Sham karoti iti shankarah. Shankara is one who brings auspiciousness. Why not we name him Shankara?″ Aryamba readily assented saying ″It is a sweet name. That is what I was also thinking.″ Shivaguru performed puja of the family Deity. Rice was spread out on a silver plate and the name Shankara Sharma was written on it with a turmeric piece and was shown to the Brahmanas assembled who touched it. They took the baby on their laps, tied the waist thread and in its right ear they spelt out the words ″Your name Shankara Sharma″ thrice. It was followed by the Swasti Vachana ″Swasti bhavanto bruvantu″. The Brahmanas responded ″Swastyastu″. The Brahmanas were treated to a sumptuous feast and were given enough gifts to gratify them. The baby was put in the cradle. They offered prayers to God to bless the baby with a sound health and long life. Later, after some days, the ceremonial initiation of feeding had to be performed. Venerable ladies placed the sacred pot on the Manipura Chakra drawn in rangoli5 Shivaguru having performed the five sacred offerings, seated himself on the wooden plank with wife and son. He addressed the Brahamana ladies and gentlemen assembled there with the chanting ″Namassadase namassadaspathaye namassakhinam purogananam chakshuse″ and prostrated before the Brahmanas. After completing the rituals the baby was ceremonially fed with the residual Payasa which was left over after offerings. Aryamba followed suit.

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Baby Shankara started toddling quite early when compared to a normal child. People were wonder stuck with such prodigious development of the child. Everyone wanted to pick up the toddler and fondle him. But no one succeeded. Stretching his body, he would wriggle out of their clasp. Girls would get angry with him saying, ″You are a naughty child.″ They would go away knuckling their fingers in a gesture of dissatisfaction and disappointment. By the time he completed his first year, Shankara had learnt to speak his mother tongue fluently. One day father was alone at home with the child. They were engaged in some light banter. After fondling the child for sometime, Shivaguru asked his son, ″Tell me who I am.″ The child, in turn, questioned him, ″With respect to whom?″ The father shot back, ″What do you mean by that?″ The child clarified, ″No, you are husband to mother and father to me. So I asked″. ″Look how he talks, mischievous fellow!″ But mother in turn asked him ″How are you related to me?″ Without batting an eyelid he replied, ″Son.″ Aryamba embraced the little one and breasted him.

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One day the toddler was moving repeatedly from the hall into a room with two doors, alternately choosing one of the doors. Shivaguru, who noticed this, asked the child ″What are you searching for?″ ″I am not searching anything″ was the reply. ″Then why are you moving alternately between the doors?″ ″I noticed that here are two ways for reaching the room and I was trying to know the shorter route,″ pat came the reply. The father, who knew astrology, derived the significance of this reply and felt sad instead of being cheered.

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Visitors who came to see the child brought gifts in the form of toys or a ball or a wheel. The child used to take gifts in his palm and would stare at it for sometime and then would smell it and then would lick it and press it. He would then strike the ground with it repeatedly and at last, throw it away. He would never look at it again. One day the mother who noticed this and asked him ″Child, why did you throw it away?″ Shankara replied, ″I observed its shape, color, taste and its smell. I tested whether it is soft or hard. I tested the sound it made by striking it on the ground. Then there was nothing more to know about it. So, I threw it away.″ This reply, instead of gladdening the mother, made her feel sad.



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Shivaguru decided to perform his son´s Chudakarma even as the child had yet to complete one year of his age. Smriti says that Chudakarma performed at that age increases the lifespan and divine aura of a child. On an auspicious day of the child´s first year the mother and the child had their ritual oil bath. After completing his daily ritual, Shivaguru was seated on the wooden plank. The mother and the child sat facing east. After lighting the ceremonial fire, consecrated articles for performing the ritual were collected. A plantain leaf was placed, on which sugar, fruit, milk and ghee were spread with a mixture of hot and cold water. Then he shaved off the child´s hair except for a tuft at the back of the head. A young Brahmachari picked up the shaved hair and disposed it under a tree. Arati was performed to the child. At last some rice grains were spread out on a plate and arrangements were made for the ceremonial initiation of alphabet-learning. The ritual started with the worship of Lord Ganesha and Goddess Saraswati. The child was made to write on the rice grains in the plate. ″Aum namo Narayanaya, Aum namah Shivaya″ three times, while the child repeated the holy words as he wrote them.

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Once Shivaguru had gone along with the child to a spot outside the village to collect Darbha (long grass) under a huge banyan tree. After finishing the work, both sat under the tree and were relaxing. Shankara asked his father ″For how long have the earth, the sun and the moon been in existence?″ ″For billions of years″ replied the father. ″How did they come to be?″ ″See my son, We are born out of food; food is produced by plants; plants grow in the soil, that is the earth; earth came out of water; water from fire; fire from air; and air from the sky″ ″From what was the sky born?″ ″From Almighty God!″ ″How did Almighty God take birth?″ ″He neither takes birth nor dies; He always exists.″ Where does he reside?″ ″He is everywhere.″ ″Then why can we not see him?″ ″Look here, Akasha is subtler than air and God is subtler than Akasha. When it is impossible to perceive Akasha, how can we see God?″ ″If so, how do we know that He exists?″ ″All that we see around us has evolved from Him. Hence, He must be existing. I will explain to you with an example. Go and pick up a fruit of the banyan tree.″ Shankara picked up one and brought it to his father. ″Break it open,″ asked the father. Shankara broke it into two. ″What do you see inside it?″ ″Seeds″ ″Break one of them.″ He broke it. ″What is there inside?″ ″There is nothing.″ ″If there is nothing, how can the banyan tree come out of it? There must be some power in it which creates that tree, but it is not seen. Similarly, the Almighty God has the power to create all these things which we see around us. But He is invisible.″ ″If He is invisible, what is the use?″ ″He can be seen; but it is difficult, say the learned.″

