Sri Sankara Charitham-Sri Ra Ganapathy Anna

Jaya Jaya Sankara
Special Series on the life of Sri Adhi Sankara

(Based on the series in Tamil by Sri Ra. Ganapathy Anna)
Translated & Illustrated by:

Sri Narayanan Bala
Volume 29
October 2014 - Anusham
Copyrights reserved Kanchi Periva Forum
www.periva.proboards.com www.periva.org
Chapter 1 of Jaya Jaya Sankara by ri Narayanan Bala (original in Tamil by Sri Ra.Ganapathy)
Sri Kanchi Maha Periva Thiruvadigal Saranam

Introduction
Hari Om!
Namaskaram from the Kanchi Periva Forum community. We are pleased to bring you our Twenty Ninth
edition ebook, which is the launch of a special Anusham series Ja a Ja a a ka a , a o de ful t easu e
originally authored by Sri Ra Ganapathy Anna, and translated by our moderator Sri Narayanan Bala
a usha 6 i ou fo u .
Most of our readers are aware of our efforts to bring out regular ebooks which are designed to protect and
nourish our age old traditions, culture, devotion and spirituality. Apart from these standard ebooks, we
ha e also pu lished spe ial se ies e ooks like those o i Maha Pe i a s Life Histo .
Sri Narayanan Bala is a very well-known moderator to our Forum members (by the Forum name
anusham163) and he has already made his presence strongly felt through many drawings/sketches of
Periva and by his phenomenal translation works on Periva and on materials related to Periva.
An ardent devotee of Sri Maha Periva, Sri Narayanan is a born artist. While he did not get a formal coaching
f o a o e, his
a aseeka gu us e e h i Ma i a , h i Gopulu a d h i ilpi. We would like to
express our sincere thanks to him for coming forward to translate and bring out this beautiful series, which
will help to cement this wonderful treasure in the minds of the present and future generations.
On behalf of this Forum and our respected members, I would also like to specially thank our moderator Smt
Sumi, who has put in a lot of effort in putting this title together and for getting it published well in time.
If you are not already a member of our Forum and received this ebook from any of your friends, please also
register on the forum http://www.periva.proboards.com to sta updated o de otees e pe ie es a d to
receive our regular free publications.
This ebook contains brilliant descriptive write-up of the life of Sri Adhi Sankara, and Sri Narayanan Bala has
closely reproduced the beautiful, touching language deployed by Sri Ra Ganapathy Anna in the original. I
am very sure each of you would find this as engaging and moving as I felt in the first reading itself
especially the superb description of the Bala Sankara and comparison of the infant with Lord Sankara!
We humbly submit this e-book edition at the lotus feet of Shri Maha Periva. Though this book is for
restricted circulation among like - minded members of the society, this is a free publication like all our
other publications, which can be downloaded from http://www.periva.proboards.com/ Any feedback or
queries may be sent to us at kanchiperiva@gmail.com
Administrator
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Jaya Jaya Shankara, Hara Hara Shankara!

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Note from the Translator

Om Sri Gurubhyo Namah! Sri Maha Periva Thiruvadigal Charanam.
This narrative titled Ja a Ja a a ka a on the life of Sri

Adhi Sankara Bhagavat Paadhal was written by Sri Ra
.Ga apath
as a se ial i
the KALKI
eekl
6 ,
with wonderful and lively drawings by Sri Maniyam.
I have undertaken the ambitious task of translating the

same into English. I bow my head to and submit my
A a hthakoti Na aska a s at the Lotus feet of the
AdhiGuru and Sri MahaPeriava, to guide me through this
task.
I am greatly indebted to my very good neighbour and a very good friend of over forty years Sri
N.V.Subramanuam, who has taken it on him the task of reading my manuscript word by word,
comparing with the original and suggesting a lot of improvements in the selection of words and
reconstruction of sentences. A million thanks and Namaskarams to him for this great help.
I welcome your feedback on this compilation. I can be reached on beeyen.bala@gmail.com
Narayanan Bala
About the Author of the original series Sri Ra Ganapathy Anna
Sri Ra.Ganapathy Anna belongs to a rare breed of writers, who could bring through his
pen and with his authentic personal experience, the quintessence of religion
expounded by great sages. A naishtika brhmachari, he has a distinct style in Tamil that
is enjoyable to read and teases you sometimes with complex structure of
sentences.Sanskritised in certain narrations, he still does no violence to the
purity of language but captures beautifully the native Indian spirit in his works.
Read more about him & download his ebooks here: http://divyavidyatrust.org/
CHAPTER 1
The Ultimate Bliss Takes Birth
The land of Malayalam, resplendent
with Natu e s p isti e
eaut .
It
was part of the Land of Tamil as

the Malayalam language had not
developed
then.
The sweet
language of the South (Tamil) and

the evergreen language of the
North (Samskrit ) had joined hands
with the people of the land and
were growing.
On the bank of the river called in

Ta il
(
ALAWAY
)
PU)HAI
and
CHOORNAA NADHI in Samskrit ,was situated a beautiful village. As that village

had been made sacred by the constant caress of the holy feet of great
mahans, it was (and is) known as KALADI.
There lived in the village a noble Brahmin, by the name SIVAGURU, who was
famous for his material wealth, his wisdom and benevolence. The Puja room
in his house was proof for the fertility of
Kerala and his devotion. Bananas,
coconuts and flowers in baskets which had been offered as Neyvedhyam to

God, were heaped there.
But, the Vedic scholar who was

looking at them and having his
food
in the kitchen was not
happy with what he saw. His

mind was only thinking about
the one great wealth which
was not present in the house.
The distress was overwhelming;
The tears in his eyes blocked the sight of the Neyvedhyam items. Afterwards,
he could not swallow the food also.
He swallowed only his distress with pain. His hands were kneading the food,
while the pain was kneading his mind.
He wanted to share his mind with his wife ARYAMBIKAI who was serving the
food. Although hers was a delicate heart of a woman which can be more
easily hurt and wounded, hers was a heart fully cultivated with devotion.
Therefore, Sivaguru seeked solace from the person whom he should console.
As he was not able to speak, he silently pointed his fingers at the Puja room.
That noble woman cal l said,
the
The f uits a e
ell ipe; the hild e
ill eat
eage l .
The hild e
ill eat the
eage l
------what a broadminded attitude hers
was ! All the children in the village were her own children ! She gets so much
fulfillment and happiness by giving the Prasadham to them.
Wh , that
as e e dea to i agu u s hea t ! E e so,
hat a eautiful sight
it would be if two young and tender hands, filled to the brim with the fruits,
e e to gi e a a
lessed
that P asadha . Oh ! Ho
u lu k
I a ,
ot to
ith that sight! ---was his longing.
Where is that child ? where is the fruit of all my Puja ? when is my Punyam
(Virtue ) going to be fully ripe and bless me with a son ?
A a ! -----he called his wife.

Fo ge e atio s, hild e
With
Wh
e that usto
should it
Baga a
You
is . i agu u s hea t
o e to a
gi e His P asadha
P asadha
ha e o e to this house a d a epted P asadha .
e d?
to those
as full of pangs.
---asked A a
o fide tl . Will
hose p a e is al a s,
ot the
e should gi e
to othe s ,
a sa so ! But I ha e lost
faith in my own prayer. As long as we
fill our heart with only wishes, how can we have full concentration on the
Puja ?
The f uit
ill
e a o di g to that o l ! ---said he, with a feeling of
dejection.
The ,
h do t ou stop pe fo
i aGu u
I a
i g the Puja? asked A a al l !
as sho ked ! What a e ou sa i g ? --- he asked, a little agitated.

sa i g that YOU do
ot pe fo
concentrating on it, is t it ? But
the Puja. You

at h a d e jo
i d is
the
liss,
ot
he
somebody else, with a fully concentrated mind is performing the Puja.

E
..I ha e
ee
a ti g to tell ou so ethi g fo
uite so e ti e -----
Arya said.
Yes ? -----her husband encouraged her.

I ou i appe oo te ple, the
o du t spe ial A adha as a d A hisheka s.
They say that our hearts will melt down when they perform Abhishekam with
pu e ghee. That i appe oo Appa
is the savior of the mankind in this Kali
Yuga-----this is what every one says. It has been my long pending prayer to go
the e a d o se e Baja a
fo a
a dala
da s I hesitated to e p ess
my desire as you may not stop the Puja in our home. Moreover, a change of
pla e
ill do a lot of good
Yes ! es ! -----agreed Sivaguru.

Wh should
e diffe e tiate as Ho e Puja a d Te ple Puja ? Is
ot the
same Deity () who is accepting our Puja and blessing us in our

home, is now calling us to Sivapperoor through you ? Our attitude and
mindset are more important, than whether it is our home or the temple.
Why do you doubt whether I will come to the temple, which has been
rendered sacred with singleminded devotion of the Rishis and Sidhdhas ? As
ate
u s i
all the pla es u de
the ea th s su fa e, so also God
is
omnipresent. But, only in some places, our holy ancestors have brought out
His Presence () by the power of their Atman, and built wells of
Anugraha.
When we are unable to dig out and take water from our own home,
why
should we hesitate to make use of these wells in the Temples ?. Sivapperoor

is also ot fa a a . ----- i agu u spoke thus i tu e
It
as de ided that the
ould o se e
Baja a
ith his
.
ife s desi e.
Hus a d a d
ife
together going to sacred places; staying there for a Mandalam or two, taking
bath in the temple pond, spending time always in meditation and prayer with
strict control of mind, ------this is alled Baja a
It is a belief that if we observe this, we will get what we seek. Even today,
a
people do this like olde
then, is
da s. What
known as Thrissur at present, (*
as
alled Thi u i appe oo
and the temple is known as
Vadakkun Nathan Temple).
a sk it, the pla e
as
alled
Vi ushaasala Kshet a
. Es a a
has
installed Himself on the beautiful hill which is eulogized as the figure of

Nandhikeswaran, the Virusha king.
The Sivaguru couple, immersed themselves in the Aradhana performed on

Eswaran, and were slowly ridding themselves of the pain and sorrow. They
spent their time in thoughts of God only. Their speech, and breath, dream
and thought were all Sivam only.
Yes, even in dream, the thought of Sivam only. Virushaasalesan appeared in

i agu u s d ea
as Vi usha a ooda
Lo d i a a d De i Pa athi seated o
the back of the bull). His virtue has at last borne fruit ! What else could he
ask for after having that holy Darsan !
But Vi ushasalesa
as
ot satisfied
ith the fulfill e t of i agu u s p a e ;
He decided that time had come for the virtues of all the Rishis, wise men,
and devotees, who have made this Bharatha Boomi a Punya Boomi, to be
rewarded; and time had come for listening to the requests made by Devas.
Therefore, He granted the boon requested by Sivaguru; He told him that He

had blessed him with the boon of having a child !
But, He specified a strange condition along with the boon !
ill g a t ou a so ,
ho is
lessed
ith
isdo
a d Di i it , ut
ith a
short life span; or many sons with long life but less wisdom. You may choose
fo
the a o e t o. said the Lo d.
i agu u
as
o fused at this st a ge
o ditio
a d did t k o
hat to
answer !
But the Vi usha a ooda
did t sta
the e lo g e ough to hear whatever
answer he was to give. Sivaguru woke up from the sleep. But the confusion
created in the dream continued in the awakened state also. He wanted to
wake his wife up and tell her all that happened and ask for her advice.
At that time, to his surprise, Aryambal herself touched him and woke him up
! The surprise increased in intensity when he heard what she had to say !
She had also had the same dream ! God had enacted a good drama with both
of them ! He had appeared in each of their dreams separately and specified
this condition, in order to test their maturity of minds and intimacy.
But immediately after that, He had disappeared without waiting to hear their
answer as He could not bear the thought of doubting their mutual love for
one another.
God is pla i g a Di i e D a a . Is it so eas to get His Da sa a
? He ga e
us that fortune but at the same time, granted us such a (strange) boon
hi h
e a t e jo . He has also pla ed a t i k
ith it.. E e though it is a
trick played by Him, if we fail in that test , there will be disaster for us.
We should lose a wonder child very young ! Or we have to leave a bunch of

fools behind us , as our representatives ! I am at a loss as to what we should
de ide. What is ou opi io ? asked Sivaguru.
It does
to e.
ot appea to
ho a e
e as
ou put it. ---said Arya in a calm but deep
e to de ide ? God
ill
e e put a
o dition to true
devotees. We should prove that we are true devotees and make that
condition none iste t..do t ou u de sta d ?
His condition is to choose between two alternatives; who are we to choose

whether we want this o that ? What
please de ide a d do . If
espo si ilit
ests
e etu
ith Hi . We a
ou thi k is good fo us,
the
o ditio
to Hi
ou
sa i g thus, the
e at pea e. -----said Aryambal.
Seeing her calm composure, Sivaguru also was relieved from the dilemma and
regained his calm. At that time, there was somebody else who was more at
pea e tha
these t o. He is
o e othe tha
the Kailasa Pathi
The Lo d of
Kailasam ), who removes all the confusions and grant ultimate peace.
Sivaguru expected fruit for his own penance; he only wanted the Aradhana in
his home to continue after him, without break But Lord Siva was waiting for
an opportunity to fulfill the desires of this holy land.
He had a sacred plan to start and install a hierarchy of wise men who will
perform the Chandramouli Puja on a permanent basis, and bring together the
whole land as a single family.
He wanted Himself to be born as the first member of such a hierarchy. He

was searching for a worthy couple in this Kali yuga, to whom He can be
o
as thei so , a d
ho
He a
all A
a a d Appa .
At last He had fou d His ideal pa e ts i i agu u a d A a
ika. The efo e
when He created a problem to test them, that problem became His.
ou k o
hat is
eeded ! You
ill
esto
all ou
eeds ! You wish is our
fo tu e ! ----- standing in front of Virushasalesan, and saying these words, the

couple surrendered at His feet.
You shall
lessed
ith a o le so ! ------spoke the Sivalingam in their
thoughts !
The couple
etu ed to Kaladi a d pe fo
ed a g a d
AMAADHANAI
(). After every one finished eating, Aryambikai ate the

P asadha . he ate it
ith he
i d full of the Al ight s thought. That e
moment, that great Jyothi entered her womb.
The Bliss that He is, who cannot be tied up to anything, got tied up (as with
de otees
ithi A a
a s od
a d sta ed the e fo te
o ths. Is He
ot
the all pervading Siva, who gives the humanity the strength and wisdom, and
relieves them from the worldly bondage ? Therefore, Aryai nurtured the
Jyothi, without any pain or weakness. Ten months passed off.
It was the (Tamil) year of Nandhana ----the year suitable for the Ultimate Bliss
to take birth. It was Spring time, when Mother Nature, out of Her Love for
the living beings, blooms with beauty, in spite of the severe warm conditions,
in order to give prosperity to them.
Lord Mahadevan had pledged to Himself that He shall descend from the level
of Ultimate Bliss and bloom in this heat, in order to rid the Humanity of the
family bond and elevate them to the higher level.
He decided to
as a Jee a
Muktha
ho
ould si g thus:-- Jee a
Mukthas are those who, having attained true knowledge of the Supreme
Brahman and got liberation even while living, do good to others without
expecting anything i
etu , like the sp i g seaso .
This is the 37th verse in
Viveka Choodamani).
It was the month of Vaisaka, very dear to the Supreme Being; it is also
k o
It
as Madha i ,
hi h
as hukla Paksha
the ath a Moo th
ea s Jas i e. p i g also efe s to Jasmine.

ight fo t ight of the
hose hea t is as
hite as
o th ,
hi h is also dea to
utte , sp eadi g the spi it
of wisdom.
It
as Pa ha i
hi h is
apt to the fi elette ed
: )
(NA MA: SI VA YA ), fivefaced Lord, who performs the five duties of Creation,
Protection, Destruction, Maya (False sense of reality ) and Anugraha.
It was noon, when Bhagavan Suriyanarayanan, who removes not only the
darkness outside but also the inner darkness, was overhead.
The sta of the da

( ,
as Adhi ai
ea i g soaked i
hi h is de i ed f o
the
a e ADHA
ate .
Accordingly, Sivaguru was performing Abhishekam to the Lord already soaked

in Love, bathing Him with water, chanting simultaneously, Sri Rudram, which
sees everything in this Universe as Eswaran.
Somehow, on that particular day, both his heart and eyes were more damp
than usual. His heart started melting, even as he started the Abhishekam with
the fi st s lla le AM )---- ea i g Ma I e jo the Bliss .
The happi ess I

---he
as thi ki g,
a t is a so ;
hile pe fo
ill that AMKAAN

i g the A hisheka .
e o
toda itself? -
You a e the pleasu es
of this world and the outer world; you are also the Sankaran, who creates
the
----- he he
as ha ti g the Ma t a..
Oh ! The everlasting happiness, which is the Ultimate Bliss, which is enjoyed

by the devotees due to their matured devotion, and which is experienced by
the wise men at the peak of their meditation, was born as his son bringing
happiness into his family !
The ever present Immortal Being, took an Avatar, in order to grant

immortality to the human race which was suffering from the pangs of birth
and death.
The Supreme Being, which is always in a state of bliss, without any external
feeling, out of Its abundance of Love, moved away from that state and took a
human form in order to give that ultimate pleasure to the human race.
At that sacred moment only, the nectar - like p i iple of
Be e ole e
() got the full import of its meaning.
Aryambikai gave birth to a male child on whom she will pour her abundant
love.
The gifted couple were in a state of ecstasy !
Some saints who came to have a look at the child, felt even happier than
them. What they saw was not a mere child; they realized that the origin of
all matters with no differentiation as male and female, had taken Avatar, in
order to give entirety to the ability of the male and the kindness of the
female.
They saw the figure of Sankaran Himself reflected in the marble like figure of
the beautiful child.
They marveled at and enjoyed the coolness of the dark hair, which contrasted
the white marble--like body. They understood that it is the coolness obtained
by wearing the crescent moon and the cool water (of Ganga) on His head.
They opened the young and tender palms, which were closed as if holding
the At a Thath a
i side, a d
oti ed
ith jo , the li es of and
., running along the palms; and the black mole on his throat
reminded them of the blue neck of Lord Neelakantan, who swallowed the
poison from the ocean of milk.
They were also happy at seeing the small scar on his leg and realizing that it
was the mark created when He kicked Yama.
The
suggested to i agu u, to
a e the hild as ANKAAN , afte looki g
at the child very minutely and enjoying the bliss they experienced.
Sivaguru had also come to the same conclusion, as the child was born when
he
as sa i g Na a: a ka aa a du i g the ha ti g of i ud a . The a e
was also suitable to the child from another angle.
There was a tradition in Kerala to name a child according to the day of birth.
In the practice of counting by using letters as numbers, the letters SA(M)-KARA respectively indicate the fifth day of the month, first fortnight
() of the month, and the second month of the year.
So, when the Matter without a shape, obtained a shape and was born, that
nameless Matter got a name too !
Kaladi was surrounded by an environment of auspiciousness at the auspicious

time of the birth of Sankaran; an atmosphere of Peace descended on it; the
plants on the banks of Alaway Puzhai, showered their flowers on its waters;
The river water reduced its swiftness in order not to hurt them; the tiger and
the deer which came to the river to drink water fondled one another; the
elephant caressed the back of the tiger with its trunk.
In the Homa Kundas (the vessels where the flames are raised for the Homa),
the flames revolved clockwise (). The petals in the lotus
flowers that are the hearts of the wise men opened out in bloom. The
devotees enjoyed a peculiar happiness.
But at that same blissful moment, fear engulfed the minds of some persons.
Their awareness (knowledge) stumbled somehow; The which they
were holding fell down on their own. These are the people who were
responsible for the birth of Sri Sankara.
We ha e to t a el
a k a fe
ea s i
reason behind this. We have to

( a d ea h ALADI
the o ea
alled ti e , to k o
the
leave Kaladi and go to the Himalayas

the foot of the Banyan tree).
(TO BE CONTINUED IN CHAPTER 2 ..)

