9788178837222,8185141142,9789384753221,9780990923916,9788172764746,9788123760216,817742002X 9789380864167,9789383721795,9788126015757,8120811046,9789394384224,8120818024,8175971819
An Introduction to an English translation of Madhava-Vidyaranya's Sankara-dig-vijaya, known also as Samkshepa-sankara-vijaya, requires in the first place an explanation as to why it is undertaken. We are presenting this translation not because we consider it a proper biography in the modern sense, but because there is nothing better to offer on the life and achievements of Sri Sankara. Sri Sankaracharya is undoubtedly the most widely known of India's saintly philosophers, both within the country and outside, and there is a constant enquiry for an account of his life. It is not that there are no lives, or rather life-sketches of his, in English, written by modern scholars, but they are extremely unsatisfactory in giving any adequate idea of the great Acharya or of his wonderful personality-of how he was able to make that great impact on the conscience of India, which has remained unfaded to this day. Like a rivulet starting with great promise but soon getting lost in a swampy morass, these modern writings end in learned date discussions and textual criticisms, which give the reader a sense of learned ignorance, but certainly no idea of what Sankaracharya was like.
The trouble does not actually lie with these scholars or the accounts they have given of Sankara's life. It lies in the fact that there is absolute dearth of reliable materials to produce a biography of the modern type on Sankara, and the scholarly writer, if he is to produce a book of some respectable size, has no other alternative but to fill it with discussions of the various versions of the dates and of the incidents of Sankara's life that have come down to us through that series of literature known as Sankaravijayas, which vary very widely from one another in regard to most of these details. The generally undisputed features of Sankara's life seem to be the following: That he was born in Kaladi, Kerala, in a family of Nambudiri Brahmanas; that he left hearth and home as a boy to take to the life of a Sannyasin; that he was initiated into Sannyasa by Govindapada, the disciple of Gaudapada; that he wrote learned commentaries on the Vedantasutras and the ten principal Upanishads and the Gita; that he led a busy life traveling all over India refuting non-Vedic doctrines and establishing non-dualism as the true teaching of the Vedas; that he left four principal disciples to continue his mission; that he rid the various Indian cults of the influence of debased sectaries and infused into them the purity and idealism of Vedic thought; that he established centres of Advaitic learning in many places; and that he passed away at the early age of thirty-two at a place, the identity of which is yet to be established. When he was born; where he met his teacher; where he wrote his commentaries; what were the routes he took in his all-India journeys for preaching and teaching; who were all his opponents and where he met them; how and when he came across his disciples; what temples he visited or renovated; what Maths he founded or whether he founded any Math at all; where he passed away-all these are matters on which conflicting or widely differing views are expressed in the different traditional books concerned with him known as Sankara-viiayas.
In a situation like this, a modern writer on Sankara's life can consider himself to have discharged his duty well if he produces a volume of respectable size filled with condemnation of the old Sankara-vijayas-which, by the way, have given him the few facts he has got to write upon-for their 'fancifulness, unreliability, absence of chronological sense' and a host of other obvious short-comings, and indulge in learned discussions about the date and the evidence in favour of or against the disputed facts, and finally fill up the gap still left with expositions of Sankara's philosophy. In contrast to these are the traditional biographical writings on Sankara called Sankara-vijayas. All of them without an exception mix the natural with the supernatural; bring into the picture the deliberations held by super-human beings in the heavens; bring gods and dead sages into the affairs of men; report miraculous feats and occurrences; and come into conflict with one another in regard to many biographical details. Yet their very so-called fancifulness, the poetic approach of at least some of them, their mythological setting and descriptive details, have given some of them a fullness and impressiveness which are far more educative than the few bald details and the futile discussions on their obvious deficiencies that one comes across in the modern biographical writings on Sankara.
The contrast may be better illustrated by an analogy. Suppose a few bones of a rare species of animal that lived in bygone times are obtained. A very learned discussion about the evolutionary background and the probable biological features of the fossilized bones can be instituted by biologists and anthropologists. A clever artist, on the other hand, can try to reconstruct the probable appearance of that extinct species of animals in some plastic material, based on the clues from the bony structures recovered. Now, in spite of the great erudition behind the first way of approach, it is the reconstructed model, despite its obvious fancifulness and imaginative make-up, that can give some plausible idea to the common man about that rare animal to which the bones belonged. The flourishing of a few bones and the learned discussions on them will leave no impression on the minds of any but specialists in the field. The attempted historical biographies of Sankara are just like the rattling of the few bones of facts available along with abstruse discussions about them, while the Sankara-vijayas are like the reconstructed model of the animal which may be fanciful but impressive and meaningful to the animal which may be fanciful but impressive and meaningful to the ordinary man. If we approach the Sankara-vijayas without forgetting that mythological elements have entered into them, they would enable us to get a much more vivid and flesh-and-blood picture of Sankara than these learned discussion on dates and on the credibility of various texts and some of the details contained in them.
The word 'mythological' is not used here in any sense of disparagement. A highly poetic and mythological narration of the lives of individuals or events marks the measure of the tremendous impact that these individuals and events have made on the racial mind of a people in those ancient days when correct recording was not much in vogue, and impressive events easily took a mythological turn. They are living traditions that transmit a little of their original impact to the generations that have come latter, whereas pure historical productions are only like dead specimens and curios preserved in the corridors of Time's museum. The trouble comes only when mythological accounts are taken as meticulously factual and men begin to be dogmatic about the versions presented in them. In the mythological literary technique, facts are often inflated with the emotional overtones and with the artistic expressiveness that their impact has elicited from human consciousness, and we have therefore to seek their message in the total effect they produce and not through a cocksure attitude towards the happenings in space and time. If we approach the Sankara-vijaya in this spirit, we shall understand more about Sankara and his way of life than through the writings of professors who disparage them for their defective chronology, their fanciful descriptions and their confusing statement of facts. Such being the position, a translation of a Sankara-vijaya is the only way to give some idea of Sankara, his doings, his personality and the times in which he lived.
The translation given in this book is of Sankara-dig-vijaya or Samkshepa-Sankara-vijaya by Madhava-Vidyaranya. It is, however, To be remembered that this is only one of the following ten Sankara-vijayas listed on p. 32 of T.S. Narayana Sastri's The Age of Sankara: (1) Brihat-Sankara-vijaya of Chitsukhacharya; (2) Prachina-Sankara-vijaya of Anandagiri; (3) Sankara-vijaya of Vidya Sankara alias Sankarananda, otherwise known as Vyasa-chaliya-Sankara-vijaya; (4) Keraliya-Sankara-vijaya by Govindanatha, also known as Acharya-charita; (5) Sankarabhyudaya of Chudamani Dikshita; (6) Sankara-vijaya of Anantanandagiri (to be distinguished from Anandagiri) known also as Guru-vijaya or Acharya-vijaya; (7) Sankara-vijaya of Vallisahayakavi under the name Acharya-dig-vijaya; (8) Sankara-dig-vijaya-sara of Sadananda; (9) Sankara-vijaya-vilasa of Chidvilasa; and (10) Sankara-dig-vijaya or Samkshepa-Sankara-vijaya of Madhava-Vidyaranya. Of these, the first two, the Brihat-Sankara-vijaya and Prachina-Sankara-vijaya are supposed to be the products of the contem-poraries of Sankara, their authors being the Acharya's disciples. Nothing can be said of this claim, as the texts are not available anywhere at present. Sri T.S. Narayana Sastri, the author of The Age of Sankara, claims to have come across what he calls a 'mutilated copy' of the second section, called Sankaracharya-satpatha, of Chitsukha's work mentioned above. There is, however, no means to assess the authenticity of the claim on behalf of this mutilated copy, as it is not available anywhere.
Regarding the remaining Sankara-vijayas, while some of them might be lying in some obscure corners of manuscript libraries, there are only five of them available in printed form, and even most of them can be got only with considerable difficulty. These are Sankara-vijaya of Anantanandagiri (quite different from the now defunct Anandagiri's work with which it is confused even by scholars), Acharya-charita of Govindanatha, Sankara-vijaya of Vyasachala, Sankara-vijaya-vilasa of Chidvilasa, and Sankara-dig-vijaya of Madhava-Vidyaranaya.
We are taking up for translation the last of these, namely, Madhava-Vidyaranya's work, with the full awareness of its limitations, which may be listed as follows: it is not a biography but a biographical and philosophical poem, as the author himself calls it. These are many obviously mythological elements in it, like reports of conferences held in heavens, appearance of Devas and dead sages among men, traffic between men and gods, thundering miracles, and chronological absurdities which Prof. S.S. Suryanarayana condemns as 'indiscriminate bringing together of writers of very different centuries among those whom Sankara met and defeated.' But these unhistorical features, it shares with all other available Sankara-vijayas, including that of Anantanandagiri. Though Wilson and Monier Williams find Anantanandagiri's writing to be more authentic and 'less fanciful', it seems so only because, being a rather scrappy writing, more of the nature of a synopsis in modern Sanskrit prose, such fanciful features do not look highlighted in the way in which they do in a poetical and elaborate piece of literature like the work of Madhava-Vidyaranya, to which people will have to turn for the present to get some clear idea of Sankara and his doings. Ever since it was first printed in Ganapat Krishnaji Press in Bombay in the year 1863, it has continued to be a popular work on Sankara and it is still the only work on the basis of which ordinary people have managed to get some idea of the great Acharya, in spite of the severe uncharitable criticism directed against it by several scholars. But it has survived all these criticisms, and will be studied with interest for all time as a unique historical and philosophical poem in Sanskrit on one of the greatest spiritual luminaries of India.
The criticism of it is uncharitable because it is mainly born of prejudice, and it has extended beyond finding fault with the text, to the question of its authorship itself. The critics somehow want to disprove that this work is, as traditionally accepted, a writing of the great Madhava-Vidyaranya, the author of the Panchadasi, and a great name in the field of Indian philosophical and theological literature. For, if his authorship is accepted, the book will receive a high status, which some schools of thought do not like for reasons of their own. In fact, except in the eyes of a few such biased scholars, it has actually got that status at present, especially in the eyes of the followers of Sankaracharya in general; but this position is sought to be undermined by disputing its author-ship on all kinds of flimsy and far-fetched grounds. Besides the support of tradition, the colophon at the end of every chapter of the book mentions its author's name as Madhava, that being the pre-monastic name of Vidyaranya. Before he adopted Sannyasa under the monastic name of Vidyaranya. Before he adopted Sannyasa under the monastic name of Vidyaranya, he was known as Madhavacharya, and was the chief minister of the great Vijayanagara kingdom under its first three rulers. He was born in the year 1295 in a poor Brahmana family near Hampi in the region of the river Tungabhadra. His father's name was Mayana and mother's, Srimati. He had two brothers by name Sayana and Bhoganatha. Though brought up in poverty, all the brothers became versatile scholars in all branches of learning. Bhoganatha took to the Order of Sannyasa in early life. Sayana and Madhava were the authors of many works on religion and philosophy. The famous commentary of Rig Veda, though a work of Sayana, was probably a combined work of theirs, for it is said in its Introduction: "Kripalur-madha-vacaryah vedartham vaktum udyatah" and at the conclusion: "iti Sayanacarya viracite madhaviya" etc.
For relief from poverty, Madhavacharya is said to have performed austerities at the shrine of Devi Bhuvaneswari at Hampi, but the Devi revealed to him that in that life he was not destined to be rich himself, but he would be able to help others to become rich. This was an indication of the great part he was to play in the political life of his times. In his fortieth year he became associated with the founders of the Vijayanagara empire-Hari Hara I and his brother Bhukka I-who began the consolidation of that State by 1336. He served under three successive kings as chief minister and built up the greatness and prosperity of that kingdom until he retired in about 1380 to take to the life of Sannyasa at the age of 85. He became the head of the Sringeri Math for a few years and passed away at the age of 91 in the year 1386.
The identity of Madhava, the author of Sankara-dig-vijaya, with his Madhava-Vidyaranya is further established by the first verse of the text, wherein he pays obeisance to his teacher Vidyatirtha. Vidyatirtha was the head of Sringeri Sankara Math during 1228 to 1333. He was succeeded by Bharatikrishna Tirtha (133-1380), the immediate predecessor of Vidyaranya, who in turn succeeded him as the head (1380-1386) at a very advanced age, thus, thought not the immediate successor of Vidyatirtha, Madhava-Vidyaranya must have had his spiritual initiation from him in his pre-monastic life. The identity is further established by the poet Madhava's reference to his life in the royal court in the following touching introductory verses of his work: "By indulging in insincere praise of the goodness and magnanimity of kings, which are really non-esistent like the son of a barren woman or the horns of a hare, my poesy has become extremely impure. Now I shall render it pure and fragrant by applying to it the cool and fragrant sandal paste fallen from the body of the danseuse of the Acharya's holy fame and greatness, as she performs here dance on the great stage of the world."
Besides, the text is a masterpiece of literature and philosophy, which none but a great mind could have produced. But there are detractors of this great text who try to minimize its obvious literary worth by imputing plagiarism and literary piracy to its author, they claim that they have been able to show several verses that have entered into it from certain other Sankara-vijayas like Prachina-Sankara-vijaya and Vyasachala's Sankara-vijayas Though Prachina-Sankara-vijaya is nowhere available, T.S. Narayana Sastri claims to have in his possession some mutilated sections of it; but such unverifiable and exclusive claims on behalf of mutilated texts cannot be entertained by a critical and impartial student of these texts, since considerations other than the scholarly have entered into these criticisms, and manuscripts, too, have been heavily tampered with by Sanskrit Pandits. It can as well be that the other Vijayas have taken these from the work of Madhava. Next, even if such verses are there, and they are demonstrably present in regard to Vyasachala's work, the author can never be accused of plagiarism, because he acknowledges at the outset itself that his work is a collection of all the traditions about Sankaracharya and that in it all the important things contained in an extensive literature. Can be seen in a nutshell as an elephant's face in a mirror. It this not a general acknowledgement of dependence on earlier texts, and if quotations from then are found, where is the justification for accusing the author of plagiarism, unless the prejudice of such critics is accepted as sufficient reason?
