ADI SHANKARA

Author: Isidora Bugarski

The Prodigy Child

At the age of two, he could fluently speak and write Sanskrit. At the age of four, he could recite all the Vedas. His father passed away when Shankara was only three years old.

Shankara served his mother well. He spent his time very quietly and did his rites regularly. Aryamba, his mother, felt very happy about the virtuous conduct of her son. She observed many vows (vratama), frequent fasting being one of them. So day by day she grew very weak and emaciated due to the overperformance of ascetic observances.

One day it was noon, and she went to river Purna to have a noon bath in the hot sun. As she was not able to walk such a long distance, she collapsed on the way due to exhaustion. Hearing the news young Shankara rushed to the spot and brought back the mother home. That night he prayed to the mother river Purna to flow near his house. The presiding deity granted his prayers. The next day river Purna changed its course and began to flow very close to his house. The neighbors were astonished at the yogic power of the young boy.

 The rishis came to him and reminded him of his duty to the land in spreading spiritualism. Sankara agreed it was time to become a Sanyasi and go all over the country to kindle religious fervor. Days passed. He was thinking of going away from home as early as possible. He had no desire to lead a family life but he also knew well that he should serve his mother. He had understood the trials and tribulations the mother had undergone to bring him up due to the untimely death of his father and her unwillingness to let him go.

One day as he was taking a bath in the river Purna along with his mother. Aryamba was standing on the bank looking at the son. All of a sudden Shankara started to shout. A crocodile had caught his leg pulling him down into the water. The mother saw it herself. She prayed to the Almighty for the safety of her son. The body of the boy was submerged in the water. She exclaimed in distress “Why I am alive? My husband has already left me, and now…now my son?”. The boy spoke to his mother “Give me permission to become a sanyasi since my life has come to a close”. As there was no other way, the mother thought instead of losing him let him become a Sanyasin and continue his life. In case he escaped from the clutches of the crocodile she could see him at least as a hermit, “Alas! Oh God, I give my consent; kindly save him”. The crocodile soon left the boy. Then Shankara immediately chanted the resocharana mantra three times and entered the stage of sannyasa. He came out of the river and prostrated to his mother. He told her consolingly “I am your servant. I shall follow your command. Our relatives will look after you. I leave all my paternal properties to them. They will also look after your health and after your death, they will do all obsequies according to rites. You can live in comfort” Hearing all these words the mother said, “What is the use of having a son if he is not able to do the obsequies?”. Shankara, thought for a while, accepted her last wish and assured her that he would come to her in her last days and serve her as a dutiful son and perform the last rites. She was happy. Then Shankara gave all his wealth to his relatives and entrusted them to take great care of his mother.

Years passed and Shankaracharya was somewhere in North India when he came to know of his mother’s impending death.  By using his Yogic powers, he traveled through the air to reach her quickly. At her request, he granted her divine visions.

When he tried to arrange the cremation of his mother’s body, his relatives refused to help him because as a Sannyasi he was not permitted to perform funeral rites. Normally this would have been a serious setback as a cremation involves rituals, which would require physical assistance by a few people. So Shankaracharya performed a miracle. He made a funeral pyre out of plantain stalks. After placing the body on the pyre he took some water and after chanting a few mantras he sprinkled the water on the pyre. Immediately the pyre caught fire. Thus he was able to complete the funeral rites without help.

The Guru and his influence

As per the Madhavīya Shankaravijaya, after leaving Kerala, Adi Shankara reached the banks of the river Narmada where he met Govinda Bhagavatpada at Omkareshwar.

Gowdapada was an extraordinary guru, but his teachings were never written down. He made sure it was not written down. He must have taught thousands of people but he produced fifteen to twenty good people who re-established the spiritual science in the country very quietly, without any noise, without starting a new religion or anything, but to establish the spiritual sciences just as a way of life, as an inculcation within a human being.

The legend says that Adi Shankara was walking alone continuously passing through various hermitages and crossing many rivers.

One day he sat under a tree for his meditation. The Sun was hot. He saw a group of frogs basking in the hot Sun. To his astonishment, a huge cobra crept behind the rock and spread out his huge hood to give shade to a she-frog that was laying eggs. The keen sensitive intellect of Shankara did not let this scene as a passing incident. He thought himself that such a sense of love is not possible between two different creatures which were by nature inimical to each other. He thought that it must be an abode of tapas wine. He enquired about the importance of the place in a nearby hermitage where an old ascetic was. He welcomed Shankara and told him that the place was sanctified by the sage Rishya shrunga of Ramayana time and his father Rishi vibhandaka. Shankara felt extremely happy and continued his journey and arrived at the holy Omkaranath on the shores of Narmada and finally reached the hermitage of the sage Govinda Bhagawatpada who was in deep penance in the Ashram.