Sri Maha Periva Divya Darshan

All these paintings are done by Sri Narayanan Bala
E-Book from Kanchi Periva Forum

THE ESSENCE OF HINDU TRADITION AND CULTURE
Jaya Jaya Sankara
Translated & Illustrated by

Sri Narayanan Bala
Volume 31
November 2014 Anusham
Chapter 2 of Jaya Jaya a kara by ri Naraya a Bala origi al i Ta il by ri Ra.Ga apathy
CHAPTER 2
The Mountain Melted
The place is Mount Kailash in the Himalayas; there is a tall and well grown
Banyan tree. U de eath the t ee.
Seated there is Lord Siva, as the idol of wisdom, idol of Silence, idol of
Beauty, and Dhakshina Murthy, all at the same time. As He is the Immortal
Being, who is beyond Time and Space, He is
Kaala
facing South, the abode of
Ya a .
Pure white in colour , whiter than the ice frozen on the peak of Kailasam.Soft
and delicate body, softer than the heaps of clouds sleeping on the mountain.
Mass of braided hair like the dense forests of the Himalayas.
Bunches of hair are hanging from the head like the tender vines
hanging
from the branches of the banyan tree.
As a mark of the sea of Bliss that His mind is full of, Holy Ganga is oozing
out, from His locks.
The moon born from the ocean of milk, is perched
on the head, as a
crescent shining brighter and cooler.
May be, He is wearing the crescent moon, to indicate His quality of blessing
those who surrender to Him with growth and prosperity.
The
Ko d ai flo e s
----cassia
ga la ds fo His sake, a e taki g lesso s f o
fistula), which bloom as
the hai o
soft ess .
The hair strands from His head are dancing on His wide forehead, over the
third eye, like the beetles on the lotus flower.
His forehead is smeared with the sacred ash, announcing that He will cleanse
the mind of the three gu as .
His e e o s a e like
o s,
just aisi g
hi h He o
ue ed Ma
atha
the God of Love, when he approached Him (with mischievous intentions).
His blue eyes are partially covered by the eyelids, as the petals of Lotus
flower, cover the blue lily.
His eyeballs are in a fixed gaze without any movement whatsoever. Eye brows
are like clouds which have drunk the Jyothi emanating from the cheeks. His
prominent nose in the centre of those cheeks, acts as though it is preventing
the two oceans of Jyothi from merging. A gentle smile is blooming at one
end of the lips, which look like the coral vines in the ocean of milk.
The remainder of the glowing beauty, after decorating the major part of the
face, has been spent on the chin. The ears are like two fans, fanning the
ou da a Laksh i d elli g o
His fa e. The ea
i gs
),
the
a e efle ted o
His heeks ese
li g the Adhiesha
i the
ocean of milk.
For Him who has no other seat than the Banyan tree, there is no other
e ta
tha
Haalaahala
the da ge ous poiso
churning the ocean of milk for nectar).
hi h
a e out
hile
?].
His blue neck reminds us of His benevolent act of swallowing the dangerous
poison, while giving the nectar to the Devas; it also reminds us of Lord
Vishnu, with His blue tinted body, who resides in His heart. Garlands of
cr stal, Thu
ai Leu asAspe a , jas i e a d Ma tha ai O hid flo e s a e
dangling from His neck and also garlands of Rudraksham and Bilva leaves; all
these i di ate He is the
ause fo the th ee
ualities, ath a
, ajo a d
Tha o .
His fortlike chest prevents His heart from totally running away towards His
devotees. The sacred thread is running along the chest like a water fall. His
body allows the poisonous snakes to dwell on. His abdomen, which contains
all the worlds within it, is itself flat and drawn in.
His body is covered with the skin of the elephant. Four long rounded arms
branch off from His shoulders. The axe He is holding on His right rear hand
will destroy all the evils from their roots.
His ight lo e ha d sho i g the Chi

philosoph
udh a
hi h e plai s the t ue atu e
of Dhakshi a Mu th , ope s out the th ee fi ge s a d gi es
protection. The fo efi ge poi ts to the up e e Bei g, a d de la es ou a e

Hi
; Hi
The thu
that At a
he e
ea i g Vish u.
i di ates the Jee a ,

hi h d ells i
the
loated
od
a oga e. Upa ishads
e tio
is the size of the thumb only; By
joining the thumb and the forefinger, the right lower hand explains
Adh aitha p i iple
the
that Jee ath a a d Pa a ath a a e o e a d the
same.
The bent forefinger in the right lo e ha d sa s that If Jee ath as
o e
even a little towards Him, the Almighty will bend forward and pull them
towards Him. The Rudhraksha garland hangs from in between the forefinger
and the thumb; He proves that by rolling the garland and chanting (Bagavan
Nama) one can become totally unaware of any feeling.
The deer He is holding in His left upper hand is humbled by looking at the
beauty of His eyes and has lowered its look. It shows how the ever
wandering mind becomes totally motionless in His presence. The Lord of
Supreme Knowledge is holding the (scriptures of knowledge and
wisdom inscribed on palm leaves).
He is the very proof that one can reach the state of total Realization by
repeatedly studying those scriptures. He who is the destroyer of arrogance, is
wearing the tiger skin across His waist. The feet which have become tired
because of dancing nonstop i
the Ka aka a ai , a e
esti g he e i
comfort.
He has folded His left leg and placed it on the right leg, which in turn had
been placed on the figure, which symbolizes all evils ().
It is very apt that He has given a place of honour to the left leg which
i di ates A ug aha
His da e i
the left leg elo gs to A
ikai i His
Thillai Chida
aa
, a d also
e ause
a ifestatio as A dhaNa ees a a .
His ten nails are shining like the silver boats on the banks of the ocean of
milk. Each particle in His feet, rendered red by the constant rubbing of the
crowns of Devas who prostrate at His feet, contains in it, infinite number of
galaxies and stars. He is sitting under the banyan tree only to show that a
small minute seed contains such a huge tree in it.
The banyan tree offers a cool shade to those who come under it after a
tired walk under the sun light; but He shows the light to those who, immersed
in the darkness of ignorance, surrender to Him. This Adhi Guru is the Wonder
Light which gives the devotees a coolness which is more soothing than the
shade of the banyan tree!
In front of the Supreme Being, are seated the four Rishis, Sanakar,
Sanandanar, Sanaathanar and Sanathkumarar in a state of absolute Bliss,
unaware of themselves. These aged persons, did
ot get a
sha thi , e e
after learning the four Vedhas and the six branches; therefore they wandered
in search of a proper Guru. When they saw Lord Dhakshinamurthy with the
in his hands seated in such Peace, they went to Him not minding that
He looked much much younger.
But that Guru did not tell them anything either from the , or from
anything else ! He had maintained absolute silence, enjoying by Himself ! Even
the , those aged pe so s got the Upadesa
i itiatio
the
a ted, i
fo t
of the youngster ! They also realized that His silence has given them the
e pla atio fo the Upadesa
As far as the
ae
! The also sta ted li i g the e !
o e ed, this Gu u ,
silence, exists without being there.
ho gi es the
Upadesa
When others are seeing Him as
DhakshinaMurthy, they realize Him as formless.
A supreme Peace prevails in that environment of pure whiteness and

coolness.
There is a minute motion in the waveless ocean that He is. He opens His
eyes a little.
B ah a a d othe De as, fell at His feet, la e ti g, Oh ! Mahade a ! Please

sa e us !
A veil of distress had spread over their faces including the ever satisfied saint
Naradhar. Bagavan did not open His mouth even then, but raised His eyes a
little, as if aski g the
What is the
atte ?
Although He is the allknowing Supreme Being (), it is the duty

of the Devas, who have been appointed by Him as the protectors of the
Universe, to report the goingson there, of their own will.
B ah a eplied,
Lo d ! E e
as you have created the infinite universe
with a purpose, you decided to make the land known as Bharatham among
them, the unique abode of wisdom. You had spread your breath there, which
are the Vedas. You had mentioned in the Chapte of Duties () ,
the duties to be performed by the humans from their birth until their death,
for their own welfare and for the sake of their ancestors, the society, the
Devas and for You !
In the end, in Upanishads you had also shown them the path of wisdom,
which will make them understand the meaning of them all, and attain
Moksha
ealizi g ou i the .
MahaDe a ! No , that Veda a d the Vi tue it p ea hes are in danger of peril

! In the land of Bharatha, duty, devotion and wisdom are deteriorating. Those
who follow the path of Karma and who are supposed to be the living proof
of what the Vedas teach, undergo the cycle of birth and death, as they do
not perform the Karma with devotion and wisdom. Some other persons are
following the evil and horrible practice of human sacrifice in the name of
Bakthi.
Or, some create a cleavage bet ee

supe io
to that God . People
ould
a ious fo
s of God, sa i g this God is
ot adhe e to the paths sho
Budhdha and Jeenar also, as they, while identifying and preaching Love and
Benevolence through logic, did not say anything conclusive about you ! All are
your children; As they do not possess a firm belief that You are the one
who bestows fruits for every Karma, they do not realize the necessity of
showing love towards others, or the bad consequences of wrong doings. They
a e g opi g i
the path of
o fusio , as the do
isdo
is also i sha
Mahesa ! You ha e gi e
ot k o
thei
At a . Be ause of this
les.
assu a e that whenever Dharma (Virtue) is in
da ge , I shall take a ata a d sa e it ; if ou a e i a ti e, i dulgi g i
the
bliss of your Atman, when the forces against Virtue have reared their ugly
heads and as many as seventy two religions have cropped up, what will
happe to the
o ld ?
B ah a s
hoked i
oi e
e otio . He lo e ed His fa e. But the sile e of
Dhakshinamurthy was not broken yet.
Vanikanthan (husband of Vani ) lifted his head , searched for something in vain
and again became emotional with sorrow. Does not the Lord know whom
Brahma was looking for ? He must have searched for the Mother, who always
speak on their behalf. He smiled to Himself !
B ah a is thi ki g that I a
a a
fo
De i ! Is it possi le fo i a
a d
Shakthi to be separated? When that Shakthi is not walking out alone in

athi oopa , is he
ot shi i g
ithi
Hi
as Lo e, Be e ole e a d
Knowledge? That Intelligence spoke now; spoke to the Sivam where She is
resting.
Yes !Dha
should
e esto ed i
Bha atha . But ho
? Ea lie ,
he
separate group called demons tried to wipe out Dharma, it was possible to
eliminate them and re-establish Dharma. But now, there is no one as demon
here. The demonism has taken shelter in the minds and heads of all people.
The a e u de the spell of the g eatest de o
alled Ig o a e .
Therefore there is no way destroying those who have deviated from Dharma;
Their ignorance and nonvirtuous thoughts must be destroyed. Jyothi of
wisdom must be lighted and the inner darkness must be driven out. Only I
should do that job.
The e is
o use sitti g he e a
o e as A Bu [the fou tai
sou e of
everlasting happiness (bliss)]. There are no persons who will come here in
search of this fountain to drink this. Therefore, I should go to the people and
flow into them as the idol of Love. I should take Avatar as SAM---KARAN (one
who does everlasting good).
The idol of Silence opened His mouth and spoke. The voice soaked in honey
came out.
Wo
Dha
ot,
hild e ! I
self
ill
as a ka a ha a , to esta lish
a.
Ha a !Ha a !Mahade a ! ----These fullthroated happy words emanated from

the Devas and reverberated on the peaks of the Himalayas !
The Supreme Bliss spoke further, laced with the love of Mother and a sarcasm
of a child.
o e people
ight ha e
ee
pe tu ed
ot fi di g De i he e. he
ho
gives the ability to see cannot be missing. She is within me now. That is also
for your good only. If your Mother had been here as a separate form, She
also will have to come to the earth with me.
But I have decided to take Avatar as an Ascetic, in order to spread knowledge

and wisdom. Therefore a wife is of no use to me. It was good anyway that
you had prayed to me as a single entity. I shall be born as a single form
ith De i s Lo e a d Be e ole e as its p o i e t pa t.
He paused for a while and looked at Brahman and spoke again with a smile,
B ah a
is the pe so
ho spoke
pathizi g
ith the
a ki d. But
in my Avatar, he will be the person against whom I am going to fight and

i ; fight
e el
ea s
ua el of
Ma da aPa ditha , as a p ea he
he he
B ah a s
o ds ; he
of Mee a sa s ste
ill p ea h the Path of Ka

i d
ill
ith the
a e
of phiolosoph ,
a .
as a little sti ed . He was shocked if this is a punishment for
him for speaking as if he is more concerned about the mankind than the
Lord is !
At that time, Lord Siva looked at His beloved son Muruga (Karthik) and smiled
at Him. Karthik was also Guru for Lord Siva.
He is also the reigning deity for Agni (Fire), to whom oblations are offered
by those following the path of Karma.
Lo d spoke to hi ,
B ah a . You
ill
Ku a ilaBatta
a d
Dea
e a
hild ! You
u h
igge
ust also go to the ea th before

Mee a sa
alled
ill e sp eadi g the path of Ka
a. I
the
ill
a e
i o e
ou
too !
Brahman got a big relief on hearing this ! He realized that If it is true that
He will not curse His son, then His ordaining him to take human birth will not
amount to a curse.
All ou De as also
ill take hu a
i th a d help
e i
this
issio ! He
told the other Devas.
E e o e
as pleased. God does t stop
o l gi i g
hat is asked of Hi ,
but He also goes one step further and offers Himself for help. Thinking about
that sacrifice, the Devas departed from there even forgetting to prostrate
before Him.
The Lo d said, All of ou a e thi ki g that I a
u ifi e t
ho is goi g to
be born on earth to save the humans and you ! In reality, I am going to take
i th, i o de to sa e
Yes ! Lo d Na a a a ,
self ! and smiled mischievously.

ho is dea est to
e, took A ata as i a a a d i
Krishnan and destroyed aDharma and restored Dharma, is it not ? Time is

nearing when the humans fail to remember Their births and celebrate those
da s. I a
goi g to
o du t this a ka aJa a thi i
o de to sa e those
othe Ja a thi s. I a
also goi g to sa e Na a ath i,
hi h is so dea to De i,
a d i a ath i !
Devas returned with a pleasant feeling and peace of mind. Only Brahma was
hesitating to leave.
Lo d i a
alled hi , Chathu
uka!
o e
ith fou heads . Brahman looked
back with pain.
Do
follo
ot
. Whe
ou. This e eptio
ou go to the ea th,
is e lusi el fo
ou dea
wife Vani will also
ou ! . Brahman prostrated before
Him and left happily !
Once again only the Supreme Being and the four Rishis were left alone there.
The four Rishis who were in deep meditation were totally unaware of
whatever was happening there so far ! The Siva Yogi
again went into deep
thinking. Where to be born and to whom ? These were the thoughts !
Mount Kailash is a great mountain. It is an amazing mount, which keeps

melting every day. It is a big mountain, which gets covered with ice more and
more even as it keeps melting ! It becomes cooler and cooler as one climbs
higher and higher. The greatness of a human being lies in a cool heart.
Mou t Kailash is a sta di g e a ple of the t uth that o e s
ealth
ill e e
get reduced as one keeps giving away. Kailasa Nathan who is the mountain of
Wisdom has prepared Himself to melt and create the perennial river of Love !
TO BE CONTINUED IN CHAPTER 3..


All paintings are done by Sri Narayanan Bala
Jaya Jaya Sankara

Translated by Sri Narayanan Bala

Volume 32
December 2014 - Anusham
Chapter 3 of Jaya Jaya ankara by ri Narayanan Bala (original in Tamil by Sri Ra.Ganapathy)
CHAPTER 3
During Childhood
The pro le posed
De as pra er to Mahade a
as o sol ed
the
prayer by the Sivaguru couple. He decided to be born to them as their son.
Though He bestows more than what is asked for, in order that those who
got the boon do not become arrogant, and the fact that life is a mixture of
happiness and sorrow, He told them that the child will live for a short period
o l . Thus He as or o a Vaisaka hukla Pa ha i da a d started His
human life.
But is it reall a A atar ? A atara
ea s to des e d a d o e But ho
do e sa fro
here He, ho is the I fi ite Brah a
a d ho does ot
have a beginning or an end , o es do
? o eho , the Brah a
took
pity on the humanity and assumed human form.
As e sa the su
ho is al a s there has rise ,
e also sa that the
O iprese t has rise . As a i di atio that His risi g is goi g to e
the egi i g of the e d of the other religio s
hi h do ot follo the
path shown by the Vedas, a darkness engulfed the minds of such persons
momentarily, and their religious scripts fell from their hands.
After a kara
as or , i aguru s fa il a d ho e, e jo ed a happi ess,
which they had not experienced before; at the same time, a feeling of
sorrow also ran through that happiness. Siva guru and Aryambikai, were
constantly worried at the thought of losing that happiness.
Duri g the perfor a e of Jatha Kar a , he the hild as lessed ou
shall li e hu dred ears , i aguru s heart as stri ke
ith grief. His voice
roke do
he he tou hed the grou d a d said, Bless e so that I
shall ot ha e to r for
so .
Sankaran grows up among the love and care of relatives and friends, shining
with the rituals performed as ordained in Vedhas. He blooms along with
the His childhood play.
They take all protective steps so that He is not affected by any doshas
ills ; He passes through the phase of hildhood la eri g .
In the sixth month, the parents feed Him food as per custom. They place
toys, weapons and palm leafscripts in front of Him, as per Sastras. The
child picks only the scripts of wisdom. Then he starts to learn walking; he
walks and goes to any one who calls him; starts looking at things around
him and also at the sky and the moon.
Bala Sankaran was very mischievous. The Puja items which used to be in
their specific places, are now scattered everywhere. But the parents of that
A
ai appa
ere o l too pleased ith those is hiefs.
They know that there is no better Puja than making him happy. The saying
goes, the hild a d God ill e here the are eulogized ; ut here the God
is also the child !
The hild s i telle t as
u h superior to its eaut
ut ore tha the
intellect was his ability to be kind and loving towards others, which made
them forget the effect of his mischiefs.
What Sivaguru wanted ----- he wanted a young child in his home to distribute
the prasadham to the other children, with his tender hands----is happening
now !
Before He reached the age of three, He learnt to speak all the words in
Tamil fluently; it sounded like the sweet jingling noise coming from Goddess
Saraswathi when Her ornaments shake.
But this child, born in Tamil Nadu, has taken
throughout Bharatham, is it not? Therefore, is
should excel Himself in Samskrit, which was the
then ? It is an interesting story how He got the
poetry.
That da , Child a kara
as thi ki
gone out on some job. For Mother
Ne edh a
to a i. But Father
ithout offeri g to A apoora i ho
Avatar to spread Dharma

it not necessary that He
popular common language
proficiency in Samskrit and
g seriousl o so ethi g. Father has

also it is not convenient to perform
has told me that we should not eat
feeds us all.
What to do o ? I do t feel like ha i g a thi g

ithout perfor i g
Ne edh a
to a i. But the aid has kept a up full of milk here for
e to dri k.
He found a solution to His problem. He picked up the cup of milk and went
to the Puja roo ; looked at De i; He uttered Ksheera
Ni edha a i
I
offer this milk to you) as His father used to say, and closed His eyes.
Annapoorni laughed to Herself. Even though She is living in this Sankaran, She
appears as a separate e tit also. Is he ot the I fi ite , fro
hi h if o e
takes the infinitude, what re ai s is the I fi ite alo e? Brahadhara aka
Upanishad invocation verse.) Smiling, She now played a trick on Him ! With
the result
When Sankaran opened His eyes and looked at the cup, He almost cried !
Yes, the cup of milk was empty ! The Mother who feeds everyone, has
robbed Him of His food ! His tender heart melted at this disappointment. The
small lips trembled. Tears appeared in the eyes.
That moment when the child cried was the time to sow the seed for the
proficiency in the poetic ability which is going to make the world happy. For
the Vedhas to prevail and the world to prosper, the time has come for
Sankaran to attain proficiency in languages.
He cried, therefore. When He looked at the cup with eyes full of tears, it
looked as though it was full of water. He closed His eyes and opened them
again, so that the tears dropped off, and then looked at the cup again.
Oh ! What a surprise ! The cup was full to the brim with milk ! Was it the
ordi ar o s ilk ? No; It as the er esse e of Wisdo ; Mother ho
feeds the whole universe, fed Herself that day !
Once before, another child, which was crying for milk, drank the milk of
wisdom fed by ParaSakthi and became the master of the three sections of
the Tamil language; and today, this child attained the peak of wisdom, and
mastered Samskrit.
But Sankaran never forgot the fact that He was a Tamil child. Later when He
became the Jagath Guru Sankara BagavathPadhar, He mentioned this incident
i ou dar a Lahari
Dhra ida .
here He had said
You ga e that to the
hild of
In those times, it was believed that the tuft was the roof to the body
where God resides. In His third year, Sankaran had a tuft which was bundled
up and tied in the Chera (Kerala ) style.
Duri g this ritual, he the Ma tra Ma
ou li e for o e hu dred a d
si tee ears , as ha ted, i aguru as agai pertur ed. Fro the o , his
prayer was always that he should precede the child. He submitted that prayer
to that child only ! Because, one day , the child had made him realize who
He was !
Little Sankaran was enjoying playing with the toy chariot. Seeing this, Sivaguru
i olu taril
ha ted the li e fro
the Na aka ------ Pra a s to
Para es ara
ho is a harioteer . The He started ha ti g the Na aka ,
a d he he a e to the li e, Pra a s to Para es ara
ho is seated i
the hariot , the a tual hariot of the illage a e to the street !
i aguru re e ered it as athotsa a
ele ratio
ith hariot that da .
He lifted Sankaran and went to have Swami Darsanam. The chariot came near
; he ould see the Vigraha s idols of Lord i a a d De i U a.
He alled a kara a d poi ted to hi the deities a d said, a kara ! look
at the U
aa hi
ea i g U a ahes ara , ut said i a ha ged for
for the sake of small babies and children) and turned towards the child.
Suddenly, he felt he has been lifted to the top of a huge wave. Yes ! The
Lord who was sitting in the chariot was now sitting in his arms ! He was
thrilled ! He wiped his eyes and looked again.
Now he saw Devi sitting in his arms ! When He somehow got over
phenomenal experience, he saw the child sitting there.
this
No the hild ope ed His te der lips a d spoke, Appa ! I a speak er

ell
o ; the
h
are
ou
sa i g U
a hi ?
ou ould sa
U a ahes ara ! The depth, the fir ess a d the mischief which reflected
i these ords, ade i aguru s heart u le ith happi ess !
U aMahesa ! Only you should protect this child----no this child only
should prote t e ! he prayed. Then he shifted his vision to the chariot
where the deities were decorated and seated.
Oh ! Wonder of wonders ! Is not Sankaran sitting there ! Sivaguru became
breathless and speechless for a moment ! When he regained his normal self,
he realized that he has see
hate er he has t, up till that ti e; i spite of
seei g, heari g, a d tou hi g so a
ti es, hat he has t u derstood so
far, he understood now !
There are a lot of unlucky persons who lose many things; he decided that he
should not be an unlucky person who will lose God Himself. Therefore he
prayed to Sankaran who is going to be known as Sankara BagavathPadhar,
to reach him to the lotus feet of Bagavan.
The
o le
a s desire
as fulfilled. a kara
as four the .
Aryambikai who somehow got out of that sea of distress, was irritated with
herself. She was scared that her bad luck would infect Sankaran also. She
decided to conduct His Upanayanam (Brahmopadesam ) and send Him off to a
GuruKul (home for learning under a Guru) out of her sight. So,
Brahmopadesam was performed for Sankaran at the age of five.
Sivaguru, the Vedic scholar, was unlucky not to have got the good
opportu it to pro e that the a e i aguru as er apt to hi
initiating Sankaran in the Gayathri Mantra.
The a skara
aki g o e perfe t ha i g ee performed by relatives
instead of parents, Sankaran prostrated before His mother as an orphan.
Why should the Supreme being be subjected to this humiliation ? Is it to
show that in life, suffering grief is unavoidable?
As per the custom specified for a Brahmachari (bachelor), Sankaran left His
mother to begin His stay in the home of Guru to learn Vedas. When He
started the studies, Veda Matha (mother of Vedas) was overjoyed and started
inscribing on His tongue.
Before the age of seven, He mastered all the Vedas, Vedantha, its branches,
Smrithis, Puranas, Sastras and the epics.
Those teachers (Gurus) did not understand whether Sankaran was learning
from them or Sankaran was showing them new meanings.
Whe He utters su h se te es as Thath Th a Asi
ou are the upre e
Being) which teaches the oneness of Jeevathma and Paramathma, from the
depth of His heart, the Vedic scholars, who got the opportunity to teach the
Adhi Guru, themselves felt that the disciple is teaching them.
Among all this, Sankaran memorized only one principle again and again. Sri
Dhakshinamurthy took the human form for that purpose only; beginning from
the first se te e, E jo
doi g sa rifi e , the o e pro i e t pri iple of
sainthood which is prevalent throughout the Upanishads, got etched deep
i to a kara s i d.
a kara
as a e a ple for the Upa ishad s sa i g that upre e Bei g, i
sear h of ho , the pra ti e Brah a har a . He follo ed the rules of the
Ashram deligently; discarding the palatial house, away from His mother, He
remained with the teachers and did their chores.
He went to each and every house and begged for alms. He ate the same
thi g , gi e as prasadha
the guru path i s
i es of the tea hers.
That was a Dhwadhashi day. Those who observed fasting on the previous day
(Ekadhashi day) used to break their fast in the early morning itself.
There as o su h reaki g of the fast i o e house; the house of Vedi
scholar Ayaasakan. Because, there was no Ekadhashi fasting for him; meaning,
his was a poor house where everyday was an Ekadhashi day, because he is
AYaasaka , ho e er egs a od for a thi g.
Bha athi Bikshaa
A aasaka s ife.
Dhehi ! ----the ringing tone waved into the ears of
She was not concentrating on the meaning of those words; because, she was
eager to see who it was who had such a sweet voice, and went to the front
door.
There in the fro t of the house
Oh! Has the bluecoloured Vamanan Himself come down and is standing
there ? Or is it the sixfaced Arumukan (Karthik) who has come with a single
face ?
A boy sparkling with the brightness of a lightning was standing in the street.
Like the dark cloud whose darkness is not diminished by the lightning, there
was a tuft tied up neatly on the top of his head. The shaven front portion
of his head was shining fresh.
A wide forehead smeared with the sacred ash as if representing the three
Vedas. E es like err s. A ose like the full
loo ed Cha paka flo er.
Tiny teeth looking like pearls planted in the corallike mouth. That mouth
was showering the nectarlike ords, Bha athi Biksha Dhehi ..
When the rays of the morning sunlight were passing through the crimson
ears of the child, even the veins inside were visible. The diamond ear rings
were spreading a brightness around the face.
A neck like the conch. That conch only had made this sweet sound. Sacred
ash smeared all over the small body. A small sacred thread is resting on the
chest.
A deer skin wrapped over the dress and a belt made of grass worn around
the aist ust e hurti g his te der ski . A Dha da
ade of Palasa t ig
was inserted in the belt. What for he has come to me, hurting his tender
thighs and feet ?
Bha athi Biksha
Dhehi
Now only her mind turned to what he had been so far saying and
understood the meaning and also the purpose.
Yes ! He is asking this beggar to give alms !
The poi ts of the fi gers, hi h ere grippi g the Biksha Paathra
had
become more reddish and reminded her of Sri Lakshmi sitting on the lotus
flower. Why this child, in whom the Ten Lakshmi swaroopams are residing ,
should ask e, ho is the Ashta dharithrai poor lad for al s ?
She ran inside the house with an agitated mind. She felt that her heart
would break if she did not give something to that child.
But, there was nothing in the house to give ! Her mind and body staggered;
she caught hold of the wall for support; the place where she put her hand
as a Purai
a s all depressio
the olde da s houses,
the fa e of the
all,
here a la p or a pi ture of a Deit
She found something there; it was a small
hi h ou find in
is kept .
amla fruit, which had even
decayed a bit.
A idst this utter po ert
also, her hus a d s
elief in Sastras had not
diminished a bit. He had kept that amla fruit, to break his
fast after
returning from a bath in river Soorna.
Yes , toda
is D adhashi ! Therefore,
esterda
as Ekadhashi ! That hild
standing in the street must have been fasting throughout yesterday.
I should not keep him waiting anymore; I have only this amla fruit; I should
gi e this to that ou g o !
She came running to the front door, wondering whether he was still waiting
or had gone away.
TO BE CONTINUED.

