Part 3 - Sri Sankara Vijayam

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

Sankara advised his mother like this:"Do not depend on the people and the world.Depend on God.Dasarata was a great emperor.But when he died, none of his sons were near him.When Ravana died in the battle, none of his brothers and sons were with him.Kamsa even imprisoned his father Ukrasena.I may not be with you.Do not depend on me.Depend on God. Nevertheless, I shall be here, whenever you want me..."

Sankara went to the cave where Govinda Bhagavadpada was meditating.This is near Omkareswarar Temple, on the banks of Narmada.He was in a state of savikalpa samadhi.He is said to have been in Manonmani Mudra, a state in which mind becomes a ruby and stay with the Heart.Bhagavan Ramana was in that state in Patala Lingam temple.

Sankara went near him.The guru looked at Sankara and asked:Who are you?What Sankara replied became the famous Nirvana Sadhakam (or Nirvana Shatkam).

Govinda Bhagavadpada became pleased and embraced him.

Govinda taught all the Upanishads, Brahma Sutram and Siva agamas,and also taught the Mahavakyas and their purport to Sankara.He also explained to him, the famous Gaudapada Karika of his Guru Gaudapada for Maandukya Upanishad, which is the summum bonum of Advaita Siddhanta.He also taught him Sakti Upasana technics to Sankara.Sankara spent three years with Gaudapada, that is between his 8th and 11th year.Then, he initiated Sankara to krama sannyasa.He then bid him good bye and returned to Chidambaram.

Before Sankara left his Guru for Kasi, there was a miracle.There were huge floods in Narmada.The villagers and townsment cried in fear and rushed to Govinda's cave, which was on a higher level.There was no food.The flood was unabating.The Guru is in deep meditation.Sankara then placed his water-bowl on the bank of river and prayed.The floods receded into his water-bowl!

Sankara then prostrated to Govinda Bhagavadpada and sought his blessings for his onward journey to Kasi.Govinda blessed him and gave him the Gaudapada Karika of his guru and said: One day should write a commentary on this.

Sankara is now in Kasi.He is 11 years old.He comes near the Ganga and looks at it.He turns back and looks at Viswanatha Temple. "How to understand Kasi?"Is Kasi a mere city, with Ganga and Viswanatha?Is it merely by death, that one attains liberation?

He bathed in Manikarnika ghat.What is this Manikarnika ghat? It is the bliss and he bathed in bliss.It is the bliss of Siva,Sivananda.

The king of Kasi welcomed Sankara and offered royal comforts in his palace for his stay.Sankara said that such a stay is not for ascetics and he requested him to make a small dwelling on the banks of Ganga for the stay of his disciples and himself.He also declined any food offering stating that they would take food only on alms.

Sankara used to teach the disciples from Kasi and also to those who came with him from Naramada country.After early morning bath, he expounded teachings of Vedas and Upanishads and also the atma vichara. Then he and his disciples would go for bhiksha.This Satsangh was going on for some time. Then in the same period, he composed Sri Annapurna Ashtakam and Sri Kasi Viswanatha Ashtakam. Nityanandakari Varabhayakari Soundarya Ratnakari...... Gangadharanga kamaneeya Jadakalabam......

There in Kasi, one miracle also took place upon Sankara. He had his early morning bath and was returning in one of the bylanes to his residence. He found an outcaste, a dog eater, smelling of toddy all over his body, in tattered clothes, without any bath for days, holding a oozing toddy leather pouch on his shoulders, -- coming on the opposite direction. There was no space to go for both, without brushing on each other. Some stories say that even wife of outcaste,came with him.

Sankara says: Andhi vesha dharam dhrushtva gacha gacha idhi cha abravit.... O outcaste! Move away! Move away!

The outcaste asks Sankara:

1. O noble among the brahmins! Whom do you want to move away? Is it one body which is made up of food to the other body which is also made up of food? Or, should the Chaitanya in me move away from the Chaitanya that is in you?

2. Is there any difference between the Sun that is reflecting on Ganga and the ditch water that is near my home? Is the Space that is within a gold vessel, different from the Space that is within a mud pot? Wherefrom do you get the delusion, in the all-expanding Pure Space which is the waveless Ocean of Bliss, as between a brahmin and a dog eating out caste?