Adi Shankara saw the cave where the sage was sitting. He realized that Govinda Bhagavatpada was the teacher he was searching for. He prostrated with full devotion before the guru and prayed to him.

“I am Shankara and I worship you. I pray to you for grace and request you to accept me as your disciple to know the truth of Brahman”. The sage opened his eyes and asked

“Who are you?”

“Most respected sir, I am neither the earth, nor the water, neither the fire, nor the air, neither the sky nor the properties of the five elements. I am neither the senses nor the mind. I am Shiva, the divisionless essence of Consciousness”.

The sage was delighted beyond description. It appeared that he was waiting to meet such a disciple. He felt very happy, knowing about the knowledge, Shankara had gained through deep study. He was pleased with the words and the way of presentation of the truth before him. He saw the glow of knowledge on Shankara’s face. With all humility, Shankara prostrated before the feet of the guru.

Highly pleased with this young boy the guru initiated him to Sanyasa and imparted the purport of the four mahavakyas.

1. pragyanam Brahma – Brahman is pure consciousness.

2. aham brahmasmi – I am Brahman.

3. tat tvam asi – You are that (Brahman)

4. ayamatma Brahma – This atman is Brahman

He taught him the Vedanta sutra of Vyasa. Shankara understood the innermost essence of Vedanta philosophy. Sanyasa is the ultimate stage in the spiritual status of a religious practitioner which will finally lead him to realization of ‘The self’. Shankara attained the Paramahamsa hood and established himself in bliss. He entered the state of samadhi. In samadhi, he experienced the bliss of sat-chit-Ananda state. He experienced the existence of Brahman everywhere.

A miracle at an early age

While residing in Gurukula, one day Shankara went for bhiksha (alms) to the house of a poor Brahmin. The lady unable to find anything to offer to the brahmachari, bemoaned her fate piteously and gave away an Amalaki fruit (gooseberry), the only thing she had. Shankara moved by her selflessness, instantaneously composed the great hymn on Mother Lakshmi, the Kanakadhara Stotra, and prayed for the relief (from poverty) of the poor lady. Highly pleased with the stotra, Goddess Lakshmi appeared before Shankara but said that She could not find any meritorious deeds of the poor Brahmin couple for which She could bestow Her grace on them. Shankara said that if She was pleased with their selfless gift of the Amalaki fruit, let Her bestow Her grace on them. Very pleased with the boy’s reply, Goddess Lakshmi showered gold coins resembling gooseberry on the house of the poor Brahmin.

Philosophical Contributions

Advaita Vedanta

 You are not of this world; your soul is divine, unquestionably the same as Brahma.

Adi Shankaracharya aimed to unite various religious practices and promote the pure Vedic faith, as he noticed the rise of atheism due to excessive ritualism. This shift led to teachings that lacked focus on God and the spiritual essence of the soul, turning many religions into non-theistic practices.

He needed to develop a profound theory that could effectively dispel these misconceptions and practices. Drawing from the broader divine philosophy, he proclaimed, “ब्रह्म सत्यं जगन-मिथ्या जीवो ब्रह्मैव नापरः,” which translates to Brahma, or God, is the ultimate truth, and the world is an illusion (Maya).

Advaita (advitīya/ अद्वैत) is made of two words, ‘A’ (not) and ‘Dvaita’ (dual), meaning ‘non-dual’. This principle suggests that Brahman is the single ultimate reality, the temporary world is a deceptive manifestation of Brahman (ब्रह्मन्), and the true self, ātman (आत्मन्), is inseparable from Brahman. Adi Shankaracharya introduced a new viewpoint to the world. He stressed that the soul is Divine and eternal and surpasses the limitations of the body and mind. With his sharp reasoning, eloquent speaking, and Divine guidance, he journeyed throughout India, engaging in debates with proponents of different philosophical beliefs, persuading them, and successfully advancing the initial stage of his mission.

Sanatana Dharma encompasses two dimensions of God-realization: Nirakar and Sakar Brahma.

Nirākār Brahma (निराकार ब्रह्म): Uniting with the formless Brahman

Sākāra Brahma (साकार ब्रह्म): Experiencing God’s divine bliss in a personal form.

In his works, Shankaracharya expounded on the Brahma Sutra, Upanishads, and Gita, focusing primarily on the first dimension of Sanatan Dharma in the initial phase of his spiritual teachings.

His commentary, known as the Advaita Bhashya, emphasizes the existence of a single absolute Brahman, which is formless, impersonal, and attributeless. He explored the Nirakar aspect of God for those seeking liberation, outlining 15 steps of self-discipline and practices to imbue Advait knowledge.

 Furthermore, at the beginning of his commentary on the Brahma Sutra, he delineated the four essential qualities and qualifications required for seekers on the path of Nirakar Brahm (Jñāna Mārga) – Vivek, Vairagya, Shat-sampatti, Mumukchhuttva.