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On another day, the gardener brought some jackfruit and put the separated pieces in a basket and went away. Mother saw Shankara sitting idly in a corner and she wanted to engage him in some task. She told, ″Shankara, come here. Count the pieces. I will go to the riverside and be back. By that time, you should have counted them.″ Saying so, she went out for work. Just as she returned, she asked, ″How many are there?″ Shankara answered, ″One.″ Puzzled with his answer, she said, ″I didn´t ask you to count the basket! I wanted you to count the pieces of jack fruit.″ Shankara reiterated his answer, ″Yes, it is the fruit I am speaking of.″ Mother was still more puzzled ″Well, it is basketful. How could it be just one?″ ″Mother, I will take them out and you count them, or you take them out and I will count.″ Said Shankara. ″You take them out and I will count,″ said the mother. Shankara picked up a piece in his tiny hand and slowly lifted it and mother counted it as one. He placed it aside and took out another. ″Two″ said the mother. ″No, this is not two. You have already said that it is one.″ ″What I told as one was that. This is two.″ ″Ma, what is the difference between the two?″ She got more perplexed. She wondered what to do next. She herself picked up two pieces and held them together and put them in his palm and asked him to lift them up. She said, ″Two.″ An amused Shankara picked up two more and looked at her with smiling look. She counted, ″Four.″ ″This is not four, Ma. You have yourself earlier said it is two. How can it be four now?″ Mother did not know what to say. She just admonished him, ″You are a naughty fellow.″ She pinched his soft cheek gently and went away. At night when the child was asleep, Aryamba asked her husband, ″You were also witnessing what Shankara said about the pieces of the fruit. Do you know how I could have countered Shankara´s argument?″ ″I too could not understand it. We have to get the clarification from himself, when he grows up. That is all.″

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Even when he was just three years old, Shankara learnt to speak Sanskrit fluently in the company of other disciples of the Gurukula. Unfortunately, Shivaguru was bedridden with illness by the age of fifty. His health did not improve at all. The wife and the disciples looked after the bedridden Shivaguru. But he could not be saved and died. Long grass (Darbha) was spread out with its pointed end towards the south. The dead body was laid on it with the head in the direction of south. Even a year before his death, Shivaguru had disposed off the shroutagni and had preserved only the oupasanagni. Relatives belonging to the same gotra came forward to perform the last rites. They chanted the mantras – ″Aayushah pranagam santunu/ Pranadapanum santunu/″. The oupasanagni was taken in a pot. The dead body was carried to the burning ghat in a bullock cart drawn by a pair of oxen. Leaving Shankara with other disciples, all the others went to the burning ghat. After completing the last rites, they bathed in the river and returned home. Shankara asked his maternal grandfather Magha, ″Where did you carry my sleeping father?″ ″Shankara, he has departed to higher realms, my child!″ ″When will he return?″ ″He cannot return, my child!″ Shankara went deep into thought.

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Magha Pandita who had arrived on hearing the death of his son-in-law, stayed back to console his daughter. Aryamba, shocked by the untimely death of her husband, remained dumbfound for many days. One day, Magha Pandita thought of a way of reviving her spirits and made a proposal for performing the upanayana of Shankara. He said to Aryamba, ″Now the Gurukula, which was being run at home, is also closed. Chanting of Vedas has also ceased. You are depressed. Can I suggest something?″ ″Please do.″ ″If you perform your son´s upanayana, you will derive satisfaction. Already, he can speak Sanskrit fluently. His pronunciation is clear. Upanayana can be performed even at the age of three for bright children. If you keep watching him performing his Sandhya and fire ritual, you can overcome your depression. Take a bold decision and perform his upanayana.″ Aryamba had her own problem. She said, ″No doubt his upanayana can be performed. But after that, you will go back to the village. But Shankara will put a hundred and one questions to me – Why should upanayana be performed? What he should do afterwards? Why he should do? – Please tell me the answers to all such questions.″ Magha clarified, ″Listen, at some point of time in the second month of the child´s development in the womb, prana gets into the embryo. At about the fifth month, sense organs develop and the mind and reason (buddhi) begin to function. At that time, the memory of the past life persists. With the birth of the child, it fades away. Mind and buddhi remain dormant and as time passes, these faculties begin to develop further. Mind is that which thinks and doubts. The child, newly born, learns about things by examining through sense perceptions of sight, smell, hearing, touch and taste and its mind develops. Normally, this development stops at the age of six. Till then, the power of reasoning does not develop.″ ″How do we know that?″ ″Buddhi is the faculty of discrimination with which one determines right and wrong. As children below six do not have a developed power of discrimination (buddhi), they do not feel shy of going about naked. They laugh without reason and also cry without reason. But as buddhi develops, they begin to feel shy of being naked. They stop laughing or crying without reason. But look at Shankara. He refuses to go about without wearing the loin cloth. He never laughs or cries without reason. There is something extraordinary about your son. It is proper to perform his upanayana even now, though he is just three. It is permitted in the Shastras6 also. Now, chitta is faculty of memory. That begins to develop at the age of seven or eight. Then the child is sent to the Gurukula.″ ″Why is Sun God specially worshipped after upanayana?″ ″Power of discrimination is promoted by the Sun God. For instance, people with weak mind often turn mad at the time of eclipse because Sun´s energy is reduced at that time. This proves that it is the Sun God that promotes the power of discrimination. Therefore, Sun´s worship should begin when buddhi begins to develop.″ With the consent of his daughter for her son´s upanayana, Magha Pandita fixed an auspicious date for the performance of upanayana. On the preceding day, rituals started with the sacred oil bath, udaka shanti, offerings to Ganapati, sprinkling of holy water from a sanctified vessel and other formalities. The Magha couple themselves were to officiate in the upanayana. The next morning, the sacred oil bath was again performed. For development of speaking ability and better reasoning power, one needs the blessing of the presiding deities of Aajna and Vishuddha Chakras. Women drew in rangoli the Aajna and Vishuddha Chakras and the sacred pot was placed on it. It was followed by the ritual shaving of the young brahmachari and his bath, and he was clothed in a saffron colored dhoti7. Then the mounji8 was tied around his waist along with a piece of deer skin. Then samit9 was offered in the sacred fire and raksha was anointed on his forehead. With an invocation, which included the pravara, the young initiate made pranama to the Fire God. All present were watching intently the young Shankara beaming with the brilliant aura of divinity. His eyes, though open, were turned inwards. Women who came to offer alms were reminded of Vamana. Some shed tears of joy as they offered alms. Some stood with folded hands forgetting the offering of alms. At night, Aryamba performed the ritual of warding off evil effect of so many eyes having watched the young initiate.

