Shri Shankara Bhagavatpada
Birth Place: Kaladi in today’s Kerala
Birth: 2593 Nandana Vaishakha Shukla Panchami (BCE 509-Mar-28)
Purvashrama Name: Shankara
Purvashrama Parents’ Names: Aryamba, Shivaguru
Sannyasa: at age 8, near Omkareshvara on the banks of the Narmada
Establishment of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham: 2620 Siddharthi Vaishakha Purnima (BCE 482-Apr-11)
Years as Pithadhipati:
Siddhi: 2625 Raktaksha Vrishabha Shukla Ekadashi (BCE 477-Apr-11) at age 32
Siddhi Place: Kanchi Kamakshi Mulasthanam
Other:
This Acharya was the originator of an extraordinary establishment in the form of the Shankaracharya Acharya Peetham-s, notably the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham, which has played the leading role in the preservation of the Sanatana Dharma through the millennia. It is undoubtably His efforts and upadesha that has shown to us the original thoughts and way of life of the Rishis.
At the early age of 5 His upanayana was performed by His father Shivaguru who taught Him the Veda. After the untimely demise of Shivaguru, He was sent by His mother to gurukula where He studied the Shastras in a very short time.
He had returned home and for some time was performing service to His widowed mother. Taking as excuse a crocodile capturing His feet when He had gone for bath in the river, He obtained permission from His mother for taking to sannyasa.
Reaching the Ashrama of Shri Govinda Bhagavatpada on the banks of the Narmada, He obtained proper procedural sannyasa and was received the traditional Advaitic interpretation of the Veda from His guru. By orders of His guru He left for Kashi where Lord Vishvanatha took the guise of a Chandala to bless Him.
He then composed His famed bhashya-s and toured the land teaching Advaita, the true interpretation of the Veda/Vedanta. He subdued or eradicated 72 different misinterpretations or distortions of the pristine Vedic tradition. Notably he won over the great Mimamsaka scholar Kumarila Bhatta (who was in his final days of life), and then over his student, Mandana Mishra, whom He made disciple by the name of Sureshvara.
After having darshana of His paramaguru Shri Gaudapadacharya at Badarikashrama, He took a divine form and went to Kailasa, the abode of Shiva. Obtaining the five sphatika linga-s, He returned to earth. One day in Kashi, Vyasa Himself in the form of an elderly Brahmana came and examined Shri Shankara’s scholarship and correct understanding of His Brahma Sutra-s. Most pleased with the Acharya, He obtained from Lord Brahma an extension of life for Shri Shankara (which was intended to be only 16 years) so that He may further work to protect the tradition.
His mother, back in Kerala, was about to breathe her final breath and mentally called out to Shri Shankara. By His Yogic powers, He immediately reached His mother’s side, and performed her final rites. After this, He returned to His tour of upadesha.
At the confluence of the Tunga and Bhadra rivers, He established the Sharada Peetham and stayed there for some years. He then undertook a kshetra yatra by which He came to Kanchipuram. Subduing the fierce aspect of the Devi Kamakshi there by establishing a Shrichakra, He ascended the Sarvajna Peetham which was governed by an invisible manifestation of Devi Sharada (Sarasvati).
By establishing His primary Acharya Peetham there, He appointed as His successor a young but illuminated soul by name Sarvajnatmendra Sarasvati, under the care of His senior disciple Shri Sureshvara. The parampara of this Sarvajnatman continues even to this day as the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham.
He instructed His disciples to reach the various parts of the country and ensure the protection of Sanatana Dharma and Advaita. For the common man, who cannot directly understand or experience philosophical truths, He showed the path of Shanmata, wherein six principal forms of God (as representative of the very many existing in our tradition) are worshipped without bias against other forms, as in the end all these are but manifestations of the single Paramatman.
Having thus ensured the preservation of Sanatana Dharma and Advaita for posterity, He took a luminous form and merged into the Infinite at the sanctum sanctorum of Devi Kamakshi.