Besides, it is forgotten by these critics that it is a literay technique of Vidyaranya, as seen from his other works also, to quote extensively from recognized authorities without specially mentioning their names, and that this feature of the present work goes only to establish the identity of its authorship with Vidyaranya. Comparing the text with Vyasachala's work, it is obvious that many verses are common to both the texts. The author of the present work, however, seems to imply Vyasachala as one of the recognized authorities on this theme in the 17th verse of the 1st chapter.
There is also the view that the author need not necessarily be Madhava-Vidyaranya but Madhavacharya, the son of the former's brother Sayana and the author of Sarvadarsana-Samgraha, a masterly philosophical text. To make this hypothesis even plausible, it has to be established that this Madhava was the disciple of Vidyatirtha, which the author of Sankara-dig-vijaya claims to be in the very first verse of the text.
The authorship of the book is questioned also from the point of view of style. Now views on style can be very subjective, and when one wants to dispute the authorship of any work, the easiest way is to adopt this line of criticism. In Sanskrit there are various types of style, and accomplished men of letters can vary the style according to the topic they deal with. According to the scholarly traditions of ancient India most of the philosophic, theological and even scientific subjects were expounded in metrical forms, but the styles employed for these have necessarily to be different from that for pure literary and poetical productions. Most of Vidyaranya's other works are on high philosophical and theological themes, and if he has used methods and styles in such works differing from that f a historical poem like Sankara-dig-vijaya, it is only what one should expect of a great thinker and writer. That the author of this work has poetic effect very much in view can be inferred from his description of himself as Nava-Kalidasa (offspring of the modern Kalidasa). So, difference in style, even if any, is not very relevant to the question of authorship, especially when the identity of the author is plainly mentioned in the book itself.
In place of taking the poet's description of his work as a production of a Nava-Kalidasa in the proper light, these hostile critics have in a facile manner concluded that the name of the author must be Nava-Kalidasa, though such a conclusion is against all internal evidence. No one has heard of the name of such a Sanskrit poet. They also safely forget the highly metaphysical doctrines couched in cryptic but very attractive style in the discussions of Sankara with Mandana, the upholder of Purvamimamsa doctrine, and with Bhatta Bhaskara, the exponent of the Bhedabheda philosophy. These discussions have drawn the unstinted praise of an independent critic like Telang. If Nava-Kalidasa, who forged this book and imposed it on Vidyaranya, was a mere poet and an unknown poet at that an explanation has to be given for the impressive metaphysical wisdom, the dialectical skill, and the Vedantic technique of exposition displayed in these chapters. The genius of the author of Panchadasi is clearly reflected in them. In philosophical profundity, in literary excellence and in non-partisan outlook, it is far superior to all other Sankara-Vijayas. In the light of all this internal evidence, the disparaging criticism of this text, questioning its authorship itself, can be attributed only to the prejudice of the critics.
Acceptance of Vidyaranya's authorship does not, however, in any way mean the denial of the my mythical elements and the fanciful contemporaneity of various Indian philosophers found in it. These features if shares with all the other Sankara-vijayas. Chronology and historicity did not receive much attention from even the greatest of Indian writers in those days.
Sri Sankaracharya is one of the greatest luminaries who has enriched the spiritual and philosophical heritage of India. Through his subtle philosophical treatises and sublime devotional hymns, he has deeply touched the hearts of millions of people, both the intellectual classes and the simple masses. He transformed diabolical practices that had crept in the name of religion into purer and more elevating forms, thereby restoring the Vedic religion to its pristine glory.
While his stupendous works have made an unshakable impression on the Indian psyche, his biographical detail have been shrouded in mysteries and controversies. Among myriad versions of biographical works, Madhava-Vidyaranya' Sankara-dig-vijaya has, however, gained popular acceptance.
Swami Tapasyananda, who was a scholar-monk of the Ramakrishna Order and the translator of this work, has given a scholarly and impartial presentation, in his Introduction, of the challenges associated with portraying Sri Sankaracharya's biography. And has asserted that 'Madhava's Sankara-dig vijaya has one outstanding superiority over all other availabl literature of that kind... as a profound and penetrating: exposition of some of the moot points in Advaita metaphysics, dressed in a poetical style that is as attractive to literary men as to philosophers, it can be described as a unique philosophical and historical poem.'
Such being the importance of the text and the translation, we are happy to bring out this new edition with a new wrapper design and a modified layout, with minor corrections and changes in the text, supplemented with an index.
For easy readability, we have chosen appropriate font style and size, breaking long passages into smaller ones, and changing footnotes as endnotes.
To facilitate accurate pronunciation, we have provided, wherever necessary, diacritical marks to names, places and Sanskrit words. The titles and Sanskrit words have been italicised.
We have embellished the book with recent photographs (taken from the web) of some of the places mentioned in the text which are associated with Sri Sankaracharya or his disciples. We are grateful to the administrator of Sarada Peetam, Sringeri, for providing and granting us permission to publish two photographs-Sri Sankaracharya's idol in his birthplace and Sri Saradamba's idol in the nearby shrine.
We are grateful to Sri K. S. Subramanian and Sri Alok Paul for proofreading the text.
May the blessings of the Lord be on all those who prepared this edition and on those who read and derive inspiration from it.
National and emotional integration is the need of the hour in Indian context. In the global and Universal context equality and brotherhood of man, non-violence, respect for Nature and non-pollution of her elements are burning issues today. Centuries ago Sri Sankara, towering philosopher of Bharat, lived a life and preached an art of living that helped the country in the maintaining, by and large, her emotional and cultural, if not political, oneness through her tumultous age. His philosophy of non-dualism stresses the fundamental unity and total harmony of all beings, animate and inanimate. "Unity alone is real; love it and take refuge in it" the Acarya preached. As the present book shows, all this is a panacea for all the ills of the humanity, now choked in an atmosphere that is dense and polluted with excesses of the industrial and technological revolutions, the political and social upheavals, and an allround degeneracy in morality and ascendancy of violence.
Dr. S. Srinivas Sankaranarayanan (b. 1926) began his education in the Krishnayajurveda in traditional way; became Nyaya Siromani and M. A. in History and Politics; took Doctoral degree in Ancient Indian History; and studied Advaita Vedaanta. He was Gazetted Officer for 21 years in the Epigraphy Branch, Archaeological Survey of India; Director and Professor in the Oriental Research Institute & Department of Indian Culture, Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati, for 10 years; and U.G.C. Professor for 3 years in the Department of Sanskrit, University of Madras. Since 1986 he is Hon. Prof. In the Adyar Library & Research Centre, Madras. The title.
Vedasastraratnakara has been conferred on him by Sri Paramacarya, Kanchi Kamakoti Pitham (1984). He is the recepient of Bharat President's Award of Proficiency in Sanskrit (1994). To his credit he has some 100 published research papers on different Indological and Philosophical topics and 9 books in Sanskrit and English.
SWAMI VIVEKANANDA has said that India was saved from mate- rialism twice-once by Lord Buddha, second time by Sri Sankara- carya, through his philosophy of Advaita Vedanta. Great world teachers of Sri Sankara's eminence never cease to be relevant in any period of world history; they go on influencing world thought. That is the reason why even today Sri Sankara is being studied and written upon. Only in India, his contribution and importance in our history is yet to be correctly assessed, not only due to the lack of sufficient historical materials, but because of prejudices and pre-conceived notions about him.
Sri Sankara's life history is steeped in legends. A great per- sonality of his stature dazzles the people around him and he passes into a legend even in his life-time. As centuries roll on, the legends gather more and more accretions, and then it becomes difficult to separate the fact from fiction. Nevertheless, there are many com- mon factors in the Sankaravijayas (Sankara biographies) written on him through the centuries by various authors. To collect the essential facts from these Sankaravijayas and present a brief bio- graphical account is one of the many difficult things which the eminent scholar Prof. S. Sankaranarayanan has accomplished in this book entitled, Sri Sankara: His Life, Philosophy and Relevance to Man in Modern Times.
In other chapters, Sri Sankara's philosophy of Advaita Vedanta and relevance of Sri Sankara to us in modern times have been dis- cussed succinctly. The controversies regarding the date of Sri Sankara has been discussed in an appendix.
Normally, erudition goes against brevity. But the learned author has managed to bring together the essential facts of the Acarya's life and teachings and his relevance to modern man, within a brief compass, thus making it possible for a modern reader to read the book. Prof. Sankaranarayanan has drawn his material from numerous original sources and they have been well- documented.
I believe that this publication would be a valuable addition to the literature on Sri Sankara and I congratulate the author for a task well-done.
ACARYA SRi SANKARA Bhagavadpada was a great and multi- faceted personality. His contribution to the cultural and religious integration of India is enormous and magnificent. He practised, preached and propagated the unique Upanisadic philosophy of oneness of all beings. In 1988 the Government of India decided to pay homage to this great son of Bharat by celebrating Rashtriya Sankara Jayanti Mahotsava; a National Committee under the Chairmanship of Sri Rajiv Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India, was constituted, and the Department of Culture, Ministry of HRD and the University Grants Commission jointly organized regional, national and international seminars, on philosophy, personality and achievements of Sri Sankara, The proceedings of these Seminars have been published. The Co-ordinating Com mittee then recommended that the Department of Culture should bring out a suitable book on Sri Sankara's life, philosophy and relevance to the present time. I was assigned this work by the Department of Culture.
The aim of this book is to present in a cogent manner what we know about the life and works of Sri Sankara as can be gathered from the various Sankaravijayas written centuries after Sri Sankara, all claiming to be biographies of that Teacher, but containing obvi- ous anachronisms, contradictions and inaccuracies. These legends, if examined with discretion carefully, can yield at least some reliable information about that Teacher, about the people of that age and their beliefs regarding Sri Sankara.
The chapter on Sri Sankara's philosophy takes up for detailed study the three basic tenets given in the famous line: Brahma Sat yam , jagan mithya, jivo Brahmaiva naparah, The last Chapter brings out the relevance of Sri Sankara's teachings to the modern man. My plan was to avoid the controversy on the date of Sri Sankara ; but since readers may be interested in that problem, it has been dealt with in an appendix. Another appendix is devoted to the Mathas said to have been established by the Acarya and the identification of the place where Sri Sankara is alleged to have ascended the Sarvajiiapitha. Appendix III is on the Works of Sri Sankara.
A critical review of the tenets of Sri Sankara's philosophy and his refutation of rival schools like the Samkhya, the Mimamsa, etc., are beyond the scope of this book. The original Sanskrit source materials used in writing this book are the Sankaravijayas and the Acarya's own works: detailed references are not given to these sources; but references to secondary sources have been given wherever necessary. For writing the last two chapters I have been fundamentally influenced by the brilliant speeches (in Tamil) of the Paramacarya Chandrasekharendra Sarasvati Swami of Kanchi and by the immortal writings of Swamy Vivekananda. Hence I have given no references to them.
The script of the book was submitted to the Department of Culture in 1990. In due course the Department referred it to the Committee of Experts. After their close scrutiny the Experts approved the script and strongly recommended its publication. Thereupon the Department granted financial aid for its publi- cation. Permission was also given to have it printed by the Vasanta Press and included in the Adyar Library General Series. For all these I am deeply grateful to the Department of Culture, Ministry of Human Resource Department.
I am highly indebted to Professor K. Satchidananda Murty, then Vice-Chairman of the University Grants Commission, and Member of the National and Co-ordinating Committees of the Rashtriya Sankarajayanti Mahotsava, for recommending my name to write this book. Earlier, when he was the Vice-chancellor of Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati, he appointed me as the Director of Oriental Research Institute of the University; and en- couraged me to bring out a critical edition, with English translation. of Abhinavagupta's Gitarthasangraha commentary on the Bhagavad- gita. He was also mainly responsible for my getting the UGC Professorship (1987-89) in the Sanskrit Department of the Univer- sity of Madras.
The script of my book was seen by the late V. S. Seturaman (Retired Professor of English, Sri Krishnadevaraya University) who made valuable suggestions for improving the language. I am highly obliged to him. I am sorry that he passed away in 1993 before seeing the book in print. The late Mahamahopadh- yaya Pattabhirama Sastri of Varanasi, Professor Mandana Mishra, the then Vice-Chancellor, Lal Bahadur Sastri Kendriya Sanskrit Vidyapeeth, New Delhi, Shri G. Venkataramani, LA.S•., Shri R. S. Rangarajan, LA.S. (both Deputy Secretaries, Dept. of Culture), Sri K. Subrahmaniam, I.A.S. (Retd.), Sri C. R. Sundara- rajan, I.R.S. (Retd.)-all helped me in getting the book published. Professor K. Kunjunni Raja, Director, Adyar Library and Research Centre kindly lent me some rare and useful old books and souve- niers from his personal library for my work. I am thankful to all these persons.
Mrs Radha Burnier,International President of the Theosophical Society and Chairperson of the Adyar Library Council gave per- mission to get the book printed in the Vasanta Press and included in the Adyar Library General Series. She has also contributed a Foreword to it. I am obliged to her for all these.
Swami Smarananandaji, presently President of the Sri Rama- krishna Mutt, Mylapore, has blessed the book with his Foreword. My grateful Pranams to him.
India, the Bharatavarsa is well known for its vast ness. This is a country with an extent equal to that of the entire continent of Europe, only Russia being excluded. Reputed scholars point out that besides being so vast, India is also one among the countries like Egypt, Mesopotamia etc., where historians, arch aeologists and anthropologists trace the dawn of human civilization and the rise of Thoughts and ideas that have, ages after ages, moulded the character values and destiny of mankind. However, the most striking difference between India and other countries is this: In her history we observe an unbroken cont nuity of her ancient civilization, whereas the older cultures and civilizations of countries like, Egypt, Sumeria, Babilonia, Persia etc., have disappeared long ago. In India, since the days of her earliest known civilization of Harappa and of the Vedas, the self- same Gods and Goddesses are being worshipped; the same hymns of the Vedas are being chanted; and the same religious practices are being observed-of course the passage of centuries has left its inevitable and re- freshing marks of evolution on all these-from Kanya- kumari, her southernmost tip touching the Indian Ocean, upto the northernmost Himalayas. Hence a study of India's ancient culture and civilization is an exercise in understanding and appreciating her most living culture. On the other hand, to study those of other countries is only to satisfy one's own academic curiosity.