The next morning Magha, beginning the instruction of the Sandhya ritual, made a brief speech regarding Gayatri japa – ″Before starting the japa, one has to mention the seer and the devata of the mantra and its chandas. Vishwamitra is the seer, the Sun God is the deity and Gayatri is the chandas. Vishwamitra was one of the saptarishis, seven great seers, born at the beginning of Vaivaswata Manvantara. He was born to Lord Brahma and conceived by mere thought. He was Koushika in his previous birth, and as a result of his austerities, was blessed with the memory of this sacred mantra. It is the Sun God who inspires our reason ″Nah dhiyah yah prochodayat/ Tad varenyam savithuh/ Devasya bhargah dheemahi″ – I am meditating upon the radiance of that God, is the meaning of that invocation. Its meter is Gayatri and it is known by the same name. It consists of three feet – which means lines. Each line has eight letters. But the first line ″tatsavitruvarenyam″ has only seven letters and hence it is known as Nichrud Gayatri meter. Gayatri meditation is to concentrate the mind on Sun God with the stream of consciousness turning into an unbroken thread like the flow of oil being poured down. One must control the mind from getting wayward. Did you follow?″ ″Yes, I understood it. But who inspires the Sun´s mind?″ ″It is the great Almighty God who inspires the Sun. But He is not visible like the Sun. Thus, one has to begin with the worship of the visible Sun and gradually turn one´s mind towards the Almighty.″ ″Which is the residing abode of that Almighty?″ ″He resides in one´s heart.″ ″Nah dhiyah and dhimahi are in plural. What does it imply?″ ″It implies the collective responsibility of Brahmanas. A Brahmana makes his livelihood on the money gifted to him by others. It is what he is offered as dakshina for devoting his time for studies and imparting knowledge to others. But his indebtedness to the society does not end with mere studying and teaching. He has to give a lot more to the society. One sixth of his tapas goes to the general public, say the Shastras. Only this ensures the well being of the public at large. Hence, Gayatri meditation is the bounden duty of all brahmanas.″ ″What is the significance of my receiving alms at the conclusion of yesterday´s rituals?″ ″It is a foretaste of the kind of life you have to lead later when you go to Gurukula. There you have to live on alms.″ ″Why is it so?″ ″If all the disciples have to be fed in the Gurukula itself, it will be a burden on the Guru and his wife. That is not correct. Hence the disciples must get their food by seeking alms. Just as a bee collects honey from different flowers, food must be collected from different houses in small quantities. Hence this practice is called Madhukari. This helps in developing a feeling that the women of all households are like their mother. It also reduces the craving for food for the sake of taste. It also develops gratitude towards the society. It develops an attitude of indebtedness towards the society and prompts one to repay the debt by teaching them what he has learnt from the scriptures. Thereby, the pursuit of studying and teaching is perpetuated without a break.″

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Even after returning to Veliyanadu, Magha Pandita used to visit his daughter´s house frequently. It was his desire to spend as much time as possible with his daughter and grandson. Once he addressed his daughter and said, ″Now Shankara has completed his fifth year. It is time we send him to Gurukula. But Veliyanadu is quite far off. You will not be able to visit him there often. He is still a small boy. It is better if we admit him to the Gurukula run by Narayana Dikshita in the neighboring village. If you send him there, you will be able to see him whenever you feel so.″ Aryamba readily agreed and took her son to Narayana Dikshita and left him there to pursue his education in the Gurukula. Though relatives often visited her house, she missed her son very much. As advised by his grandfather, Shankara used to render whatever service he could in the Gurukula. He used to follow the elder disciples for collecting darbha and samit. When he went out to collect alms, women offered him alms with love and affection. He used to offer the alms so collected to the guru and used to partake of his food with the permission of the guru. If there was any special dish collected on any day, he used to share it with others. By and by, he began to realize the truth of his grandfather´s words. His craving for tasty food was gradually reduced and he began to feel grateful to the society. He also developed a firm resolve to repay this debt by pursuing the study of holy books and imparting that knowledge to others.

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One day Narayana Dikshita saw Aryamba coming towards his house. He said to his wife, ″Look, how the mother´s affection works. It is not even a week since Shankara was admitted to Gurukula. Even so, she already misses him badly. She has come to meet him.″ As Aryamba reached the house, she enquired of her son´s wellbeing. She was told that Shankara had gone out with others to collect samit and that he would return soon. ″There is something extraordinary about your son. He has become dear to everybody. He is very intelligent and also a picture of humility and obedience. Though you had no children for a longtime, you have at last got a worthy son.″ This remark, instead of bringing joy, somehow made her sad, and Aryamba shed tears. ″What makes you cry, Aryamba?″ ″It seems he wants to become a sannyasi. Last night in my dream, I saw him as a sannyasi. I could not bear my grief on seeing such a dream. That made me come here to see him today.″ ″Oh! Is that so?″ ″For God´s sake, do not tell him this.″ ″No, no, be rest assured. I will not tell him this.″ On returning, Shankara saw his mother and made obeisance to her. She embraced him and enquired about his wellbeing. ″I am fine″ said Shankara. His mother gave him some eatables which she had specially prepared for him. He shared it with others. Shankara made rapid progress in his studies. He completed the study of the Veda traditionally prescribed for his family. Being blessed with the ability to grasp a subject even at one reading, Shankara completed the study of all the four Vedas and their connected subsidiary subjects within a year. The guru´s wife remarked to her husband, ″Where is the need of any more teaching for him? He has already learnt everything.″ ″I teach not to impart any further knowledge to him. But it is for my own upliftment″ said Narayana Dikshita. The disciples had great love and regard for him.

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One afternoon, all the disciples were returning after having bathed in the river. One of them remarked. ″Having hewed the wood in the morning, my whole body had become unbearable with sweat. After bathing in the river and rubbing the body with mud, now I am clean and feel refreshed.″ Another asked, ″How does the body become clean if we rub it with mud and take bath?″ The former replied, ″I do not know.″ He then turned to Shankara and asked him, ″Can you tell me why it is so?″ ″It is because mud is the cause and sweat is the effect″ said Shankara. ″Please explain it in detail, so I may understand it.″ ″Do you remember the mantra we learnt last week? Prithivya oshadhaya, oshadibhyo annam, annat purushah. Do you know what follows?″ said Shankara laughing. ″Please tell.″ ″Purushat purishah. It is only excreta from man.″ All had a hearty laugh. Shankara continued, ″That is the difference between we mortals and Almighty God. He transforms excreta into edible fruit. But we make excreta of fruit. Excreta, urine and sweat, these are what man produces. Man evolved from the earth. Now, is it not clear that the cause of all this dirt is earth or mud? It has neither good smell nor bad smell. That is why all the dirt produced by the innumerable living creatures as well as the sweet smell produced by the fruits and flowers of plants when absorbed by the earth, both get destroyed and become odorless mud. That is why we become clean if we rub our body with mud and take a bath.″ One of them asked, ″How does that bad or good smell which is not in the mud come from the mud?″ Shankara replied, ″If mud remains mud it will have no odor. But when mixed with water and heat, all these odors are produced. It is because of association. Each of us by ourselves is quiet and harmless. But when we are in a group, mixing with others, we become mischievous. It is like that in the case of mud also.″

