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LIFE OF SHANKARA:
We do not have very reliable records of the details of Shankara’s life except
the biographies written long after his life time by his own devotees. These
biographies are often shrouded in myths, as the devotees wanted to give a
halo of holiness to his religious achievements. However, even if we
eliminate the mythical elements from his biographic descriptions we get a
picture of a person with exceptional intellectual and spiritual abilities and
human virtues that would make him a unique person.
Shankara was born in the year 788 AD in an orthodox Namboothiri Brahmin
family in the village of Kaladi, in Kerala, South India. He was the only child of
Shivaguru and Aryamba. His father served in the local Shiva temple. Before
he was seven, his father died and so he was brought up in strict Brahmin
tradition by his mother. He received his early education under a guru, staying
in the guru’s house in accordance with the prevailing custom, the so-called
“Guru Kula”. He was acknowledged as a child prodigy who mastered his mother
tongue, Malayalam and the priestly language, Sanskrit, ( the latter to comprehend
and to explain the Hindu scriptures, the Vedas), by the age of eight.
SHANKARA BECOMES A SANYASI:
From the age of eight he cherished a strong desire to pursue the ascetic way
of life of the sanyasi so that he could devote more time to the study of
Vedanta. As his mother wanted to have her son always with her as
a help, especially at the time of her death for the burial services, it was
difficult for him to persuade his mother to agree to his becoming a
sanyasi. However, he managed to get her permission, and bade farewell to her,
promising that he would be with her at her death-bed.
From Kaladi, Shankara traveled on foot all the way to the bank of river Narmada,
to meet the great guru Govinda Bhagavatpada, with a view to getting initiated to the
life of a sanyasi. Govinda formally admitted him to the sanyasin order, according to
the prescribed rituals and guided him in the study of Vedanta. Shankara
carried on his study with devotion. He comprehended the mysterious secrets
of Vedanta in a profound way. But in order to become a guru he had to
attain the state of “Spiritual Yoga” -the capacity to forget himself and the
world in order to enter the indescribable experience of peace. Govinda
Bhagavatpada imparted to him the Brahma Vidhya that enabled him to attain
this state of glorious experience, the experience of the Infinite,
the Brahman.
Govinda then asked Shankara to write, in the light of the truth he realized,
commentaries for the three basic texts, namely, Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita
and Brahma Sutras (Vedantas), the three basic pillars of Indian
spirituality. Shankara went to Kashi (Varanasi) to engage himself in writing
the commentaries of the Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita and Vedanta, as
commissioned by his Guru Govinda.
DIGVIJAYA:
Once the commentaries were completed, he entered another phase of his life;
he started his mission of spreading the teachings of the commentaries he had
written. As many so-called teachers of the religion were attacking the
basic understanding of the Vedic scriptures, it was the need of the times
that he should launch his mission of refuting the wrong teachings and
restore the genuine ones. His biographers call this period of his life as
the period of conquest, “Digvijaya”. He moved about the length and breadth of
India debating with scholars of the other philosophic systems. He
defeated all opponents by the depth of his philosophic and Vedic knowledge and by
his logical acumen. He also defeated the notorious tantric Kapalika, Ugra
Bhairava, and other black magicians of his times by his spiritual
and yogic power.
ESTABLISHMENT OF MONASTERIES:
By this time, Shankara was acknowledged as the unchallenged guru of Vedanta.
His attention now turned to establishing four monasteries
at the four corners of India for spreading Vedanta and for guiding the
followers of Vedanta as seats (peethas) of the patron god/goddess of
learning or wisdom. The first monastery was Sharada peetha at Sringeri
in Karnataka (South); the second, Jyothis peetha at Badari, in the Himalayas
(North); the third, Kalika peetha at Dwaraka (West); and the fourth,
Govarthana peetha at Jagannath (East). He installed his four prominent
disciples, Sureswars, Trataka, Padmanada and Hastamalaka as the chiefs of
the four centers respectively. He established a fifth Matha at Kanchipura,
near Madras, Kamakoti peetha, which he himself took charge of and where,
according to some, he spent his last days.
ARYAMBA’S DEATH AND THE FUNERAL SERVICES:
Meanwhile, Shankara had the premonition that his mother was about to die and
he rushed to Kaladi to be at the bed side of his dying mother. When she died
he performed her funeral rites, which normally a sanyasi was not allowed to
do. After the funeral he returned to Sringeri.