What is the secret behind this unparallelled longevity of Indian culture? The secret is that Hinduism, the centre and heart of Indian culture continues to pulsate with a unique energy through millennia. The great strength of Hinduism is its receptivity and all-comprehensiveness. It cares not to oppose the progress of any other system. For, it finds no difficulty in embracing and accommodating other systems-as long as they do not try to destroy its roots-within its fold. Wherefrom does Hinduism derive this unique strength? Impartial experts in the history of world-religions say that it derives its strength from the Vedas. Hinduism is Vedic way; it is a self- perpetuating religion, tracing its multidimensional developments back to the Vedas and the Upanisads. The Vedic way, noted for its constant spiritual reinter- pretation, is a way of life which is self-renewing, self- preserving and which therefore, for the individual and for the world, may be eternal. Hence, unlike in the case of other ancient religions it is not death, but development and unfolding that have been the charac- teristic features of Hinduism: It is for this reason the Vedic Dharma is traditionally known as 'perennial' (sanatana).
Hinduism has been lucky enough to have a galaxy of spiritual interpreters and reinterpreters. The list of them includes the Lord Visnu, Krsna, Yajnavalkya, Vyasa, Vardhamana Mahavira, Gautama Buddha, Sri Sankaracarya and many other illustrious men of wisdom. An attempt is made here in this book to study the life, mission, philosophy and achievements of Sri Sankara briefly and to understand the relevance of his teachings to us in modern times.
Click Here for More Books Published By Adyar Library and Research Centre
Even today some teachers of this essential goodness exist Living Shankara tells the story of Shankara's life-following his footprints, for they have formed the path that a growing number of people treasure. This book may be dry and dusty because the trail is old, but people who are sincerely interested in changing themselves and their lifestyle can still find guides to light the way: and that is the living legacy of Shankara.
She was initiated into poora sannyasa by Swami Satyananda in 1980, and since 1984 she has been based at Bihar School of Yoga, Munger, undergoing yogic and sannyasa training.
She has authored The Contemporary) Position of Yoga in the Dasnami Tradition of Sri Adi Shankaracharya (MPhil thesis for Sydney University, Australia, 1996). The Advayataraka Upanishad: A Study in Yogic Techniques for Liberation (MA Phil thesis for Bihar Yoga Bharati, Munger, India, 1999). She has compiled and edited Past, Present and Future (Consolidated History of Bihar School of Yoga) Vols, I and II (Bihar School of Yoga, 1989 and 1995) and the Sanskrit Glossary of Yogic Terms (Yoga Publications Trust, 2007). She has edited various other publications, some of the principal ones being Teachings of Swami Satyananda, Sannyasa Darshan, Dharana Darshan, Prashnopanishad and Prana Vidya.
Yoga philosophy and the study of Sanskrit have been areas of special interest and Swami Yogakanti continues to contribute her extensive knowledge to many of the ashram publications.
**Contents and Sample Pages**
‘Atmatirtha’ – This sacred book deals with the life and teachings of the greatest Acharya of Hinduism – Sri Sankara Bhagavadpada. This is not a historical biography of the Acharya but is a magnificent independent Vedantic epic. While unraveling the life of the great Master, sparks of profound spiritual insight flash forth. The Majesty of the teachings and the glory of the teacher open the sluice gates of deep peace and give the glimpse of our true nature. In the course of narration, the doubts that a seeker may have, regarding Vedanta and spiritual practices, are clarified. A devout reader of this text is sure to have the experience of a sacred pilgrimage along with the elightened Sage, from Kerala to Kedar. Bhakti, jnana and vairagya seep into one’s heart while absourbing the divine life.
In this, the divine story of the Acharya is freely rendered. More than facts, the highest goal, Self-realisation is always kept in the background of the subject matter. This indeed is the story of spiritual India, the story of Sanatana Dharma.
Sri Venkataraman is an Acharya of Vedanta. He resides in the holy Arunachala (Tiruvannamalai). He was born in Nochur village in Palakkad (Kerala). Brought up in an orthodox Vedic tradition, he had profound exposure into Vedanta jnana at the tender age of fourteen itself. His talks and writings on jana and bhakti have already made him a legend.
'Atmatirtham'- This divine independent work on Acharya Bhagavadpada, in whom all the great sages of all times, meet and merge, is a pilgrimage to the sacred and timeless spiritual inheritance of India. This is not a simple biography but a profound Spiritual classic having a bio-graphical framework that serves as a structural device. It is an independent excursion into the sacred life of Acharya and his teachings. For the same reason more than factual details it is the fragrance of atmajnana that inspires the readers to reflect afresh and contemplate upon the eternal Truth. As Bhagavatam is Sri Krishna Himself, Atmatirtham is truly Sankara Himself.
Dakshinamurthi out of infinite compassion left his mouna and descended in the form of Sankaracharya to restore Sanatana dharma from the pitiable situation into which it had fallen. In the form of Adi Sankara, He journeyed across the whole of India on foot to remove the darkness of ignorance. In our times Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi lived with the same glory and light.
Sri Nochur Swami is a Spiritual teacher who has come in the lineage of Bhagavan Sri Ramana and Sri Sankaracharya. Through this unique composition, the sagely author leads the devotees and seekers to an inner digvijaya of jnana. This is indeed a holy Prayag - confluence of bhakti, jnana and vairagya - transforming all those who take a holy dip in it. As one reads, the words disappear, leaving us astonishingly still in the divine Presence!
This is an incomparable contribution to spiritual literature, carrying the fragrance of Truth experienced by the author himself. A worshipful dip in these sacred waters will certainly purify us and grant the insight to get a glimpse of the Self. Drink deep the sacred nectar of Truth and life will never be the same again.
Adi Sankaracharya's name is known all over India as the greatest of the Acharyas and saviour of Hinduism or Vedic dharma. Quite a few might also know that it was Sankara who preached Advaita or Non-duality as the principal teaching of the Upanishads, along the length and breadth of India, many centuries ago. However, the fact is that like all great men, especially great spiritual teachers, Sankara, the man and Sage, remains unknown. The chief cause for this obscurity is the silence of the enlightened ones about their personal lives and their transcendental state. There are people, even among sannyasis of the Dasanami Order which owes its origin to Adi Sankara, who know Sankara as only a colossal intellectual, an invincible debater and a dialectician par excellence.
A great Swami, a profound admirer of the Acharya, once described Swami Vivekananda as a fusion of Sankara's intellect and the Buddha's heart. Readers of this book are sure to find Sankara's heart as vast and deep as his intellect. Often the phrase 'Hridayam viswam asya- 'his heart is infinite like the universe I occurs In this book while describing the great Master. It is this aspect of the book presenting Sankara as much as an ocean of compassion and love as a mountain of wisdom which impresses most. In this book Sankara appears as a mighty spiritual teacher least interested in winning debates or displaying his genius. He knew the Truth, the Advaitic Truth and he walked and walked and talked and he walked his talk. He preached the Truth which he lived. Mere logic, however brilliant, cannot go very far in the spiritual domain. It was his total inner purity, power of Realization, fearlessness and love for all which could bring all the sects that have strayed away, back to Sanatana Dharma.
It would seem that this is the first book in any language on Sankara's life which presents the Preceptor Extra-ordinary's life and teachings widely quoting his own words. Gifted with a panoramic view of Indian spirituality and profound knowledge of Vedanta, Sri Venkataraman aptly places Sankara's heart-melting devotional hymns on various forms of God and Vedantic utterances in right contexts throughout the book and as one turns page after page, one's knowledge of Vedanta and understanding of Sankara deepen. Sankara's devotional hymns shine like jewels on his radiant Vedantic crown of jnana.
The author wisely avoids controversies like the period of Sankara, establishing of mutts, miracles which defy belief, the manner of the end of the avatar etc. However the real miracle of the Acharya's life and his tireless teaching of Self-knowledge are brought out perfectly. Backed by deep spiritual insight, written with great devotion, in a simple, elegant style, with a generous sprinkling of illustrations and a map of the period, this book is beyond doubt the most complete one on the life and teachings of the JagadGuru.
We are presenting this Vedantic text - 'Atmatirtham. This name itself has been taken from Sri Sankara Bhagavadpada's Vedantic text, 'Atmabodha'. Sankara Bhagavadpada is the quintessence of all the Avataras and Rishis in the spiritual history of India. There is absolutely no doubt that the foundation of the Hindu religion as it is today, is Acharya himself. This is an undeniable fact to anyone who studies Indian history without prejudice.
From the works of Acharya, very little biographical details are available to us. What one can gauge about Bhagavan Sankaracharya from his own works is that, he is ever the unborn Brahman. Acharya's direct disciples also have extolled the Master as Lord Siva and as the all-knowing Sage. Some of them have merely alluded in their works that Acharya's birth took place in the Dravidian land. What we have obtained as the life history of Acharya include the Sanskrit works - Brihat Sankaravijaya, Prachina Sankaravijaya, Vyasachaliya, Anandagiri Sankaravijaya, Chidvilasiya, Madhaviya Sankaravijaya, Sankarabhyudava, Bhagavadpadabhyudava, Sankaravijavarnakaranda and Govindanathiva (Sankaravijava from Kerala). Sri P. Seshadri Iyer, one of the few direct disciples of Swami Brahmananda (Sri Ramakrishoa's dear most disciple) has condensed the essence of all these in the small but beautiful book, 'Sri Sankaracharva charitam'. This is a Malayalam work published by Sri Ramakrishna Asrama. This very book has been a vital point of reference for this divine work, 'Atmatirtham'. Main sources for this Atmatirtha are Acharya's own bhashyas, prakarana-grantnas, statras, the works of disciples, and the stories narrated in Sankaravijayas.
This holy work is to be considered as the direct form of Acharya himself. This is the history of Bharatha and its culture. Those who read this, will certainly be convinced of its divine origin. This work 'Atmatirtha' is not a simple biography nor is it a research thesis. This is not a historical narration either. This is a Paramahamsa Samhita soaked in Vedanta rasa. This has to be read with utmost reverence and devotion.
Certain incidents and narrations in this work may vary from those of other Sankaravijayas and biographies. These differences are brought about with the firm evidences from Sruti, yukti, anubhava and the words of Rishis. Sankara indeed is the glow of Divine Awareness that happens in the heart-cave of the readers of this sacred book. The same Sankara is behind this pen too.
From the Jacket:
His Holiness Jagadguru Sri Candrasekharendra Sarasvati, Sankaracarya of Kanci Kamakoti Pitham, is the sixty-eighth in the line of succession from Adi Sankara on the Kanci Kamakoti Pitha in Kanci. He became the head of the Matha at the age of thirteen in 1907. After the requisite training in seclusion on the banks of the river Kaveri near Kumbhakonam, he under-took a peripatetic pilgrimage of India, which lasted from the year 1919 to 1939. In the course of this dig-vijaya he spent four months in the city of Madras in the year 1932. During his stay, the Acarya used to deliver discourses every evening after puja. Thousands of people listened to these words in pin-drop silence. Seated on the simhasana, the Acarya would remain silent for some time. Then slowly he would commence to speak. It was not mere speech; it was a message from the heart each day. At that time, he delivered a series of discourses on the life and message of Adi Sankara, in Tamil, which was published by Messrs. B.G. Paul and Company in 1933. We must indeed be grateful to Sri K. Nilakantan for compiling these speeches in book-form. It was a privilege for Sri T. M.P. Mahadevan to translate them into English for the benefit of as many people as possible.
In the year 1954 His Holiness nominated his Successor giving him Sannyasa. After training him for the arduous duties connected with the headship of the Math, His Holiness retired from active administration thereof. Even now he travels from place to place as a peripatetic monk blessing the people by his very presence in the respective villages or towns. It is by his grace that this series of discourses has been translated and published in Bhavan's Series under the title "Adi Sankara: His life and Times."
I consider it a unique privilege to have the good fortune of translating the series of speeches on "Sankara, His Life and Times" delivered by His Holiness Jagadguru Sri Candrasekharendra Sarasvati, Sankaracarya of the Kanci Kamakoti Pitha. During his stay in Madras in the year 1932, the Great Sage gave to us the wonderful experience of letting us hear from him the story of Adi Sankara in an uninterrupted series so that we could benefit from its blessed and powerful meaning.
Sri K. Nilakantan had the commendable idea of compiling the record of these speeches into book-form in Tamil and as such it was published by Messrs B.G. Paul and Co. in 1933. I have based my translation thereon.
I felt that it was very necessary to share this treasure with those who do not know Tamil, as also with our foreign friends.
By his luminous reflection, His Holiness has thrown an insightful light on even the obscurest details concerning the life of Sankara Bhagavatpada and he has given us a vivid impression of the Great Master against the rich background of our multi-faceted culture. Thus, we have an account of all the aspects of our spirituality and our customs, their meanings, and reasons for being interwoven in the life-story of the Great Acarya. Mythology, history and so many other subjects find their unifying harmony in the simple and clear rendition so characteristic of His Holiness.
It will be noticed that His Holiness adapts himself to the simplest of minds by using easy examples and modes of expression, without compromising in regard to the highest teaching while doing so.
Unconcerned about so-called sophisticated opinions he reminds and even exhorts us to resort to our holy scriptures and teachings while striving to make progress and not to neglect our spiritual heritage while we justly seek to better our conditions. He points out to us that when the direction of our endeavour is God-ward only, then do all other facets of our activities become really valid and authoritative as also of lasting effectiveness. He calls for all round spiritual development. Furthermore, he strongly advise that before we characterize so many items of our culture as mere superstition of the past, we investigate into our legend discriminatingly and find out the meaning and truths which are contained therein. He advocates devotion to one's chosen form of the Deity because such devotion will lead one eventually to the realization of the ultimate Reality which is the supreme felicity and the highest beatitude. This experience becomes possible through service without any selfish motive, one-pointed concentration gained by devotion and study of the Vedantic teachings accompanied by reflection and meditation. Towards this end, the knowledge of the biography of Adi Sankara will itself serve as a powerful guide to all spiritual aspirants.
I greatly appreciate the readiness with which Sri S. Ramakrishnan, Executive Secretary of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Bombay, has agreed to publish this volume, which appears under the title "Adi Sankara-i-His Life and Times."
Swami the founder and chairman of the Jagadguru Shankaracharya has carried out a detailed and intensive research on Adya Jagadguru Shankaracharya and has established exact date of birth of Adya Shankaracharya and his life and works by placing the same in proper chronological swami ji has ascertained that Adi Jagadguru Shankaracharya was born on 2631 Yuddhsithir Samvat 2593 Kali Samvat 509 B.C.