These paintings are all created by Sri Narayanan Bala

Jaya Jaya Sankara
Special Series on the Life of Sri Adhi Sankara
( Based on the series in Tamil by Sri Ra. Ganapathy Anna)

(Original Drawings by Sri Maniyam, recreated by Sri
Narayanan Bala)
Volume 33
January 2015 - Anusham
www.periva.proboards.com
www.periva.org
CHAPTER 4
The Time Has Come
A asaka s
ife felt elie ed o l afte seei g a ka a at the doo . Will
Parameswaran, who begged the rishis of Thaarukaa Vanam (forest of
Thaarukaa) stubbornly for their arrogance, leave and go without getting the
Biksha gi e he e ith lo e ?
The lad
d opped the A la f uit i to the Biksha Pathram

(
). She did it with a feeling of utter humiliation. In that one moment,
the cruelty of her poverty struck her forcefully.
One can manage oneself without having anything at all; but what if there is
nothing to offer to those who come for alms ? The peace which she enjoyed
a moment ago by seeing Sankaran at the door was blown away.
She ran inside the house with a heart - breaking sob.
Sankaran looked at the A la f uit. He sa the lad s i d as lea as a
amla fruit in the palm. He noticed a pure heart in that fruit. Wealthy persons
donate their wealth only, but this poor lady ? Had she not given away her
whole heart?
The tender heart of Sankaran melted with compassion at seeing that Brahmin
lad s u o t olla le g ief at ot ei g a le to sho he o e flo i g lo e
with a material object. That compassion flowed out of His mouth as words
in the immortal language.
Yes, the milk of wisdom given by Devi has started bearing fruit ! The tender,
tiny mouth started praying to Sri Lakshmi Devi ! He prayed to Her to turn Her
loving glance towards these poor people.
Her glance is always towards Lord Jagannath who has the whole universe as
His od . Ha i s hea t ill get th illed, he He look falls o Hi ; as a
external indication of that, His whole body would get goose pimples.
That will beautify His body more than the other ornaments. Sankaran prayed,
Would ou ot tu
ou e es ith hi h ou de o ate ou dea hus a d
thus, to a ds these poo people fo
sake ?
Sankaran has seen many times, how a beetle touches the waterlily, how
the flower will shake, and how the beetle will get scared and move away
from the flower, only to come back and sit again.
Same way, when Her look falls on His dark blue body, it will vibrate;
immediately, Her look which went to Him with affection and love, would turn
a a f o the e ith a lush. Wh
ot ou tu
that o de ful gla e
towards these poor people ? --- prayed Sankaran.
aathaka ( ), is a kind of cuckoo often mentioned by poets. It is
said that it has a hole in its throat. It cannot drink the water from the
ground surface, as normal birds do. When it flies with thirst in search of
water, the rain water drops will enter its throat and quench its thirst.
I the sa e a , h ot ou ou self sho e the ai of ealth f o
ou
loving glance on these poor people who suffer from the thirst of poverty ?
They might have committed some sins in their previous births; but you have
that cool breeze of compassion which can quell that fire and push that
loving glance of love towa ds these poo folks -----The child boy (Sankaran)
sang thus impressively.
Indhirai (Sri Lakshmi) appeared before Sankaran.
i e ! You a e aski g e to ipe off the si s ith o passio ! But if su h
compassion is shown towards those who commit sins, then no one will desist
from committing sins in the world. Is it not relevant to block the flood of
o passio
ith justi e ? She asked Umapathi, whom Her consort married
manifesting as Mohini.
a ka a
hose lotus feet a e apa le of ha gi g the fate, eplied, The e
are times when compassion will wipe out the divine doctrine of justice; it is
when the love shown by sinners that wipes out the fruits of their Karma.
The feeli g of lo e that o e flo ed that lad s hea t he she ga e

a la f uit, ould dest o the si s of all he p e ious i ths.
e this
That is all ! MahaLakshmi, immediately showered Her compassion and Love , in

the form of golden amla fruits, In the courtyard of the poor Brahmin lady
who offered Him just a decayed amla fruit !
SuVarnam () has two meanings; one, glittering gold with pure
colour; and two, a beautiful alphabet ( ). First a rain of
eautiful o ds sho e ed f o a ka a s outh, a d o se ue tl , a ai of
pure gold also came down.
The Avatar of Sankaran took place solely for establishing Dharma by Wisdom;
but still, Acharyar happened to perform a few miracles bound by the power
of love. Those miracles are not important to us; what is important is the
Love, which happened to be the origin of such miracles.
They would fade away from the memory of the characters in the drama as
fast as they happened.
That prayer on Sri Lakshmi which emanated from the tender heart of
Sankaran is the KANAKADHARASTHAVAM (). Is not
compassion (love), the birth place of poetry ?
Did not the feeling of sorrow felt by Sri Valmiki Rishi on seeing the injured
KROUNCHA bird ( ) which was hit by the hunter, become a
loka a d
eate the Fi st Epi a a a a ? Adhi a ka a s fi st G a tha
also was born out of compassion.
Before the age of eight, Sankaran mastered all the Vedas, Sastras, and Epics.
The sta i the ho e of Gu u ) concluded. Now, He has to
return home.
One very early morning, there came a sound of somebody crying, disturbing
the atmosphere of peace and tranquility. Aryambikai, the head of the
wealthiest family in Kaladi, for the first time after losing her husband, came
out of her home, and entered the GuruKulam crying aloud. Pasupathi ran
towards His mother as a calf would, to its mother cow.
A a ikai s
hole od shi e ed he she e
a ed Hi . he told those
noble Brahmins ho pa ified he , The Al ight is f ighte i g e i the
dreams also as if the grief I am undergoing when awake, is not enough.
This early morning I had a dream where my dearest child is wearing saffron
robe and is goi g a a
ith a Dha da , like a e di a t. He od
as
shaking violently while saying this.
he folded he ha ds up to a ds the sk , a d said, M Lo d ! Fo the
pleasure of seeing my son again now, I am prepared to have thousand such
ad d ea s, ut please do ot ake this d ea
o e t ue ! a ka a s
heart also was overwhelmed with emotion.
Arya returned home with her son, and got back her peace of mind which she
had lost for a very long time. She felt much happier now than when she gave
birth to Him seeing her son as a treasure of wisdom and a noble being,
But the well-being was restricted to her mind only; her health was
deteriorating.
One day, when Arya went to Alaway Puzhai for bath, she swooned and fell
down on the river bank. The son who went in search of His mother was
shocked to see her in that condition.
He lifted her head and placed it on His lap. Arya regained conscience when
something very chill struck her face. Somebody is spraying water from a wet
lotus ud; Oh ! It is ot so e od !
In front of her, and near the lotus bud, she saw another lotus flower----a ka a s fa e ! he ould see tea d ops i the o e s of His lotuslike
eyes also. The mother read thousands of stories of joy in that face !
Next day, the son did not allow his mother to go to the river for bath. When
there were many servants waiting to do the chores, He Himself went to
fetch water, with the noble thought that He should do service to His mother.
He started for the river with two pots in His hands. Alaway Puzhai was proud
that the Supreme Being who punished and contained (river) Ganga in His
head, was Himself coming to her. But the river which was flowing in a noble
land, changed her course a d sta ted flo i g ea a ka a s house !
a ka a told His othe , I do ot k o
hat is this i a le, A
a, ut
the i e is flo i g ea ou house o l ! ----as if He does not know how !
The Devas were worried that the task of Eswara Avatar has not started yet
and more over Parameswaran had told them that He would discard the
human life in a short period. They wanted to remind the Supreme Being of
this.
The Bagavan also was acting as if He forgot all about it, in order to check
whether they (Devas) were doing their duty properly. He had actually scared
them by saying that He would return within a short period, in order to
prevent them from getting arrogant after getting their boon they asked of
Him.
Agasthya Rishi, Naradha Rishi and other ascetics sent by Devas disguised
themselves as aged Brahmins to hide their identities, and came down to
Kaladi. They treaded that holy place sanctified as it was by Him, with
hesitatio , a d a e to a ka a s house. The e i ded Hi
that the ti e
had come for fulfilling the goal of His Avatar.
A a hea d o l the o ds Ti e has o e , a d u de stood the i a
different way. Did not Virushasalesan bless them with a child with a short
life? he thought that these B ah i s e e sa i g that he so s life as
nearing its end and was agitated.
I lost
dea
lea es e ?
hus a d;
should I
o ti ue li i g afte
so
also
Sankaran asked His mother why she was crying ? How could she mention it to
Him in so many words ? Somehow, she struggled and stammered and told
Him the matter, and started crying uncontrollably.
Though the time to depart from the earth had not come yet, He had to now
leave His mother and go away. Therefore Sankaran decided to prepare her
mind to accept His separation from her.
Now that He got the opportunity for that, He started talking to her seriously.
Mothe ! A e ou o ied that I ould lea e ou ? Wh
Himself had said that I would die young, what is the
worrying about it ? We can change what humans do;
alte ati e fo God s ill? The efo e, a e ou self a d a
this o ? If God
use, then, of you
but where is the
ept it.
He o ti ued fu the , You had so a y children in your previous births. Tell

me what is the relationship between them and you now? The attachments
we develop in this worldly life are not permanent , Mother!
Do t you know this? The attachment we create with something that is ever
pe a e t, is the o l elatio ship that is pe a e t, is it ot?
What a ka a spoke i the ool oi e, f oze A a
there speechless and breathless.
ikai s
i d. he just sat
Sankaran heaved a sigh and continued to speak steadily, clearly, word by

word, like a musical sound.
I a ig flood of ate , the e appea
a
a air bubbles on the surface.
Among them, some air bubbles attach themselves to each other; after some
time, neither this bubble nor the other one exists. They dissolve into the
water.
We a e all like those u les, i the flood of ti e , eated
Ma a
(illusion) which shakes the still reservoir of supreme bliss. Does it not follow
the that all of us should si k i to that liss ?
Arya was listening to her son, openmouthed. But even she who is a
matured intellectual, could not understand what Sankaran was saying. Like the
o di a illite ate folks, she lu ted out, Is this what you speak to a mother?
A e ou sa i g, ou ha e se t
fathe a a f o this o ld; ou a
send me also away and live in this o ld ?
Sankara! Think in your mind that I should go away, say it aloud in so many
words ! Then it will come true ! I will also join your father ! Even if I do not
ha e the jo of pe fo i g ou
a iage . Her voice choked and she
could not speak further.
a ka a s hea t so ed
afterwards, He smiled.
he He ealized His
othe s
ish; ut i
ediatel
What a strange thing ! Marriage for Him ? Which object He will marry ? His
fo
is Kal a a ; His ualities a e Kal a a
i tuous ; Is the e a
othe
object of virtue, except Him, or outside of Him, which He should search and
marry ?
He e e e ed a sloka, Whe the up e e Bei g, hi h is the form of
total virtue, takes an Avatar in a human form to bless those who surrender
to Hi , people a t to pe fo
a iage fo Hi also !
But there is nothing strange in this; even Brahman who recites the four
Vedas, searched for Kalyani, outside of Him; why not, then, Aryambikai speak
about marriage for Sankaran?
Aryambikai talked about marriage; but Sankaran, on the other hand, had been
thinking about renunciation for some time. He had decided to leave His home
to teach Dharma to the world as promised to Devas; to sacrifice a personal
life with wife, children, wealth etc, and to start living for the welfare of
others.
He did not wa t to adopt sai thood ithout His othe s pe
how to make her agree to it ?---He started to think of a way.
issio . But
Mothe ! Co e, let us go a d ha e ath ! ------Sankaran called His mother

one day. Both of them went to the river, which was running very near to
their house, to have bath leisurely.
a ka a got i to the ate . Ne t o e t, a loud
above the noise made by the river flow.
Ahhhhhhh! ,
ose
a ka a ! What happe ed ! ----Aryambal shouted in a louder voice.

M leg..leg.. ------cried Sankaran.
When she looked at His leg-----Oh ! a crocodile had caught hold of His leg
between its ferocious jaws ! Its sharp teeth were digging into the silky flesh
of a ka a s leg !
Aryambikai was shaken beyond control. She was throbbing and palpitating, not
k o i g hat to do. Oh ! I a goi g to lose
ge afte all, that too i
this ho i le fashio .
But Sankaran was shouting helplessly, asking her to rescue Him. But who will
rescue Him and how ? Is it humanly possible to relieve Him from the
o odile s fi
g ip ? If that e e possi le, the o je ti e of the A ata
would not have been fulfilled, is it not ?
The villagers who gathered near the river bank could not be aware of all this.
They tried their best to drive away the crocodile. But there were some
persons among them who did not make any attempt, not knowing it was
impossible.
They were the relatives of Sankaran (who might have inherited the family
property, were He not born !) who had, by His late arrival to the family, had
dashed their hopes !
Therefore, externally they acted as if they were uneasy about not being able
to save Him, though, in their heart of hearts, they were gleeful. As if her
so s pai
as ot e ough, the attitude of the elati es oke A a s hea t.
She started running madly.
Mothe ! Mothe ! please do ot lea e
e ! -----shouted Sankaran.
a ka a ! What is that I a do fo ou o
at h ou slo l ei g ------sobbed Arya.
? hould I sta d he e a d
You do ot k o
hat to do ? If only you put your mind to it, you can
sa e e ! ---said the child. He said this casually as if He was not feeling the
pai suffe ed f o the o odile s ha d g ip.
Me ? To sa e Hi ? hat ould she ot do, if that were possible ? She was
even ready to sacrifice her life if only that would save her son. That being
the ase, h He is sa i g that if ou put ou
i d to it, you can save
e?
What a e ou sa i g my dear child? How could I , a helpless lady, save
you? said Aryai.
Please gi e e pe issio to ha e a e- i th ! I ill, the e sa ed ! ----said
a ka a . The ONE ho GIVE the oo of o e i th , is AKING a oo
from His mother to have Rebirth ! Arya was confused.
She did not need to permit Him to have rebirth---because, that ferocious
o odile is goi g to s allo Hi
o a
a ! His p ese t Ja a is goi g
to end now and consequently, next birth will follow.
Aha ! Did He not speak about previous birth and future birth very recently ?
Should all that come true so quickly and in so horrible a fashion?
a ka a ! You e e speak a thi g without substance ! Only I cannot
understand what you are talking about, my dear child ! I am already a fool,
now I have become senseless due to my suffering.
Please tell me once again clearly so that I can understand. How does it
matter whether I give you permission or not, for you to have your rebirth ?----asked Aryambikai.
Sankaran started to speak. The moment He had been waiting for, has now
arrived!

These sketches are all created by Sri Narayanan Bala

Jaya Jaya Sankara Chapter 5
(Based on the series in tamil by Sri Ra. Ganapathy Anna)

Volume 35
13 February 2015 - Anusham
www.periva.proboards.comwww.periva.org
Chapter 5 of Jaya Jaya a kara by ri Naraya a Bala (origi al i Ta il by ri Ra.Ga apathy anna)
CHAPTER 5
A Child for the World
Sankaran, who was caught in the jaws of the crocodile, spoke to His mother
ho as looki g at Hi
ith s path , Mothe ! It is ot e essa that
this body should be destroyed for taking a rebirth. Changing the life pattern
o pletel is also e ui ale t to e i th. The efo e, I .. --Sankaran stopped
speaking, not wanting to hurt His mother.
Even if it is acceptable to ask for her life, how could He ask her to give up
her son ? No mother would be able to do that sacrifice. Sankaran was not
even able to look at His mother who was standing there as a statue.
Only when He lowered His eyes He realized that the crocodile had caught His
leg. He pretended that the pain was unbearable, and continued with a
feeli g of sh ess, I a
ot a le to ea this pai , othe ! That is h I
am telling you. What I am trying to tell you is that if I change my life style
o pletel a d a ept sai thood..it is e ual to e i th. The the f uits of
this birth and its fate also may change. Thereby my imminent death in this
i th a also e p e e ted.
O l if ou pe it e to renounce life, I will change my life to one of
Dharma. Then I will get an opportunity to escape from the jaws of this
crocodile; Why not we test it, mother ? Even if the test fails, it is alright,
because, if I do not accept sainthood now, is it not absolutely certain that I
will be swallowed by this crocodile ?
The crocodile moved its jaws up and was nearing His thigh. Aryambikai could
not bring herself to watch that horrible sight.
At this difficult juncture, what else could she do ? She had a good dream and
got a child, and now, it looks certain that another dream is going to come
true and she is going to lose her child. Could she bear it ? But is this the
ti e to thi k of that a d hesitate ? Oh, the
et hed o odile..
With pain gripping her heart, Arya opened her mouth. How she managed to
open her mouth and utter these words is difficult to understand, but she said
i a hoki g oi e, tea s olli g do

he heeks, It is al ight if ou li e i
so e o e of this o ld, as a sai t o a e di a t,
dea hild ! . Whe
she uttered each and every word, a horrible deathly experience surrounded
her thickly , as if her heart was broken into pieces and flew away.
Sankaran hardened His mind.
As His mother was the temple where He dwelled,
renounce the world without her permission, and
circumstances and achieved His objective; now that He
vowed to discard all worldly relations, chanted the
and dipped in the Soorna river.
He did not want to

so He created those
got her permission, He
Mantra for Sainthood,
With that all the inner bonds attached to Him also drowned in the water.
The Supreme Being who saves those who surrender to Him from the sea of
worldly life, dissolved the bonds of His birth here, in Alaway Puzhai and
emerged as a Saint.
From now on, He does not belong to any individual family.
who did not have a life of His own, but belonged to one
owned the whole universe, became an entity owned BY
ha ted the Ma t a
I should ea h a state he e o li i
af aid of e and became a saint, is it not?
He became one
and all. He who
the world. He
g ei g shall e
Saint ? Did He become a saint ? What did He renounce ? Other saints would
renounce the world and proceed to forests or caves, but our Saint, instead of
renouncing the world, was going in search of it !
A a had ead i the Pu a as, that the de eased took a dip i the hol i e
a d e e ged f o it as a health a d st o g pe so . But, o she it essed
a much stranger sight.
As soon as Sankarar dipped into the water , a celestial figure raised from the
river , and stood in the sky, with folded hands. No, No, there ! Sankarar also
got out from the river.
But, where did the crocodile go ? Who is this Celestial being ? He is saying
something to Sankaran !
a i ! Whe I as e jo i g usi , i
e sed i the pleasu e of o e
and (intoxicating) drinks, Rishi Dhurvasa came that way and I did not pay
obeisance to him. He became very angry and cursed me to be born as a
crocodile. Then He gave me a way of deliverance , asking me to go and lie
down in Kaladi Puzhai, and wait for the Supreme Being who would come
there as a child and get the deliverance by holding on to His feet.
Today, I got my release due to your Anugraha ! Because I caught hold of your
holy feet, surrendering at which people get released from the family bonds,
you yourself got released f o
ou fa il o d. Ho lu k I a ! said the
celestial being, prostrated before Sankaran and went off to the heavenly
abode.
Co e ! Let us go ho e ! -----Arya called Sankarar, typical of a loving mother.
Ho e ? ----a ka a asked, ope i g His ou g outh. hould ot The I
which always pokes itself in the front go ? Which home should He go ?!
Yes
dea o ! I a sa i g let us go to ou house. All the da ge s hi h
afflicted you are now gone ! From now, you will live hundred years.
Virushasalesan who gave the boon eight years ago has now fulfilled it .
Come, let us go ! We have to perform certain remedial rituals which will
i g ha thi . ------said Aryambikai.
ituals to
i g ha thi ?
a ka a s i d a d hea t.
But
A solute
ha thi
has al ead
o upied
He asked he i a soft oi e, Mothe ! What did ou sa a little hile ago ,