आचार्यः – १. श्रीशंकरभगवत्पादाः
श्रीसर्वज्ञसदाशिवबोधेन्द्रकृता पुण्यश्लोकमञ्जरी
महेशांशाज्जातो मधुरम् उपदिष्टाद्वयनयो
महामोहध्वान्तप्रशमनरविः षण्मतगुरुः।
फले(३२) स्वस्मिन् स्वायुष्यपि शरचराब्देऽपि(२६२५) च कलेः
विलिल्ये रक्ताक्षिण्यधिवृषसितैकादशि परे ॥४॥
॥ पञ्चषष्टितमैः पीठाधिपतिभिः श्रीमत्सुदर्शनमहादेवेन्द्रसरस्वतीश्रीचरणैः प्रणीतः श्री-काञ्ची-कामकोटि-पीठ-जगद्-गुरु-परम्परा-स्तवः ॥
(१ ) सर्व-तन्त्र-स्वतन्त्राय सदाऽऽत्माद्वैत-वेदिने ।
श्रीमते शङ्करार्याय वेदान्त-गुरवे नमः ॥ ४ ॥
(*) अविप्लुत-ब्रह्मचर्यान् अन्वितेन्द्रसरस्वतीन् ।
आत्त-मिथ्यावार-पथान् अद्वैताचार्य-सङ्कथान् ॥ ५ ॥
आ-सेतु-हिमवच्छैलं सदाचार-प्रवर्तकान् ।
जगद्गुरून् स्तुमः काञ्ची-शारदा-मठ-संश्रयान् ॥ ६ ॥
॥ श्रीसदाशिवेन्द्रसरस्वतीश्रीचरणविरचिता जगद्गुरु-रत्न-माला ॥
कलिना बलिनाऽखिले खिलेऽपि स्खलिते श्रौतपथेऽपथे प्रवृद्धे ।
जप-होम-तपस्सु नाम-शेषेष्वपि यातेषु सुभाषितेषु शोषम् ॥ १३ ॥
जिन-बुद्ध-कपालि-शक्ति-वह्नीन्द्विन-सेवासु समन्ततः श्रितासु ।
शिथिले द्विज-वेद-वेदि-वादे प्रथिते चाद्वय-वेद-बाह्य-मोदे ॥ १४ ॥
जगद्-ईक्षण-विह्वलामृतान्धो-निगद-व्यक्त-कृपा-रसानुबन्धम् ।
प्रणिदिश्य गुहं पुरैव गन्तुं प्रणिबन्धुं च मखान् द्विषश्च यन्तुम् ॥ १५ ॥
अवतार्य सुरान् परांश्च पूर्वं विधि-विष्ण्विन्द्र-मुखान् विनोद-पूर्वम् ।
स्वयम् अप्यवतीर्य सुत्युरार्याकमितुः श्रीशिवशर्मणो विचार्य ॥ १६ ॥
उदभूत् सदने निटाल-दृग् यो मद-भाजां सुधियां प्रमाथ-योग्ये ।
शिशुरर्पयतान्मुमुक्षु-भाग्यं स शुभं शङ्कर-देशिकः सुभोग्यम् ॥ १७ ॥
उपनीय दिवं गते स्व-ताते व्यपदिश्यागम-सङ्ग्रहेऽप्यतीते ।
निज-मातरम् अन्वमीमनद् यो नियमाप्तिं स मुदे ममास्तु सद्यः ॥ १८ ॥
प्रति-चन्द्र-भवं निवृत्ति-धर्मा श्रित-गोविन्द-मुनेरवाप्त-धर्मा ।
जयतात् कृत-सूत्र-भाष्य-कर्मा स्वयम् अन्ते-वसतां वितीर्ण-शर्मा ॥ १९ ॥
कुहनान्त्यज-विश्वनाथ-सृष्टो द्रुहिण-व्यास-वरोदितानुशिष्टः ।