Swamiji systematically campaigns for purging the sacred stream of the holy ganges from pollution by motivating a large number of people with active involvement and co-operation of educational institutions governments employees non governmental organizations religious heads etc. under the banner of Rakshat Gangama Andolan.
Swami Gyananand Saraswati had organized national level conferences on life and philosophy of Adi Shankara at various places such as Varanasi Ujjaini Somnath, Delhi, and Mumbai etc. He remains ever engaged in finding our various important dates of historical personnel on the basis of traditional Indian literature and Jyotisha.
The life and message of Adi Jagadguru Shankaracharya is the full expression of duty towards the nation. Born in Kerala province of southern India 2514 years ago Adi Jagadguru Shankaracharya in a short life span of 32 years, 6 months and 10 days delivered his message of giving highest priority to duty towards the nation. That is why divine consciousness of Acharya Shankara is continuously inspiring us for promoting national pride with a feeling of unity and love. In the context of world peace and national integration Adya Shankaracharya is an illumination ray which will always remain relevant for human life. Giving highest priority to Rashtradharma and establishing nation hood to the country by establishing four shines mutts in four concerns of the country for maintaining national unity and integration Shankara is of the view that moral teachings of religious teachers and through royal punishment. It means a religious teacher who is giving sermon should first ser example by his good moral conduct and the king who makes provisions of punishment should be ready to undergo punishment in case he commits a crime. Thus the religious teacher and the king should observe good moral conduct and restrain their desires. Only then the welfare of the nation is possible.
Shankara directed the heads of the Mutts established by him saying don’t remain always in the Mutts visit the different parts of the country and while visiting different parts of the country assess yourselves and the situation of the country. The rulers of India should take inspiration from the philosophy of Adi Shankaracharya and should establish the national values which can protect spiritual, religious, social, historical and territorial unity of the country. In fact Shankara has enlightened the people entrapped in the quagmire of narrowness, weakness dissension regionalism and hypocrisy. India finds a place in the world due to his peerless scholarship and organizational skills. By uniting 72 sects as Vedic, Buddhist Shaiva Jaina, Kapalika Pancharatrika etc. into a thread Adi Shankaracharya restored social historical territorial spiritual integrity of a divided destroyed and lackluster country intact.
Lord Krishna established unity among different ideologies through Gita and unity of Nation in the form of large empire of Dharma Raja Yudhisthira. Acharya Shankara did not make any political personality as the symbol of unity of nation. But established unity in every aspect of national life and strengthened the cultural unity of the nation by cultivating the tradition of unity. That is why despite differences India always aspires for internal unity. The advaitavada of Shankara is the source of peace and welfare of human beings. Untiring efforts of shankara saved India from going to the path of rigid ritualism and atheistic stupidity. Acharya Shankara emancipated India form this.
Adi Shankara had done immense good to the nation. To forget his goodness is a national crime. Birth anniversary of Adi Shankara is a national festival for us. His character and personality is a valuable symbol for the persons following the path of nation building and welfare.
In the history of Vedic religion advent of Shankara is the beginning of a new age. Acharya Shankara was born when this holy nation India was sinking under the weight of anti religious sects and when the entire. Nation was in the grip of devils indulging in misconduct and malpractices and utterly lethargy. Shankara spread the light of religion when its flame was about to extinguish in the storm of vanity. Vedic religion has started spreading in every nook and corner of the country. The echo of these great statements of the Upanishads started reverberating in the country. These teaching of Gita god popularized among the masses in its true sense and they came to know about the importance of knowledge. The age of social and religious lethargy ended. Feeling of nationalism started spreading in the country and the new era has begun in the history of Rashtradharma. To protect the national values dear to Shankara and to present the events and sketch of his life to the student and the people of India Srimad Adya Jagadguru Shankaracharya Vaidic Shodha Samsthan Varanasi made this humble effort of presenting the book entitled Adi Shankara Life and philosophy. It is believed that this bunch of flowers will spread its fragrance in the horizon of Vedic Santana Culture in such and restless world may live in peace harmony and social unity and may get insight into pilgrimages of places of worship cow and cow progeny. Indian life style national ethos inner consciousness and may develop feeling that the whole world is one’s own family.
The present book is in three parts. Parts one deals with the date of Shankara and sketchy description of major events of life of Shankara. Part two carries twelve papers written and published by various illustrious scholars on the most important concepts doctrines and ideas of Advaita Vedanta arranged in thematic sequence. Part three carries a number of Quotable Quotes of various respectable personalities on Shankara. We hope that this book will be welcomed by people both as a narrative and as a scholarly presentation of Advantic thought.
Expressing my gratitude to all those who have contributed through their hard work money and knowledge in bringing out this publication I pay my respects to Bharata Mata.
A sweeping remark is often made that Indians do not have sense of history. The remark is made precisely on account of non- availability of decided dates of luminaries both in the arena of literature as well as kings and kingdoms. The date of Adi Shankara is also one such undecided issue as per observations of several scholars. (In our write up the word "Adi Shankara" stands to signify the first Shankaracharya also known in tradition as Shankara Bhagavatpada who wrote bhashyas on the Upanishads, Shrimad Bhagavadgita and the Brahmasutras and established several peethas in various directions and places and introduced a mode of worship, namely, panchayatana puja paddhati throughout the Bharathavarsha and also known as Shanmatasthapanacharya.) It is also quite interesting to note that various scholars have shown several evidences to fix his date in between 6th century B.C. and 8th century A.D. There are even some stray theories which fix the date of Adi Shankara much prior to 6th century B.C. and much later to 8th century AD. However giving any amount of credence to those theories would land us in greater unsolvable problems. Therefore it is the mystery of 13 hundred years (From early 6th century B.C. to first quarter of 9th century A.D.) which has to be resolved by giving due consideration to all the theories. It may also be further be noted that there are some theories held by some scholars which propose one or the other date in between these two upper and lower limits. For example there is a very strong theory advocating for the date somewhere in the first century B.C., 4th century A.D. as well as 7th century A.D.
If the contention of scholars that Indians do not have sense of history is true how so many theories based on some or the other evidence could come into existence? To make a counter sweeping remark it appears to us that more or less every author of Samskrit literature has left some or the other evidence to arrive at his date. It all depends upon us how far we will be able to catch the points thus left back and put them in the proper perspective of Indian history. If one stops with the attitude that Indians do not have the sense of history then he will arrive at only such conclusions which may appear to be meaningless for several other scholars. What we require is thorough investigation into all possible evidences and to put them in such an order of priority in which violations/disagreements will be minimum to any position held by any other person. Infact, all the discussions in various adhikaranas in the Purva Mimamsa and Uttara Mimamsa follow the above said principle of investigation. That is our tradition. There are mutually contradictory statements in the Vedas quite a few in number and the writers of Purva and Uttara Mimamsa have reconciled the statements in such a way that least violation is caused to any of the Vedic statements. To achieve this objective they have applied thousands and thousands of logical formulas based on sound reasoning and well established basic theories which will cause mind-boggling experience to the reader. We may not go into those details which may turn to be irrelevant for us for the present purpose, but we underscore the fact that though violation is caused to some or the other text, to whatever extent that be, the total text has been explained in a meaningful way reconciling the contradictory statements. This is not a mean achievement. This exercise requires an open mindedness, thorough understanding of the basic problem as well as the details, sense of objectivity, lack of showing any prejudice to any theory and an attitude of making every position meaningful within its context.
From this broader perspective let us examine the sweeping remark that Indians do not have sense of history once again. If the above sweeping remark is true then why the following activities have been taken up by the Indians?
1. Writing of scores of Puranas which carry discussion on various genealogies (Vamsha) and detailed accounts of ruling of various kings (Vamshanucharita?) 2. Scores of works giving details of imperial accounts of a particular region such as Kalhana's Rajatarangini. 3. Hundreds and thousands of chronograms giving the birth or death date or both of hundreds of writers and kings mentioning the day in the traditional cyclic years along with traditional details of month, date and the birth, death star. For example, Shankara's birth date and time is recorded to be in the year 2593 of Kali era in the cyclic year of Nandana on the 5th day of cyclic Vaishakha month at 12 noon in the star of Punarvasu. 4. The invention and use of 'letter-numbers' and 'word-numbers' which is India specific and is unheard of in any other civilizations. 5. The entire branch of literature called Vijayas giving the details of life of various great individuals. For example, there are more than half a dozen Shankara Vijayas which give minute life details of Adi Shankara. It is to be noted that all these texts called Shankara Vijayas show near unanimity in giving detailed account of life of Adi Shankara. 6. Hundreds and thousands of epigraphs written on stones, metal plates, wood, and various other materials. For example emperor Ashoka's inscriptions. 7. Hundreds and thousands of danapatras and endowment records preserved in the temples, mathas, palaces, revenue offices, and individual house holds. 8. Giving references to various kings, cities, historical events, mountains, rivers and other signs of identity in the works of various writers. For example Adi Shankara's mention of coronation of Poornavarman and names of the cities such as Srughna and Pataliputra. 9. Giving references by name of various prior and contemporary writers of one's own field or in the other fields. 10. Summerization and Khandana or Mandana of the philosophical and other positions held by various authors of one's own field and of other fields. 11. Various literary writings giving the details of Peetadipathi's and Matadhipati's.
All these above-mentioned activities and several other criteria invented by Indian mind do exhibit the sense of history in the minds of Indian writers' beyond any doubt. But, unfortunately all of us are placed in such a pathetic condition that quite often we were unable to decipher the information thus given to us. There are several reasons for this state of affairs.
1. Our ancestors have used several eras to record the information such as Kali era, Yudhisthira era, Vikrama era etc, and sometimes they have not specified them either. 2. The adoption of cyclic years to record the events and dates also caused some confusion. Never the less the details thus given can be deciphered on the strength of modem almanacs. 3. Holding the same name or epithet by several people at different times. Such as in the lineage of Adi Shankara every successive preceptor is called Shankaracharya till today. Similarly the titles such as Vikramadithya etc. are held to be worn by several kings during the period before Christ as well as after the death of Christ However this problem is universal or greater in the context of European history.
Therefore to comb the difficult jungle of historical data we have to adopt the above said principle of "Least violation of any accepted theory" giving due consideration to every theory because every proposal or theory or giver of information can not be held to be a cheat On the other hand if we start discarding any theory without proper examination we can not arrive at the truth and we will be cheating ourselves by stamping the proposes of theories or givers of information as cheats. Of course it is easy said rather than done. Because, sometimes the accepted theories may present mutually contradictory view points especially in the context of discussion of dates of any author or person. The only logical methodology could be to prioritize the available data and to put in efforts to reconcile the contradicting data.
Adopting this principle we will try to summarize the existing mass of thoughts with regard to the date of Adi Shankara and try to arrive at some reasonable conclusion. In this context we want to discuss the theory of 509 B.C. with all its pros and cons at the first instance. Next we will discuss pros and cons of the theory of 788 AD in detail. In the third place we shall discuss the theories which propose an intermediary date in between the said two limits. Towards end we shall try to conclude the matter as it appeals to our critical mind.
Shruthi smruthi Puranaanaam aalayam Karunalayam Namami Bhagavathpaadam Shankaram Loka Shankaram ||
When Hindu Dharma was deteriorating due to the influence of other religions in Bharath, Shankaracharya, an Avatharara Purusha was born and reestablished the Vedic Hindu Dharma. He propogated the sacred values of Vedic Dharma to common man in a clear understandable way and guided so that Hindu Dharma stand firmly.
Shankaracharya was born in the year 788 A.D., on Vaishaka Shukla panchami in Vibhava naama Samwasthara, Sunday in Aaridhra nakshatra, in Kalati Village, Kerala of South India. At his seventh year of age he took sanyasa with the permission of his mother, left kalati, went to Omkarnath on the banks of river Narmada to become a disciple of Sri Govindapaada, a disciple of Sri Goudapaada.
Adishankaracharya established the Hindu religion on the firm foundation of Vedanta. With his dedicated efforts he designed the entire setup prevailing in those days to reestablish Hinduism in the Sananthana Vedic ideals at the time of Buddhist upsurge. With the misrepresentation of Hindu ideal way of life, the Hindus were in cross-road in the practice of Dharma. Shankaracharya opened up a new horizon for the spiritual life and brought a revolutionary transformation not only in Hindu philosophy but also in social life. He dedicated his life to the spiritual welfare of humanity and to bring harmony in the religious life.
Shankaracharya was a philosopher of extra ordinary genius, a holy sage and a seer of the ultimate truth of life. He was a distinguished personality in self-realization who believed in direct religious life experience, leading to liberation. His humane feelings, scientific thinking and reasoning are of asserting nature in consoling the ultimate reality of the real aspirant for understanding his Self for finding solaceness and truth even in modern scientific era. For him the realization of Advaita by knowledge (Jnana) is the final stage of Self-realization. But the other steps of importance namely Bhakti (devotion) and karma (action) finds their appropriate place in his writings and message. Although he is popularly recognized as a great philosopher of Advaita (monist), beyond that is also well recognized as an Avatara purusha of Lord Shiva Himself.
At the time of birth of Shankaracharya, the different religious sects had under gone a great change. The popular Hinduism was divided into Saivism, Vishnavism, Jainism, Buddhism etc. Image worship, sacrifice of animal and human beings were finding their own importance and coming in the way of the progress of Vedic religious practice. Religious transformation had taken place beyond recognition. The tantric cult emerged and influenced both Hinduism and Buddhism. The religious followers were under extreme confusion to find the real facts about the Hindu religious practice. The period witnessed conflict between different schools of philosophy, chiefly between those accepting the authority of Vedas and those which were not accepting the authority of Vedas, as source of knowledge. These rival schools of thoughts were debating over each other's belief with the main objective of either to vanquish or make them submissive. At this juncture Shankaracharya a giant among the vedantic scholars upheld the principles of Vedas to accept in the Advaita philosophy. He emphasized the right position of Vedanta established on firm basis of logic.
Some seven hundred years or more after Sankara's day, a series of hagiographies began to emerge which were instrumental in establishing him in popular culture. The texts succeeded in creating a fluid and dynamic image of Sankara which became celebrated throughout the whole of the subcontinent. This study examines the hagiographies composed prior to and including the Sankaradigvijaya, eight works in all. Selections from seven previously untranslated texts are presented here for the first time.