and what are you saying now ? When the crocodile caught hold of my leg,
did you not allow me to renounce the world and become a saint ? Where is
the ho e fo a sai t ?
A a ikai stood stu ed o hea i g this. I had some bad dream, but the
ad effe t ould e d ith the d ea itself a d ould ot o ti ue ---this
was what she thought; The full meaning of the permission she gave at the
time of the danger, struck her only now when Sankaran explained it once
again. A veil of vacuum engulfed her again, frightening her. Aryambikai who
felt that her senses are leaving her, could only hear some words.
a ka a kept talki g, the e is o ho e for a saint; the world is his home;
there is no mother for him; all the women who give alms to him are his
mothers; all those who teach him are fathers; his disciples are his children;
entertainment is nothing but enjoying within himself. Mother, you are
repeatedly talking about marriage. I, who is a saint have already married
ha thi sile e, pea e . Fo
e the e is o a iage, as u de stood
the
people. I have to spread the lo e hi h has filled
hea t.
Mothe , ith a iage, hild e
et . life ill e d ith the p o le s of
home; if everyone follows this path, who will then worry about the world ?
Do t ou k o , othe , ho this orld is getting deteriorated ? Can you not
sacrifice your son to correct this to the best of his ability ? Will you not
sha e ou ight of othe hood ith all the o e i the o ld ?
Sankaran pleaded with her. Arya, as she slowly recovered from the shock,
thought, He sa s all those ho gi e al s a e His othe s ?! A d I should
gi e the that ight, He sa s
a ka a ! I p a ed a d o se ed pe a e fo a hild, a d I a ied you for
ten months in my womb and gave birth to you ! How can I renounce you
o ? He th oat a hed as if it ould u st.
The eyelids of Sankarar clouded His wide eyes, and grief stuck His throat in
small bursts. He controlled His emotions and continued to speak to His
mother.
You a e e tai l
othe . If all ladies a e othe s, the , ou, ho ga e
birth to me are very special. That is why I expect you to love me more than
they do and also to fulfill my desire to renounce the world, just like a
othe
ho ould gi e a thi g hi h he hild ould i sist o ha i g.
You a e, o dou t,
othe ; ou do ot ha e othe hild e on whom
you could shower your motherly love; you are also a widowed mother who
does not have anybody else to support you than me; but still, my dear
mother ! As I have my duties towards you, so also I have many duties

to a ds this u i e se. You a ask e
What is the hu
fo the
? ou a fulfill the
afte
ti e ?
Let me tell you what I have in my mind. Right now, not only I am asking
you to allow me to become a saint, but I am asking you also to renounce
the o ds; if ou e ou e e o l , the o ds ill lea e ou.
Mothe ! A e the st uggles ou ha e u de go e i this i th ot e ough
for you ? In spite of possessing immense wealth, you were not happy as you
did not have a child to enjoy that wealth; you got a child; but immediately
after that you lost your husband; and you were constantly worried when you
would lose your so also. Do t ou a t to attai pea e of i d ithout all
such worries ?
Mothe ! Ha e ou ot hea d of this sa i g f o the Vedas that o e a ot
achieve a state of immortal peace without worries, by possessing a child or
ealth; it a
e got o l th ough sa ifi e ? Ma
ou attai fa e
pe fo i g su h a sa ifi e ! Ma ou e eulogized that He e as a othe
who sacrificed her child, whom she got through severe penance and prayer,
fo the sake of the o ld !------Sankarar prayed with utmost humility and
obedience.
Aryambikai was one who lived a more detached life than Sivaguru. God
tested her severely by kindling her emotions, in order to rid her of all her
sins from the previous births and make her merge with the true Supreme
Being. Now, the earlier state of equanimity, was rekindled slowly.
Like the dancing shadows in a dim light, she said in
Sankara ! Are you asking for my permission to go and
ou that o . o. o.I a ot gi e ou pe issio fo
g a t ou pe issio ONLY to go es, please do ot
unlucky poor lady.
an inaudible voice,
come ? Yes, I grant
COMING, es, I ill
come back to this
You do not have to think about me ever. Sankara, I will never be in the way
of ou duties. The efo e, go ithout a thought a out e..
She ended with words which broke he hea t i to s ithe ee s,

a d .. do ot o e a k !
Please go
a ka a s hea t ithe ed. He is a Mothe

ette tha a othe . But still,
only when He, who showers blessings as a mother, got a mother for Himself,
He u de stood a
othe s hea t ! He just ould ot ea that
othe
discarding Him. He spoke with emotion.
Mothe ! Please do ot totall put e a a like that ! Do ot ake e a
man of deceit, who left a widowed lady at the mercy of her greedy and
jealous relatives, and ran away.
Mother ! Please think of me when you reach the last moments of your life ;
whichever corner of this land I am in, whatever important ritual I am
performing, I will leave them all, and come running to you. In your last
moments, I shall keep you on my lap, comfort you, and send you to heaven.
I will see to it that you get a noble deliverance and attain Moksha. I shall
also light the fu e al p e, ei g ou o l so ! ----an emotional Sankarar
spoke with a trembling voice.
A a s hea t hi h had ee ha de i g so fa , sudde l sta ted to elt agai .
She made a final attempt to retain Sankarar with her, by holding on to His
own words.
a ka a! All that is fi e ! Bo as ou e e, as the o l so , should ou ot
perform the relevant rituals for your father and ancestors, as you do for me ?
Is it not against Sastras to stop the family hierarchy without producing a
heir, to discontinue the performance of the traditional Puja ? Is it not your
duty to ensure that our family is protecting the Vedas ?
My dear child ! you talk about renunciation, sainthood etc. But Your father
has told me that the sacrifice and renunciation made by a married person is
the highest of all----The family person has been ordained with the duty of sacrificing all his
wealth, body and life for the sake of Devas, ancestors and the society and all
li i g ei gs. a ka a ! Do ot de ei e e, thi ki g that I k o
othi g !
Sankarar replied, making His oi e i e a d s ooth, Mothe ! ast as also

mention that one can perform the rituals to his ancestors, without leading a
married life. If one leads a noble life of a Saint without bypassing any rule,
then his an esto s fo t e t o e ge e atio s ill attai Moksha.
Ou ast as , k o i g full
ell that hu a s a ot li e ithout a iage,
made it into a proper system; but I cannot accept that it is the system
meant for eve o e. G eat ouls ha e said that Fa il life is a o te
hi h
pulls o e do
a d is a stu li g lo k to attai i g li e atio . A e these
mere words and not to be practiced ?
Do not be afraid that a branch of Veda will get cut because of me. I am
saying this without any selfesteem; my duty is to make Dharma grow in
this land. Same way, I am giving up the Puja in our home, in order to
nurture Devotion and the syste of si eligio
o ship all a ou d this
country.
Please less e so that I shall e a t ue a asi a d pe fo
all these
duties
ell. Saying these words, Sankarar prostrated at the feet of
Aryambikai. A saint must necessarily prostrate before his mother----says the
Sastras.
The confused mind of Aryambikai cleared up on seeing the firm stand taken
a ka a . He ha ds hi h e t fo a d eage l to take he
hild a d
embrace Him, closed their palms involuntarily and paid obeisance. Tears
welled up in her eyes when she saw the small figure (of Sankarar) who was
ready to discard all the wealth and prosperity He possessed, and start on a
mission of saving the country all alone, and with no support; she saw in front
of he the figu e of a ifi e pe so ified i His fo .
There was heavy flood in Alaway Puzhai. The water level kept increasing.
Water entered the temple of Lord Krishna which was near the bank. Sankarar
entered the Sanctum Sanctorum which was sinking in the water. He took the
idol of Lord Paranthaman in His own hands and came out. He re-installed It
in another place.
Mothe , f o
o o ,
go anywhere else. You
Him, He will look after
looked at a d the look
This Gopalan is your son. He will not leave you and

do not have to worry about Him. If you look after
you. Afterwards, the one who looks, the one who is
ill all e o e o e si gle e tit .
Ma I go a d o e -----
( ) ?
A a ikai s e es elled up ith tea s--- Is this goi g to

that I will hear those nectarlike oi e?
e the last ti e
Wh these foolish e es a e se eti g tea s a d li di g e ? hould I ot

keep seeing my son, as He walks in pain with His tiny legs, step by step, till
my eyes start paining ? Fou ea s ago, he the Little a ka a st et hed
and showed His plump legs, she massaged them; that was the last. Later,
when He went to each and every house, asking for alms, His legs became
thin, like the tender trunks of a banana tree.
Now, where all those legs will go and get tired ? He said that all the ladies are
His mothers; will anyone among them, go after those twisting legs and
massage them ? If those legs, which push the wet clothes and walk, suffer
from excruciating pain, will anyone among them give them a warm massage ?
My dear dear child is leaving me and going away without any of these
worries. The eight-year old child which should be playing with toys at home,
is going away tirelessly, with a firm mind and with the single mission of
saving this world; going away to fulfill some extraordinary duties. There !
He has gone away from my sight. Therefore, let the eyes now secrete plenty
of tears. From the beginning of this world, to this day, who would have
sacrificed an object rarer than this son of mine ? His sacrificing me, who is
but a foolish lady is nothing big;
What is really big is the boon, I got, of sacrificing my son for the sake of the
world. What better job these eyes have than pouring out a flood of tears of
joy on account of this? Aryambikai found her peace in the joy of this sacrifice.
TO BE CONTINUED IN CHAPTER 6.

This drawing is the creation of Sri Narayanan Bala

The above painting by Sri Narayanan Bala has been re-drawn from the original by Sri Maniyam

Volume 36
12 March 2015 - Anusham
Chapter 6 of Jaya Jaya a kara by ri Naraya a Bala origi al i Ta il by ri Ra.Ga apathy a
CHAPTER 6
Meets the Guru
Oh ! How many days have passed by after Sankarar left Kaladi ! Where is
He still going showing no trace of tiredness or weakness ? How many places,
how many forests, how many hills and how many rivers He had crossed by
then ! How many different kinds of folks----folks with varied customs and
speaking different languages----He had seen ! But still, where does this child
Ascetic keep going with aching legs ?
Have those legs become reddish like the trunk of the red banana tree, due
to the blood clotting because of the nonstop walking ? Or was it due to the
colour of the setting sun ? But those legs which were white like marble and
which had become like corals, stopped at last ! He could continue His journey
only if He found a way to cross the heavily flooded Narmada river.
But it did not appear as if He stopped His journey due to the flood ! One
ould oti e pea e a d al i His fa e as He thought , Ah ! I have at last
o e to the pla e he e I a ted to ea h ! a d ot a
hesitatio afte
seeing the flooded Narmada.
What are those beautiful eyes on His moonlike face, looking in all directions
and searching for ? Why His look finally stops at the cave in the hill ? Is it
because of the nonstop walking that His tender feet are shaking lightly ? Is it
only because of the tiredness that His heart,---- although the size of a palm,
but which has conquered the entire world with its benevolent grace , ----- is
beating fast ? Are the drops of sweat appearing on His face, like the drops of
nectar swelling from the moon, signs of only the tiredness ?
No.No.! The eal easo fo all these is His a iet that He is goi g to
meet the person who has to give Him permission for starting His mission for
which He has taken this birth !
Yes, Sankarar, who is the Adhi Guru and Divine saint has to get His
initiation for sainthood from another Guu . He has to be humility personified
and serve the guru. After all this only He should start on the mission of His
Avatar. That is why He walked so far, and long, not stopping anywhere.
Sankarar stopped as His innermost feeling told Him that the Guru who is
enjoying the bliss of His self, is in meditation in this cave only !
In a
ooks o a ka a Vija a
the e a e t o e sio s of ho He et
His Guru---one version says that He met Him on the banks of river Narmada,
and another version says that He met Him in the cave of Badri. In yet
another source,
in the copies of the ancient
book by name
A a dagi ee a , hi h is elie ed to e the ea liest of all the ooks, it is
mentioned that Sankara Bagavath Padar met His Guru in Chidambaram.
Sankarar, in His Viveka Choodamani, has said that It is not important where
these ise pe so s li ed ph si all ; i thei
i d, the all li e i the Wide
spa e of isdo
hi h is Chida a a
: ).
Sankarar who stopped there, calmed His mind and walked around the cave
clockwise three times; He paid obeisance to the great soul sitting inside;
a ka a s ho e soaked oi e pie ed th ough the flood of Bliss flo i g f o
the great soul s hea t.
The As eti s hea t th o ed; e es ope ed; his thi d e e too ope ed. He
understood that the disciple ( is He a disciple ?) for whom he had been
waiting so long, had at last arrived ! In order to confirm it, he spoke from
i side the a e, Who is the e ? .
The ajesti oi e e hoed f o the alls of the a e a d fell o
ears above the noise of the flowing water of the river.
a ka a s
a ka a eplied, It is ot the combination of the transitory earth, other

ele e ts a d the se ses, ho has o e he e. It is the adh aitha
ot t o
matter which shines in the depth of wisdom----Pure Sivam, which has come
he e.
Sankarar revealed Himself in ten such beautiful verses ( ). Now
it was crystal clear to the Ascetic in the cave, as to who had come there.
He also knew that there was nothing that needed to be taught to that Jyothi
of Wisdom.
Yet, his Gurus had sent him here in order to give initiation to IT, as per the
custom in vogue. The lion of wisdom came out of the cave with his steady
mind jumping with joy.
The scarlet sky painted the lion which came out of the cave, red. The tall
tree of wisdom came and stood under the Banyan tree which had spread its
branches wide and big , near the river. The young Sankarar looked at him
with eyes full of humility. The simplicity of Sacrifice stood obediently in
front of the strength of penance.
The great soul looked at Sankarar as he would look at his son with love.
Again his heart jumped with joy. The evening sun which had painted the sky
a d the hill tops ed, sho ed a ka a s ash --white body also scarlet. The
old sage felt hypnotized as if he was looking at Sri Lalitha who dwells on the
left side of the Supreme Matter where the heart is.
He as thi ki g, Is ot the saff o de o atio do e
Natu e e ough fo
this child who had already renounced the world in His heart? Is it necessary
for me also to give the saffron robe and initiate Him ? Should I be the
catalyst for the goodness of this young mind, to flow out as Love and Poetry
like the scarlet coloured flood water of river Narmada is raging ?
As the sage thought of the Flood in the river Narmada, he recollected in his
mind a very old thought; he looked at Sankarar with eagerness.
Sankarar went near the water body, as if He already understood what was in
the mind of the old sage. He dipped His wooden water vessel into the
water. Wonder of wonders !
All the foaming water waves entered into and disappeared in the vessel;
Will ot the Ka a dala
oode
essel) of the Supreme Being, who
subdued and contained river Ganga in His dense braids of hair , contain
Narmada?
Fo the thi d ti e the age s hea t ju ped ith jo . Tea s of jo appea ed i
his eyes too. He managed to hold them from falling down, and looked up.
Through the tears of joy in his eyes, the long branches of the Banyan tree
danced like waves. His thought waves also went back in time on a long story.
We observe the white foam - laden waves dancing on the blue sea, is it not ?
But on the top of a still wave in the ocean of milk, sleeps a blue heap of
foa . The up e e B ah a
alled HAI
ho sleeps o the s ake
ed Adhisesha
will be creating waves in the hearts of those who have
experienced Him.
The blue color indicates the limitless sky and the sea. The objects which look
different from each other under light, become one under darkness, is it not ?
Same way, It is the darkness which sees the whole world as one, and blesses.
ees as o e ? What a the atte
hi h loses its e es a d sleeps, see ?
That is illusio ! The e is o e like this Ma a a Vish u
ho dest o s the
illusion.
The fact that He has given the white color
to the poisonous snake
Adhisesha a d has take the olou of the loud fo Hi self, ho is
nothing but Nectar, is also illusion only. His sleep is also illusion. How can the
o e ho p ote ts the e ti e u i e se sleep ? He is falsel sho i g the state
of His meditation as sleep. Ah ! What a beautyfilled sleep it is!
Adhiseshan who is cradling that beauty and dancing with the waves, lowered
his heads to drink that lovely sight with his two thousand eyes. The combined
brightness of the one thousand gems on its heads spread on the body of
Pe u a as a ed sheet.
Naga aja
as elated ! At the sa e ti e Pe u a s hea t also e pa ded ith
pleasure. He took a deep breath ! That is all ! He became so heavy that
Adhisesha
ould ot ea His eight!
M Lo d ! I a
ot able to bear your weight ! I am sinking in the ocean of
ilk ----shouted Adhisesha .
Immediately He became as light as a heap of flowers.
What is this e
illusio ,
Lo d? ----queried Adhiseshan.
Purushothaman opened His mouth as well as eyes. He asked the king of

s akes, Whe
e eat the f uits hi h e feel hea
hile a i g the ,
the weight disappears, is it not? Contrary to that, I took out the fruit of
Bliss which I enjoy by keeping it inside me, and kept it outside of me and
was enjoying it.
o, it e a e hea a d o se ue tl , eighed ou also do Do ou ot
understand ? I separated from me the Supreme Bliss which I always keep
inside me and was enjoying as Nataraja Murthy. You could not bear that
sudde i ease i
pleasu e a d e jo e t .
A ish a ose i
granted it.
Adhisesha s
i d. Padh a a a
u de stood his
ish a d
If you go to Chidambaram, you can witness Him dancing there blissfully, and
pa ou de otio .
Naga aja
as i
e sel
pleased a d
ea hed
Thillai A ala
Chida a a . He ou d hi self ou d Lo d Nata aja s leg as a ornament.
The joy of the touch was not sufficient for him. Therefore he was born to
ishi Aththi i as Pata jali Maha ishi a d e jo ed Lo d Nata aja s da e.
He also heard the sweet sound emanating from His Damaru (a kind of small
du
hi h Lo d Nata aja holds o His ight ha d . As esha s e e a d ea
are the same, Patanjali enjoyed the sound and light together.
Lord Pasupathi entrusted Pataanjali Maharishi with a job.
I a going to entrust you with the responsibility of cleansing the mind,
speech and body of the people. For cleansing the mind, you have to write
aphorisms on Yoga. You have to make a Sastra which will protect and
nurture the body as a temple where God dwells. It will become famous as
Ath e a a hithai afte ou a e, ei g the so of Ath i .
And you have to write explanatory commentary on the grammar
Samskrit, to make the language pure. As far as you are concerned, these
the o e i po ta t jo s tha a othe . If Yag a s ha e to e pe fo
properly, as ordained in the path of Karma, there should be clarity in
pronunciation of Mantras. Their meanings also should be understood.
of
are
ed
the
To understand the Upanishads, which form the heart of the path of Wisdom,
knowledge of language is essential. I am giving this task to you, as I believe
that only you, with one thousand mouths, can explain the grammar of
Samskrit properly.
Though there are many commentaries for many scripts, only your commentary
o the g a
a of a sk it
ill e k o
as Maha Bhash a
the
g eatest o
e ta . I g a t this oo to ou. ----Thus spoke Lord Nataraja
to Patanjali Rishi.
Patanjali was immensely pleased. Maharishi Panini made the aphorisms on
the Samskrit Grammar, from the sounds that emanated f o Lo d Nata aja s
Damaru. Therefore, he considered it a great boon, to write commentary on it,
and was very proud of the same.
There is a 1000pillared Mantapa in the temple in Chidambaram. The
thousandfa ed Adhisesha sta ted tea hi g the Bash a
o
e ta
o
the Samskrit Grammar to one thousand disciples in that Mantapa. Even when
proper transport and travel facilities were not available in those days, one
thousand students from all directions gathered there for learning the
V aka a a Bash a .
Patanjali Rishi wanted to complete the task of teaching quickly. Therefore he
decided to answer the questions of all the thousand disciples simultaneously.
He de ised a a to do this, a d took the Adhisesha oopa fo ; ut the
students would not be able to look at this form, because, the moment
Adhisesha s eath tou hes the , the
ould e u t to ashes.
Therefore he decided to hang a curtain between him and the students, sit
behind it and teach them. He did not reveal his identity to them. He only
warned them that if they opened the curtain and tried to have a look at
him, they would be reduced to ashes.
What if the students leave the class and go out once he goes behind the
u tai ? I o de to take a e of this p o le , he agai told the , If I
come to know of anybody leaving the class without my permission, I shall
u se hi to e o as a B ah a akshas .
B ah a akshas is a ki d of a ghost. Those ho lea Vedas a d eet ith

u atu al death, ill a de as B ah a akshas . It is thei atu e that the
will question those who have learnt Vedas, and if they do not give proper
replies, they will kill and eat them.
All the students agreed to the above conditions and the lessons started.
If students get doubts they will go near the curtain and ask him. Patanjali will
give explanations to each one of them separately with each one of his
thousand faces, simultaneously.
A few days passed off after the lessons started. The pranks associated with
the age of B ah a ha a
ha e ee p e ale t at all ti es, it see s ! O e
day, one particular student had a curious desire ! He wanted to see how
Patanjali was speaking to many students at the same time !
The eagerness which the student had somehow kept under control, for fear
of getti g hi self u t as pe Gu u s a i g, e a e u o t olla le that
day and burst out! So the student pushed aside the screen hung before the
Guru !
That as it! A fie e hiss i g oise, a d the , o l
there in the places where the students were !
heaps of ashes
ee
Patanjali was overwhelmed with extreme sorrow. He could not change

e ed this
uel i ide t
hi h happe ed
he he
as sesha . He
lamented that all these thousand students had died unjustifiably, and that he
could not fulfill the task give to hi
God he e , the Maha Bash a
could not be preached.
He wiped the tears in his eyes realizing that there was no use lamenting this
misfortune, when he saw one student coming towards him hesitantly from a
distance. He was surprised ! The surprise was that one student had disobeyed
his second order that nobody should leave the class without his permission.
But that surprise did not turn into anger. Instead, It turned into a kind of
sola e. He thought that he ould p ea h the Maha Bash a
th ough this
student at least. He did not know the name of that student also but knew
that the humble student who did not mix much with others, came from
Go da Desa .
Gowdar approached the teacher , a little scared in his mind. He told him that
he had to a s e atu e s all u ge tl a d he e left the lass oo , a d
apologized. Patanjali pacified him and told him of the misfortune. He also
de ided to e t ust his Maha Bash a
ith Go da .
He thought that it might not be possible for him to teach him the whole
script in the normal way, and so he would give him his full and complete
blessing, and through that make him assimilate the whole book. Patanjali ,
the
ought his hole i d to full fo us a d told hi , Ma ou k o all
that I k o ! a d lessed hi .
We light firewood, blow it, fan it and make it to catch fire with a lot of
struggle; this is one way; another way is to put on an electric switch and get
heat fast and without any struggle; this is a much easier way.
Similarly, great souls can bring out their power of Atma in many ways.
Gowdar got the complete knowledge of all Sastras at lightning speed. But at
the sa e ti e he also ha ged i to a B ah a akshas !
Patanjali then told hi , I a e to k o
of ou lea i g the lass id a ,
only now; therefore the curse also takes effect only now. Even I cannot make
it null and void immediately; yet I shall show you a way to get released from
the curse; when you meet a person who gives a correct answer to your
uestio , ou a tea h hi the Maha Bash a ; the ou ill get eleased
f o the u se a d get a k ou o igi al fo .
Patanjali also provided him with the question that Gowdar had to ask.
Go da , i the fo
of a B ah a akshas , fle i to the sk , a d a e to
the bank of river Narmada in the central Bharath, and sat on the same
Banyan tree where Sankarar had also reached !.