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Once Shankara had gone to a small house for seeking alms. He called out ″Bhavati biksham dehi – mother please give food.″ There was no response. He called out again. Still there was no response. On repeating his request the third time, a woman responded from inside, ″Oh! brahmachari, there is nothing in our house to offer you. We are extremely poor.″ Shankara replied, ″I will receive whatever you give.″ There was some deliberation in the house. At last, she brought out a dry piece of pickle and put it in his begging bowl, and spoke with tears in her eyes, ″People give you all sorts of good food. But this is all that I possess. Please accept it.″ Shankara was moved to tears. At night, in his dream, he saw Goddess Lakshmi. He prayed to her, ″Oh Mother, kindly bless that woman with prosperity.″ ″How could it be Shankara? In her past lives she was very rich, but did not help others even with a pittance. Now how can she hope to be prosperous? Don´t you know that I reward anyone only appropriate to the past karma?″ ″Mother, has she not given this pickle to me now, even in her dire poverty? Let her get recompense for that.″ Mahalakshmi said, ″So be it!″ Recompense for charity also depends on the recipient of that charity. When Shankara awoke, he composed his famous Kanakadhara invocation. Shortly after, the woman became relieved of all her misery. Even now the descendents of that family narrate this story. Their house is named Swarnatillam – the house of gold.

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One day the preceptor said, ″Shankara, now you can pursue the study of Ramayana, Mahabharata and Puranas on your own. Those volumes are in a bundle there. You may pick them up and start your study. You can ask if you need any clarification″ and pointed to the bundle containing those volumes. Shankara made a thorough study of all those works. There was no need for any clarification. He had hardly completed a year and a half of stay in the gurukula. The preceptor told him, ″Shankara, you have learnt all that can be taught here. Hereafter, you have to study Mimamsa. But, there is no gurukula nearby where you can learn that subject. You will have to go to some distant place. As you are still a small boy, it is difficult for you to go to a far off place. Moreover, your mother misses you very much. You better go home for now and conduct some classes to students there.″ On that day the lady of the house arranged a delicious meal for all the disciples. They were not sent for alms that day. Shankara, who had hardly completed seven, got ready to return home. Everyone, including the preceptor and his wife, were full of tears. Shankara made obeisance to the preceptor and his wife and returned to Kaladi.

* * * * *

On Shankara´s return, Aryamba felt as happy as she had felt when he was born. A gurukula was inaugurated in their house. This was a gurukula sans gurudakshina. Day by day Shankara´s fame spread far and wide. People eager to acquire knowledge came seeking his instruction. The house was always full of guests. When it became difficult for Aryamba to manage food for all visitors, the guests themselves cooked food and partook of it. Kulavarma, the king of Kerala, heard of this extraordinary boy. He felt an intense desire of meeting this prodigy. He sent his minister with gifts inviting Shankara to his court. The minister, who came to Shankara, presented him with cash, a costly silk dhoti and fruits and conveyed the desire of the king to meet him. Shankara accepted only the fruits and returned rest of the gifts, but declined to visit the king´s court. When the minister returned alone, the king realized his mistake and made amends by visiting Shankara´s house in person. He stopped his chariot at a distance and walked barefoot to Shankara´s house. A surprised Aryamba received the king with fanfare. The king made obeisance to Shankara and sat down humbly. He addressed Shankara and said, ″Your goodself did not receive the gifts sent by us.″ Shankara clarified, ″As I am a brahmachari, I am forbidden from accepting such costly gifts. You being the protector of Varnashrama Dharma, how can I make you violate it?″ The king replied very respectfully that he had sent those offerings as Shankara´s father was not alive and he must be finding it difficult to manage household expenses, particularly with so many guests visiting their house. Shankara replied humbly that by God´s grace, under the noble king´s dispensation, they did not feel any want. The king showed him the plays that he had written and requested Shankara to review them. Then and there, Shankara went through the plays and suggested some minor corrections in grammar and said that the plays were well written. The king continued, ″I have a request.″ ″Please ask.″ ″So far, I am not blessed with children. I pray for your kind blessings.″ Shankara instructed the king about the ritual to be performed to be graced with children, and blessed the king with a fruit. Aryamba felt proud of her son.

* * * * *

Once, after worshipping in the temple of Lord Krishna, Aryamba went to the river for washing clothes. It was noon and the sun shone brilliantly. Under the scorching sun, even the sand had heated up. While returning, Aryamba tripped and fell. Those who saw this, shouted loudly, ″Shankara, your mother has fallen!″ Shankara ran. Other disciples also ran. But it was not possible for any of them to carry her. Shankara spread out the wet saries on the sand and helped his mother to slowly walk on them. At last they reached home. Shankara was worried. ″Mother has to go to the river everyday to wash clothes. She does not agree to get it done by anyone else. As for me, she thinks I am too young to be entrusted with that work. What shall I do?″ There was nothing that he could do. But the next morning brought a miracle which astonished everybody. The river Purna had changed its bank and was flowing at the nearer bank. No one knew whether it was some unseen power that had brought about this or it was only a chance happening. Shankara´s joy knew no bounds. But the waters of the river were lapping against the walls of the temple of Lord Krishna. There was a danger of temple being flooded during the rainy season. Shankara changed the position of the idol to an elevated spot.

