Part 12 - Sri Sankara Vijayam

Thanks to my spiritual Friend Subramanian Garu for sharing this information.

Sankara proceeded to the Dakshina Ujjaini Temple, singing Govindashtakam.

Sankara prayed to Mookambika and then came out of the temple.The kabalikas were waiting for him with thunderous laughter.

The leader asked Sankara:"Why all this ochre robe and vibhuti? Why all this rudraksha mala and stick in your hand?Why not wear skull garlands and drink liquor to your satisfaction and dance around Siva?Ugrabairava then said:I shall now chant Bairava mantra and you shall die with blood vomiting!"He started chanting the mantra.

Sankara smiled and kept silent.He sang the famous Kalabairava Ashtakam, Devaraja sevyamana....He meditated on Ugra bairava within the Heart.

Mahakaleswara appeared before the two.He said: O kabalika! Your mantras have been wasted.Please do prostrations to Sankara,who is none else than Me.The kabalika became dumbfounded.He prostrated to Sankara and as a retribution, quickly made a fire and jumped and sacrificed his own life.The rest of the Kabalika clan was given proper upadesa by Padmapada and Sureswara and they were brought to the Real religion.

Sankara in Kollur wrote the Prapancha Saram, the way to non dual realization.

From Kollur, Sankara went across the Vindhyas and reached Puri, the famous Jagannath Temple.In Puri, Sankara went into the temple and found that there was no idol there.The idol has been lost due to some local war.Sankara found through his meditation, that Jagannath idle is lying under a peepul tree nearby,packed in an emerald marked bag.He went to the tree and re-discovered the idol and installed the same inside the Temple, withall necessary pujas.

Sankara composed here, Sri Hari Saranashtakam and Sri Govinda Ashtakam and Sri Jagannatha Ashtakam.

Sankara from Puri came to Kasi again praying to Maha Kaleswara in Ujjaini and Omkareswara in Avanthi.

In Kasi, he stayed in Viswanatha Temple, for some days.In Kasi, he composed the famous Viswanatha Ashtakam,Siva Manasa Puja and Dwadasa Linga Stotram.

Sankara also composed Bhavani Ashtakam,in Kasi.It is also said that he composed Bhavani Ashtakam,in Tula Bhavani, near Salem.

From Kasi, Sankara went to Dwaraka and then to Mathura.In the Yamuna river, Sankara bathed meditating on Krishna's form.As he came out of the river, he found that his hands were having sandal paste and turmeric powder and his head had a Parijata flower and a long hair-line of a lady!It is said that Sankara upon meditation on Krishna, had the same sandal paste and turmeric powder, the Parijata flower and a long
hairline of Radha, as Krishna took bath with Gopikas in Yamuna river!

This incident is mentioned in all Sankara Vijayam biographies.How to react to this miracle?

A few can say, that Krishna and Radha lived around 3000 B.C, as per Kavyakanta Ganapati Muni's kala-nirnay, time calculations. Sankara lived around 700 AD.There are 3700 years in between.How can the sandal paste and turmeric and long black hairline remain in that river?

This doubt is again from our buddhi.The intellect is ever bound in Time and Faith transcends Time.Brahma Jnanis are ever in NOW, and past and future are not in their reckoning.

Sankara sang the famous Yamunashtakam in Mathura.

Sankara from Mathura proceeded to Sri Nagar, the present Sri Nagar in Kashmir.

In Sri Nagar, hundreds of devotees gathered to see Sankara.From Sri Nagar, he gazed at Himalayas.In that silvery mountain,which is housing Kailas, appeared to him, as the dance of Mother Lalita Tripura Sundari, the Mother of all, the Mother of Siva too.She is ever with Siva, as the concorporate Mahamaya.

Sankara there composed Sri Soundarya Lahari, an ecstatic composition of 100 verses.Sankara is in his poetic excellence in Sri Soundarya Lahari, every verse is a mantra, every verse is an appreciation of Mother's indescribable beauty and grace.

Sources:

1) http://www.arunachala-ramana.org/forum/index.php?board=10.100
2) http://www.celextel.org/adisankara/govindashtakam.html
3) http://www.celextel.org/adisankara/kalabhairavashtakam.html
4) http://www.celextel.org/adisankara/shivamanasapooja.html
5) http://www.celextel.org/adisankara/bhavaniashtakam.html