This painting is the creation of Sri Narayanan Bala


(Original Drawings by Sri Maniyam, recreated by Sri Narayanan Bala)
Volume 37
April 2015 - Anusham
www.periva.org
Chapter 7 of Jaya Jaya a kara by ri Naraya a Bala (origi al i Ta il by ri Ra.Ga apathy Anna)
CHAPTER 7
THE HOLY HEIRARCHY
The place was the central part of river Narmada which had to be crossed by
travelers trekking from South to North as well as those traveling from West to
East. Therefore, Gowda Brahma Rakshas got a lot of people whom he could
ask the question given by Patanchali. But, it was of no use, because no one
could give a correct answer to the question.
Go da s hea t ould lo g fo getti g eleased f o the u se; at the sa e
time the Brahma Rakshas roopa would be celebrating, because it would be
elated at the thought of eati g the B ah i s od , hi h had e o e s eet
by constant chanting of the Vedas.
Gowdar became very tired unable to manage these two opposite kinds of his
nature. He was frustrated, continuously thinking about his present condition
where he, who was leading a noble life, had become a maneater , and also
that he had lost his ability to get out of this curse.
One day, a beautiful looking Brahmin boy passed that way. His Brahma Rakshas
i d as elated at the thought of eati g the o ; ut Go da s othe
i d
was happy at the thought of how nice it would be if he could teach the boy,
the Maha Bashyam.
He asked him the same question. Let us now look at that difficult question
for which no one had given a correct answer till then.
In the grammar of Samskrit language, there is a section which deals with the
terminations used to form participles (Prathyaya:). When you add the
te i atio kth to a oot of a e , it e o es a pa ti iple.
Fo e a ple, Bhuj is a oot hi h ea s eat ; if the te i atio kth is added
to it, it e o es Bhuktha
that hi h as eate ; sa e a
e ha e
aktha
that hi h as ade ed , siktha
that hi h as ade et et .
The oot Pa
ea s ook e
DOE NOT e o e Paktha
aphorism for this.
; if the te i atio kth is added to this, it

ut e o es Pak a
The e is a sepa ate
Brahma Rakshas would ask every traveler to tell him the participle of the root
Pa . Normally no one would know this; added to that it would first ask the
pa ti iples of othe oots su h as Bhuj et . a d fi all ask this uestio ;
consequently the traveler would be confused; even some one who knew the
o e t a s e
ould a s e
o gl as Paktha .
No, Pak a
is the ight a s e ; You a e also ooked
ou saying this, he would eat him !
ell fo
e to eat
Same way, he confused the young Brahmin also by asking him the participles
of other roots and finally asked him this. To his great wonder, the youngster
a s e ed Pak a
o e tl !
The e as o li it to Go da s jo . I ha e got a suita le pe so ! I ha e to
teach this you gste Maha Bash a , a d get eleased f o the u se .
M dea
o !
he e a e ou goi g ? ----Rakshas asked the boy.
I a goi g to Chida a a ; Pata hali is tea hi g the V aka a a Bash a

(commentary on Samskrit grammar) there. I am going there to learn the same
-----replied our youngster.
akshas laughed ith pai ; That
he e Pata hali, ho taught the
hi . The stude ts ha e all left ; o
a d alo g ith it, I, ho k o s it.
he.
has e
Bash a
l the
Co e,
o e a old sto
, has go e o
Maha Bash a
I ill tea h ou
; I do ot k o
hat happe ed to
is o
e ai i g
ight he e ! ----said
The boy agreed and started to learn from the Brahma Rakshas. Who was that
bold youngster, who knew the aphorism in the grammar unknown to others ?
Gowdar mentioned earlier that he did not know where Patanchali had gone or
what happened to him, is it not ? In fact nothing happened to him nor did
he go anywhere. That youngster who came to river Narmada in search of

Gowdar was none other than Patanchali ! He had his own problem. He did not
know of anybody born on this earth, who could a s e Go da s uestio .
I ha e al ead o dai ed o Go da that he should tea h Maha Bash a o l
to the one who gave a correct answer to the question. How, then, the
V aka a a Bash a
itte
e o the o de of A ala a a Lo d
Nata aja
ould sp ead a d e o e fa ous ? ----thinking about the problem,
Patanchali finally decided that he himself should be born again and answer the
question; only then both Vyakarana Bashyam and the humble Gowdar would
get liberation.
Accordingly, Patanchali was born again in a Vedic family and was called Chandra
Gupthan. Today he had come down here to learn from his own disciple !
The original Acharyar for Vedantham was Sri Narayanamurthy. From Him only,
The Sanathana Thathvam reached Vasishtar
through Ayan. Therefore,
Vaiku taNatha happe s to e the Pa a a Gu u fo Vasishta . But did ot
Lord Vishnu take Ramavataram, and become a disciple of Vasishtar ?
This seems to be a strange custom with the Vedantic tradition! Even the first
Guru Sri Dhakshinamurthy had appeared in the hierarchy of disciples and come
down to the Narmada river bank to be a disciple of Gowdar !
Chandragupta Sharma started learning under Brahma Rakshas. It was not an
eas task to a age a ghost ; it spe ified a
o ditio s to hi . ou also
should climb this tree, sit here and learn; I a sa i g ou ha e to lea
o l
for formality; I have no time for you to hear the lessons, then for me to ask
you questions to find out whether you had understood them etc.
Therefore, you have to keep on writing what I am going to tell you; in between
you are not allowed to get down from the tree, or to eat or sleep; we have
to o plete the task e fast. ----said the Brahma Rakshas.
Chandra Sharma agreed to all these conditions because of his enormous interest
i the Vidh ai . He li ed the t ee a d sat the e. B ah a akshas sta ted the
lessons !
Oh
God ! He asked e to
ite do
the lesso s, ut, he e to
ite
and with what ? I have no palm leaves nor I have a writing instrument, but
akshas is goi g ahead, sa i g the lesso s; I a ot get do
also !
Hesitate he did ot ! He p a ed to the Vata Path a a ee ho slept o the
Banyan leaf; he plucked the leaves from the tree; made a sash on his lap; he
dipped the stem end of the leaf in the blood and started writing on the Banyan
leaves ! He learnt by truly shedding his blood !
He kept writing at an incredible speed, without any rest, break, sleep, food or
any feeling in the body, and without getting tired or bored.
Was there any wonder in his single minded concentration on his duty without
having an food o sleep ? Adhisesha , ho had o e o as Cha d a ha a,
had earlier taken another Avatar as Lakshmanan, and spent fourteen years in
the forest, in the service of Sri Rama, discarding food and sleep, and attained
fame, was it not?
The complete Maha Bashyam was thus written down; Gowdar also was released
f o the u se a d got a k his o
ide tit a a oopa . The life as B ah a
Rakshas was over for him ! Gowdar decided that now he should protect the
supreme wisdom and give it to the world.
He e t to the Hi ala as a d su e de ed to ukaB ah a
ho as a o
Jee a Mukta . He o tai ed sai thood a d Veda tha Upadesa. As he as
always absorbed in the lotus feet of the Almighty, he came to be known as
Go da Padha ha a .
Chandra Sharma, who climbed down from the tree was totally exhausted. The
sta i a he had as o
ith i i D apa a uga, had been reduced very much
i this Kali uga. He put do
the u dle of lea es o
hi h the Maha
Bashyam was written, and slept off due to extreme tiredness.
A goat came that way. Whether a donkey knows the scent of camphor or not,
this goat did ot k o the s e t of V aka a a ! Though ei g a egeta ia ,
he was not aware of the scent of human blood also.
It started eating the banyan

lea es o
hi h
V aka a a
Bash a
had
ee
written,
from the bundle. When Sharma
woke up, only a portion of the
bundle was left out !
He was terribly pained as if a
portion of his heart itself had
been eroded ! He collected what
as left of the Maha Bash a ,
and reached Ujjain , extremely
sad. ( Even today the unavailable
po tio of the Maha Bash a is
alled Aja hakshita Bash a
Bashyam eaten by goat ).
There is a lot of affinity between
sorrow and sleep, it see ed. ha a, ho e t to a t ade s ho e, a d lied
down on the front yard, went into a deep sleep. It was not a mere sleep; it
was a sort of coma.
The daughter of the trader who found him in that state took sympathy on him;
in order to bring him to his senses, he prepared and brought curd rice and
rubbed it on his stomach. The essence got into him through the roots of the
hair.
Sharma woke up. He wanted to thank the trader and leave that place. His wish
as to spe d his lifeti e i tea hi g the a aila le po tio of the Maha
Bash a . But the t ade pulled a sho ki g su p ise o hi . He told hi that
his daughter who brought him back to senses had fallen in love with him and
requested him to marry her.
But Sharma had absolutely no desire for a married life; so he declined the
offe . But the t ade did ot gi e up; he a gued that ha a s life as now
their property because his daughter had saved him. He filed a complaint in the
court of the king.
The ki g also as fas i ated

Cha d a ha a s eaut . He a ted to gi e
his daughter in marriage to him. He wanted to know if he would be a suitable
match for his daughter and so called the minister, for consultation. The minister
came; he belonged to the Brahmin community and had a daughter too!
The minister thought that the king had selected this groom for her only ! All
the three vied with each other to give their daughters in marriage to Sharma
who ever wanted to marry.
In those days, there was a condition that if a man wanted to marry more
than one woman, such a marriage would be approved only if the groom (from
the Vedic community) married one girl each from the four races (Brahmin,
kshathriya, Vysya and sutra).
According to that rule, Sharma married these three girls and a fourth one also.
He led a married life with the noble intention of fulfilling his duties towards
his wives, till each one gave birth to one child. He gave four noble sons to
the world; they were Vallaba Rishi (Vararuchi), Vikramadhithyan, Patti, and
BharthruHari.
Later he preached and spread the Maha Bashyam and with the satisfaction of
having done his duty well, he renounced the worldly life and proceeded to the
Himalayas in order to perform the challenges to achieve Mukthi.
He met Gowdar who taught him the Vyakarana Bashyam in Badarikashramam
and learnt the nature of Atman. He obtained sainthood from him and came
to be known as GOVINDHA Bagavath Padhar.
Sri Dhakshinamurthy is the first (silent) Guru for the supreme knowledge of
Adhvaitha, and Sri Narayanamurthy was the first (speaking) Guru. The hierarchy
of Disciples was formed through son and his son and his son and so on, in
Brahman, Vasishtar, Sakthi, Paraasarar, Vyasar, and Sukar.
Sukar did not marry; therefore, the hierarchy of disciples continued with natural
disciples; the disciple of Sukacharyar was Gowda Padhar, his disciple was
Govindha Muni and so on. Who else is going to be near and dear to us than
this hierarchy of Gurus, who will bestow us with the indestructible wealth of
immortality ?
Once, the four Rishis, Vyasar, Sukar, Gowdar and Givindhar assembled in Badri.
V asa spoke at that ti e, Lo d Pa a es a a is goi g to take A ata , i o de
to purify Bharatham which is in the grip of Kali. He is going to lead an Ascetic
life and establish Dharma.
In order to give Him sainthood for namesake, Govindhar should reach Narmada
and await His arrival. The Supreme Being will Himself come there in search of
hi . Ath i Maha ishi, ho as Go i dha s fathe
he he as Pata hali,
gave him a clue to identify that disciple who was none other than Sivam. He
who could contain Narmada in his Kamandalu would be that disciple.
With great pleasure, Govinda Padhar
him so well, and sat inside the cave
his learning (of Maha Bashyam)----in
Being who sits under a Banyan tree
came to the bank of Narmada known to

near the same Banyan tree where he did
order to give initiation to the Supreme
and recites Vedas !
Sankarar, who was born with the sole mission of creating and establishing a
hierarchy of Acharyas who were going to protect and nurture the Vedas, Sastras
and the philosophy of Adhvaitha for thousands of years and spread them like
the Banyan tree, walked thousands of miles from Kaladi and met Govinda
Bagavath Padhar !
Sankarar, saw in Govinda Bagavath Padhar, the bed for Hari, the ornament
a ou d Ha a s leg,
the o a e t Ka ga fo Pa athi, a Laksh a a ,
Balaramar, and Patanchali Maharishi, all at a time and prostrated before him
considering himself as an ordinary boy.
Govinda Guru, like wise saw in Sankarar Hari, Haran, Devi, Raman, and
Krishnan; somehow he removed the old relationships from his memory, and
eated a Gu u---ish a Bhaa a attitude of the elatio ship et ee Gu u a d
Disciple ) in his mind.
M dea hild ! Co e ! Co e ! I ha e
his voice soaked in love !
ee
aiti g fo
ou o l ! ---he said,

This sketch is created by Sri Narayanan Bala


Volume 38
May 2015 - Anusham
www.periva.org
CHAPTER 8
THE SUPREME TRUTH
Govinda Bagavath Padar was waiting to hand over the wealth of wisdom to
the Supreme Being, the same way a person protects the wealth and hands it
o e to its o e . We all that ealth of isdo as ADHVAITHAM . But a
we say that Govindar had lost that wealth after he handed it over to Sankarar?
Even after Sankarar gave it to the world after becoming an Acharyar , does it
not shine as an invaluable wealth to those who receive it? Now let us try
to u de sta d hat that Adh aita is , to so e e te t.
Adhvaitam is a philosophy which is extensively dealt with in the Vedas,
Upanishads, Brahma Sutram, and Gita. Even the Epics and Puranas have
mentioned a lot about Adhvaitam. There are many ancient books on
Adhvaitam.
Gowda Padacharyar had written a compendium on Mandukya Upanishad as a
full book on Adhvaitam. It cannot be said that Acharyar had said something
new on Adhvaita, which has been ever present.
But, He was the great soul who established it (Adhvaitam) as an unshakable
religion. There were many great souls who just flew to the state of Supreme
Bliss like birds fly. But, only Sankarar established the various well organized
methods, as steps for us ( who cannot fly,) to ascend and reach that stage.
The Avatar of Sankarar itself had taken place for the sole purpose of
establishing Adhvaita as a religion. Is it not, therefore, that this history would
be incomplete without understanding that?
To put it i a utshell, TATTVAM , = THAT IS YOU) is the philosophy
of Adh aita. THAT is the Supreme Being, which is the original Matter, and
hi h sustai s the hole u i e se. YOU ep ese ts the li i g ei gs, hi h
e a e . Fi st let us u de sta d the THAT . Adh aita ast a
e tio s the
up e e Bei g as B ah a . B ah a
ea s BIG. Is the e a thi g igge
tha that Whole hi h o tai s e e thi g ?
There should be a cause for everything that we see. We accept that it

is the Supreme Being. We say that that Supreme Being is omnipresent,
omniscient and omnipotent. If IT has to be omnipresent, then there cannot be
a name or form or any identification for IT, is it not ?
Accordingly, Adhvaita says that IT is bereft of any qualities ().
One cannot desc i e IT as this is like this . A thi g a
e des i ed
only in relation to another thing. How, with what and who can describe
a matter which does not have anything else except itself ?
That is h Vedas e plai the up e e Bei g as IT is ot this,
that. Et . i stead of sa i g that IT is this, IT is that. Et . The
IT is not apparent, IT is not subtle, IT is neither short nor long etc.
can you explain the taste of sugar to somebody who has not tasted
IT is ot
sa that
Yes, how
it ?
You can only say that it is not bitter, nor sour, nor salty and so on. Adhvaitam
says that unless one experiences the Supreme Being, one cannot understand
its nature.
No let us see ho is the Jee a
ho has to e jo that Bliss. Whe
e sa ,
Brahmam is omnipresent, and omniscient etc. does it not follow that there
a ot e othe Jee a s tha the B ah a ? The e a e ot a
At a s like
Jee at a a d Pa a at a; oth a e sa e; Not t o diffe e t atte s is hat
Adh aita
ea s. B ah a is the o l T ue Bei g; Jee a is ot so ethi g
diffe e t f o that ---says Acharyar.
The Adh aita e pla atio of Jee a is a a azi g o e, a epta le to the
intelligence. Adhvaitam says that it is totally wrong to think that the perishable
od
ith the a alga atio of se ses is the I . I p a ti e also, do e ot
wander somewhere else mentally, when we are in a totally different
environment physically ?
Whe
e thi k of the a o e, it a see
o l the i d is . If that e so, h the i
? A d he ou ake up, so ethi g akes
hat is that so ethi g ? What is that it
the body and the mind were asleep ?
that the od is ot the I , ut

d is ot a ti e, du i g deep sleep
us sa , Ah! I had a good sleep ;
ess hi h as a ake he
oth
When awake, all the organs of senses, the mind, intelligence, and the ego will
be active; During the state of dream, the senses will not be functioning, but
the inner organ of sense (subconscious mind) will be creating the dream world;
in deep sleep even that becomes inactive.
Therefore, does it not follow that these organs of sense and the subconscious
i d do ot fo
the I ? The , hi h is that I hi h al a s e ists i the
Jee a ?
That is Atman.
A
) ea s o e hi h gi es life . At a is the o d which has come
f o that oot o d. At a is the fu da e tal philosoph
hi h gi es life to
the senses and the subconscious mind, and makes them act as they do. It is
the one which is active during the three stages, namely, wakefulness, sleep and
dream.
U less the At a J othi light of At a s eeps o the su o s ious i d, the
mind, intellect and the thought will not become active, same way as sound is
not recognized by the ear during the time of sleep when the mind is not active.
Our mindset, body and the intelligence have undergone a vast change from
hat the
e e he
e e e hild e . But, the feeli g of I self that I
am o
hat I as the
o ti ues to o e t the The a d No , ithout
any break, like the thread in the centre of a garland runs.
The a a e ess of this u ha gi g feeli g of I self is eated
the At a .
It is a a epta le fa t logi all also that the At a , hi h does ot pe ish
but shines through the various stages of life , dwells in different bodies, which
perish and take subsequent births.
Therefore it follows that this (Atman) is also perpetual like the Supreme Being;
it also e o es lea that like the up e e Bei g, the At a is also ithout
a fo
a d a ide tit . It also follo s that the At a
ust e a all pervading
wisdom as It enables the jeevan to obtain any type of intelligence.
The efo e, Adh aita sa s that the At a , hi h gi es life a d i tellige e
to the Jee a , is B ah a o l . Whe it is said that the basic element for
e e thi g is B ah a
than that ?
o l ,
hat
ould e the asis fo the Jee a
othe
There are no many Jeevatmas. Acharyar says that just like the open spaces
in each of the pots merge into the one external space as a single entity when
the pots are broken, when we, the individual Jeevatmas, break our individual
ide tities, e a all e o e o e si gle At a a oopa .
Al ight ! If Jee a a d B ahman are one and the same, then how came the
thought which identify them as two different entities? There is this world where
all the Jee at as li e as diffe e t e tities; What is this so alled o ld ? ----these questions arise naturally.
A ha a sa s Jagat Mith aa The o ld is UNEAL Vi tual . If it e so, e
a e i li ed to aise the uestio , A e the all total lies, the ? Is the o ld
itself a aste the ? We hesitate to accept the idea that the world which
we see in front of us, and which is the supporting place for our lives filled
ith Dha a a d Dis ipli e , is u eal !
In fact, Acharyar never said that the world is a lie, but said that it is unreal
(virtual). He says that the way we see the world ( its appearance as we see
it) is false, and further says that the world itself is Brahmam only.
The world is not such an unrealit
as, fo e a ple, the so of a a e
o a
o the ho of a a it et . that ould e e
e thought of.
We think the shining shells as silver, a rope as a snake in the darkness; but
till we go near them and find out that the shells are not silver and the rope
is not a snake, what we saw earlier was true, is it not? But they were not
the final truth. This is what is unreal or virtual.
Same way, the thing that we see as and think as world, is true as long as we
see it that way. Acharyar says that the moment we start seeing it as Brahmam,
we will realize that our earlier knowledge (understanding) was wrong. He calls
this philosophy which looks real in one level and unreal in another, as
( Praathi Bhasika Sathyam= Looking like Truth or illusory ).
Initially calling the world which we see as true in our practice, as

(Vyavaharika Sathyam = Practical / transitory Truth ), then analyzing it
in the logical way, He finally shows us that the world is .
The true state which is above all these ----realizing that everything is Brahmam
only------ is called (Paramarthika Sathyam =Absolute or
Supreme Truth) . Brahmam is the only Real thing.
Then what is the reason for the Brahmam to appear as the world and the
Jee at as to elate the sel es ith thei odies ? A ha a sa s that the
easo is othi g ut Ma a Illusio . Ma a sho s the Brahmam as the
manysided o ld. The sa e Ma a
eates a state of ig o a e a d akes
the Jeevatmas unable to realize their true state of Brahmam.
MaYa
ea s that hi h is ot the e . Ma
creates and shows another world in its place.
it is ot the e ? The efo e, as e said that the
also Ma a
ea s, that hi h does ot e ist i
ot ea that it is e e the e .
a hides the B ahmam. It