He pointed out that following the path of Nirakar Brahm is demanding, advising that failure to adhere to the provided instructions would lead to a downfall, trapping individuals in the cycle of birth and death. The core concept is that Advaita does not bestow anything; rather, it prevents individuals from becoming or experiencing anything in the worldly or divine realms.

 After restoring the glory of Sanatan Dharma in India, he unveiled the remainder of the Divine philosophy in his final work, the Prabodh Sudhakar, where he elaborated on Maya, Jeev, and God. He told the secret that the followers of Nirakar Brahm also had to seek the grace of Sarkar Brahm(a personal form of God) to receive liberation.

He acknowledged that Maya is a divine power and emphasized that God exists in two eternal forms: personal and impersonal. The journey towards understanding the impersonal aspect of God is known to be quite challenging. The divine form of God is described as all-beautiful and all-compassionate in the form of Krishna, who graciously appeared in the Yadu dynasty.

Key Works

His commentaries on the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, and the Brahma Sutras are foundational texts for Advaita Vedanta. Some of his notable works include:

Brahmasutrabhasya: Commentary on the Brahma Sutras.

Bhagavad Gita Bhasya: Commentary on the Bhagavad Gita.

Upanishad Bhasyas: Commentaries on the major Upanishads.

Vivekachudamani: A philosophical treatise discussing the path to liberation.

Atma Bodha: A work on self-realization and the nature of the soul.

Travels and Influence

At Varanasi (Kashi), Shankara got his first disciple Sanandana who was a Brahmana and learned in Vedas. He was free from the bondage of home and spouse and pleaded Shankara to initiate him and accept him as his disciple. Shankara initiated Sanandana into Sannyasa. Sanandana was later known as Padmapada because of his mysterious feat of crossing the river Ganga on foot at his Guru’s behest; and wherever his footsteps (Pada) fell on the water, sprung a lotus (Padma) to support him.

Missionary Work

Adi Shankara traveled extensively across India to propagate his philosophical teachings, debating with scholars of various schools of thought and establishing the supremacy of Advaita Vedanta.

There is a famous legend connected to his travels when he met Lord Shiva:

“At Varanasi, one day when Shankara and his disciples were going towards the river Ganges, Lord Shiva in the guise of a Chandala (outcaste) approached Shankara with a pack of four dogs. When ordered to move away and give them the way, the Chandala asked, “Who is to move away, the body made up of the five elements which are the same for a brahmana and a chandala, or the Atman, the witnessing Consciousness, reflected in all the bodies, which again is the same for both brahmana and chandala?”. Shankara was humbled and understood that the chandala was no ordinary person and said, “A man established in such an awareness is indeed a Guru to me”. Being very happy with his answer, Lord Shiva appeared before Shankara in his divine form along with Devine Mother, and the four dogs became the four Vedas. With joy, awe, and devotion, Shankara glorified Lord Shiva with his famous composition, the Manisha Panchakam, five verses containing the essence of Advaita Vedanta. Lord Shiva then commissioned Shankara to write commentaries (Bhasyas) on Brahma Sutras which will bring out the true essence of Advaita Vedanta and dispel ignorance.”

The challenge and Leela that expended his life

When Adi Shankara was 16 and was expounding his commentaries to his disciples, Sage Vyasa in disguise of an old Brahmin came to him and started arguing about his commentaries on the Brahma Sutras. Soon the argument became profound and turned into a learned disputation that continued for several days. Shankara eventually understood that the Brahmin was none other than Sage Vyasa himself. He apologized to the sage for arguing with him, prostrated to him, and praised him. The sage was pleased and said that he fully agreed with the commentaries and they needed to be propagated for the good of the world. The sage extended the lifespan of Shankara for another 16 years so that he could hold debates with scholars and spread the message of Vedanta in its true spirit. Blessing Shankara, the sage departed.

Many debates followed and Shankaracharya won all of them so they became his disciples.

How he met his disciple Hastamlaka

During his pilgrimage, Shankara went to Gokarna and sang hymns in praise of Lord Shiva. Thereafter Shankara went to Mookambika, the place of Devi, and sang praises to the Divine Mother. At Mookambika, a brahmana named Prabhakara approached Shankara with his seven-year-old son who appeared to be under-developed, preferring to spend time alone without talking with anyone.

When Shankara asked the boy who he was, the boy replied that he was one with the undivided Bliss free from the six states of grief, namely infatuation, hunger, thirst, old age, and death; and also from the six conditions of beginning, continuance, growth, change, decay and destruction. In twelve verses the boy explained the doctrine of the Atman. Shankara found that the knowledge of the Atman was natural to the boy. Taking the permission of the father, Shankara took the boy with him as his disciple. The boy became the famous disciple of Shankara, Hastamlaka, whose knowledge of the Self was pure and natural.