The book considers how Sankara has been received in India, focusing specifically on the conceptual models upon which his life story is constructed. Firstly, there are the mythic foundations. Secondly, the sense of place is established through the narratives of Sankara's all-India tour. This grand pilgrimage proved to be a quest for the throne of omniscience. Thirdly, there are the great debates which Sankara contested in the course of his journey. These culminated in a digvijaya, a conquest of the four quarters, through which he eventually came to be recognized as a national hero.
Much attention is also paid to the legacy of Sankara and the continuity of the Advaita tradition. The book includes interviews with some of the most influential Sankaracaryas of our day.
Dr. Jonathan Bader has taught at the University of Melbourne and the Australian National University. He currently works at the North Coast Institute of TAFE and Southern Cross University. He lives in Northern New South Wales, in a small town, where his garden now tends to take precedence over academic concerns.
Cover Illustration :
Sankara defeats Mandanamisra in debate. Bharati, the arbiter, looks on. From a painting by Sukumarn of Perambavur, Kerala, 1986. Use of the reproduction is with the kind permission of the editor of Tattvaloka: The Splendour of Truth, published under the auspices of the Sringeri Sankara matha.
Some seven hundred years or more after Sankara's day, a series of hagiographies began to emerge which were instrumental in establishing him in popular culture. Until the present century these works were composed exclusively in Sanskrit. One in particular stands out from the rest, the Sankaradigvijaya of Madhava. This text, composed between 1650 and 1800, skilfully brought together materials from several earlier hagiographies. Its popularity grew to such an extent that it eventually eclipsed the other works, which have languished in relative obscurity ever since. The Sankara hagiographies have so far failed to attract much scholarly attention largely because they are of little historical value. Yet, the authors of these works had no intention of writing history. They sought to eulogise Sankara and, to this end, mythography was far more powerful than biography as a medium of expression. Indeed, the hagiographers succeeded in creating a fluid and dynamic image of Sankara which became celebrated throughout the whole of the subcontinent. This study focuses on the hagiographies composed prior to and including the Sankaradigvijaya, i.e., eight texts in all.
My primary aim is to consider how Sankara has been received in India, and in particular to examine the conceptual models upon which his life story is constructed. The work is organised along the lines of the features that stand out most prominently in the hagiographies. Firstly, there are the mythic structures which provide not only the peaks but also the foundation of the narrative. The Sankara story is cast firmly within the framework of Salva mythology: the protagonist is, above all, an avatara of Siva. Secondly, I have attached considerable importance to the sense of place. Sankara's grand tour of sacred sites proves to be a quest for the throne of omniscience, and also demonstrates the complementarity of royal and ascetic paradigms in traditional India. Thirdly, there are the debates, through which the wanderings characteristic to a renouncer are transformed into a digvijaya, a conquest of the four quarters. It is through the digvijaya that Sankara fulfils his mission of restoring harmony to a divided land, and eventually comes to be recognised as a national hero. Finally, I have paid much attention to the legacy of Sankara as well as the continuity of the Advaita sampradaya, in order to emphasise that theirs is a living tradition.
This study was originally presented as a PhD thesis at the Australian National University in 1991. For the past eight years the manuscript has remained virtually hidden away, while my own pursuits in Advaita Vedanta have been oriented more towards practice than to theoretical concerns. It is only through the repeated prompting of my wife, Erica, that I have finally decided to bring the work into the public domain.
I am very grateful to a number of people who provided much help in the preparation of this study while I was at the Australian National University: Tissa Rajapatirana, Luise Hercus, Professor J. W. de Jong, and Michael Comans. I also wish to acknowledge the Faculty of Asian Studies for their overall support and the generous facilities afforded me in my research. I am especially grateful to Dipesh Chakrabarty, who first encouraged me to undertake this project. Yogendra Yadav and Sudha Joshi helped me through some of the Hindi materials.
There are a number of people I would like to thank for their help and cordiality during my visits to India. In the first place, I am most grateful to the Sankaracaryas who showed me that the rich tradition they represent is still very much alive. The acaryas and their staff welcomed me and graciously answered my many questions: at Kanchipuram, His Holiness the late Jagadguru Candrasekharendra-Sarasvati and A. Kuppuswami; at Sringeri, His Holiness Jagadguru Bharatitirtha and Shankar Sharma (private secretary to the late Jagadguru Abhinavavidyatirtha); at the Kumbha Mela, His Holiness Jagadguru Svami Svarupananda, pithadhipat of the Dwarka and Jyotir mathas, and Michael Mavro who arranged for me to meet Svamiji. In Bombay Dr. W. R. Antarkar generously provided me with various materials for my research. In Madras Professor N. Veezhinathan spent several hours patiently replying to my queries about the Sankaravijaya of Anatanandagiri, and the late Swami Tapasyananda of the Sri Ramakrishna Order set aside time to discuss the Sankara hagiographies at length.
Two other people deserve special mention for strongly encouraging my pursuits in India, both practical and theoretical. The late Swami Narikutti provided a powerful demonstration of how life could be lived according to traditional knowledge. Over the years we spent much time in his cave on Arunacala, the sacred mountain at Tiruvannamalai. We enjoyed numerous cups of his superb chai, over which Swami Narikutti spoke with much insight on the teachings of the greatest 20th century exponent of Advaita, Sri Ramana Maharshi. Swami Narikutti also took the trouble to read through the whole of the manuscript with his jackal's eye of discrimination. Swami Satyananda of Tiruvannamalai also took great interest in my work and provided inspired satsang.
This study has benefited considerably from the critical comments of Professor Hermann Kulke, Professor Sheldon Pollock, Phyllis Granoff and Greg Bailey. As well, Phyllis Granoff gave generously of her time in suggesting numerous improvements for my translations of some of the more difficult verses. However, for any mistakes which remain, I take sole responsibility.
My final and greatest debt is to my wife Erica, who has had to live with one so distracted by the details of research these many years. Her support, and more especially her honesty, has kept me from losing the plot. To her is due the larger part of whatever fruits may arise from the work.
On the fifth day of the bright half of the month of Vaisakha, April 21, 1988, a select crowd gathered in the rarified atmosphere of the Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi. They had come to pay tribute, long due, to a national hero. The President of India, the Prime Minister and various other dignitaries stood on the podium before the freshly garlanded figure of a young samnyasin clad in ochre robes. This was no Hindu militant, but an apostle of unity. He was, in the words of President R. Venkataraman,
In this august gathering, the name of Sankara was finally entered into the ledger of national history. The seal of approval came in the form of a year-long festival, the "Rastriya Sankara Jayanti Mahotsav", proclaimed by the Government of India in commemoration of the twelve hundredth anniversary of his birth.
This was a historic occasion and a celebration of history. In his address at the inaugural function, Professor K. Satchidananda Murty reminded the audience of the great esteem in which Sankara was held by the leaders of modern India, from Rammohan Roy right up to Indira Gandhi; and "her greatest historical hero, she stated, was Shankaracharya".2 Yet the weight of history had been long denied to this cultural hero. For more than a hundred years controversy had raged over the dates of Sankara. The voluminous and tiresome literature this debate has generated seems to suggest that there is no personality in the absence of a precise chronology. In the end it was the government which rescued Sankara from the uncharted waters of history. This was achieved by steering clear of the treacherous snares, on the one side, set by the opposing forces in the debate on Sankara's chronology.f and on the other, the powerful pull of the bureaucratic imperative for recording essential statistics. The Rastriya Sankara Jayanti Mahotsav Committee, headed by Rajiv Gandhi, saw to it that the figure of Sankara was clearly cast as a national monument, but that no dates were to be inscribed on the pedestal. President Venkataraman explained just why Sankara cannot be dated:
This was truly a historic occasion: the meeting of time and the timeless.
The official addresses at the inaugural function stressed that the festival was more than a national affair. Ankara's teachings were universal. Perhaps they even held the key to world peace: "Nations armed to the teeth with weapons of annihilation ... may well turn to Sankara for enlightenment''. While it is questionable whether his profile extends into the sphere of international politics, there is no doubt that Sankara has secured a place in the global academic culture. The proliferation of scholarly studies inspired by Sankara's thought are ample testimony of this. Indeed his emergence as an international figure derives from an unusual cultural collaboration. Both the early spokesmen of Indian nationalism And some of the orientalists who was patronized by imperial Britain found in Sankara the epitome of the true Indian psyche. the outstanding figures in this coalition were Swami .vivekananda and F. Max Muller. They sought to establish Sankara at the apex of a "Brahmanism" which partook of the essence of Indo-European culture and thus stood apart from what both the nationalists and the imperialists saw as the garish idolatry of "later Hinduism".
The corridors of power in New Delhi were not to be the only venue for a Sankara festival. An organization was formed Kerala which envisaged the whole of India as the setting for a celebration. This was in the hope that "commemorating the Vijay Yatra of Adi Sankara [which took place] 1200 years ago will further kindle the spirit of national integration, cultural unity and spiritual renaissance". 8 The reenactment of Sankara's tour of victory began in Kalati, Kerala, which is believed to be his birthplace. It was to end in Kedara in the Himalayas, the place of his mahasamadhi, according to some accounts of his life. Despite the traditional backgrounds of the convenors, they too were subject to conditions which are virtually universal in the latter part of the 20th century. There is no longer time for walking. The yatra would proceed via a motorized chariot, earing the items for ritual worship. Nevertheless, this was a project which would touch the lives of many as the chariot made its stops in the cities and pilgrimage places en route to its destination.
The great interest shown in recreating his journey to the four quarters of the subcontinent demonstrates that Sankara still holds a place in the thoughts of many individuals as well as in the country's intellectual history. Although they are largely restricted to educated Hindus, his teachings have directly affected people's lives. Perhaps Sankara's presence makes itself most strongly felt when old age approaches, and people find it difficult to avoid the fact of their own mortality. At this time the atavistic call of the forest rsis is more easily heard, and there is impetus for reflection on the ancient ascetic values which Sankara represents.
There are many images which the name Sankara brings to mind. He may appear in the guise of an exegete, a metaphysician, a guru, a wandering mendicant, or an incarnation of the great god whose name he bears. These are but a few of the portraits to be found in the substantial body of literature devoted to Sankara's life. There are some twenty Sanskrit accounts which were composed prior to 1900, and several more have been written in the 20th century. One text stands out from the rest, the Sankaradigvijaya of Madhava, composed between 1650 and 1800. This work skilfully brought together materials from several of the earlier hagiographies. The result was a single coherent version of the Sankara story which gained almost universal acceptance, eventually eclipsing the other Sanskrit texts. In this century there have been many renderings and adaptations of the Sankaradigvijaya, in various vernaculars and in English. However, I have been unable to find any vernacular accounts of his life which are more than a hundred years old. This suggests the extent to which Sankara was limited to the sphere of Sanskritic culture prior to the nationalist period. Once he became a national hero his portfolio was considerably expanded. Since 1947 the Sankara story has been still more widely disseminated through school text books, a comic book and a feature film.
Of Related Interest:
Life of Shankaracharya - The Adventures of a Poet Philosopher
Click Here for an Exhaustive Collection of Books Relating to Shankaracharya
When the rumblings of foreign assaults on India’s ancient Sanatana-dhrma began with Muhammad bin Qasim’s defeat of Raja Dahir of Sindh in 711 A.D., the land remained splintered politically. The times were not promising for bringing the national together in any manner. Just then, the gift of resurgence and spiritual unification came with the advent of Adi Sankara in 788 A.D. Renouncing material life, he mastered India’s ancient lore and cleared the cobwebs that obscured the Eternal Religion and interpreted cruicial scriptures like the Brahma-Sutra, the Upanisads and the Gita in the light of Advaita Vedanta. Understanding the need of the aspirants to reach out to the Unknown through the known, Adi Sankara inaugurated the vast area of stotra literature, which remains the common man’s gateway tot eh Divine every today.
Structured as a concise introduction to the varied writings of the greatest Advaitic philosopher the world has known, Adi Sankara: Finite to the Infinite recounts his life and travels. The individual writings are discussed to show how he was the father of the commentatorial tradition for which India is famous. What emerges in the end is an inspiring figure of an intrepid scholar, an illustrious teacher, a visionary administrator and a superb poet. Certainly, we have in Adi Sankara’s personality the much-needed motivation for the youth of today who are building the new India.
Dr. Prema Nandakumar obtained her Ph.D. in 1961 for her study of Sri Aurobindo’s SriAurobindo’s epic poem, Savitri. Since then, she has been an independent researcher, publishing ciritical and biographical works. As a translator, her career spans half a century, with the UNESCO publishing her wbook on Subramania Bharati. Nandakumar’s translationinto English o Manimekalai, the ancient Buddhist epic in Tamil, has been received with enthusiasm. She is also a creative writer in English and Tamil.
A resource person at various national and international conferences in India and abroad, Dr. Nandakumar Draws her inspiration from sources as varied as the Vedas, Sanskrit and Tamil epics, and modern India literarue. She is the recipient of several awards, including the “Sri Aurobindo Puraskar” (Calcutta), “Pandita Ratna” (Warangal), “Thamizh Peravai Chemmal” (Madurai Kamaraj University) and “Thiru Vi. Ka. Award” (Government of Tamil Nadu). Her latest publication is Swami Vivekananda (2013).
R. Balasubramanian, Ph. D. Litt. (Madras Universty), Vacaspati (Honoris Causa), a specialist in Advaita, Phenomenology and Existentialism, started his career in 1950. He taught in Besant Theosophical College, Vivekananda College, and Annamalai University before joining the faculty of Radhakrishnan institute for Advanced Study in Philosophy, University of Madras, of which he was the Director for a number of years. He started Sri Aurobindo School of Eastern and Western Thought at Pondicherry University and was its first Chairman for live years. He spent a year at Stanford University as a Fulbright & Smith-Mundt scholar for his post-doctoral studies. He was Chairman of India Council of Philosophical Research for a term. At present, he is Chairman, India Philosophical Congress. He has numerous publications to his credit.
The present volume entitled Adi Sankara: Finite to the Infinite written by Dr. Prema Nandakumar gives a coherent and cogent account of the life and achievements of Adi Sankara, closely following Madhava Vidyaranya's Sankara-digvijaya. The presentation is lucid, very often poetical, and gives us a vivid picture of the young sannyasin moving from place to place. One is tempted to read it again and again.