* * * * *

″Mother, someone has come″ shouted one of the disciples. Shankara was not at home. He had gone to the neighboring village to visit his preceptor who was indisposed. Aryamba came out of the kitchen and welcomed the visitors, and requested them to take seats. There were four visitors and they were comfortably seated on wooden planks offered by the disciples. One of them said: ″We belong to Thiruvananthapura. Two of us are scholars in Nyaya Shastra. One of us is an astrologer. As for me, I have studied a little Mimamsa. We had come to visit a person in Ooshabhadri. We have heard about your highly spoken son. We have come to see him. Where is he now?″ ″He has gone to the neighboring village to meet his guru. Please be seated. He will return shortly″ said Aryamba, and offered them fruit juice. After some small talk, she gave the astrologer her son´s horoscope and requested him to look into it. He examined it and made some calculations and said, ″Mother, your son´s horoscope is an exceptional one. He will become a brilliant scholar. Brihaspati is the lord of the house in his horoscope, which signifies that he will master the faculty of speech. There is no doubt regarding his becoming a Loka Pujya. You are a blessed one in giving birth to such a son.″ ″Will he enjoy good health and life span?″ ″He will maintain an excellent health.″ ″What about his life span?″ The astrologer was immersed in deep thought for a long while and then said, ″Mother, there is a critical time in his eighth year. After crossing that danger, there is nothing to worry.″ ″He will be able to overcome it. Won´t he?″ He further calculated even more exhaustively and said, ″Mother, he is destined to perform extraordinary tasks. Hence, he is bound to escape from that danger.″ Aryamba prayed, ″Please suggest any propitiatory ritual which I can perform to ward off this misfortune that may trouble him.″ The astrologer consoled her, ″Gods themselves will perform japa to save him. You need not worry. Have faith in Almighty God, and He will help you and your son.″ Shankara, who had just returned, overheard these words. As he entered the house, he saw the Brahmana guests and he prostrated before them reciting his pravara. They tried to stop him from touching their feet, and withdrew their feet. Later, they discussed the Shastras. After finishing their meal, they set out with a sense of fulfillment.

* * * * *

Aryamba wore a downcast look. She felt depressed and unusually sad. Whenever she was alone, she quietly shed tears, but tried to be cheerful in her son´s presence. Once Shankara, who had observed this unusual change in his mother, said to her, ″Mother, you seem to be in a great sorrow. Please tell me what you are worried about?″ She still tried to hide her feelings, ″It is nothing.″ ″Mother, you are hiding something. Please speak out.″ She remained silent. ″Mother, this body is not permanent. Father´s death has made it clear to me. But, are we not performing his shraddha annually? For whom are we performing it? It is only for his soul. Does that not imply that though he has left the body, father is not dead? Death is for the body but not for the soul. Then why should you grieve?″ Aryamba was only shredding tears as she heard these words. As days passed by, she felt less and less cheerful. Her life continued mechanically. One day Shankara, while sitting by his mother´s side, said to her, ″I want to ask. May I ask you?″ ″Yes″ said the mother. ″If there is an end to this body of mine, as predicted by the astrologer, there will be nobody to perform father´s shraddha, nor there anybody to perform mine. In such a case, there will be great lapse in the karma. It will be wrong. You are well aware of it.″ She remained mute. ″There is a way out, which is in consonance with the Shastras. May I tell you?″ There was no reply. ″All the future shraddhas may be compressed into one and performed now itself. Then there will be no lapse.″ ″What do you mean by that?″ ″It means that I must become a sannyasi. But that is impossible without your permission.″ She cried bitterly. That was her only reply. ″Mother, what is the use of crying? Please think over it and tell me.″ There was no reply from her. She got up and went inside. Shankara repeated his question to her once in a while. But she gave no reply. Days passed by. Once Aryamba said to her son, ″I have to go for bathing to the river. I am unable to carry back the wet clothes after washing. You better come with me to carry them home. I do not want to entrust this work to others.″ Shankara followed her with the bundle of clothes. Some disciples also followed him. Shankara kept the bundle by his mother´s side and finished his bath, wiped his body and applied ash on his forehead and standing knee-deep in the river, started his morning sandhya. A number of boys were diving into the river and swimming. Grown up people were engaged in their observances after finishing bath. Women were gossiping as they washed the utensils. On one side, washermen washed clothes. On the other bank, fishermen were catching fish. On this side, Aryamba was rinsing a sari after washing it. Suddenly there was a loud call from Shankara. ″Mother, Mother!″ All stopped their work and looked in the direction of Shankara and rushed to him, leaving whatever they were doing. Shankara was still shouting, ″Mother, a crocodile has caught me. Please quickly permit me to take sannyasa.″ Aryamba appealed desperately, ″For God´s sake, save my son.″ ″Please permit quickly.″ ″My son, do whatever you please.″ And she fell unconscious. ″Oum bhuh, sanyastam maya, oum bhuvah sanyastam maya, oum suvassanyastam maya″ chanted Shankara loudly, and continued, ″Oum bhuh swaha.″ As he chanted the last words, he tore off his sacred thread and threw it into the river. Meanwhile the washermen tied a rope to his waist and started pulling him out of water. Fishermen came in a boat from the other bank and attacked the crocodile with spears. Some threw stones at it. The beast turned on its belly and fell dead. They brought Shankara to the other bank, and turning to Aryamba, resuscitated her. When she regained her consciousness they informed her that Shankara had been saved and the crocodile killed. She rose and proceeded towards her son with unsteady steps and embraced him. But he stood still without any reaction. The wound made by the crocodile was still bleeding. A fisherman brought some leaves and applied its juice to the wound. The bleeding stopped. Aryamba pleaded, ″It is enough. Hence forward, you shall not come for bathing here. You can take bath at home. Come, let us go home.″ Shankara did not stir. ″Come, my dear son, let us go.″ There was no reply from Shankara. ″Please come.″ The fishermen thought that he was unable to walk and came forward to lift him up. ″Leave me alone, I can walk″ said Shankara. ″Then, let us go″ said the mother. ″Now I am a sannyasi. I am forbidden from returning home.″ Mother was dumbfounded. Words failed to come out of her mouth. An old man standing nearby said: ″You are a little chap of eight years. What meaning is there for sannyasa?″ Another said, ″Sannyasa is only for the blind and the lame, because they can´t lead life otherwise. Why should you take sannyasa? You have a home, and an excellent plantation.″ Another old man said, ″See my dear boy, even if one wants to take sannyasa, is there not a time and method for it? You must first become a householder. After sixty years, become vanaprasthi and then sannyasi in the end. Will anybody take sannyasa the moment one is born?″ Shankara did not get into arguments with any of them. Finally another old man said, ″Dear boy, listen to me. Your mother is all alone. Is it right to leave her and go away? Tell me, you are yourself look like other boys. Mother is god, father is god and so on. Your father also died. Your widowed mother has brought you up with so much concern. Is it right to leave her and go away? Forgot your mother also? Think about this. Don´t be rash.″ Aryamba, who was silently listening, finally said, ″Shankara, please don´t do this. Listen to what all these elders are saying. Come, let us go home.″ ″Amma, I have taken sannyasa with your permission in front of everybody and the pancha bhutas. It is certainly not right to return home.″ Aryamba gave out a loud cry, ″Oh my fate!″ Shankara stood unmoved. Many elders tried to reason out with him. Aged people tried to counter him with whatever Shastra they knew, telling him that he cannot become a sannyasi. Women shed tears. Young friends of Shankara bemoaned the loss of a beloved friend. At last Shankara firmly said, ″It is not Dharma for me to return home after becoming a sannyasi.″ ″Are you going to abandon me to die alone at home?″ his distraught mother pleaded. ″Mother, please listen to me patiently. I am a sannyasi now. It is wrong for me to return. At any rate, you will not be alone. Relatives will be visiting you often. Even the disciples will be visiting you often and will look after your welfare. There will be no problem for you. However, I give this solemn promise to you. I shall return home in your last moment. Please bless me″ said Shankara and made obeisance to her. He rose, and without looking back, proceeded to the temple of Lord Krishna on the other bank, and prostrated and went away. All the old people were terribly upset.