The famous story of how Adi Shankara entered a dead king’s body

Adi Shankara got into an argument with a man and won. Then that man’s wife got herself into the argument by saying, “You defeated my husband, but he is not whole. We are two halves of the same thing. So you must also argue with me.”  So, arguments started with the woman. When she saw she was losing she started asking him questions about human sexuality and she went into more detail asking, “What do you know by experience?” Adi Shankara was a brahmachari (a celibate). He knew that this was a trick to defeat him so he said, “I need a month’s break. We’ll start from where we left off after a month.”

Then he went inside a cave and told his disciples, “No matter what happens, do not allow anybody into this cave because I’m going to leave my body and look for another possibility for some time.” The life energies, or prana, manifest in five dimensions: prana vayu, samana, apana, udana, and vyana. These five manifestations of prana have distinct functions. Prana vayu is in charge of respiratory action, thought processes, and the sensation of touch. How do you check whether someone is alive or dead? If his breath has stopped, he is dead. The breath has stopped because the prana vayu has begun to exit. It will take up to one-and-a-half hours for the prana vayu to leave completely.

The remaining part of the prana will still be there. The vyana, the last dimension of the prana, could last up to twelve to fourteen days. When Adi Shankara left his body, he left his vyana in the system because his body should be maintained.

During that time, a king was bitten by a cobra and had died. When cobra venom enters the system, the blood begins to coagulate and breathing becomes hard because when circulation becomes difficult, it becomes hard to breathe. The breath stops well before the prana vayu has exited. In many ways, it is an ideal condition for one who wants to enter that body. Normally, it would take only a space of one-and-a-half hours. But when a person has cobra venom in the system, it can take up to four-and-a-half hours.

So Adi Shankara got this opportunity and he very easily entered the king’s body and went through the process so he could answer those questions experientially. There were some wise people among the king’s circle who, when they saw a man they had declared dead suddenly sit up full of energy, could recognize by his behavior that it was not the same person but someone else in the same body. They sent soldiers all over the city, telling them wherever they saw a body lying around, to burn it immediately – so that if that body belonged to the person who had come into the king’s body, then he would not be able to leave and go back. But they did not succeed and Adi Shankara went back.

Monastic Orders

During his travels across the length and breadth of India, he established four maths (ashrams) to unify the scattered and diverse groups of Sannyasis. These four maths were established, about 700 BCE, in four different corners of India. He selected four of his senior-most disciples to head each of these maths.  Each of these maths was assigned the task of maintaining and preserving for posterity, one of the four Vedas

Sringeri Matha in the south (Karnataka).

Dwaraka Matha in the west (Gujarat).

Puri Matha in the east (Odisha).

Jyotir Matha in the north (Uttarakhand).

Shankaracharya reorganized all the Sannyasis in India into ten main groups known as the Dasanami Tradition. These orders are also allocated to different maths.

The Dasanami Tradition

Giri – one who lives on a hill

Parvata – one who lives on a mountain

Sagara – one who lives near the sea

Vanam – one who lives in the forest

Aranya – one who lives in the jungle

Ashrama – one who lives in a hermitage

Saraswati – one who is well-learned

Tirtha – one who lives near a site with sacred waters

Puri – one who dwells in a town

Bharati – one who is without bondage

Reforming Hinduism

He played a significant role in reviving and reorganizing Hinduism at a time when it was facing significant challenges from other religions and internal sectarianism.

The Mahasamadhi of Adi Shankaracharya

 Completing his mission in this world at the age of 32, Shankara who was an incarnation of Lord Shiva went to Kedarnath, the holy place of Lord Shiva, and disappeared.

“The appointed hour arrived. The Acharya advised all those assembled in his presence. Everybody started to feel the pangs of separation from his guru. The great Acharya started to move towards Kedarnath in the high mountains. The snow-covered peaks were all eagerly waiting for the arrival of the world teacher.

As the Acharya moved, his followers also followed closely. A permanent eternal peace was established in his face. No one was able to speak a word before him. The light of Omniscience was glowing in him.

The path was steep. The Acharya stood there. He blessed all and advised them not to follow him anymore. In a few minutes, he climbed the mountain and disappeared.

The Lord Dattatraya came down to receive him to his abode.

The sound of AUM vibrated everywhere.”

Legacy

Adi Shankara’s teachings have had a profound and lasting impact on Hindu philosophy and spirituality. His interpretations of the sacred texts continue to be studied and revered.

He is considered one of the greatest philosophers in Indian history, and his works have influenced countless scholars and practitioners of Hinduism.

His life and contributions are celebrated annually during Shankara Jayanti, which marks his birth anniversary.