Among the legendary figures in the religio-philosophical history of the world, Sankara is one. He is unique in the Indian tradition. There is no one to be compared with him before or after his advent. He is at once a hard-core traditionalist and an amazing radical, a fascinating idealist and a down-to-earth realist, a great mystic and a constructive religious reformer, an uncompromising intellectual and an ardent devotee. His numerous writings reflect all these aspects of his personality. Tradition holds that he was an incarnation of Siva. Even if one would discount such a traditional story, what Sankara was able to achieve during his short life span of thirty-two years could not have been achieved even by the most gifted human being. What he did was the work of a divinity in the human form. According to tradition, Sankara was born in Veliyanad to Sivaguru and Aryamba. The incidents in the life-history of Sankara and his achievements during his dig-vijaya have been narrated in the Sankara-vijayas, which are quite a few. Sankara left his home when he was just eight years old, went to the north in search of a guru, met Govinda Bhagavatpada who was a disciple of Gaudapada, became his sannyasin-disciple, and received instruction in Veda- Vedanta. During his dig-vijaya he met scholars and debated with them on various issues of sanatana-dharma. A reputed Mimarhsaka with whom he held philosophical debate was Mandanarnisra, also known as Visvarupa. Accepting defeat, Mandana gave up his life of a house-holder, and became his sannyasin-disciple with a new name, Suresvara, Three other direct disciples of his were Padmapada, Totaka, and Hastamalaka. According to tradition, Sankara went around India more than once, probably 'thrice, and established monastic institutions in the different places in the country, the most notable of which are the Jyotir-matha at Badarikasrama, the Kalika-pitha at Dvaraka, the Govardhana- pitha at Jagannatha-puri, the Sarada-pitha at Smgeri, and the Kamakoti-pitha at Kanci. According to one account, he attained siddhi after ascending the sarvajna-pitha at Kanci. It is also said that he entered into a cave at Kedara and disappeared.
Though the tradition of Advaita right from the Vedic times down to the present day is a continuous one, still we speak of pre-Sankara and post-Sankara Advaita making Sankara the dividing line or watershed in view of his importance in the historical development of the school. Whether we speak of pre- Sankara or post-Sankara Advaita, the basic teachings of Advaita as contained in the prasthana-traya remain the same in its long history. However, the periodization is intended to highlight the manifold contribution of Sankara to Advaita-consolidation of Advaita through his numerous writings, reconciliation of karma-kanda and jnana-kanda through a demarcation of their scope and subject-matter; the distinction between the two forms of Brahman, nirguna and saguna, based on the paramarthika and vyavaharika standpoints; formulation of the concept of adhyasa as the presupposition of philosophical investigation; exposition of the theory of vivarta; enunciation of the concept of moksa as the consummation of human values (purusartha- samapti) to be achieved here and now; formulation of the lad- der-model for explaining the relation between karma-yoga and jnana-yoga; articulation of a theoretical base for religious harmony leading to the worship of one God in six forms (sanmata); and cultural integration of the nation through the establishment of five seats of spirituality (mathas) in the north and the south, the east and the west.
Without claiming any originality, Sankara presented him- self as a spokesman of the Upanisadic tradition. The basic ideas of Advaita are not Sankara's invention. They are derived by him from the Upanisads, and so he is not original in this respect. However, his originality in the analysis and inter- pretation of the ideas enshrined in the Upanisads and of the arguments implicit in the Brahma-sutra is unsurpassable. His masterly commentaries, easily manageable manuals, and elevating hymns produced a tremendous impact not only on the followers of other systems, but also on the practices of the common people. The direct disciples of Sankara as well as other Advaitins established their rapport with the prasthana-traya through Sankara's commentaries thereon. He was the source and inspiration for the development of Advaita after him.
Though the vyavaharika realm is mithya, it is not, according to him, unimportant. What is finite implies the infinite. A lower value points to a higher value. Empirical knowledge (apara vidya) has to pave the way for higher wisdom (para vidya). Sankara teaches the philosophy of transcendence. To him, the absolute truth is at once the highest value and the supreme reality. Epistemology, axiology, and metaphysics show the path to the primal being which is beyond onto-theology. Through a rigorous philosophical inquiry, what is called pramana-prameya-vicara, Sankara shows where philosophy begins and how it ends. The more we read his writings, the more we are fascinated by them. There is nothing in them of the ephemeral and the parochial. The midrib of his philosophy is eternal and universal.
I venture to suggest that this monograph deserves to be translated in other languages including Sanskrit. Its special merit lies in the fact that it not only closely follows Vidyaranya's Digvijaya, but also elaborates the concepts and doctrines of Advaita contained in it.
Preface My earliest memory takes me back by seven decades when my grandmother held my hand and took me to the Sankara Matha in the tiny village of Kodakanallur on the banks of Tambraparni whenever a kathakalaksepa, or bhajan, or music recital was in progress there. We belonged to a Srivaisnava family, but my grandmother made me bow to the image of Adi Sankara in the Matha and seek blessings. I guess I slept on her lap after a while. But her love and the unconscious reception of the devotion-laden atmosphere have led me on the sun-lit path till today when I am able to present this homage to the Jagadguru who saved Hindu culture and spirituality for all time.
When Professor R. Balasubramanian gave me this assignment, I accepted it not without a good deal of trepidation. It is one thing to have studied Adi Sankara's works, or written articles about him, or given lectures on his ministry for Sanatana- dharma. But a book which would come under grave scrutiny from scholars was quite another thing. Do I dare to enter this world of an unparalleled Spiritual Agni with my little Sanskrit and less philosophy? Once again, I turned to Sri Aurobindo and his words calmed me: "If they aim be great and thy means small, still act; for by action alone these can increase to thee."
Indians have not preferred to waste their time on dates; instead, they have welcomed great thoughts and deeds that enrich the social fabric. This is a major problem for a writer today who is challenged by the western concepts of research in terms of time. Not all the biographies of Adi Sankara speak uniformly about his life, but all of them are sincere to their core. To avoid getting lost in alternate readings, I have chosen to rely mainly on Madhava Vidyaranya's Sankara-digvijaya, because this biography has also an excellent English translation by Swami Tapasyananda. I bow reverently to the memory of this sterling scholar-translator of Sri Ramakrishna Math.
All the biographies make it clear that Adi Sankara was an extraordinary person, a renunciate who had to face terrifying opposition from blind orthodoxy that had crept into the Vedic stream. There were also the non-Vedic religions that were inimical towards his work to resuscitate Hinduism. Which all goes to prove that we have a massive barrier-breaker, an incarnation in Adi Sailkara. As one who firmly believes in the avatara concept, I feel blessed to have been chosen as an instrument to put together this humble offering.
It has been an enriching adventure in every way. All the time, Professor Balasubramanian's encouraging words and timely help with choice books have sustained me. I am grateful to him for his unfailing guidance in my work during the last twenty years. When I despaired of getting the complete works of Adi Sailkara published by the Vani Vilas Press, as I had very few volumes of that classic edition with me, the internet came to my rescue, and I had them all in a trice. It was like opening magic casements that revealed a Guru of infinite com- passion. How he teaches his disciples word by word in his commentaries! And these sweet stotras that are easily memorized have been my companions for decades. A book subsuming all this needs tapasya from the author. I have none, but I can rightfully claim as a child of the Mother, Her devaprasada, the gift of indulgence from the Supreme.
Among those who have helped me draw to the works of Adi Sankara in the past, I remember with gratitude the late Sri Rama Narasu who often invited me to give talks on the Guru and his works in the Sringeri Math at Srirangam. As always, Nandakumar has been of unfailing help in every way and my children, Ahana, Bhuvana and Raja have kept me cheerful in moments of self-pity. I thank Srimati Sathiya Barna for preparing the maps of Adi Sankara's journey-routes in India.
This book describes the life and philosophy of Shankaracharya. It uses a fast paced narrative which reads almost like a novel. The book succeeds in exploring the depth and breadth of Shankaracharya's personality, witnessed in the part played by him in resurrecting a rapidly declining dharma. This biography is not written in a 'Western historical sense', rather, it follows the style of our timeless Puranas and includes inspiring material interspersed between stories about Shankaracharya. Indeed, it fills a gap felt by many; namely a book which explains Shankaracharya's philosophy in a simple and interesting manner. This is the greatest achievement of the book.
The author is a sannyasi in the lineage of Shankaracharya, having been initiated into sannyasa at Shringeri. Undoubtedly, he is one of the greatest scholars of Advaita Vedanta of this century and his pure life is a source of constant inspiration for his disciples.
Uttaram yat samudrasya Himadreshchaiva Dakshinam
There are several citations as above which depict the fact that Bharata which extends from the Himalayas in the north to the legendary Rama Setu 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 parameshthyam rajyam maharajyamadhipatyamyam .... prithivyai samudra paryantaya ekahraat - Samrajya, Bhojya etc. are different kinds of states in the country. Nevertheless, it is one Rashtra - 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 the potency of washing off sins. The Kumbha Mela 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 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 a 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, the 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 bloodbath if such a policy had been 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 the 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, Parikshit 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 start to value more their own little knowledge. Varnashrama dharma, which is 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 opposed to the Vedas like Sugata, 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 is then decided by the number of members of the partisan group. And thus, people begin to adopt deceit, force or violence to increase the membership of their group, which 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 is clear evidence 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 the Buddha. Whatever that be, the one common theme of all these scholars is the repudiation of the Vaidika 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 Vaidika 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 Buddhist 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 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 the Yogasutras, got consecrated the Ashwamedha at the hands of Pushyamitra.
About thirteen centuries ago, by the time of Shankar a, 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. Vaidika 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 the Buddha himself. 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 with a balanced mind.
Before critically examining this argument one has to consider what this argument has already concedes and then analyze what remains to be decided. It concedes that for an orderly social life a division into four groups based on the principle of varnadharma 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 for inclusion in a varna - whether the varna be decided on the basis of the present gun a 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 - acharana 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 sattvika 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 somebody else 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 sattvaguna is predominant one may embrace a child with love while some 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 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 is 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.
About the Book:
Sankaracarya: (A.D. 788 - 820) is considered the greatest exponent of Vedanta in Indian philosophy. A corpus consisting of commentaries on the Vedanta Sutras, the Gita and twelve Upanishads about thirty independent tracts, nearly 250 hymns, a Tantric work and a commentary on Patanjali's Yoga Sutras bears the name of Sankara as the author. Sankara's Manisha Panchakam is the very essence of Hindu Philosophy, which preaches Advaita as the Supreme Reality. Starting his religious mission and journey from Kasi, Sankara never looked back. His was a dharma-yatra. His visit to Kanchipuram was an important stage in his tours of religious victory. Sankara, with great vision, brought cultural renaissance in India. He visualized the country as a nation of integrity in all respects. After accomplishing all this in a short span of thirty-two years, Sankara passed away in the Himalayas.
In the present monograph on 'Sankaracarya, the author has given outlines of his biography, mission and philosophy in brief. Selected passages from his works with English translation added at the end increases the value of this title.
About the Author:
Prof. S. B. Raghunathacharya (b. 1944) M. A., Ph.D. in Sanskrit and ex-Vice Chancellor, Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeeth, Tirupati is presently Professor, Department of Sanskrit at Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati. He has visited and delivered the lectures in Harvard University, University of Malta, University of Toronto, Petaka University and Tokyo University. He is a member of the Advisory Board of Sanskrit and earlier member of the General Council of the Sahitya Akademi. Recipient of many awards and honours; he has published 30 books in English, edited more than 100 works in Sanskrit and Telugu. He is also edited the Akademi's half-yearly journal 'Samskrita Pratibha' in Sanskrit.
Click Here To View All Titles In This Series
Click Here for More Books Published By Sahitya Akademi
This book was not planned to be written. On May 1st 1966, we had given a talk at the Ramakrishna Mission, New Delhi, on Acarya Sankara on the occasion of his birthday celebration. A devotee who had attended the talk gave us a shorthand report of it expressing his satisfaction and appreciation saying that historical doubts standing for many years were cleared. On the basis of this report, with some editing and additions, footnotes, etc., we contributed an article entitled : Acarya Sankara and His Contribution to Indian Spiritual Regeneration, which was published in the May and June 1978 issues of the Vedanta Kesari, Madras. It has been appended at the end of this book after some revision under the text. Around this time and earlier too, we had occasion to read and hear several, what we felt were, unjustified criticisms and ignorant misrepresentations of Sankara's philosophy and views. To answer these and to put the records straight, in the light of our understanding, we prepared a paper for publication in the Vedanta Kesari in continuation of our above article. But the management wanted only short articles and did not like to entertain a long article.
However, in due course, the paper was developed further into a book as we came across other types of criticisms and questionings and also several new ideas occured to us while studying and teaching some of Sankara's works. As it was not possible to recast the entire book, some of these ideas were given in the form of footnotes at relevant places. Since some of the footnotes were long, and it would be inconvenient to print them on relevant pages, they are appended at the end along with references to quotations, though it would have facilitated reference if they were readily available below the text.
But another consideration also decided the issue. The book is not intended only for scholars, but also to the general intelligent public who wish to know something of Sankara's life and thought without going deeply into its technicalities. Hence they can read on without the notes and references also. As much as is necessary for them has been given in the body of the text. For this reason, that is, to serve the general reader, we have adopted the usual English spellings for the Sanskrit words, along with the use of diacritical marks for the benefit of the scholars. A separate Note will explain the system, which we have adopted for our other books also with good results.
Though we have tried to answer the criticism and objections to Sankara's views as understood by the critics by presenting them in the proper perspective, our approach has been reconciliatory and not polemical, as advocated by Swami Vivekananda, and as is the need of the times, when we have to consolidate the whole range of Hindu thought to meet the world-wide challenges from scientific and socialistic materialism, dry rationalism, and narrow dogmatism of alien religions. As such, though we have tried generally to keep to the traditional views, whenever a more suitable presentation has been possible, justified by the original texts and reason, we have adopted it. Hence the apt title of the book : An interpretation of the Life and Philosophy of Sri Sankaracarya (Elucidatory and Reconciliatory). Generally, the treatment is a fresh interpretation in a broader context, with new modern illustrations whenever possible, to render Sankara's thought dynamically relevant to the present times. Though it may differ here and there from the strictly orthodox traditional view-point, the work is not written in a spirit of challenging the orthodox view of deep scholars, but to expound Sankara's ideas, in the light of our understanding, in a simple nontechnical language understandable to the intelligent reader interested in the thought and achievements of the genius of Sankara.