Chapter 2 FROM KALADI TO OMKARESWARA To what destination is he bound? To hills and forests through wilderness; to caves; to river banks, with what purpose? In search of a Sadguru. On his way, he occasionally comes across some fishermen or pilgrims, but otherwise his road is bereft of any human contact. His search continues. In answer to his question, ″Are there any Mahatmas around?″ people point out some distant place and direct him there; but he doesn´t find a guru. By and by, he reaches the coast line near Mangalore. There is a scorching sun above. Could he find something to eat? Completely exhausted, Shankara collapses on the ground. From a nearby hut, fishermen come running. They give him some water to drink. He tells them that he is hungry. They give him some milk. They notice the wound on his leg and ask him about it. He tells them that he had been caught by a crocodile. He wished them all prosperity and proceeds further. Thus continued his relentless search. Continuing his journey, he reached Sringeri. There, he sought alms and reached the banks of river Tunga and sat down for a while to rest. There he saw a wonder. It was a sultry afternoon and a frog was laying eggs under a boulder. A cobra, spreading its hood like an umbrella, was providing shelter to the frog. ″It must be a very holy place,″ thought Shankara. But he had still found no guru. He remembered the words of scriptures, ″Tad vijnanartham sa gurumevabhigachchet″ and decided to continue his search without any let up till he found an apt guru. Somebody directed him to Mukambika from there. There, he had the darshan of the Goddess, but could not find a guru. He continued his journey on foot and, at last, reached the banks of river Narmada. Someone there informed him, ″In Onkareswara, there is a famous sage named Govinda Guru. He is a grand old man revered by all. Pilgrims coming from far and wide, invariably seek his darshan.″ They showed him the way to reach there. He proceeded towards that place. At a distance, he observed some saffron clothes hanging to dry. That indicated the abode of the guru. The saffron clothes were fluttering in the wind as if they offered a hearty welcome to Shankara. He bathed in the river Narmada10 and then went to see the guru. Nearby, he saw a cave. But he could not see anybody near it. Probably the disciples had gone out to collect alms. He peeped into the cave and saw the sage Govinda seated in padmasana, with eyes shut. The moment he saw that face, he was certain that his search had come to an end. He felt immensely happy. He waited outside without making any obeisance11. By and by the disciples arrived after collecting alms. Shankara rose and proceeded towards the eldest among the disciples and bowed to him. The latter asked, ″What do you want?″ ″I have come for darshan of the Guru.″ ″Now he is in samadhi. You cannot meet him.″ ″I shall wait here till he rises from his samadhi.″ ″Have you had your food?″ ″Not yet.″ The disciple kept some food on a leaf and asked him to partake it. But Shankara declined, saying that he would not eat anything till he could have the darshan. ″There is no certainty as to when he will rise.″ ″I will wait till then. It does not matter.″ The sage did not rise up that day nor did he the next day. On the third day, he opened his eyes. The disciples informed him about the arrival of Shankara. He instructed them to bring him into the cave and Shankara entered the cave. Chanting the mantra, Na karmana na prajaya…..″ Shankara prostrated to the guru. ″Oh young boy, I hear that you have been fasting for the last two days. First go and have some food. Let us talk afterwards″ said the guru. Shankara partook some light food and came back and stood before the guru with folded hands. ″You are very tired. Sit down. What is your name?″ ″They call me Shankara.″ ″Which is your native place?″ ″I come from Kaladi of Kerala.″ ″Have you had your upanayana?″ ″Yes, it has been performed. Four months ago I took Apatsannyasa. Then I discarded my sacred thread.″ The guru raised his eye-brows in surprise. ″Was it because of this that you bowed to me without holding the samit?″ he asked. ″Yes″, replied Shankara. ″What made you to take Apatsannyasa?″ Shankara explained the circumstances leading to his decision. ″When was your upanayana performed?″ ″At the age of three.″ ″Did you attend gurukula after that?″ ″Yes.″ ″For how many years did you study there?″ ″For a year and a half.″ ″What did you learn there?″ ″Veda.″ ″Which Veda?″ ″All the four Vedas.″ The disciples were struck with wonder. Their jaws dropped down. ″What more did you learn?″ ″The Shadangas and a little grammar.″ ″How about Purva Mimamsa?″ ″I haven´t learnt it.″ The guru asked him to recite some mantras of the Vedas at random. He also questioned him about the shadangas and grammar. Shankara answered all questions satisfactorily. The disciples were dumbfounded. The guru was convinced that this boy was extraordinary. ″What a brilliant scholar he is at such an early age! And what determination! His birth is a divine incarnation to uplift and safeguard Dharma″ thought sage Govinda, and decided to give him proper instruction and training. ″After sometime, you will be formally initiated into proper sannyasa. Till then you continue Gayatri upasana. There is no need for Marjana or Prashana. You can begin your upasana after offering arghya. You may go now. Nirmala Chaitanya arrange a place for Shankara´s stay here.