Ashrama Name: Shri Shankarendra Sarasvati (2)
Appellation Ujjvala Shankara
Birth Place: Banks of the River Tapati
Purvashrama Name: Achyuta Keshava
Purvashrama Father’s Name: Keshava Shankara
Sannyasa: Vanchishvara (exact location uncertain, probably near Mahendragiri, Orissa)
Years as Pithadhipati: 38
Siddhi: 3467 Akshaya Vrishabha Shukla Ashtami (CE 0366-May-05)
Siddhi Place: Kalapura in Kashmir, also known as Ujjvala Mahayati Pura (exact location uncertain)
Other:
Even in His childhood this Acharya had studied all four Veda-s with their Anga-s (auxiliary studies). After Samavartana (completion of Brahmacharya Ashrama) He took up Naishtika Brahmacharya (a vow of lifelong celibacy). On a Kshetra Yatra towards the Rama Setu, He was sought as preceptor in Sahitya (literature) by the then Trivandrum (Syananduram) King Kulashekhara Varma.
After honouring the King’s request in a short while, He completed and returned from His Kshetra Yatra. He was performing tapas at Mahendragiri (in today’s Orissa) when Shri Gishpati Gangadhara came across Him and found Him qualified to be the next Pithadhipati. Thereby He gave sannyasa to Him at Vanchishvara and instructed Him to travel Bharata and reinstate Sanatana Dharma and Advaita to its glory.
The country was filled with two kinds of intellectuals at that time: those who believed they had the real understanding of the Veda, and those who were against the Vaidika Dharma. Other groups of foreign origin following avaidika practices were also causing severe hindrance to those in the Vaidika dharma by refusing to peacefully co-exist with the prevalent society.
Shri Ujjvala Shankara found the overall situation to be serious and took up serious measures.
By His scholarship, He won over all those intellectuals in the tradition but with an imperfect understanding of it. [He showed them that as our Dharma is Sanatana (for all time), individual interpretations and ideas should not conflict with the age-old path shown by our forefathers the Rishi-s.]
By this time the various kings of the land had taken recognition of the great work being done by Shri Ujjvala Shankara. Their dedication to the dharma came to the forefront and they declared that all those who do not abide by the Vaidika Dharma or at least stop their hindrance to it shall leave the nation.
This way, those self-styled scholars who were against the Vaidika Dharma and all those peoples of external origin who were damaging the fabric of the Vaidika society, all of who refused to listen to the peaceful arguments and guidance of Shri Ujjvala Shankara were delegated to move out of the land occupied by those in the Dharma.
Thus the Acharya ensured that the Varnashrama Dharma-s were re-established firmly.
It is due to such drastic steps that the Acharya was forced to take that He earned the epithet of “Ujjvala” (fiery). But since He was universally recognized as a great soul with nothing but everyone’s good at heart, He was called Mahayati (much as the 68th Acharya of recent times was called Mahaswami, and respected even by those of other religions).
Due to this, when the Acharya finally attained in Kashmir at the place called Kalapura, it came to be known as Ujjvala Mahayati Pura.
श्रीसर्वज्ञसदाशिवबोधेन्द्रकृता पुण्यश्लोकमञ्जरी
सूनुः केशवशङ्करस्य तपतीतीरोद्भवो नैष्ठिकः
श्रीमान् अच्युतकेशवः श्रितपदो वञ्चीश्वरे गीष्पतेः।
आदेशात् कृतसंयमश्च विमतान् आमूलम् उन्मूलयन्
आकाश्मीरम् अगान्महायतिरिति ख्यात्योज्ज्वलः शङ्करः॥३२॥
अष्टात्रिंशद् अथातिवाह्य शरदः पीठे जगद्देशिक-
स्यासीद् दिग्-रस-वार्धि-वह्निषु (३४६८) कलेर्यात्स्वक्षयेऽच्छे वृषे।
अष्टम्याम् अपहर्षशोकम् अजरं ब्रह्मैव यः शाश्वतं
काश्मीरेषु कलापुरे यदधुनाऽप्याख्यायतेऽस्याख्यया॥३३॥
॥ श्रीसदाशिवेन्द्रसरस्वतीश्रीचरणविरचिता जगद्गुरु-रत्न-माला ॥
कुलशेखर-साहिती-प्रणेत्रे वलद्-आ-सेतु-हिमाद्रि-विज्ञ-नेत्रे ।
जरदृष्टि-शकादि-घृष्टि-दात्रे स्थिर-वर्णाश्रम-धर्म-संविधात्रे ॥ ४४ ॥
स्तनितं निगमेषु शङ्करेण ध्वनिम् अद्वैतम् उदस्यते चिरेण ।
प्रणयानि महा-यतीश-भूम्ने प्रणतीरुज्ज्वल-शङ्करार्य-नाम्ने ॥ ४५ ॥
॥ पञ्चषष्टितमैः पीठाधिपतिभिः श्रीमत्सुदर्शनमहादेवेन्द्रसरस्वतीश्रीचरणैः प्रणीतः श्री-काञ्ची-कामकोटि-पीठ-जगद्-गुरु-परम्परा-स्तवः ॥
(१६) जगज्जयि-सुसौराष्ट्र-जरदृष्टि-मदापहान् ।
शक-सिल्हक-दर्प-घ्नान् ईडीमहि महायतीन् ॥ २४ ॥