However, to keep in tune with the orthodox view, though not strictly in line with it, the manuscript has been shown to the late Dr. T. M. P. Mahadevan, who was well versed in Sankara's thought, and to Swami Acalanandaji of Mysore, whose learned translation, with Introduction and Notes, of Siddhanta Bindu of Madhusudana Sarasvati has been published by Mysore University. Both of them have gone through the work carefully and we acknowledge our gratefulness to these learned scholars, who have appreciated the work and found it presentable and useful. Dr. Mahadevan wrote: "I have enjoyed reading the paper along with notes. You have covered many of the aspects of Advaita and answered the usual charges levelled against it." Swami Acalanandaji wrote: "I have gone through the manuscript of Acarya Sankara : An Interpretation with care. In general the book is well written and is a welcome addition to the literature available in English on the subject. It can help many persons to an understanding of the doctrine of Advaita.... The explanations and clarifications given are quite clear and consistent." They both were kind enough to make some relevant observations and suggestions as well, which have been suitably incorporated in the book and changes effected where necessary. Hence, we feel assured that no conscious violence has been done to the orthodox view and only the cause of Sankara's thought is furthered by this fresh interpretation.
It is indeed a good augury that the book is being published by Sri Ramakrishna Advaita Ashrama, Kalady, situated close to the house in which Sankara was born. We are thankful to Swami Gananandaji, President of the Asrama, for kindly undertaking to publish the work. We hope the book will be found useful and welcomed both by the scholars and the general readers.
Swami Achalanandaji concluded his comments on the manuscript of the book with his good wishes to the author: "I hope He is keeping you in good health and cheer to perform His works of teaching and interpreting Sri Sankara's Vedanta, which He has entrusted to you". Though we do not consciously feel that any such task has been entrusted to us by the Supreme Being, nor have we done much in this direction, we do bear great love and admiration for Sankara's luminous, compassionate, towering personality and versatile genius and seek to place at his blessed holy feet a few fragrant colourful flowers plucked from his own beautiful garden of rich and profound thoughts, in reverential homage, on this his sacred birthday.
About the Book
Sri Satchidanandendra Saraswathi Swamiji laments in the book "It is a pity that the job of writing the history of such a world famous luminary as Sri Sankaracarya, fell to the lot of a few poets only; hence it is very difficult to decide what really is true about the acharya's life."
Sri Swamiji is well aware that the poets do exaggerate, may be because they are overcome by their devotion to the acarya or because of their bias and affiliation to a certain matha or to a vedantaprakriya. Whatever the reason, the Swamiji, who set out to write a comprehensive and critical summary of all the events in the life of the acarya, had a fundamental principle for evaluating the source material that was available to him, and that in his own words is: "Although I have made use of these types of books to write this one, I have to point out one speciality of this book in the beginning itself. whatever matter that appeared to me as going against the opinion available in the prasthanatraya bhashyas, which have been agreed by one and all to be the works of the acarya, I have not evaluated them without contrasting it with the touchstone of that opinion. When the opinions are not going against, I have ventured to compare and contrast with the various available works and give my opinion of what is essential and what is not". He pleads that the Bhashyas alone are history of the Acarya.
About the Author
Sri Sri Satchidanandendra Saraswathi Swamiji (1880-1975), the Founder of Adhyatma Prakasha Karyalaya, Holenarsipur, was the celebrated authority on Shankara Vedanta during the twentieth century. He researched and worked with profound dedication and a missionary zeal throughout his life for bringing out and presenting to the seeker the pristine pure Advaita Vedanta according to the tradition of Gaudapada, Shankara and Sureswara, He is reverentially hailed as Abhinava Shankara of the twentieth century.
Shankara who appeared more than a thousand years ago recovered the true spirit of the Upanishadic Texts and the Vedantic Tradition from the multitude of wrong interpretations prevailing at that time. Sri Sri Swamiji who appeared on the scene during the last century devoted his life time to recover the pristine pure Vedanta of Shankara and the tradition of Adhyaropa Apavada Prakriya of the past Masters by cleansing the distortions and misrepresentations of Shankara in the post Shankara sub-commentaries, collectively known as Vyakhyana Prasthanas.
Sri Sri Swamiji was an erudite scholar, a prolific writer and a great organizer. He wrote over 200 books in Kannada, English and Sanskrit, including Kannada translations of all the original and genuine works of Shankara.
Preface
I never had any idea that the subject matter of this book would become so complicated when I finally made up my mind in response to the constant pressurisation from Sri B. Narayana Bhat of Hospet, Bellary District, that I should write such a book. Also I never expected that the book would grow this big. But, through God's grace many people volunteered to give me data with support of evidences; and many volunteered to look into what has been written. Fruition of their interest has made this book to come out.
The name of Sankaracarya has been spread throughout the civilized world. His contribution not only to India, but also to the world at large, is enormous. He has strived to bring home the everlasting Truth that the world we see is ultimately the supreme Truth, Parabrahman; all the jivas here are truly manifestations of that Truth through his Prasthanatraya Bhasyas Bhasyas on the Upanisads, Bhagavadgita and the Brahma Sutras. I was exhilarated in the beginning that in addition to translate these Bhasyas into Kannada to the best of my abillity, opportunity has come my way to remember his history. also. But when I set myself to write this history, this excitement was gone because, unfortunately, not even a Single book is available to this date which would truly decipher the history of the Jagadgururu. Also there is no hope that we would get one in the future.
After collecting material for the history of the Acarya. what was understood clearly is: some works of poetry called Sankara Vijayas, fictitious works involving various heresays and stories concocted by people about him and the source material prepared on the basis of these by the people of the Mathas purported to be established by the Acarya; and what some of the recent writers of historical interest have written except these, no other evidences or references we could procure. Even the historians, being devotees of one Matha or the other, have made their analyses so that it would support their Mathas of affiliation; even the small number of impartial ones had to put together whatever they could collect as they have helplessly suffered lack of sufficient material for their study.
Although I have made use of the abovementioned types of books to write this one, I have to point out a speciality of this book in the beginning itself. Whatever matter that appeared to me as going against the opinion available in the Prasthanatraya. Bhasyas, which have been agreed by one and all to be the works of Acarya, I have not evaluated it without contrasting it with the touch stone of that opinion. When the opinions are not going against, I have ventured to compare and contrast with the various available works and give my opinion of what is essential and what is not.
Fearlessly giving my opinions thus, some people have felt hurt; but many who wished to know the truth, have felt happy. However, I have the satisfaction that throughout I have kept up my solemn resolve that I should not agree with anything in the Bhagavatpada's history which would be a stigma to the worthiness of the great Acarya without any reason to justify.
To such of those who read this book, with all humility I submit that the Bhasyas alone are history of the Acarya: one will have to evaluate him on the basis of his stances therein; and the only way to worship that Jagadguru is through study, comprehension and assimilation of the Bhasyas. There is no better way to show our devotion to him.
It is necessary to acknowledge the names of those who have helped me while writing this Sankara Bhagavatpada Vrttanta Sara Sarvasva. First and foremost, Sri B. Narayana Bhat of Hospet has encouraged me by way of providing several books for this purpose. Secondly, Sri Narayana Ramacandra Kulkarni, M.A., LL.B., Principal, Janata Law College, Dharwad, has helped by lending the famous Hindi book (Sri Sankaracarya) of Sahityacarya Sri Baladeva Upadhyaya. Thirdly, Sri Sri Paramahamsa Abhinava Padmanabhatirtha (earlier, Sri Yogiswara Dattamurti Dixit, Bankapura) has lent the Marathi book "Sri Sankaracarya vatyanca Sampraday" of Sri Mahadeva Rajarama Bodas. Most importantly I gratefully acknowledge Sri K. R. Venkataraman, Director of Education (Rtd.), Pudukottai, who has written the history of Sringeri Jagadguru Pitha entitled The Throne of Trancendental Wisdom. Not only he has provided me his book, but also his timely notes about the historical issues of Sringeri Pitha, whenever controversy arose regarding the various Mathas. Finally, and most importantly, the help rendered by Adhyatmavidya Pravina Sri H. S. Lakshminarasimhamurti Sastry, a scholar of the Adhyatma Prakasha Karyalaya has been very laudable. When I gave the manuscripts of the Appendices, he has compared with the original works; he has prepared the manuscript of the book for the press, proofread them; and saw that the work was completed.
May the, desires of all these people be fulfilled is my fervent prayers to Bhagavan Sriman Narayana.
The celebration of the Twelfth Centenary of Sankara's birth recently has sparked off a renewed interest in the study of the most important philosopher India has produced. Not that the interest in Sankara had ever flagged, as witnessed by the unbroken continuity of Advaitic writings fro more than a millennium; but the Sankara Jayanti Mahotsava not only sought to pay homage to the best of Vedantic teachers but also to rediscover him as a great historical figure of contemporary relevance. Indeed a centenary celebration cannot simply be yet another annual remembrance, a punyasmrti; it cannot help being the celebration of a historical event of lasting significance, of which the echoes may still be heard after centuries. The celebration was bound to raise historical questions about the date and age of Sankara. Despite the existence of several legendary biographies of Sankara from medieval times and their disregard by historians, there has also been some interest in what could be described as the historical biography of the Master. A connected question which has assumed importance in recent years relates to the authenticity of the large number of writings which have been ascribed to him. The original character and development of Sankara's ideas present closely related issues.
When did Sankara live? What do we know of his history? Which works did he actually compose? Unless these questions are properly answered we cannot decide the relationship of Sankara to his 'contemporaries' and would not be able to place his life, work and thought in a meaningful historical and cultural perspective. Nor would we be able to decide whether he was simply a dry philosophical commentator or also a saint-poet of no mean order who composed enchanting, popular as well as profound, hymns. Was he also a religious reformer and organizer? How many monastic centres and schools did he found, if any? What was his attitude to Yoga, Tantra or the new bhakti schools? Was he simply the last of the old Vedantins seeking to keep close to the ancient form of the Vedic tradition, or was he one of the leaders of the new Smarta-Pauranika transformation who could be described as Sanmatasthapanacarya, the real founder of medieval Hinduism?
The answer to such questions necessarily requires a reconsideration of his doctrines with reference to their textual sources, logical compulsions and development within his won writings. How was Sankara able to reconcile his deep reverence of the Vedic tradition with the need for representing the essential truth of Vedanta so that it could meet the philosophical and religious challenges of his times? Do his commentaries help to unveil the hidden secret of the Vedantic texts encrusted in 'lesser truth' or do they foist a new philosophy on them? Was he an orthodox theologian or an original philosopher, a genuine Vedantin or a "pracchanna-bauddha"?
Thus although the historical and cultural significance of Sankara is unquestioned, his historical biography is still a desideratum. Similarly although monastic schools have sought to standardize, clarify and refine his philosophical and spiritual doctrines over more than a millennium, the later have never failed to inspire new enquiry and reflection. Nor can it be said that they have been finally defined and systematized. In fact, recently new doubts have been raised about what Sankara actually taught and the inner tensions and variations within his ideas and interpretations have been noted.
It is in the background of these and similar questions that the present study has been conceived. It attempts to assess critically the present state of evidence on Sankaracarya in the context of perennial as well as contemporary questions. It attempts to reconstruct the life and thought of Sankara on historical principles, i.e., to determine the age and biography of Sankara and also his original ideas and writings within this framework. It is primarily based on the first-hand study of the corpus of Sankara's writings or writings attributed to him, in the original, and on a critical and comparative study of all of his available traditional biographies. The works of his near contemporaries like Dharmakirti and Santaraksita, Kumarila and Mandana, as well as of his disciples like Suresvara and Padmapada have also been fully utilized as also those of others who like Gaudapada, Bhartrhari or Bharuci preceded him or who like Bhaskara, Vacaspati Misra, and Sarvajnatma Muni came later but were not too far removed. The general literary works and epigraphic records of the Age have been used where relevant. Traditional and modern interpretations of savants, philosophers, scholars and historians have been duly considered. Indeed, Sankara studies seem to be on the threshold of a new revolution of which the watchword may be said to be "Back to Sankara". However, despite the claim of enthusiasts, no actual revolutionary break-through has so far occurred. My search for the original text, historical context and the real meaning of Sankara, does not, therefore, discard the monastic tradition of Advaitic learning and creativity as irrelevant but it does seek to discover the original Sankara rather than rest content with the Sankara as interpreted by the medieval religious ethos and intellectual context. Correctly understood, the inspiration of Sankara is perennial and refreshing and should provide a particular basis for a universal, philosophical religion today.
Among the many topics discussed in the present work may be mentioned the question of the authenticity of Sankara's biographical sources or of the works traditionally ascribed to him, the mode of synthesis in his thought reconciling interpretation and independent reflection, orthodoxy and heterodoxy, conservatism and the revolutionary innovation of his attitude to the social and spiritual dimensions of ethics, and the question of his active organizational work.
While I hold the Sankarite monasteries in high esteem, my examination of their historical traditions has not always led me to accept them. Indeed, since the traditions are at times mutually discrepant, one could not possibly agree with all of them. One can only hope that perhaps more evidence would be brought to light one day and the present state of doubt and disbelief would be modified to the satisfaction of all. Meanwhile, one must plead for the toleration of inevitable differences. Similarly although important questions have been raised and suggestions put forward in recent years by several historians and scholars, especially German and Japanese, their results still need critical assessment and constructive application.
That I became engaged at all in writing this book is largely due to my friend Prof. K.S. Murty who invited me to speak on Sankara in the Brighton Philosophical Conference in 1988 and later suggested that I should write a historical biography of Sankara. He also suggested that the history of Sankarite monasteries needs to be critically examined. I am deeply beholden to him for his suggestions and for his interest in the writing of this book.