″ With these instructions to one of the disciples, he sent away Shankara. Shankara used to render services compatible with his age and go for collection of alms. During the rest of the time, he performed Gayatri upasana. He often sat immersed in deep meditation, unaware of the outside world. At such times, the guru himself used to wake him up. One day, the guru called Shankara and said, ″I want to teach you about the creation of this universe, including the living beings. Listen! The universe is subject to the cycle of creation and destruction. This cycle has neither beginning nor end. It goes on and on. As before, prior to this creation, only Brahman existed. It is Chetana. It is so subtle as to elude all description. Just as the banyan tree exists in a potential state in its seed, the universe exists in Brahman. Just as ice exists in water as water before its formation, the universe, before creation, exists in Brahman as Brahman. This is the inert energy of Brahman. This is known as Para Prakriti, which ultimately assumes the form of the universe. All activity in this universe is caused by Brahman´s Kriya Shakti, the Prana. It is also known as Apara Prakriti. When there is the urge in Brahman for creation, the Apara Prakriti gives rise to Mahat, and Mahat gives rise to Ahankara or the ego. From it arises the subtle tanmatras of shabda, sparsha, rupa, rasa and gandha. These seven categories along with Apara Prakriti is known as Ashtadha Prakriti. ″What is the meaning of tanmatra?″ ″It means the subtle principle of an individual guna. That is, shabda has only sound, sparsha only touch, rupa only form, rasa only taste and gandha only smell. Creation, therefore, has to be brought about with extreme care and deliberation. That needs buddhi and manas. This manas should be free from all pollution and the buddhi should be extremely sharp and firm unlike our mind and buddhi, which wildly roam and lack firmness. Caused by the Will of the Almighty, such buddhi is formed from Mahat and manas is formed from ahankara. The chetana associated with the above buddhi and ahankara is Hiranyagarbha. He was the super most tapasvi and yogi during the previous creations. In the matter of tapas and yoga, there is none who can excel him. With the noble desire of effecting creation, he had performed severe penances. As a result of it, he attains that position with the blessings of the Almighty.″ ″Then is he the first living being?″ ″Yes; but unlike us, he is free from the gross body. He creates the five great elements in the following manner: when the subtle principle of shabda is drawn out of the pile of five tanmatras, its vibrations get activated and the element Akasha appears with the property of sound. As he draws out sparsha tanmatra, its vibrations are activated to produce the element Vayu with the properties of sound and touch. Similarly, with the drawing out of rupa tanmatra, it results in the element Tejas which includes shabda, sparsha and rupa. And from rupa tanmatra is born the element Jala with shabda, sparsha, rupa and rasa properties. From gandha tanmatra is born the element of Prithvi with all five properties – shabda, sparsha, rupa, rasa and gandha as its constituents. This process of evolution of the five great elements is known as panchikarana. Just as Hiranyagarbha appeared with the evolving of manas and buddhi earlier, Prajapati appears with the evolution of the five great elements. He does the succeeding part of creation.″ ″To further the act of creation, he mixes the elements tejas, jala and prithvi in a certain proportion. Out of these three, tejas dominates over the other two. This gives rise to different kinds of innumerable brilliances like the sun, the moon, fire and lightning. Similarly, when He mixes the three elements with water as the dominant constituent, innumerable liquids form like water, milk, fruit juice etc. evolve. Similarly, with the mixture of the three elements with Prithvi dominating, soils of different kinds evolve. This process is known as trivritkarana. These evolved items are the dwelling places of countless divine beings. Tejas, rainwater and soil once again mingle to produce different kinds of plants like trees, shrubs and climbers. Further, by mingling of these products, animal bodies are created. Such of those, who take birth initially, emerge from the earth directly. Therefore, they are called ayonijas and brahma manasa putras/putris. Manu, Shatarupa, Marichi and other saptarshis, Sanaka and others and Kardama and other prajapatis are those who are born in this manner. By virtue of their achievements in their earlier lives, great beings are rewarded with these positions during the present creation. They take birth at the beginning of creation. They are destined to be the path blazers and torch bearers for the succeeding generations. Later, children and grand children of Manu and Shatarupa are born and thus they become progenitors of the human race. Hence, there are known as manavas. After that, Manu and Shatarupa assume different animal forms by virtue of their yogic powers and become instrumental in the creation of different animals.″ Then, Shankara asked, ″I have heard that Parameshwara creates this world. Who is He? What is his relation to Brahman?″ The Guru replied, ″Didn´t I tell you Para and Apara prakritis are no other than Brahmashakti? Brahman perceived through them is termed as Ishwara. For instance, the shape of a golden ring is also gold. But, the gold that is identified through that shape is called ring. The same relation also holds here.″ ″What is the purpose of the Creation?″ ″It is for the purpose of karma and enjoyment of the living beings. If the world does not exist, there can be no karma nor any enjoyment. Hence, there is creation.″ On the basis of the above discourse of the Guru, Shankara deeply studied Taittiriya and Chandogya Upanishads. As there are varying descriptions of the process of creation in different Upanishads, they appear to be contradictory to the layman; but Shankara realized that there is actually no such contradiction.