How can it be said that
o ld is u eal i tual , so
the fi al stage , a d does
Whe
e u de sta d the o ept of Adh aita
ith the help of
isdo ,
the Ma a ill disappea . A ha a sa s that though the o ld is created, it is
not real, but at the same time, it cannot be totally discarded as unreal also.
This is something which is indescribable--- A i a ha ee a .
The e a a ise a uestio ,
Fo
he o Ma a ega
showing the
B ah a as the o ld a d the Jee at as diffe e t f o the B ah a ? .
There is no meaning for this question. Because there are no time span,
or place or present existence for Brahmam.
When e sa that ti e itself is the eatio of Ma a , ho
a the e
uestio , F o
he Ma a as eated ? ? A ha a sa s that Ma a
o egi i g. But, although Ma a is p e--existing , it is not Permanent
B ah a . As Ma a disappea s he
isdo gets i , it is ot a pe a
reality (truth). Therefore, Brahmam alone is truth (reality).
e a
has
like
e t
A othe uestio
a a ise, Wh should B ah a , shi i g o its o , appear
as o ld due to Ma a ? . No o e had a s e ed this uestio till toda .
Ma
e, a a s e a ot e gi e . Ma a is the ause fo us to k o the
o ld i a ious fo s; the ho
a
e a al ze Ma a with that knowledge
gi e to us
Ma a itself ?
Thi ki g a out it, h at all should e
o
a out the egi i g of Ma a ?
Like da k ess disappea s he light o es, Ma a is dest o ed o e e attai
wisdom. The
h
othe as to
he a d ho
the da k ess Ma a
appea ed? Ou o je ti e ust e to oss o e Ma a a d see the o ld a d
us as Brahmam (Supreme Being), is it not ? Acharyar has planned and given
to us a beautiful path for achieving it.
Wh should e oss o e Ma a ? Wh should e ealize ou eal state---that
we are the Brahmam ? It is not for the mere purpose of analyzing the
philosophy. Deliverance or Liberation of Jeevan by merging with Brahmam is
the objective of Adhvaitam. The distinct greatness of Adhvaitam is that it is
not a mere dry philosophy but it is a way of life, and a path to get liberated
from the mundane life.
Moksha
ea s li e atio . Li e atio f o
hat ? F o
the
u da e
existence. We are afflicted by unwanted qualities like desire, anger etc.
because we are away from our true self. We are swayed by the transitory
worldly happiness, and sorrow. When do we get rid of these ills and attain
liss a d pea e ? That is the eal li e atio o Moksha .
Only when we get the feeling that I a the allpe adi g B ah a , ill e
get the isdo I a
hate e I see . The o l , e a e o e lissful, ise
and full of love, without getting angry with anything. This way only, we can
break away from the grip of Karma and get liberated from the cycle of birth
and death, and attain immortality-----This, the is Adh aita . A ha a , the
ocean of love, shows us very clearly, the path to reach that stage.
The only way to get rid of birth and merge with Brahmam, is the path of
wisdom----says Acharyar. There is no liberation by doing karma. Because, we
can only make something, change its place, or convert it into something else,
or change its quality with karma.
We cannot create the allpervading, omnipresent, ever pure Atman, or change

it into something else, or change its place or change its quality, is it not? That
is why Atman is not a matter for Karma, says Acharyar.
The only way to reach the Atman (Brahmam) which is within us, is to know it.
To k o
i di ates To e pe ie e ; At this stage of ealizi g the self, e e
these words are not suitable; when we try to explain the state of Atman in
mere words, such contradictions cannot be avoided.
The initial steps to reach the path of wisdom are Karma and Devotion. A
Jeevan is activated by the three aspects, namely deed, feeling and intelligence.
Therefore, Acharyar has shown us three steps , namely, Karma, Devotion and
Wisdom which are dependent respectively on these three aspects, as the path
to attain liberation.
The mind becomes pure by performing Karma without attachment and
e pe tatio of a
f uits. This is alled NIHKAMYA KAMA Ka a ithout
desire). Sankarar emphasizes on the path of Karma and says that one should
pe fo
the A ushta as as o dai ed
the Vedas. He has ot dis a ded the ,
just because world is an illusion; at the same time, He had not allowed the
intellectual self to follow whatever the mind dictates just because nothing can
affect the Atman.
Everyone should lead a life of Dharma; although the world is a mere illusion,
one should obey the rules and lead a noble life as long as he believes in the
world; Acharyar Sankarar emphasizes that in addition to realizing the Atman,
one should not desist from fulfilling his duties towards the society. Only the
Karma thus performed without desire and hatred, and as a submission to God,
will purify the mind ( give purity of mind), and in the end take him to a state
free of Karma.
Why this Dharmic binding for the Atman which is not bound (by anything)
? Let us take an example of a bundle of firewood which is tied up securely
with a tight knot. It is not possible to untie this knot in the normal way. What
do we do then ? we wind another rope around the bundle more tightly,
but do not tie it with a knot.
Because of this tighter and closer binding, the firewood logs close in still further,
and so the earlier binding becomes loose; when we remove this earlier binding
sideways( without the necessity of untying the knot), and then loosen up the
second binding, the bundle of logs are released. In the same way, we can
remove the first binding on the Jeevan which is bound by the senses etc. with
the help of a se o d o e alled Dha a A ha a ; o e li e ated, eithe of
the bindings exists.
Acharyar emphasizes on Devotion (Upasanaa) also. This is the only way to bring
the mind, which has been purified by performing Karma, to focus. He says that
idol o ship of Gods is ot o t adi to to Adh aita Bha a aa o ept of
Adhvaita).
Some people think that He allowed idol worship because it would be difficult
fo the illite ates to o ship B ah a
as Ni gu a oopa . This opi io is
totall
o g. Whe
e sa Visualizatio , e e thi g othe tha B ah a ,
including us, is visualization only. We are the image of ignorance. The form
of Brahmam along with its wisdom is Eswaran who is SagunaBrahmam.
I this state, Ma a e o es the po e of Es a a . It follo s that Es a a
does the jo s of eatio , P ote tio a d Dest u tio th ough Ma a . Ou Gods
are the different forms that Brahmam, by Himself, has taken with the power
of Ma a , i o de to p ote t the people. But, he the up e e Bei g is
e pe ie ed as Fo less , eatio , life a d dest u tio
ill all disappea .
Acharyar did not recommend the path of devotion with an indifferent attitude.
Those ho follo Adh aita elie e that o e ill get Wisdo of Adh aita
o l
ith God s A ug aha. Me tio i g a out God s A ug aha itself is a ple
proof that God does not stop at giving the fruits of Karama only, but adds
His love to It, and liberates us from this illusory world. Acharyar has given
great importance to idol worship in the various Muts which He established,
which is followed to the book even today.
A ha a , ho has itte a lot of G a thas o Adh aita , has also itte a
lot on Devotion. He has written slokas on all Deities, and many devotional
songs of the highest poeti g a deu
hi h ill elt e e o e s hea t.
He, ho had esta lished Adh aita, had also esta lished ha atha , hi h
specifies the procedures for the worship of the six Deities, namely, Eswaran,
Devi, Thirumal (Vishnu), Vinayakar, Murugan and Suryan ( Sun). Hence, there
need be no doubt on the importance and high place He had given to Bhakthi
(Devotion).
Jee a s i d hi h gets pu ified th ough Ka a, is ought to focus through
Devotion. Only then, he becomes eligible for (following) the path of wisdom.
Acharyar says that he has to follow four practices now.
Fi st, the seeke has to a ui e the dis e
e t that At an is imperishable
a d all othe thi gs a e pe isha le . Ne t, he should get the i dset ot to
go after the pleasures in this world as well as the other world, and has to be
totally detached.
Next, he has to acquire the wealth of six good qualities; among these six, the
first one is controlling the mind; the second one is to prevent the senses from
going their way and to turn them around; the third one is to ensure that the
senses thus turned around are not going their way again; the fourth one is to
be able to accept the two opposite experiences of happiness and sorrow as
one; the fifth one is to bring the mind to focus; and the sixth one is to develop
interest and belief in Vedas and what Vedantas teach.
This is same as the belief that we shall place in the words of the Sages who
experienced the Supreme Bliss, which could not be realized by their wisdom,
but which could be, right in the presence of the silent Brahmam.
The fourth aim is liberation (MUMUKSHATHVAM), which means single minded
perseverance to get liberation and achieving it.
After acquiring these four practices, he should do analysis on Vedanta.
Hearing (Sravanam), Memorizing, and profound Meditation are the parts
of this path.
Sravanam involves learning the meaning of Vedanta verses f o o e s Gu u.
Guru has a very important and significant position here, because He is the one
who drives out the darkness of ignorance and gives the Light of Wisdom (GU--Darkness, and RU----one who removes). Guru is the proof for the philosophy
of Adhvaita which leads one to the experience (of Supreme Being). Teaching by
the Guru takes place in this illusory world only. So what ? Suppose a lion
appears in our dream and roars; we wake up. The lion which came in the
dream made us wake up from the sleep. In the same way, Guru who comes
in this illusory world, wakes up the Jeevan in the state of immortality.
Sravanam is hearing from the Guru. Memorizing means thinking about what
one heard from the Guru and analyzing it continuously. Confirming and
Establishing what one heard through understanding with knowledge. We
see, by this, the important place logic occupies in Adhvaita. Meditation
involves constantly thinking about what was learnt and understood. By this,
one can experience what was accepted through logic.
At this stage only, one gets At a G a a
Wisdo
a d o se ue tl , the
Ma a is d i e out. Jee a
ill e ge ith B ah a ,
ithout e e
ei g
able to realize that he is the Brahmam. This experience of Brahmam is got
here and now, by the one who learns and practices all sections of the path
of wisdom well----sa s the Upa ishads, Geeta, a d A ha a s
iti gs.
The proof for the reality of the philosophy of Adhvaita is the fact that the
state of liberation is not somewhere else; it is not sometime later, nor is it in
something else, but is very much with us, here and now. Death is not a must
for the Jeevan to merge with its Atman. Adhvaitam says that liberation is the
true state of and the birth right of Jeevan.
Adhvaitam has been accepted as a world religion and is being eulogized by
great scholars of the world, because it reiterates that everyone can attain the
state of Brahmam here in this world itself.
O e ho gets li e atio i this o ld is alled Jee a Muktha . He does ot
have any desire because there is nothing that he has to achieve. There is no
anger in him, because anger is the result of unfulfilled desire. There is no fear
also in him, because, fear comes only if he possesses something.
In both the states where neither he is afraid of anything, nor anything is afraid
of him, he reaches the state of fearlessness. Fearlessness and Adhvaitam are
one and the same.
Some people opine that in our religion, emphasis is not laid on Love , as seen
in other religions. Nobody will practice love by a mere mention of it. Adhvaitam
akes the seeke ealize that I a the all pervading Brahmam, and therefore
all othe li i g thi gs a e
e o l ,
sho i g hi
the a to attai
immortality, and thus makes him the personification of Love.
Who else, othe tha the Jee a Muktha is a ette lo i g pe so ?. He has
neither Karma nor Thought. He, whom nothing affects, pretends to take on
himself both, purely for the sake of welfare of the world and in order to
guide the world.
He ill o e the ules as pe A ha a
usto ; e e afte ea hi g the state
of Brahmam, he will perform Puja and show devotion; he will perform good
deeds , a d gi e G a opadesa . u h G eat souls a e the li i g s
ols fo
the supreme truth, which is Adhvaitam.
Adhvaitam embraces everything.
It accepts this world up to some extent; while accepting that no one can live
in this practical world without earning a livelihood, it emphasizes that Jeevan
must perform, additionally, those duties which are useful to the world as well
as self. It accepts feelings; as it is not easy to control the feelings, it puts
forward Devotion, in order to cleanse them and then abandon them.
For Adhvaitam, all Gods are one and the same, all religions are acceptable,
and all people are equal; worshipping, considering Jeevatma and Paramatma as
two different entities is also right, because It believes that even this path leads
to Adhvaitam in the end. But still, there is only one final truth; when we say
o e , it also points out to something; so that is also wrong.
Adhvaitam says that there are no two entities as Jeevatma and Paramatma (A--Dh aita , ea i g ot t o .
Science is also not against Adhvaitam. Acharyar said that the world is real in
o e state ut false i a othe state a d sho ed the a states of the eal
one, is it not ? Science agrees with this. Even certain practical realities which
conform to the rules of law, become false while proving certain other principles
at a higher level says science.
We fi d that Ne to s la of g a it is t ue p a ti all ; ut at a highe le el

of s ie tifi esea h, this t uth is p o e
wrong. Einstein in his Space
TimeContinuum says that both the force of gravity and the field of gravity
are illusory.
Matter is of the form of a Particle. Whereas energy such as light and heat is
of the form of a wave----This is what the earlier scientists said and also what
we saw practically. But Einstein discovered that energies like light etc. will
also behave like particles.
Another scientist Da Brackley discovered that matter can also exist in wave
form. Another scientist Drak went further and declared that particle and wave
are not two different entities but two forms of the same truth (reality ).
That is not all; Adhvaitam says that it is wrong to speak of matter and energy
as two different entities. Modern science says that both matter and energy are
basically connected and that one can change into the other.
Acharyar says that everything is Brahmam. Science says that all are same, but
in a different way; all things like tree, earth, mountain including man are
electromagnetic waves; what we see with our eyes are the different forms of
it. Great scientists go one step further and say that this world does not appear
to be a machine but appears as a thought. Going further, they may come to
utter the philosophy of Adhvaitam itself !.
Adhvaitam gives intelligent answers to all the doubts about the appearance of
the o ld. If God eated the o ld, hat did He eate it ith? Was it ot
with something other than Him ? If so, how is it right to say that there is not
another thing than God ? Or, is it that He created it by transforming Himself
like milk becoming curd ?
If so, as there is no milk after it becomes curd, would there be no God, after
the world was created ? -----all these questions get struck out by the philosophy
of Adh aita a out Ma a . A othe ite tha ope is ot e ui ed fo the
rope to look like a snake, is it not ? When the rope appears like a snake, the
rope does not vanish too! Same way, except that Brahmam appears to be the
world, in reality, where is creation and where is transformation?
It also becomes a question as to why God created evil. When we said that
in the final stage, there is no creation, where is good and where is evil ? Evil
also is seen in appearance only , is it not? But still, in order to destroy the
evil, which is seen in appearance only, God manifests Himself as different
Avatars or sends great souls. Nothing is greater than this compassion!
Acharyar, with His amazing wisdom, has given us the truth of Adhvaita like
butter, with suitable arguments and counter arguments, through His works such
as His commentaries on Upanishads, Brahma Sutram, and Geeta, and His own
scriptures like Upadesa Saahasree, Viveka Choodamani, Prabodha soothaakaram,
Atma Bodham, Sadha Sloki, Abarokshaanuboothi,
Manishaa Panchakam,
Dhakshinamurthy Slokam etc.
For those who cannot digest butter, He has given it as milk itself,
His devotional scriptures. Butter is present in milk, for certain !
through
TO BE CONTINUED IN CHAPTER 9 ..



Volume 39
June 2015 - Anusham
www.periva.org
CHAPTER 9
THIS IS MY DETERMINATION
Govinda Bagavath Padhar welcomed Sankarar with the love of a mother. He

gave initiation to Sankarar as per norm and thus placed the lamp which was
in the pot, on top of the hill. In addition to getting the fruit of his own birth,
he inaugurated the e e t of a karar s irth realizi g its fruit.
The child Sankarar dressed Himself in saffron robe. Ragam means love,
affe tio . A as eti is alled Viragi Viagi
e ause he dis arded raga .
The ord aktha ----red----also origi ated fro raga
aktha i a skrit
ea s affe tio ate, lo i g, pleasi g .
But a Viragi saint) wears a saffron robe! A sai t s lo e, i stead of ei g
centered on himself, is centered around and in the world, is it not ? Sankarar
had also got His tuft, which symbolizes arrogance, shaven. He also took up the
Dha d
i His ha d, as a i di atio that the i d, the spee h a d the
body have been punished and brought under self control.
Govinda Pujya Padhar gave away the highest wealth that is Adhvaitam, to
a karar. Utteri g these eautiful ords, You ha e o pe sated for ha i g
poured out the poisonous flame through your one thousand faces, by showering
the nectarlike
ords ith our si gle fa e
a karar , prostrated efore
him.
For so e ti e, He ser ed His Guru as a true dis iple ould. As Guru Ashtaka
sa s E e if o e possesses all kinds of wealth, none of them will equal the
pri ilege of
o e ti g o e s soul ith the golde feet of Guru , a karar
served His Guru on the banks of Narmada with enthusiasm and devotion.
Sankarar had eulogized the hierarchy of Guru with so much of love mixed with
humility. Significantly, He has sung all His prayers on Krishna, using the name
Go i da of His dire t Guru.
He sa g Baja Go i da ! Baja Go i da
Gita har a ! Go i dar s heart
elted
o e ti g both His Guru and

ith e otio
he
he sa
Dha da uthapa i Lord Muruga / Karthik i Pazha i Hi self i a karar. He

e e
o dered hether ri udra
alls Lord hi a as Vi upthakesa o e
who has removed his hair), because of this Avatar!
Govindar who bestowed wisdom on Sankarar, had to do the same sacrifice as
did His other ho ga e Hi His ph si al od . M dear a kara ! We ill
part ways at the worldly level. Please proceed to Kasi Kshetram and teach
Adhvaita; you will also write a commentary which will explain that Brahma
Sutram as told by Sri Vyasa Bhagavan also supports the principle of Adhvaitam
o l . I a e trusti g this jo
ith ou, as ordai ed to e
Guru. ----saying these words to Sankarar, he departed to Badarikashramam.
The first among the seven places which give liberation, is Kasi. It is the place
where the Supreme Being, who has dissolved the whole universe within Himself,
manifests as Viswanathan. In the perspective of wise men (Gnani), it is the
place where everything else other than Him will get destroyed.
It is the urial grou d hi h ill kill the death itself a d gi e Moksha . he,
ho gi es that Moksha is orshipped there as A apoora i. Ma ifesti g as
Visalakshi, She looks at the world with Her large eyes full of love, and then
only feeds them.
But the wise men (Gnani) will say that the Wisdom (of the Supreme Being),
which was not involved with but was only a witness to the dance of deluge,
is Visalakshi.
Kasi is a place identified not only with Shiva and Shakthi, but also with Vishnu.
Lord Parameswaran will give Moksha to those who breathe their last in Kasi,
only after uttering Rama Nama in their right ear.
We can see an analogy here----imagine the sacred river Ganga as the bow, Kasi
as the String and Jeevan as the arrow. The arrow when shot, will reach its
destination which is the Supreme Being. River Ganga embraces Kasi in the shape
of a bow only. Great souls say that the sacred river is more purified because
it flows up north here.
Ganga has the great privilege of dwelling in the locks of Parameswaran, which
even Vishnu could not see. Now she got the privilege of caressing the holy
feet of Sankarar also, which Lord Brahma could not see. Yes, Sankarar has
reached the banks of Ganga in Kasi ! For Him, Kasi is Wisdom personified. He
eulogizes it i fi e so gs as This Kasi lea ses a d righte s e er thi g .
Ganga is not a mere river on the earth, for Him; He saw it as the water with
which Brahma consecrated the holy feet of Thrivikraman (Vamana), the
manifestation of Lord Vishnu, when He took His second step in the
Brahmalokam, and flows down as Ganga.
Lord Parameswaran Himself received and contained her in His locks. He heard
the waves of Ganga singing the philosophy of Adhvaita which says that Haran
and Hari are only two manifestations of the original Supreme Matter. He sang
the sa e as Ga gasthuthi .
The pla e as Mukthi Ma dapa i Ma ikar ika Ghat i er Bhageerathi Ga ga
was flowing full. Young Sankarar had started teaching the philosophy of
Adhvaita, showering them in His Divine voice and sounding simultaneously the
Gong. The flow of His words was higher than the flow of Ganga; they are the
pure philosophy of Adhvaita which cleanse the hearts as the water of Ganga
cleanses the body.
Thousands of people kept converging there to hear this child who was wisdom
personified; then, they realized that He was not a child but a great preceptor
and so became His disciples. They adopted Adhvaitam , the eternal religion of
Bharatham, as their own religion. Sankarar evolved as Sankracharyarar.
When they looked at Him, they got a confidence as if they had caught hold of
the holy feet of the Almighty. They worshipped Him as Bhagavath Padhar. They
admired the way He taught those afflicted with ignorance. They eulogized Him
as Para aHa sar as He e its the realizatio AHAM A: I a Hi ---Jeevan
is Brahmam ).
They were surprised at the way this small child lived all by Himself---a state
where there was none other than Him. They eulogized Him as the real
Wa derer Pari irajakar
ho had re ou ed e er thi g ! The also said, Did
he only renounce everything ? Is he not the Jagath Guru who embraces every
heart with his love and his teaching of the philosophy which is acceptable to
folks of all ou tries a d all religio s ?
Fro the depth of their hearts, the all Hi
Jagath Guru ri Para aha sa
Pari irajaka har a ri a kara Bhaga ath Padhar .
For Sankarar, the time passes off with the routine of Ganga Snanam, Viswanatha
Dharisanam, and Adhvaita Upadesam. He is also writing the commentaries for
Brahma Sutram and Upanishads, as ordained by His Guru.
a karar eulogizes Lord hi a
totra , KaalaBhaira ashtaka
him with wisdom.
ith Vedaara i a ta a , i a Na a ali

et . He pra s to ri A apoora i to esto
A youngster comes and prostrates at His lotus feet. He humbly requests Him
to accept him as His disciple. He re eals his a e as a a tha ar a d sa s
that he comes from the land of Cholas. But in fact he was the manifestation
of Vasudevan, and became Jagath Guru much earlier to Sankarar.
But, for Sankarar, there is no DEVI other tha Hari. He a epts hi as His
disciple. But how do the other disciples know how affectionately Eswaran and
Achuthan move with each other? They become jealous of Sananthanar because
they think that Sankarar likes him more.
But Sankarar gets on, without so much as having heard this complaint.
One day, Acharyar was teaching His disciples lessons on Vedanta on the north
bank of Ganga. Sananthanar was on the opposite bank. Sankarar had sent him
there on some job on purpose, and started the lessons for the others, in
order to remove the wrong opinion in the minds of other disciples.
Lessons are going on. Sankarar shows His hand and calls Sananthanar to come
to Him. Sananthanar, who just obeys the Guru, starts walking immediately
towards His Guru. Ganga is crossing his path, but does not come in the way
of Guru s order. a a tha ar is thi ki g of only one thing---- A har ar has alled
e; I should go to Hi .
Without having any feeling that the river is running across his path, he walks
on the surface of the water! Oh! What a wonder ! How is he walking on the
water? No! He is not walking on the water. When he takes each of his steps,
Ganga Devi makes a lotus flower bloom under his foot and holds him!.
Sananthanar walks along by stepping on to the lotus flowers. He reaches this
bank, by walking on the bridge of lotus flowers.
The ge eral pu li a d the dis iples u dersta d his Guru Bakthi
towards Guru) only then.
de otio
Sankarar el o es hi
e te di g His ha ds a d asks hi , M dear
Ho did ou ross ri er Ga ga a d o e here?
o !
Oh! Ha e I o e here
rossi g ri er Ga ga? ----- Sananthanar realized the
truth only then. He did not know yet about the flower bridge! He was certain
that the flood of lo e oozi g out of a karar s heart had o l pre e ted the
flood of ri er Ga ga fro tou hi g hi , just to sa e hi fro the other
disciples.
The ig o ea of a sara
fa il
thi ki g a out ou ! What is so
Sananthanar.
It is
him.
o d itself e o es k eedeep just by

ig a out this Ga ga ater? a s ers
ot like that a a tha a! Just tur
arou d a d look! -----Sankarar tells
Sananthanar, turning around, sees the lotus -- flower bridge that had held him
while he was crossing the river. Then he looks at the lotus feet of the Almighty
which had made then bloom, and becomes ecstatic. But that Almighty, as if
ot a are of all this, lesses hi , The lotus flo ers PADHMAM supported
your feet, is it not?
Therefore, fro
o o ou shall e k o
as PADHMA PADHA . Good folks,
like honey bees, ill s ar arou d ou ho oozes the ho e of isdo .
A other da , A har ar
by disciples.
as retur i g after ha i g Ga ga a a
, surrou ded
At that ti e, a u tou ha le perso

o es er lose to Hi . As if the
disgusting appearance is not enough, the vile smell of the liquor from the pot
he is carrying, suffocated Him. In addition to all these, he is holding four dogs