Many others have helped me with books, reprints and transcripts of unavailable books and manuscripts. Among these I must specially mention Mr. Bader of the National University, Australia, Dr. Antarkar of Bombay, Prof. Balasubramanian and Prof. Veezhinathan, Sri Kuppuswami Sastri of Kanchi, Prof. G.C. Tripathi of the Allahabad Sanskrit Vidyapitha, Prof. V.N. Misra and Dr. B.N. Misra of the Sanskrit University, Varanasi, Sri R.C. Tripathi, IAS of the Departement of Culture, Government of India and Sri Munish Joshi of Archaeological Survey of India. I am also thankful to Prof. Irfan Habib, Chairman, ICHR for taking interest in the project initially. Lastly, my thanks are due to my Publishers for their kind interest and unfailing courtesy.
Despite the existence of several legendary biographies of Sankara from medieval times, no critical historical biography of the Master has been available so far. The present work attempts to fill the lacuna. It is based on a critical study of all the available sources in the original and attempts a historical reconstruction of Snakara's life and work.
The ideas of Sankara have been generally interpreted in the light of later Advaitic and monastic tradition. The present work, following the lead of recent critical scholarship, seeks to discover the original ideas of Sankara on the basis of his genuine works and discusses them in the light of his relationship to his predecessors, the social and cultural ethos of his times and his own mission, presuppositions and methodology.
The present work, thus, seeks to understand the ideas and achievements of Snakara in the context of perennial spiritual seeking and philosophical enquiry. It seeks to bring out the role of Sankara in the evolution of Indian culture and philosophy and to highlight the logical and spiritual, traditional and original components of his philosophical, religious and social ideas.
GOVIND CHANDRA PANDE (b. 1923, Allahabad), D. Phill., has taught in the universities of Allahabad, Gorakhpur and Rajasthan and retired as Vice-Chancellor, University of Allahabad. He has also been Vice-Chancellor, University of Rajasthan (Jaipur) from 1974-77.
A historian by profession, Prof. Pande is a versatile scholar and philosopher, thinker and poet by inclination. A profile writer he has authored more than 40 books and over 100 research articles.
In recognition of Prof. Pande's scholarship, he has been conferred various honorary degrees and awards. The honorary degrees include D. Litt., Vidyavaridhi, Sahitya Vacaspati, Mahamahopadhyaya and Vacpati. The awards conferred upon him include Sankar Samman, Darshan Vigyan Samman, Manisa Samman, Mangla Prasad award, Vishwabharti award and the Fellowship of the Sahitya Akademi.
Currently, he is the President-cum-Chairman, Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla; Chairman, Allahabad Museum Society; Chairman, Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies, Sarnath and Editorial Fellow, Project in Indian History of Science, Philosophy and Culture.
This biography tells the story of an illustrious Indian whose achievements, both intellectual and physical, are little short of miraculous. Sankaracharya is one of those outstanding personalities who have changed the course of history and culture within a short span of time. He has transformed the texture of Hinduism profoundly. His Advaita philosophy was a major contribution in the development of philosophical thought.
Dr T.M.P. Mahadevan (late) was an Emeritus Professor of Philosophy, Madras University and an Advaitan by temperament and training. He was engaged in intensive research in Advaita classics. He wrote several outstanding publications, notable among these being his doctoral thesis on the Philosophy of Advaita, Gaudapada: A Study in Early Advaita, Outlines of Hinduism, and a critical edition of Sambandha-Vartika of Suresvara. The Government of India had conferred upon him the title of Padmabhushan in 1967.
Adi Shankaracharya was born to a couple namely Shivagaru and Aryambal after years of earnest prayers to Lord Shiva. It is believed that Lord Shiva appeared in his dream to Shivagaru, and granted his prayer for a child, but giving 2 options:: A knowledgeable son who will be short-lived or a normal son who will have a longer life span. And Shivagaru selected the former one. In this way, his parents named him Shankara who means the one born with Lord Shiva's grace and considered him as an incarnation of Lord Shiva. According to the divine wish, Sankaracharya had to become a religious teacher, Sannyasin; but his mother was not interested in it. One day it is said that a miracle happened: When he was taking bath in a nearby river, a crocodile caught hold of his leg and dragged him; his mother saw and cried. The very fact that Hinduism is still a dynamic and all-encompassing religion stands as ample testimony to the deeds of Adi Shankaracharya. Apart from being the champion of Advaita philosophy, one of his invaluable contributions towards Hinduism was the reordering and restructuring of the ancient Sanyasaorder. He propagated the eternal code of life contained in the Veda, which still flows as the dynamic force underlying and unifying all humanity. Adi Shankaracharaya: Hinduism's Greatest Thinker is a meticulously researched and comprehensive account of his life and philosophy. Highly readable, and including a select anthology of Shankaracharya's seminal writing, the book also examines the startling endorsement that contemporary science is giving to his ideas today.
Dr. Niranjan Vaishya, M.A. and Ph.D. (Philosophy), Associate Professor and H.O.D, Deptt of Computer Science, S.K.Roy College, Muralipura. He has been teaching the subject for last sixteen years. He has attended around thirty three seminars at national level and fifteen at international level. He has published numerous articles in various widely reputed journals and magazines. He has been invited at various colleges to deliver speeches in various international conferences.
Adi Shankaracharya is considered to be the ideal Sannyasi. It is commonly accepted that he lived about one thousand two hundred years ago though there are historical sources that indicate that he lived in an even earlier period. He was born in Kalady, Kerala and in his short life span of 32 years, his accomplishments seem a marvel even today, with our modern conveyances and other facilities. At the tender age of eight, burning with the desire for Salvation, he left home in search of his Guru. From the age of 16 to 32, Shankaracharya went forth, traveling across the length and breadth of ancient India bringing to the hearts of the masses the life-giving message of the Vedas. Apart from his immense intellectual & organizational abilities, Shankaracharya was an exquisite poet, with a heart brimming with Love of the Divine. He established 4 Ashrams in 4 corners of India & entrusted his 4disciples to teach and propagate Advaita through them.
This latest addition to Sankara literature is totally different in concept. It's not a biography; it's not history; and it's not quite fiction. Yet it is in some sense all these. It's based solidly in tradition, and it is at the same time just the kind of presentation that makes the postmodern reader sit up and take notice. It is philosophical, yet never forbiddingly so. It reads more like a story. The prose is simple, smooth, and meditative. Padmapada, Sankara's senior disciple, narrates the story in very human terms. His intent is not to glorify his master's life and work -for that is hardly necessary - but to present him as a friend of humankind, someone who is needed generation after generation, millennium after millennium. Humans have not changed in terms of their strengths or their weaknesses since the race first evolved on the planet, nor are they likely to morph into saints my time soon. The prophets help us cope with trials and tribulations of our daily lives and remind us of our divine roots if we care to listen. This book answers some of your serious questions about life if you have them read. If you don't , it will help you formulate them. Coming up with the right questions, after all, is the first step toward finding the right solutions.
Born in 1933 in a village in Andhra Pradesh, India, into a traditional family, Indusekhara Sastri Madugula was exposed early to Sanskritic learning and philosophical literature. He obtained his M.A. (Hons.) in English from Andhra University, Waltair, India, and Ph.D. from Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA. He also has a Master of Arts in Library Science from River Forest Languages, Hyderabad, India and California State University, Bakersfield, California (while assigned to the library). His principal field of interest is the application of linguistic techniques to the analysis of literary texts. He is currently head of the Reference Department in Palm Springs Public Library, Palm Springs, California.
Contents:
Introduction Preface to the Second Edition Prologue
1. Sanandana Meets the Acarya 2. Birth of Sankara in Kaladi 3. King Rajasekhara Visits Sankara 4. Sankara Renounces the World 5. Govindapada Accepts Sankara 6. Sankara is Now Acarya 7. Sanandana Earns the Name Padmapada 8. The Acarya Tested by Sage Vyasa 9. Qualifications of Master and Disciple 10. Kumarila Immolates Himself in A Slow Fire 11. Bharati Weds Visvarupa 12. Encounter with Mandana Misra 13. The Great Debate 14. Mandana's Defeat and Conversion 15. Mandana's One Last Doubt 16. The Primitive Kapalika 17. Hastamalaka Joins the Fold 18. The Fourth Disciple, Totaka 19. A Class Session on Brahman 20. Bickering Among the Disciples 21. Padmapada's Trip to Ramesvaram 22. The Passing of the Mother 23. A Poor Boy and His Mother 24. The Proper Place of Scholarship 25. Who Needs Philosophy? 26. Nilakantha, the Saivaite 27. Misconceptions About Reality 28. The Acarya, A Victim of Black Magic 29. The Throne of Omniscience 30, A Few Urgent Questions Answered 31. The End As Beginning,
Epilogue A Millennial Meditation Index
"Sankara is not an individual". Sankara is an institution. No single person could ever have achieved what he had achieved in his short span of life. Not Master or Prophet had ever achieved so much, for so many, in so short a time. Very often this tempts us to consider that Sankara was an Avatara."
"Sankara work represents the total turnover of a highly competent person, working intensively every hour of the day, under conditions of the highest mental and intellectual efficiency. Yogi-s invokes this 'total capacity,' lying dormant in everyone."
Preface to the Present Edition:
'Sankara the Missionary' was first published as a Souvenir for the 267th Gita Jnana Yajna at Jamshedpur in the year 1978. In his Foreword, Gurudeva has emphasised that Sankara is not an individual but an institution rather a phenomenon, who achieved so much in such a short span of life.
Sankara left his home in search of his Guru when he was hardly seven years. When he met his Guru Govindapada for the first time, the Guru asked who he was? Sankara's reply was in the form of ten verses known as Dasa Sloki, each ending with the words Sivah kevalo'ham (I am of the form of Pure Auspiciousness). Again, when he disclosed to his disciples and devotees at Kedaranatha that he was at the disciples as well as his ardent devotee the Raja of Banaras, he again chanted these very verses.... Dasa Sloki, which sparkle with subtle meditative thoughts; and instructed them specifically to contemplate and meditate upon the ideas contained in the verses. Thus considering the importance of Dasa Sloki, we have added transliteration and word-for-word meaning of these verses forming Chapter IX of this book. We do hope that his would help serious Sadhaka-s to grasp the deep significance of these verses.
In this revised Edition, diacritical marks are used for Transliteration of Samskrta words in the commentary. A new 'word-for-word meaning' section has been added to the Dasa Sloki verses, to enable the sincere seekers to have an indepth study. For the benefit of readers not knowing Devanagari, transliteration of Samskrta words is also added to this section. Non-English words have been italicised. This will help readers to identify and pronounce the words correctly.
The English plural sign 's' has been added to the untranslated Samskrta words after a hyphen (-) to show that it is not elemental to the word e.g., mantra-s, Veda-s, Rsi-s etc. Macrons are used on the last letter e.g., 'a, i' of such words to lengthen the quantity of sound in consonance with the pronunciation.
A key to the transliteration and pronunciation is added to the beginning.
We are pleased to bring out the present revised Edition of the original collection of articles ordered to be published in book form by h. H. Svami Chinmayananda whom we all reverentially refer as Pujya Gurudeva. This is our humble offering at His holy feet with a prayer that may His words and guidance inspire us to carry on His work in all spheres of activities such as this-publication of scriptural thoughts for the benefit of the society.
Gudhipadava Day : 28th March, 1998
Publishers
from the Introduction:
Bhagavadpada Acarya Sankara was not only a great thinker and the noblest of Advaitik philosophers, but he was essentially as inspired champion of Hinduism and one of the most vigorous missionaries in our country. Such a powerful leader was needed at that time when Hinduism had been almost smothered within the enticing entaglements of the Buddhistik philosophy, and consequently the decadent Hindu society came to be disunited and broken up into number-less sects and denominations, each championing a different view-point and engaged in mutual quarrels and endless argumentations. Each pandita, as it were, had his own followers, his own philosophy, his own interpretation; each one was a vehement and powerful opponent of all other views. This intellectual disintegration, especially in the 'scriptural field, was never before so serious and so dangerously calamitous as in the times of Sankara.
It had been at a similar time, when our society was fertile for any ideal thought or practical philosophy to thrive, that the beautiful values of non-injury, self-control, love and affection of the Buddha had come to enchant alike the kings and their subjects of this country. But the general decadence of the age did not spare the Buddhists either. They, among themselves, precipitated different viewpoints, and by the time Sankara appeared on the horizon of Hindu history, the atheistic school of Buddhists (asavadi-s) had enticed away large sections of the Hindu folk.
It was into such a chaotic intellectual atmosphere that Sankara Brought his life-giving philosophy of the Non-dual Brahman of the Upanisad-s . It can be very well understood what a colossal work it must have been for any one man to undertake in those days when modern conveniences of mechanical transport and instruments of propaganda were unknown. The genius in Sankara did solve the problem, and by the time he placed at rest his mortal coil he had whipped the false Buddhistic ideology beyond the shores of our country and had reintegrated the philosophical thoughts in then Aryavarta, . After centuries of wandering, no doubt richer for her various experiences but tired and fatigued, Bharat came back to her own native thoughts.
Foreword:
Sankara is not an individual. To us students of the Advaita philosophy, Sankara is an institution. No single person could ever have achieved what he had achieved in his short span of life. No Master or Prophet had ever achieved so much, for so many, in so short a time. Very often this tempts us to consider that Sankara was an avatara.
To deify anyone is take things for granted, and thereafter, our ordinary logic and rationale cannot be applied in studying such as individual's life. To test Acarya Sankara, the avatara, would thereafter be a palpable contradiction-to test by reason the alleged operations of omnipotence or to apply the code of common laws of logic to the Lawgiver who framed his very universe.
In this book, though the material gathered, in its totality, projects Sankara as a majestic entity striding over the total achievements of ordinary folk; through a quieter evaluation we shall find that Sankara's work represents the total turnover of a highly competent person, working intensively every hour of the day, under conditions of the highest mental and intellectual efficiency. Yogi-s invoke this 'total capacity,' lying dormant in everyone. I recommend this book to every student of Vedanta for a deep and sympathetic study.
Swami Chinmayananda
For privacy concerns, please view our Privacy Policy
Vedas (1346)
Upanishads (657)
Puranas (834)
Ramayana (837)
Mahabharata (277)
Dharmasastras (164)
Vedanta (292)
Gita (1005)
Goddess (450)
Bhakti (238)
Saints (1127)
Gods (1289)
Shiva (309)
Journal (132)
Send as free online greeting card
Email a Friend
Manage Wishlist