* * * * *



After a few days, Govinda Guru started a new lesson. He said, ″Last time, I told you about the sequence of Creation. Never forget one point in that: When the entities prana, avyakta etc. up to the jiva come out of Brahman in that sequence, they do not come out getting separated from Brahman like an arrow from the bow. Brahman follows in each, equally throughout up to jiva. That is why Shruti says All this is Brahman´. This is like gold following in a piece of it and further on in the ornament. In particular, a special feature of the human body is that the whole universe is also represented in its various parts. Now I will tell you about it in detail. Listen carefully: ″The spinal cord extending from the anus up to the back of the neck is called meru. To its left is the ida nadi, to its right the pingala nadi and in the centre is the sushumna nadi. Nadi is a vein. All these three meet at the centre of the eye brows. Along these nadis, there are 5 chakra – plexus. Muladhara Chakra is near the anus, Swadhishthana Chakra above it and below the genital organ, Manipura Chakra above it and below the naval, Anahata Chakra above it and below the heart and Visuddha Chakra above it and below the throat. Fractions of panchikruta prithvi, jala, tejas, vayu and akasha stay respectively in these chakras. Similarly, the force centres of sense organs nose, tongue, eyes, skin and ears respectively are also in these chakras. In the same order the five vyahrutis – bhuh bhuvah suvah mahah janah, the individual goddesses Sakini Kakini Lakini Rakini Dakini and the collective gods of pancha-bhuta are also there. ″Above the Visuddha Chakra is the Ajna Chakra near the forehead. This is the place of a fraction of prakriti which is the cause of the pancha-bhuta of antahkarana, of the individual goddess Hakini, of the collective god Hiranyagarbha and of the vyahriti Tapah. Above Ajna Chakra is the Sahasrara Chakra like an inverted lotus. This is the place of the vyahriti Satyam, the individual goddess Yakini and Ishwara. It is through the brahmarandhra at the top of the skull that Ishwara enters into the body as support for life. Have you understood?″ ″In what sense, the chakras are the force centres of sense organs?″ ″It is like this: Smelling is by the nose, which is in the face. However, drawing of the breath while smelling is an act of apana vayu, which gets its power to act from the Muladhara Chakra. In this sense, it is the force centre of the nose. It is also the centre for prithvi and gandha and similarly others also.″ ″What is vyahriti?″ ″It is the name of the devata. The devata responds when called by this name, that is, it obliges. The sound of vyahriti is its acoustic nature. See how it is: the nature of an object is known by the sound it produces. For e.g., farmers store grains in huge and tall drums. They strike the drum with a stick from outside to know the grain-level inside it. Doctors diagnose the disease by listening to the pulse of the patient. But see here,….″ and he struck his kamandala with a spoon, imitated its sound by uttering tttin´ and continued, ″This tttin´ that I uttered is only an approximation of the actual sound of the kamandala. Similarly, the uttered bhuh is only an approximation of the intrinsic sound of prithvi. Further, the prithvi in Muladhara and the prithvi outside are the same. Therefore, both have the same vyahriti. But the meditator´s utterance of bhuh being not exactly coinciding with the vyahriti of prithvi, it does not resonate with the utterance. Effort is necessary to make it exact. You know how two stringed instruments (Veenas) are matched. The strings of one are tightened and rubbed to make its sound coincide with the other´s. Similarly here, one should know from the Shastra the inherent nature of the prithvi devata and the meditator through Guru and go on setting himself in tune with the devata by meditation through the corresponding vyahriti. When he succeeds in this, his buddhi starts responding with the buddhi of the devata. Then the function of the devata could happen through the meditator also. This is referred to as his victory over the corresponding bhuta. For e.g., with the meditation of Hiranyagarbha who resides in Ajna Chakra through the vyahriti Tapah, when the meditator succeeds in producing the resonance, he gets the power to know past present and future and to know the minds of others. But, because attachment to the achievement is wrong, these abilities must be used only for protection of Dharma.″ The next day Shankara completed his morning sandhya and afterwards did namaskara to the Guru. The Guru kept his palm on Shankara´s head and blessed. Shankara started his meditation. The Guru said to his other disciples, ″You bring bhiksha for Shankara also. Keep it for him. Do not wake him up if he is in dhyana. He will take it whenever he wakes up.″ Shankara bathed in the Narmada and sat for meditation in a small cave. If he was awake during noontime, he would eat the bhiksha kept for him. Otherwise, it would be lying there. Sometimes he would not wake up for 2-3 days. When awake, he would not speak with anyone. Other disciples would not dare to talk to him either. Once a disciple who went into the cave to give Shankara bhiksha, smelled an indescribable fragrance inside. He heard a low tone bhuh emanating from somewhere. He looked at Shankara´s face and saw an unearthly luster in it, but not any movement of the mouth. He took back the bhiksha, ran to the Guru and told him what he had observed. ″Oh! Is that so! Then he has won the prithvi bhuh. Don´t tell this anyone in the town. Otherwise, they may come to see him and his meditation will be disturbed,″ told the Guru. Winter set in. Shankara had not risen since four days. Keeping of his bhiksha at the entrance, seeing it again in the evening there itself, then distributing it amongst themselves, one morsel of it each, was going on everyday. Daily they would give the same report to the Guru. He, in turn, would say, ″Don´t wake him up!″ On the fifth day, one elder disciple made bold to peep in. The moment he entered, it was unbearably hot inside, even when it was very cool outside. Irrepressible curiosity took him inside one more step, and Lo! He saw sparks of fire spitting out from the navel. He was scared and went running to the Guru and reported all to him. The Guru said, ″There is nothing to fear. He has achieved too much in too short a time. He has now won over Agni. Never disturb his meditation. You need not keep even the bhiksha for him.″ ″How will he remain alive without food?″ ″Now meditation itself is his food. By his thought, he can remove even the hunger of others.″ Though he said so, the Guru was himself scared when Shankara did not get up even on the eighth day. He ruminated within, ″If he is left like this, he will even pierce through Rudra knot and stay in Sahasrara. He will completely lose all initiative like Ishwara. He has to do a lot of things for the protection of Dharma. Therefore, it is better to wake him up.″ He got up. When the disciples followed, he asked them not to come. He went alone to see Shankara and entered the cave. He gently put his right palm on shankara´s head and shaking it, said, ″Shankara, it is sufficient my child. Get up.″ ″Shankara gradually woke up, opened his eyes, got up slowly and prostrated to the Guru. When he rose, Guru embraced him for a longtime like a mother. Both came out of the cave. After the Guru left, all disciples went to prostrate to Shankara, but he prostrated to them. All disciples were eager to render service to the Guru, but the Guru did not require all that, as his wants were limited. Hence, there was an agreement that each disciple would perform a particular service everyday. One day, it was the turn of Shankara to procure alms for the Guru. After bringing alms, Shankara served it to the Guru and after cleaning up the place, he took his own food. Later he went out and wandered along the banks of the Narmada, deeply contemplating on the discourses of the Guru. Being lost in his thoughts, he sat down on a rock near the river. He remembered the lines of Chandogya, ″Tasya kva mulam syath anyatrannat? Annena shungena aapo mulamanviccha; adhihi shungena tejomulamanviccha; tejasa shungena sanmulamanviccha – What other cause can be there for the body other than food? Food has its cause in water; water has its cause in tejas. As you proceed further in search of the cause of tejas, you find it is Sath″. This led to the thought, ″This body is made from food. It implies that food is the essence of the body. Likewise, water is the essence of food and tejas is the essence of water.″ Following the same train of thought, his mind proceeded from body to its source of evolution – to Prajapati, who has the five primordial elements as his body; there he saw the region of the ancestors, heaven and other divine regions. Thence, it went further back to Hiranyagarbha. There, he witnessed a wonderful spectacle beyond d