in his hand, by the leashes.
Sankarar asks him to keep away
from Him.
An amazing thing happens then !
That u tou ha le perso starts
asking a few questions like lotus
flowers bloom from the dirty mud.
Oh, a i! Whi h is the o e ou
are asking to keep away, and from
which? Is it that you are asking one
body nurtured by food to keep
away from another body, also
nurtured by food?
Or are you asking the flame of
wisdom residing in one body to
keep away from the flame of
wisdom residi g i a other o e?
Two bodies grown by food, are
mere masses containing bones, flesh
and blood. Then how can one of them pollute the other? Are they not both
rubbishes?
At the same time, it is wrong for an Adhvaita Sanyasi to ask two flames of
isdo to keep apart. Be ause, to sa fla es of isdo i plural, is itself a
falla . There is o l o e Wisdo . Where is together ess a d separatio i
that?
The u tou ha le further asks, The refle tio of the su falls o
oth the
sacred Ganga as well as the trash basket. Is there any difference between the
two reflections? The same empty space that exists inside a golden pot also
exists inside a mud pot.
Likewise, is it not true that even if the bodies are different, the matter that is
inside them is the same ? Does not the same sea of wisdom, which is devoid
of waves and which is pure bliss, exist in both the bodies? Then, tell me Swami,
here does the differe e as Brah i a d U tou ha le o e i this?
Sankarar heard these words, not with His ears; but with His soul (Atman) He
just swallowed the inner meaning of what he said. He just fell on the feet of
the u tou ha le perso a d prostrated. He took hi as His Guru i His i d.
That o ept flo ed out of His
outh as the fi e slokas of Ma eesha
Panchakam .
O e ho has the fir
elief that he is ot the atter od
hi h is ph si all
visible, but the Wisdom, which is shining through wakefulness, dream or sleep;
the Wisdom which supports everything from Brahman down to an ant; the
Wisdom which is witnessing everything without attachment----whether such a
perso is a edi s holar or out aste, he is
Guru; this is
fir
o i tio .
O e ho has the fir
o i tio that he is the Brahmam; that this world is
the appearance (Mayaillusion) created by the Wisdom; that he is imagining
all this appearance because of the three qualities (Gunas) of ignorance and lives
in the highest and purest level which is indestructible and which is pure Bliss----whether such a person is Vedic scholar or an outcaste, he is my Guru; this
is
fir opi io .
O e ho realizes through a Guru that this hole
process of movement and destruction; one who, with
is experiencing the Brahmam continuously; one who
future karmas in the fire of Wisdom and surrenders
whosoever he be, is my Guru - I state this fir l .
u i erse is i o tinuous
a naturally peaceful mind,
burns down his past and
this body ; such a person
That Yogi, ho keeps e jo i g that At a ----that which the animals, humans

a d De as sieze as I - because of whose brightness, the heart, the eye and
the body understand things; like the cloud created by the Sun, not only hides
the sun itself, but shines due to the brightness of the sun; that from which
the world appeared, but hides it and in turn shines itself----and has merged
hi self ith the Brah a
hole heartedl , is
Guru, hoe er he e.
Those rare perso s, ho surre der their i tellige e i the sea of Bliss, -----by
consuming even a tiny drop of which, the Devas are satisfied fully; by fully
obtaining which in their knowledge, the sages are satisfied ----who not only
realize the Brahmam, but become Brahmam themselves are to be worshipped.
This is
er fir
o lusio .
Thus spoke the Great soul ho as oth the Adhi Guru Dhakshi a urth a d
the Jagath Guru a karar, ithout a iota of dou t. He prostrated efore the
outcaste, and worshipped him whom he declared as His Guru, in the broad
daylight, in the great city of Kashi in the presence of all the people with no
hesitation whatsoever . He declared that His religion will respect a person, purely
on account of wisdom and not according to his caste.
The sloka
e ded a d the u tou ha le disappeared !
In his place, Lord Viswanathan appeared ! The liquor pot became Ganga and
the four dogs turned into the four Vedas ! When a second Jyothi is lighted
from the first one, the latter does not disappear. Same way, Sankarar came
from the very wisdom which resided in the Kailash. On that day, they both
stood together.
Eswaran, came down to the earth as a human-- Sankarar, as there is no
greatness in coming down as God to establish Dharma. But God Himself
appeared now, in order to show to the world, the miracle which shines in
a karar s hu a for . He lessed a karar a d disappeared.
The first four slokas of Maneeshaa Panchakam express the essence of the
principles, mentioned in some of the most important among the great sayings
in the four VedasRig, Yajur, Sama and Adharvana, respectively.
As a commentary to these great sayings only, Sankarar, at a later date,
established the four Peetas in Puri Jagannath, Sringagiri, Dwaraka and Badhari
respectively. These great sayings belong to one of the branches of Veda.
Pranavam is the greatest saying common to all the branches.
The Pra a a Ma thra

OM
o tai s i it the
ore sou ds of the
Maha ak a sa red a thra O HAM
hi h e plai s the pri iple I a
that Brah a .
As a symbol of that and the meaning of the fifth sloka, Sankarar established
the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam and installed Himself there. These incidents come
later in this story.
When we think about Sankarar, and the exalted position He occupied and also
the time in which He walked this earth, and then imagine how He accepted
the out aste as His Guru, o l the
e a u dersta d His hu ilit , si pli it
and the total absence of arrogance in Him.
Can anything other than this incident be practical example to the famous
couplets from Thirukkural ?
1) To discern the truth in every thing, by whomsoever spoken, is wisdom

2) Self-control will place (a man) among the Gods;
3) The touch-stone of perfection is to receive a defeat even at the hands of
one's inferiors.
Even today, we can see some great souls who occupy the sacred Peetams,
leading a simple life.



Volume 40
29 June 2015 Soma vaara Pradosha Anusham
www.periva.org
CHAPTER 10
BETRAYAL AND PUNISHMENT
Sankara Bagavath Padhar was nearing sixteen years of age.
One day, an old Brahmin came to meet Him.
He said, I hea d that ou ha e
itte a o
e ta o B ah a ut a. I a
one who have got immersed in that. I have understood various meanings. Shall
we compare our views and see if we agree on them? I want to know if you
a lea
dou ts .
Lea ed
e ha e a u i ue happi ess i
Bagavath Padhar agreed happily.
e ha gi g
ie s, do t the ?
The old Brahmin was a very smart bloke ! Although he was using expressions
like E ha ge of ie s a d Clea i g his dou ts , i ealit , he see ed to
have come for a debate !
The debate was on the third chapter of Brahma Sutra. The old man started
aski g e i t i ate uestio s o Thadha tha a P aka a a
hi h des i es
what happens to the spirit after the body perishes. But Sankarar, with His sharp
intelligence, was giving him amazing answers. But the old man was not in the
mood of giving up ! He went one step ahead always. He looked an ocean of
intelligence.
Many days passed after the debate started. It did not look as if the debate
would end. Padhma Padhar was watching this debate with amazement. He
looked at His Guru and the old man. Suddenly, he was thrilled! He understood
that the old man was not an ordinary human but none other than the very
Vyasa Bagavan who wrote the Brahma Sutra , the eighteen Puranas, the epic
Mahabharatha and classified the Vedas!
He realized that the great soul but for whom Hindu Religion would not have
survived, had himself come there ! Vyasar was the manifestation of Lord Vishnu,
and so was Padhma Padhar. Therefore there was no wonder in him realizing
the truth. He also knew who his Guru Sankarar was. Could anyone ask for
something better than a debate between Haran and Hari ?
a ka a is Lo d Pa a es a a , a d the old a is V asa , ho is Vish u
Himself. What a poor attendant like me can do amidst this debate between
the ? ---Padhma Padhar recited this sloka and prostrated before them.
When Sankarar heard this sloka sung by His disciple, He was shaken completely.
He p ost ated efo e the old a . The de ate had,
the e ded. a ka a
had answered all the questions posed by him.
a ka a p a ed to V asa , If the o
e ta
hi h I ote ag ees ith hat
you had meant it to be, then, please show yourself in your true form, and
less e!
Vyasar appeared in the place of the old man.
I had thought a out all possi le o je tio s to this ut a a d had i o po ated
suitable explanations also there. You have really understood all those. In your
commentary, You had opened out the hidden inner meanings and made them
blossom. I tested you in order to show to the world that your commentary
as to
liki g. -----Vyasar (Padharaayanar) told Sankarar, with a smiling face.
When great Mahans wrote on any topic, they used to foresee all the possible
objections to it and provide suitable explanations also for them (This was called
Poo a Paksha . A ha a i His o
e ta ies a d the a ious topi s hi h
He wrote had also adopted the same procedure and had written down all
possible objections and explanations for them. Those who are knowledgeable
would appreciate His wisdom.
a ka a said, I ha e
itte the o
e ta ies; If people a e a le to
understand them, the Vedic religion will take rebirth by itself. I have also
completed 16 years of age; I think that I will leave this world now; I request
ou to pe it e.
V asa did ot app o e of the idea. It is ot enough if commentary is written;
Nobody other than you can spread it among people. Besides, you should also
set right the path of devotion. You should write books on Devotion (Bakthi),
because, for ordinary people, only those ooks ill e helpful. said V asa .
He was also aware of another fact. Initially, Sankarar wanted to live only for eight
years. When He completed eight years of age, for the sake of His mother, He entered
Sanyasa Ashramam, from Brahmacharyam, when the crocodile caught his leg. His
age doubled to sixteen years then.
Now it would also come to an end. So Vyasar granted Him another sixteen years.
Another version of history says that Vyasar had asked Brahma, for a boon; and
Brahma had said that , as Sankarar is Eswaran Himself, He could live as long as He
wanted.
Ho e e , Jagathgu u o e ed ishipu ga a s o ds as he as the se io i the
hierarchy of Gurus. He agreed to tour the country and establish Advaita and get
other religions eliminated through debates. Vyasar bid a reluctant farewell to
Sankarar.
V asa had th eaded i ple t of ge s i His B ah a ut a. Pu dits ould ot
get the meaning for those for a long time and hence could not get their
benefits. Only Bagavath Padhar gave the meaning for those so that all could
e jo the . O l the , V asa ha a got the e efit of His o k. ----so says
a sloka.
V asa s B ah a ut a o tai ed i it, g eat ideas in tiny aphorisms, just as
containing an ocean inside a mustard seed. Sankarar not only wrote
commentaries on Brahma Sutra; He also wrote many other commentaries
explaining how all the ten Upanishads---EASA, KENA,KATA, PRACHNA, MUNDAKA,
MANDOOKYA, THAITHREEYA, AITHAREYA, CHANDOKYA, BRUHADHARANYAKA--show Adhvaitham as the ultimate truth (philosophy) in the end.
The te Upa ishads, B ah a ut a a d Gita, a e alled the Th ee ste s (
P astha a Th a a . Dh aitha a d Visishtadh aitha philosophies also a e
up ased o the Pastha a Th a a
o l . The efo e the e a e o
e ta ies
for these three, based on those philosophies also.
Some say that Sankara
ote o
a d ethas atha a also.
e ta ies o
N usi ha Pu athaap ee a
I Maha a atha , the e a e th ee i po ta t upadesa s

hi h p ea h the
Supreme Truth (Parathathvam). One is Gita, with which Sri Krishnar enlightened
A ju a, i
ho
ajo Gu a passio ate a d a ti e
as p edo i a t; the
second one is Sanathsojaatheeyam (),
with which
a athsoojaatha e lighte ed Dh utha ashti a , i
ho
Tha o Gu a
ignorance and demonish trait) was predominant and the third one is Vishnu
Sahasra Namam, with which Bheeshmar enlightened Yudhishtirar, in whom
at a Gu a di i e t ait as p edo i a t.
Bagavath Padhar wrote commentaries for all these three. It is said that the
o
e ta o Vish u ahas a Na a
as His fi st G a tha
ook . The e
is a story about this.
Acharyar wanted to begin His work of writing commentaries, with one on
Ambikai who is the a oopa of Aksha a
o ds . A o di gl , He a ted
to start by writing commentary on Lalitha Sahasra Nama.,
He asked o e of His dis iples to i g the Lalitha ahas a Na a ook to Hi .
The disciple brought the palmleaf scripts of Vishnu Sahasra Nama. He
o de ed at the Ma a Leela of De i and started writing commentary on
Vishnu Sahasra Nama.
These o
e ta ies a e the sole ealth of this paupe a ka a . Padh a
Padhar eulogized Hi as the Maste of o
e ta ies . The eaut of the
words, the depth of meaning and the sharp wisdom that are noticed in His
commentaries have surprised many a wise men all over the world. They call
His st le of
iti g
hi h ha e so
u h la it a d depth, P asa a
Ga ee a . His o
e ta ies alo e had ea ed Hi
the title, NIGUNA
BAHMA KAVI poet
A poet is one who describes. How to describe Brahmam who has no Gunas
(Nirgunan)? That too not in poetry but in prose order? Sankarar had
accomplished that job !
a ka a ega His Pada at a Jou e
foot to desti atio s i all di e tio s.
He left Kashi and went to different places on foot, in order to make the world
u de sta d the up e e T uth . The si tee year old lion started on His long
walk, in order to sanctify the country with the caress of His holy feet.
He started towards the East. He a e to P a ag also k o
as Th i e i
where the three holy rivers Ganga, Yamuna and the invisible Saraswathi mingle
in one junction.
The hole to
about to pe fo
Who
of P a ag as talki g a out o e Ku a ila Batta

Thushaag i P a esa .
as this Ku a ila Batta a d
hat is Thushaag i P a esa
ho
as
A lot had to be said about Kumarila Battar. So, let us first understand what is
Thushaag i P a esa .
Thusham means husk. Husk is collected in plenty and is set fire to. It will burn
slo l , a d so o e has to keep ki dli g it. O e ho does Thushag i P a esa
will enter this slowsmouldering fire and let his body get charred. What a
horrible way to die?! Kumarila Battar had undertaken to accept this torturous
way to die! What for? As a punishment for betraying a Guru. Let us know his
story which will tell us which Guru he betrayed and when.
Kumarila Batta elo gs to the Poo a Mee a sa philosoph
hi h suppo ts
o l the Ka a Kaa da
a h of the Veda. The ishi ho esta lished this
philosophy was Jaimini Maharishi. Those who belong to this, perform the rituals
e tio ed i the Vedas, ithout fail. But the do ot a ept the G a a
Ka da of the Vedas. The follo the path of Ka a o l .
The do ot elie e i Gods as ell. The a gue, Ka a ill gi e us the f uits;
If we perform a Karma, its resultant benefit accrues to us; Then why God is
eeded ? If the e is God, ho
o e the e a e good a d ad? The ag ee the
existence of Devas just like us Humans; They perform Yagnams and offer
ablutions to them. But they argue that it is the Karma (Yagnam) that gives
the fruits and not the Devas.
We should uphold dha a a d e ighteous. The efo e, e ill p a ti e the
duties (Karma) ordained in the Vedas. But there is nothing to be obtained by
the Upanishads. Only the portions of the Vedas, which involve us in Karma,
have the real essence. There is no Karma in the Upanishads. They only discuss
about Atman and Brahmam. We should consider Upanishads only as references
(giving examples) and there is nothing in them to adopt as guide lines for
li i g. ---is the argument of Meemamsakas.
The e a e a At a s; e a
ullif all the Ka a Pala a d a oid ebirth, merely by performing the duties mentioned in the Vedas without any like
o dislike. this is their conviction. Meemaamsaa does not discuss about the
liberation of Atman, or the status of the Jeevan when Atma is liberated.
Their main objective is to analyze as how to understand and interpret Veda
Mantras. Based on that interpretation, it will decide which in the Vedas is
suitable for performance of Karma, and which is not necessary for it.
Meemaamsa does not recognize Gods as mentioned in the Vedas; but for the
Buddhists, even the Karmas ordained in the Vedas are not needed. Therefore,
Buddhists are the primary enemies to Meemaamsa followers, who insist on
Ka a A ushta a .
Kumarila Battar took an oath to eliminate Buddhism. If he had to condemn
them, then he had to thoroughly understand its philosophy and principles.
Therefore he plotted a scheme.
He became a Budhdhist himself, or to be more correct, he pretended to be
so! He joined a famous Budhdha Vihar in Prayag and started learning the
principles of that religion.
The double life he led there (believing in something in the inner heart and
acting opposite outside) started bothering him very much. When he was learning
the lessons from the teachers, his heart was wounded hearing them censuring
the Vedas and the Karmas mentioned there. Tears would well up in his eyes
he the o de ed the Mee a sa philosoph . He ould sa , Ah! Ho
i el ou a e o de i g Mee a sa! Tea s of happi ess ell up
e es!
and somehow manage the situation.
Although he was suffering a lot in a totally alien environment, somehow, he
managed to be there eating and sleeping along with them.
There were some smart guys among those who belonged to the Vihar. As time
passed, the u de stood the t uth a out Bhatta . The e a e fu ious that
the cursed Brahmin had cheated them and learnt all the principles of their
religion. As he had learnt a lot from them, they, the preachers of Ahi sa , felt
it would be wrong to let him live.
Therefore, they tricked him and took him to the seventh floor and pushed him
down from there.
Kumarila Battar was falling from the seventh floor. Even at that moment when
death was nearing him, his belief in Vedas did not diminish. He fell shouting
IF Vedas a e t ue, o ha
should o e to e .
There was nothing to be gained by saving this body. But who else other than
me, who has understood Budhdhism so well, can eliminate it and establish Veda
Karmas? I should survive so that my efforts should not go fruitless.
Kumarila Battar came and hit the ground. Wonder of wonders ! His body did
not break into pieces although he fell from such a height ! Even the legs and
hands did not get fractured.; and he was breathing well! But, he did not realize
all this. He felt only a pain in one of his eyes. Somehow, a stone had pierced
one of his eyes.
He was not surprised that he had survived the fall; because his belief in Vedas
was so strong. But he was surprised at the wound in his eye.
He thought a g il ,
tho oughl ?
A fo
this suffe i g even though I believed in Vedas
less oi e told hi , Did ou elie e i Vedas THOOUGHLY? No!
What ! Did HE not believe in Vedas?!

The sa e fo less oi e told hi ,
ou did elie e i Vedas, ut ot
COMPLETELY! You added a IF a d said, if Vedas a e t ue I should su i e
Does it not point out that you did not have complete faith in Vedas, and had
so e dou t? You did ot thi k, Be ause Vedas a e t ue, I ill su i e ! But
still, your faith in Vedas is strong, that is why you at least survived with a
da age i the e e.
Nothing is more trustworthy than the sacred expressions of the Veda Rishis,
who understood the hidden, invisible philosophies with their inner instinct and
told us.
Kumarila Battar started preaching the Meemamsa religion. He became one of
the i po ta t e e s of Poo a Mee a sa The guideli es he p ea hed
became to be k o
as . He defeated a lot of Budhdhists in
debates. He realized that he had done what was expected of him, and decided
to leave the body and this earth.
There was a big pain in his mind. He was suffering very much from that pain.
I heated those Bhudhdhist Gu us ith a false disguise! Is it o th of e? Is
it ot a et a al? he thought and moaned.
The path follo ed
those udhdhists i the Viha
ight e rong; but did
they not accept me as one of them and shower their love on me? was it
also false? Though the environment there was not to my liking, they believed
that I loved it and offered me shelter, food and robes, is it not? I enjoyed all
that hospitality and betrayed them ! As if that was not enough, I condemned
the . Did I, ho p ea h the p i iple of Ka a Pala , e o e old e ough
to believe that such false deeds of i e ould ot affe t e ?
Kumarila Battar, who became world famous, was feeling extremely guilty. If, at
least, he had believed in God, he could appeal to His Karunyam and seek
remedies for his misdeeds; As he did not have that chance also, he decided to
subject himself to punishment. He decided to subject his body to the heat of
fire, in order to get rid of the heat in his mind.
He who prayed for survival when he fell from the top of the Vihar because he
wanted to accomplish his task, now decided to subject his body to torture and
die. With that decision he now entered the slowsmouldering huskfire.
Sankarar came running to see him!



Original Drawings by Sri Maniyam, recreated by Sri Narayanan Bala
(Above Cover drawing done by Selvi Rutu.H.Paradkar, grand daughter of Sri
Narayanan Bala)
Volume 41 - July 2015 - Anusham

www.periva.org
CHAPTER 11
SEVERE TEST
The e e e t o easo s fo a ka a s a iety to meet Kumarila Battar. One,
he happened to be a great scholar who defeated the Budhdhists in debates;
secondly. He thought that if He could make Battar who talked highly of only
the path of Karma, also accept the path of wisdom, advocated by Adhvata,
then the great divide that had been present in the Vedic religion could be
bridged together. Therefore, He rushed to the home of Battar.
The primary enemy to Meemamsa was Sanyasins, who had discarded Karma.
But still, lea ed pe so s like thei e uals, do t the ? A o di gl , Ku a ila
Battar who was slowly being charred in the huskfire, welcomed Sankarar.
Even in that situation, he wanted to hea a ka a s philosoph , a d sho ed a
lot of interest to debate with Him.
A ha a , e plai ed His eligio , e ela o atel to hi . Batta s i d ope ed
slo l . A e these mere words which are coming out of this youngster? I feel
as if droplets of cool fragrant water are being sprinkled on me. I am not even
aware of this intense heat which is burning me. This young man is calming
so ethi g i
e hi h is ot u de the o t ol of Ka a, ut a o e it, hile
my body is experiencing the fruit of my Karma. He is making me realize that
sta i g fi edl i that so ethi g is the fi al f uit of performing all Karmas.
What is this
o de ! ---Kumarila Battar was astonished !
How does Adhvaitam counter Purva Meemamsa?