ममतां मम तावद् एष भिन्द्यान्नमतश्चोपरतिं ददात्वनिन्द्याम् ॥ २० ॥
अपि हाल-नृपाल-पालितं द्राग् अपहायेन्द्र-हरिन्मुखं वितन्द्रम् ।
श्रित-मुर्मुरम् उद्धरंस्त्रिवेण्यां यतिराड् भट्टम् अघानि वो वितृण्यात् ॥ २१ ॥
पटु-मण्डन-मिश्र-खण्डनार्थं प्रविशन् पद्म-वनं नवं जयार्थी ।
तम् अधृष्य-गिरं विधृष्य वादैर्यतिम् आधात् स च पातु मां प्रमोदी ॥ २२ ॥
प्रविशन् बदरीम् अवाप्य सद्यः परमाचार्य-पदार्चनं क्रमाद् यः ।
धवलाचलम् आप्य योऽप्यमाद्यच्छिव-लावण्यम् उदीक्ष्य तं प्रपद्ये ॥ २३ ॥
प्रतिपादित-लिङ्ग-पञ्चकेऽमुं प्रणिवर्त्याशु तिरोहिते गिरीशे ।
विनिवृत्य स दिग्-जय-प्रवृत्तो विविधैः शिष्य-वरैर्विभातु चित्ते ॥ २४ ॥
कलयन् निलयं च तुङ्गभद्रा-तटिनी-रोधसि वेधसः स्त्रिया द्राक् ।
कतिचिच्छरदोऽत्यवीवहद् यो यतिराट् क्वापि मठे स मेऽस्तु सद्यः ॥ २५ ॥
अथ कान्यकुमार-सन्धि-सेतु-स्थलिनी-वैङ्कट-कालहस्ति-यातुः ।
यमि-नेतुरमुष्य काञ्चि-यात्रा शम् इदानीं शमदं क्रियाद् विचित्रा ॥ २६ ॥
श्रित-निर्मल-राजसेन-चोल-क्षितिपालोद्धृत-विप्र-देव-शालः ।
वरदस्य तथाऽऽम्र-नायकस्याप्युरु-वेश्म-द्वय-कृज्जयाय मे स्यात् ॥ २७ ॥
प्रकृतिं च गुहाश्रयां महोग्रां स्व-कृते चक्र-वरे प्रवेश्य योऽग्रे ।
अकृताश्रित-सौम्य-मूर्तिम् आर्यां सुकृतं नः स चिनोतु शङ्करार्यः ॥ २८ ॥
परकीय-वपुः-प्रवेश-शैल्या स्मर-तन्त्राणि विदन् वशी न लौल्यात् ।
अकृतातनु-भारतीं वशे यः सुकृतं मे सुतरां गुरुः स चीयात् ॥ २९ ॥
उपयात्सु बुधेषु सर्वदिग्भ्यः प्रदिशन्नाशु पराभवं य एभ्यः ।
विधृताखिलवित्पदश्च काञ्च्याम् अधृतार्तिः स दिशेच्छ्रियं च काञ्चित् ॥ ३० ॥
समतिष्ठिपद् आ-हिमाद्रि-सेव्यं क्रमशो धर्म-विचारणाय दिव्यम् ।
अधिकाञ्चि च शारदामठं योऽभ्यधिकं नः सुखम् आतनोतु सोऽयम् ॥ ३१ ॥
पृथिवीधव-पद्मपाद-हस्तामलकानन्दगिरीन् अतिप्रशस्तान् ।
चतुरोऽकृत यश्चतुर्षु पीठेष्वतुलां नश्चतुरो गिरं स देयात् ॥ ३२ ॥
परम् अन्तिक-सत्-सुरेश्वराद्यैः परमाद्वैत-मतं स्फुटं प्रवेद्य ।
परि-काञ्चिपुरं परे विलीनः परमायास्तु शिवाय सद्गुरुर्नः ॥ ३३ ॥