Sankara thought for a second about this mind-blowing question! He meditated and looked in front and could see Siva and Uma,smiling. Siva was holding the leash of four dogs! He looked in the form of Kalabairava!

Sankara then composed Maneesha Panchakam.

Sankara spent some more time in Kasi and he used his spare time to write commentaries for ten major Upanishads and Svetasvatara Upanishad.He also wrote commentary for Vyasa's Brama Sutra.He remembered to keep up the word to his guru Govinda Bhagavad-pada and he wrote commentary for Gaudapada's famous Karika on Maandukya Upanishad.He also made a beautiful commentary for Srimad Bhagavad Gita.

One day, a brahmin came from Sri Rangam.He was well read and his name was Sanantana.He came all the way to Kasi to find a guru for his fear of worldly life.He met Sankara, prostrated to him and said:Sir, I am terrified by this worldly life.I am in constant fear.As an ocean of grace, you should teach me the way out of misery!Sankara took him in his arms and said with abundant grace: Do not worry, I shall make you stay permanently in the Self, where there is nothing other than That.Where is the question of fear? Fear implies duality.I shall remove the dual perception!

He took him as his first disciple.This gentleman came to be called Padmapada, due to some incident that had taken place later.Sanantana was a Narasimha Upasana.

One day, Sankara went to a Vedapatasala.He was pleased to see young boys chanting Vedas.He met there an old man almost in his 90s, who was trying to memorize Panini's grammar for Sanskrit.He was wondering at this man's love for worldly learning. What use is this for him at such an old age?Should he not keep up immensely Silence and ponder over the Brahman?What avail is this for him?

He immediately composed the famous Bhaja Govindam song.It is also called Moha mruthukaram.

The phrase Moha mruthukaram, means breaking the mountain of delusion with a iron log.Sankara advised the old brahmin to go for prayers and meditation, instead of reading grammar and memorizing the sutras at such an age.The death is always coming behind us.The urgency is to under God or the Self.

Soon Sankara left Kasi and went further towards Himalayas.Sanantana went with him.He came to Badrikasramam via Rishikesh and Hardwar. In Rishikesh he found the image of Yagnanatha.He knew immediately that it was not the original image.He sits for meditation and found that the original image had been thrown away by some miscreants into Ganga.He identified that place and recovered and installed it.He then came to the Lakshmajula where Vidhura had done penance.He then mentally remembered Vidhura's noble life and meditated there for a few days.

Sankara then came to Devaprayag, where Mandakini joins Ganga and Bhagirathi and becomes one confluence.Beyond Devaprayag, it is called Deva bhoomi, the place of gods.

Sankara and his disciple then came to Rudraprayag, where Siva sits in meditation without Uma, the latter having gone to Kanchipuram for her own penance.

From here, Sankara proceeded to Karnaprayag, also called Virahi Ganga, where Siva sits without Sakti. Here Siva is in the form of an Effulgence, Agni rupa and meditates on the other seven forces, five elements and moon and vaccuum. Uma is doing her tapas, as Aparna, in Kanchipuram. Aparna is one who does not eat even dry leaves for food! Sankara composed here, the famous Siva aparadhamana Stotram, seeking forgiveness of Siva and the famous Sri Dakshinamurty Stotram, where Siva is prayed in eightfold form. He also composed the famous Siva Panchakshara Stotram and Siva Manasa Puja.

Sankara then went to Jyotir Math area. The king welcomed him and asked for some teachings for the ordinary citizens in the place. Sankara wrote many bhakti verses and taught simple path of devotion to them. Sankara then went to Pandukeswaram and Naranarayana Parvatam and reached Badrinath.

In Badrinath,he had a darshan of Badrinarayana and visited the Badrikasrama,
the famous cottage of great Sages like Narada. He went into a bhava-samadhi immediately. He had a vision of Badrinarayana, where the devotion and wisdom got merged totally.

Sources:

1) http://www.arunachala-ramana.org/forum/index.php?board=10.150
2) http://prashantaboutindia.blogspot.com/2010/04/maneesha-panchakam-by-adi.html
3) http://www.celextel.org/adisankara/manishapanchakam.html