AT SARVAJNA PEETHA IN KASHMIR:
His final exploit was his visit to Sharada Nilayam in Kashmir, known as the
Sarvajna peetha (the seat of the all-knowing). Scholars from all over the
country, proponents of the various philosophical systems, were in the
premises of the building when Shankara arrived at the place. These scholars
confronted him, but Shankara defeated all of them and entered the Nilayam
through its Southern gate (Sharada Nilayam had four gates from the four
directions) to ascend to the Sarvajna peetha.
Shankara died at the age of 32 in the year 820 A.D. Many places, like
Kanchi, Thrissur and Kedar claim to be his place of samadhi, but there is no
conclusive evidence to any of these claims. Shankara lived only a very
short 32 years, but what he had achieved transcends the brevity his life-time
and the length and breadth of India.
THE PHILOSOPHY OF SHANKARA
To understand the Advaida Vedanta as interpreted and developed by Shankara,
we have to look at it in the context of the six basic philosophic systems of
ancient India. These six systems are: Nyaya, Vaiseshika, Samkya, Yoga,
(Purva)Mimamsa, and (Uttara Mimamsa)Vedanta.
Six Rishis,Gotoma,Kanada,Patanjali, Kapila, Jaimini, and Vyasa respectively
were supposed to have formulated these systems. All these systems accept
the authority of Vedas, the reality of Brahman, the Self, the law of Karma and
Mukthi/Moksha (liberation) through spiritual discipline/true knowledge.
All these systems generally acknowledge the importance of the logical and
scientific analysis of knowledge in the Nyaya system, the rational analysis
of cosmology, knowledge and truth in the Samkya system and the attainment of
transcendental knowledge through yogic meditation for liberation in the Yoga
system. While some of the systems accept the dual reality of Purusha and
Prakrithi, and the duality of Paramatma and Jeevathma, the advaida system
holds that Reality is but one not dual entity. However the Vedanta makes use of the
Samkya-Yoga cosmology and epistemology and the yogic practices to attain
transcendental knowledge. The apparent duality of reality, according to
Vedanta, is only an illusion, maya/avidya.
The advaia Vedantha of Shankara is an interpretation and explanation of the
system of philosophy expounded by Vyasa. The basic tenets of the system may
be summarized as follows:
1. Brahma Satyam, Jagan Mithya, Jeevo Brahmaiva Na Apara. (Brahman alone is
real, this world is unreal, Jeeva (individual soul) is identical with
Brahman).
2. Brahman cannot be described, because description implies distinction:
Brahman cannot be distinguished from any other than himself. Satyam
(truth), jnanam (knowledge), anantam (eternity), are not separate
attributes; they form the very essence of Brahman. Similarly sat (real),
chit (conscious), and ananda (happy) constitute the essence (svarupa) of
Brahman.
3. The world is not mere illusion; it is relative real (vyavaharika satta),
while Brahman is the Absolute real (Paramarthika satta). The changing
Brahman appears as changing world through Maya which is real-unreal
(sat-asat) The reality behind all the phenomenal (vyavaharika) activities
is Brahman.
4. The nature of Brahman is pure Consciousness - eternal, all-pervading,
formless (nirakara), without attributes (nirvisesha) based on the
Upanishadic sayings, Aham Brahmasmi (I am Brahman), Tat Tvam Asi (Thou art
that).
5. Final liberation (Mukti/Moksha) comes from the knowledge of the unity of
individual soul and the Eternal Soul through meditation, transcendental
knowledge and samadhi through Yoga.
Sree Shankaracharya brought about a real revival of knowledge, spirituality
and culture all over India. He will always be remembered as one of the most
brilliant jnana yogi and karma yogi of all times. The various vidya peethas
he established continue the work he successfully carried out during his
times. Sri Shankara Sanskrit University at his birth place, Kaladi, was
established in the latter part of the 20th century and is indeed a symbol of the
honor, respect, and appreciation that the contemporary people in India have
for what Shankara had done for the country through his major centers of
learning. Let the wisdom and spirit of this saint inspire the people of
India and people all over the world to achieve an integrated vision of the
reality of the universe and the world!
Rev.Fr Thomas Vempala CMI
St Joseph's Catholic Church,
405 N.Convent St.
Stanton, Tex. 79782-0846
U. S. A.
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