Adhvaita Sastra accepts Veda Karmas. But it also says that performing Veda
Karmas can only help purify the mind and will not lead the doer to Mukthi.
Afte a hie i g pu it of i d, o e should editate o o e s At a , a d e ge
with Brahmam. This can be achieved only through the path of wisdom as
advised by Upanishads. This is the essence of Adhvaita.
Cause,
itself a ot eate effe t as lai ed
those follo i g o l the
path of Karma. There is but ONE cause, the original cause of all that we
witness; to know that ause is to e o e that itself. I that state of e pe ie e,
there is no Karma. When one looks from that state, the whole world of Cause
a d Effe t e o es a false appea a e Ma a . says Adhvaita. It says that the
paths of Karma, Devotion (Bakthi), Yoga and Wisdom, lead one ultimately to
this supreme state.
The acts of creation, protection and destruction exist only as long as we believe
the o ld as t uth . The efo e, Adh aita tells Meemamsa, that the good and
bad that we see in this illusory world will not affect the Supreme Being. The
interpretation of the Meemamsas that, the rules laid out in the Vedas for the
humans to perform Karma and the specific Karmas mentioned as not to be
pe fo ed a e the o l thi gs to e follo ed, is i o e t. Those e p essio s,
which do not specifically tell us to perform any Karma, but help us understand
the nature of so ethi g, a e also to e a epted asserts Vedanta. For example,
he
e ead the e p essio Moo shi es ightl , the e is o Ka a to e
performed; but by understanding the nature of the moon, we will be able to
decide what all things we can perform during the night. Therefore, Upanishads,
which explain the nature of Atman, without mentioning the Karma, do also
have meaning, says Adhvaita.
Moreover, Meemamsa accepts those expressio s hi h tell us su h a d su h
Ka as shall e do e , as ell as those hi h tell us ot to pe fo
e tai
Ka as. Fo e a ple, he it Vedas sa s Do ot o su e i to i ati g d i ks ,
It means that not doing certain Karmas is fruitful. Therefore Adhvaitam questions
the Mee a sa, Whe
ou a ept the a o e, the
h should ou eje t
Upa ishads hi h p ea h the path of ealizi g the elf ithout pe fo i g a
Ka as?
The reason for performing a paticular Karma or not doing another, is the
belief that it will fetch one, happiness in this or the other world. Is not the
fruit of achieving Supreme Bliss better than such ordinary happiness? The path
of Wisdom says that we can reach that stage only by crossing over all Karmas.
If we can get better fruits without performing any Karma than one with
Karmas, why should we reject that path?
Bagavath Padhar explained all this to Kumarila Battar and made him realize
these t uths. We ha e o l o e At a. We a ot i d it ith Ka as.
Experiencing and living in Atman is the supreme happiness which will get rid
of the cycle of i th a d death. Sankarar explained to him. But the first step
towards achieving this Karmaless Bliss is to perform those Karmas as laid
out in the Vedas. It is similar to removing a thorn with another thorn and
throwing away both the thorns. We have to dig out and throw out the birth
obtained through old Karmas with the help of The Vedic Karmas and throw out
the latte also; o l the
e a get id of the illeffe ts of p e ious si s
a d e jo the self.
Whe
e pe fo
a Ka a, the e a e a fa to s i it like the o e ho
performs it, 2)the Karma itself, 3)the object of Karma and 4) the fruit of the
Karma. One who does a Karma, experiences problems, fear etc. because of the
object and fruits of the Karma. If he gets benefits also, they are not permanent
till the end. When the Karmaless stage becomes the objective, we get the
realizatio that the e is o ANOTHE thi g tha us. Whe
e see e e thi g
as I , the
ho do e get a g
ith o ho do e fea f o ? Ho
a
there be any distress? Should we not welcome such a state? The path of
wisdom shows us the way to that state. Adhvaita elaborates the path to reach
that state. You cannot discard the path of wisdom unless you think that there
is no use attaining a state where there is no fear, no pain, no anger and no
so o .
Acharyar explained to Kumarila Battar.
Ku a ila Batta s thi d e e ope ed out. He as ot othe ed
the pai i
his body being slowly charred. The voice of Bagavath Padhar, and the
philosophy He explained were soothing to his burning body like sandal paste,
like de s, like Paa ijaatha flo e Nyctanthes arbor-tristis). He realized that the
f uit of Ka a Ka da
as e di g up ith G a a Ka da . He full a epted
the philosophy of Adhvaiata. He prostrated before the Great soul who came
and gave Dharsan to him at the time of death and liberated him from the
bonds of Karma. He also accepted Him as his Guru.
Batta told a ka a ,
a i! I a
ot fit o to p ea h ou philosoph
myself. Look ! How deep I have been charred. In a few moments I will leave
this od . The efo e I do ot ha e the Bag a of sp eadi g Adhvaita. Hence,
I request you to do me a help. In the city of Maahishmathi, there lives a
Mee a sa follo e
a e Ma da a Mis a Pu dit . He is o e se ious a
follo e of Ka a Ka da tha I a . If ou de ate with him and make him
a ept ou philosoph , I a su e, Adh aita ill sp ead fa a d ide.
He, then gave up his body to the fire (Agni).
In the beginning, in order to remove the anxiety in the mind of Brahma,
Dhakshina u th asked His so also to e o as a Ka a athi o e ho
follows the path of Karma only). Kumarila Battar was the manifestation of
Kumaran. There might be another reason for Kumaran to have taken birth (as
Battar). Once, in a particular context, Kumaran enlightened His own father Siva,
ith Upadesa Ma t a . Ma e, i a had a ted to et e e
ith Ku a a
in a debate.
Kumaran took birth from the fire particles emanating from the third eye of
i a. He is alled Ag i Poo flo e of fi e , e ause of that. The efo e, Ag i
will never hurt Him. Battar, a manifestation of Kumaran, therefore, was also
not hurt by Agni. He just merged with Kumaraswamy.
Bagavath Padhar came to the city of Maahishmathi on the banks of river
Narmada, to meet Mandana Pundit.
He took bath in the river Narmada. Then He asked some ladies where Mandana
Pu dit s house as. The a s e ed Him in poetry form, which showed even
o di a ladies e e ha i g poeti tale t. Those ladies told Hi , The house
where the female parrots will be debating whether Karma will bear fruits or
God will bestow them, is the house of Ma da a Mis a .
Acharyar went in search of that house. He noticed some parrots holding a
Vedic conference on the front courtyard of a house. He understood that it
must be the house He came in search of.
But the front door of the house was shut. When the chattering of the parrots
became less noisy, Mantras could be heard coming from inside. Ceremony for
the departed souls was going on.
There are no worldly Karmas for Sanyasins; therefore there is no ceremony for
the departed souls for them. That was why, Meemamsas despised Sanyasins!
Sankarar thought that He had come there just at the proper moment. Suddenly,
the threeeyed Sivan became mischievous like Kannan. Laughing to Himself,
He a e to a de isio ! He thought Let e use the t ee-climbing skill I learnt
f o a li e toda .
He e t ea a o o ut t ee o the st eet
the Mantra which the treeclimber had
touching the ground. Acharyar caught hold
The tree slowly turned upwards and bent
Ma da a Mis a s house. a ka a got do
turned upwards and stood erect as before.
ea the Pu dit s house and uttered

taught Him. The tree bent down
of it and uttered another Mantra.
down again into the courtyard of
i the ou t a d sile tl . The t ee
Sankarar went inside step by step and appeared all of a sudden in the hall
where the ceremony was going on. He stood there, sweat beads on the forehead
slightly erasing the sacred ash, smile on His mouth, His robe slipping on to
the shoulde s,
ith a Di i e eaut . But Ma da a Mis a s
i d hi h had
no devotion in it, did not move.
Whe Ma da a Mis a a a ged fo the B ah i s to sit fo the Boja a
food
and looked up, he saw Sankarar and immediately, anger and frustration rose in
his mind. He wondered how this Paupe
ith the sha e head appea ed
suddenly from nowhere. He should not utter the Mantras which would certainly
fall in His ears and at the same time, he could not also keep the Brahmins
waiting!
Sastras say that the Kartha should not get angry during ceremony time.
Manadana Misrar forgot that also.
O e hel ed
head ?
a ge , he shouted at a ka a ,
As if e pe ti g this
mischievous smile.
uestio , a ka a a s e ed,
he e f o ,
Fo
the
ou ha e
e k ,
ith a
Sanyasins should not shave below their neck. Keeping that in mind, Sankarar
a s e ed taki g Ma da a s o ds, lite all . He hu led the pe so
hose
chief objective was to understand the Vedic expressions correctly, by finding
fault in his words.
I asked the
ou a e. Mandanar shouted at Him.
Oh ! I thought ou asked ME so ethi g. I see that ou asked the WAY I a e;

what did it tell you?
a ka a s to e
as like that of a
is hie ous hild e t upo f ust ati g.
Mandana Misrar had no heart for enjoying the prank. He raised his voice and
shouted, Yes! I asked the WAY ou a e. It told me that your mother is a
ido !
Did Sankarar get angry? Not a bit ! He said in a sweet voice, mixed with
sa as , You asked the WAY I a e, so ethi g a d It a s e ed ou, ou
othe is a ido . Was it ot?
Ma da a Mis a
as stu ed; his od shook. This s all o is fi di g fault
in my words, while I have debated with a lot of Sanyasins and Budhdhists and
defeated the ! That too o ti uousl ! he thought.
Mandanamisrar did not know what to do or what to say. Words failed him.
His anger reached such a level that one would expect him to do anything!
The Brahmins were watching all this. They were none other than Veda Vyasar,
and Jaimini who established Purva Meemamsa. Vyasar knew who Sankarar was.
So He did not want this quarrel to continue. Jaimini was worried that his
disciple would lose the fruits of performing the ceremony because of anger.
Jaimini who spoke highly of KARMA, accepted the existence of God in the end,
a d sa g Vedapadhastha a o Thillai Nata aja . He as a a e of a ka a s

fame. Therefore, both of them pacified Mandanamisrar.
They told him, Do ot ua el ith this a asi ho has o e he e at the
ti e of Boja a . Let Hi also take food. Make Hi sit at the Vish u leaf
( .
Their words could not be disregarded by Mandanar! He, with much dislike,
requested Sankarar to take His seat and eat.
a ka a k e
hat as goi g o i his i d a d said, I did ot o e to
quench the hunger of my stomach, but came for a debate. Kumarila Battat
only sent me he e.
That did it! Mandanamisrar was totally transformed ! He became extremely
happy ! After all he was a learned man; so he was very happy at hearing the
o d De ate . He as all the o e happ , e ause, Batta had sent Him.
He welcomed Sankarar with customary ritual, prostrated before Him and
e uested Hi to take His seat a d ha e food. We ill egi the othe food
afte
e fi ish this food. These B ah i s a e aiti g. Ce e o y should not
e dela ed. He said.
Sankarar accepted the request.
The ceremony was over. Vyasar and Jaimini departed.
The debate can be started.
Ma da a asked, We ette ha e a ediato fo this de ate, to gi e the fi al
e di t. Do ou k o a Pu dit i this to ? .
a ka a
hoose.
eplied,
I do
ot k o
od . I a
ag eea le to a
od
ou
Ma da a s i d as i t igued ! This ou gste is so confident about himself!

Am I not going to win this time?...... If so, should some third person be a
it ess to that? Wh did I sta t this? ---he thought.
For a moment, Manadanamisrar fumbled. Suddenly, he got an idea.
M
ife a asa a i is a g eat s hola . hall
asked.
B all
e ha e he as a
ediato ? ---he
ea s replied Sankarar, bold as He was!
Sarasavani was truly a great scholar; she, in fact was the manifestation of
Kalaivani; Mandanar as B ah a s a ata . I the egi i g, he B ah a as
perturbed, Lord Murugan, who was born as Battar, sent Sankarar here now !
Once before, He had punished Brahman when he could not explain the meaning
of P a a a ; now He was going to punish him again through His Father !
Sarasavani was confused; one was Her husband, and the other was a Sanyasin.
She felt embarrassed as to which side she should speak for ! She wanted to
avoid the blame falling on her.
She brought two garlands. She asked each of them to wear one. She pronounced
that the person whose garland started whithering first would be the loser.
There are many forces superior to and outside of Logic. Saraswathi might have
ished to de ide the esult of a de ate of isdo that a .
Before the debate started, both of them agreed on a condition---If Sankarar
wins, Mandanar should become a sanyasin; If Mandanar wins, Sankarar should
accept married life.
The debate started and continued for twenty one days. Sankarar told Mandanar
the same argument which He placed before Kumarila Battar. The garland which
Mandanamisrar was wearing started to whither.
Anybody who realizes that he is losing will get angry soon. Anger is a kind of
heat. The garland will naturally start whithering. The garland Sankarar was
wearing was as fresh as new, because of His cool attitude.
Although the ga la d sta ted hithe i g, Ma da a is a s i d losso ed. His
heart and mind fully accepted the philosophy explained by Sankarar. He came
fo a d to e ei e a asa Dheeksha f o
a karar and start preaching
Adhvaita.
Sankarar asked Mandanar to accept Sanyasam, not for showing to the world
that He had defeated him; His idea was to utilize him, who was a highly learned
person, to spread the Adhvaita philosophy among people.
Sarasavani was now greatly worried. Husband could renounce wife, but how
could a wife do it, accepting it whole heartedly ? She was thinking of a way to
prevent this. She got an idea.
Sarasavani was aware that She was Saraswathi, the ocean of wisdom. Therefore
She was extremely confident that nobody could defeat her in a debate. Now
She decided to retain Her husband with Her using Her knowledge and wisdom.
She told a ka a , Although Hus a d a d ife ha e t o sepa ate odies, the
have but one Atman. Therefore, you need to defeat me, who is half of him,
also in a debate; then only you can be considered as having won the debate.
O l the , he ill e o e a sa asi .
Sankarar agreed to have a debate with her also.
Sankarar answered all the questions posed by her on various branches of arts.
Let us now know certain details about A ha a s p ofi ie
i a ts.
Acharyar took avatar to spread the path of wisdom. He renounced the world
and became a sanyasin to fulfill that task. But yet, He did some special things
which were normally not specified for Ascetics. He wanted to learn all the sixty
fou a ts a d e o e a a ag a
allk o i g . What fo ? Did He ot
shed all His desires? No, that was not the reason. Sankarar spoke about the
Path of Wisdom, which is the highest among all arts. He spoke about the Bliss
it gives. When a person well versed with all the arts says that the bliss one
gets from following the path of wisdom is greater than that from the others,
then only People will listen to him. That was why He learnt all the sixty four
arts.
Mo e o e , a allk o i g pe so al a s gets the a i u
espe t f o
others. When such a person speaks about Adhvaita, people would accept his
words. He might have also thought that only when people realize how much
k o ledge a pe so s i tellige e
ould o tai , the
ould ealize the
g eat ess of At a . The efo e, He e a e a t easu e house of k o ledge .
Acharyar learnt Vedas, Vedantham, Epics, Ithihasam (History), Literature,
DharmaSastras; also learnt Jothisham (Astrology), Ganitham (Mathematics),
Music, Dhanur Vedam (Archery); He excelled in Mantra Sastra. One has to read
all that He had written to fully understand how learned He was.
There is a story which says a lot about His proficiency in every art. A cobbler
wanted to test if He had learnt that art well. He came to Him ( an incident
which showed that anybody could approach Him.). He threw a torn footwear,
a needle, and sewing thread in front of Him. Acharyar picked up the needle,
and wiped it on His nose twice and started sewing. The cobbler was stunned !
It is a custom for the cobblers to start their work after wiping the needle on
their nose. The reason for this is that when oil present on the surface of the
nose , gets smeared on the needle, it will make it easy for the needle to
pierce the leather. Acharyar did it and earned great applause from the cobbler.
True knowledge is different from merely studying and storing information in the
brain. The latter will only make the person arrogant. Knowledge, only when
controlled by the mind, becomes true knowledge. Sastras mention that
Knowledge and Humility should go hand in hand (Vidhya Vinaya Sampannae).
Acharyar Sankarar was a true example of that. His prostrating before the
out aste a d a epti g hi as Gu u, a d lea i g to li
t ees a e suffi ie t
proofs for this.
Whe k o ledge o e s the i d, o e ealizes the i
The purpose of knowledge is realizing God.
e light and that is God.
A couplet from the famous Thirukkural says,

No fruit have men of all their studied lore,
Save they the 'Purely Wise One's' feet adore.
What Profit have those derived from learning, who worship not the good feet of Him
who is possessed of pure knowledge ?
a ka a s
eatio
Bajago i dha
also tea hes the sa e.
a ka a
as also o ied a out those lea i g idhdhi di i e po e ,
can intoxicate a person.
hi h
Sankarar once saw a person who did several years of yoga and obtained the
skill of fl i g i the sk . His o passio flo ed, M dea
a ! You eed ot
have performed that severe a yoga to get this boon of flying in the air ! Those
who commit sins also are born as crows, and eagles and keep flying through
out their lives, unlike you who can fly for a short time only. Why did you
waste the supreme philosophy of yoga for this? He asked the person.
A ha a s u i ue ualit
as to a ept e e thi g
keeping each in its proper place.
ut, to o ga ize the
For Sankarar, all living things were same. And He was devoted to all Devatas.
All the arts embraced Him. Sarvagnathmar had said that Sankarar only gave
meaning to the God of Knowledge. Saraswathi, the Goddess of knowledge is
called so because She resides in the pond of wisdom. This pond of wisdom
was muddled due to the debates of various religions. She had to reside in that
muddled pit. Only Sankarar, with His proper debates cleared the muddle, made
it a clean pond again.
Sarasavani now hesitated unable to decide if She should defeat such a noble
soul, who saved Her, now! There was another reason for Her hesitation. She
struggled with the idea whether it was proper on Her part to ask that particular
question, which She had not so far asked.
Is it a fit uestio fo a o le lad to ask? That too a a asi ?
a asia asi. . he looked at He hus a d ho as eage to e ou e
the world and accept sainthood. Her heart broke. She gathered all Her resolve,
froze Her heart and finally threw that question at Sankarar.
he asked a ka a a out the pleasu e of o jugal life !
Acharyar was shaken!
To be continued in chapter



(Original Drawings by Sri Maniyam, recreated by Kumari Tejaswini)
Volume 42
August 2015 - Anusham
www.periva.org
CHAPTER 12
DRAMA OF FAMILY LIFE
There is nothing that is not known to those who are one with the Supreme
Being. It is not that Acharya Sankarar did not know about the pleasure of
conjugal life. But if a saint talks about matters which can be known only by
experience in this material world, his sainthood will be suspected to be tainted.
Not only that, ordinary folks will talk bad about sainthood itself in general. If
the answer was not given to Sarasavani, it will amount to a defeat in the
debate with Mandanamishrar; and as per the condition agreed upon, Sankarar
would have to adopt married life; there is an amusement even in this
contradiction ! As a punishment for not answering the question on conjugal life,
He had to adopt married life ! What a knotty situation ?
Sankarar just sat dazed ! Sarasavani, was sitting shy--faced, blood making her
white face red. Her mind was deep in thought to find a way out of this
embarrassing situation. As she could not find any immediate solution, she
thought of postpo i g the p o le fo so e ti e. he told a ka a , a i !
I will g a t ou a o th s ti e;
the , please fi d the a s e to
uestio
a d o e a k!
Sankarar, who was calmness personified, started walking to where His legs took
Him, His mind agitated. Padhma Padhar and the other disciples followed Him.
Walki g th ough a fo est, dist ess as
it o e a ka a s e es; ut sudde l ,
it changed and a brightness and enthusiasm appeared in them !
What did He see ? King Amarukan, who had come to the forest on a hunting
mission, was lying dead under a tree ! There was no one near him. He must
have lost his way and come here alone and met with his end. Acharyar was
certainly sad at finding his dead body. But why then , suddenly, His mind
became clear and confident ?
Padh apadha ! I fou d a a to sol e
---- said Sanakarar, elated !
p o lem and get rid of my worry! -
Look ! I a goi g to e te this od of the ki g; I am going to return to his

kingdom; I am going to live and rule as king Amarukan for some time. Besides,
I ill fi d the a s e to a asa a i s uestio th ough e pe ie e. Withi the
one month time limit she had given me, I will lea e A a uka s od , a d eenter
od . Till the , let this od of i e a ka a s spee h fu led he
He utte ed the o d this od of i e
e i side that a e. Lust ill ot
affect the Atman; I will not also enjoy the pleasure with this body of mine.
He e this de isio ! ----- said Sankarar.
Padhma Padhar became whitefaced. His voice trembling with fear, he started
speaking his mind, which he had never done efo e agai st his A ha a s
decisions.
a i ! Please pa do
e fo sa i g this. I a s a ed at ou de isio . You
shine as the Atman itself. A Dheepam (Light), irrespective of whether it is in a
ga le s de o God s a tu a to u , ill al a s sp ead its light a ou d
it and brighten its surroundings, without getting affected in the least by its
surrounding. The same way, whether you are in a Sadhas (conference) amidst
s hola s o
i the ki g s pala e su ou ded
the o e , the outside
environment will never affect you. But still, will the ordinary folks understand
this? They cannot understand that for holy men who always reside within their
Atman their physical body is irrelevant to them, wherever it lives. Please
abandon this drama ! Ordinary people can never understand whatever you said
about Atman and the body. Please do not subject yourself to this ignominy,
a i ! ----Padhma Padhar pleaded with Sankarar, his voice brimming with
emotion.
Sankarar caressed Padhma Padhar with His golden hand.
Wh a e you treating this as a test for me and worrying ? Why are you
forgetting that if I do not undergo this test, The Supreme Truth itself will
suffer ? I am prepared to accept any disgrace if only I can solve this problem.
If, as an Ascetic, I talk about conjugal pleasure, people will banish me as a
fake ; i su h ase, I ill u de go a o se disg a e tha this e pe i e t of
leaving my body and entering that of the king). Or are you of the opinion that
it is alright if I lose to Sarasavani? I am not worried about my victory or

defeat, Padh a Padha, ut I a ot fail i the ai o je ti e of
A ata
Forgetting Himself, Sankarar had mentioned about His Avatar. Padhma Padhar
also kept quiet. Is he not the manifestation of Sri Narayanan? Sri Narayanan,
incarnated as Sri Raman, accepted the blame for the way He killed Vali. He,
as Sri Krishna, also, accepted all the blames and sins which others failed to
perform in Kurukshetra. The uniqueness of any Avatar is to subject himself to
all sorts of severe tests, in order to save the humans from their difficulties and
worries, is it not ?
Tears rolled down the eyes of Padhma Padhar non stop. He said, with emotion
hoki g his oi e,
a i ! That da i Kashi kshet a , he the out aste
came near you, you pretended that you believed i u tou ha ilit , though i
reality you did not, in order to teach the world a lesson. You acted as if you
were not pure in mind, so as to advise others. Now you have decided to
undergo a similar disgrace with ou od -----Padhma Padhar, who was
struggling under the grip of extreme sorrow, could not speak further.
a ka a , iped the tea s f o Padh a Padha s e es ith his lo g thi fi ge s;
as if that cool touch was not enough, He started speaking to him in a cool
oi e, Padh a Padha ! fo this itself ou a e so u h g ie ed; A ti e ill
come, when I will have to bring harm to my sainthood itself ! Yes, I, who is
going to save my sainthood with my intelligence, in order to defeat Sarasavani,
will be giving up my sainthood for the sake of pure love. That will not be a
drama like it is now; I am going to discard the rules and regulations ( specified
fo a As eti as t ul as a othe s lo e. hould ou ot ha de ou
i d
to a ept su h a situatio ?
Padhma Padhar and the other disciples did not open their mouth. They
understood the situation ----when Siva Himself has come down to the earth as
the Acharya, who could gauge His nature ?
A ha a
ho as ell e sed ith the Yoga asth a, took out His PANA
(life) from the toe of His leg, came out of His body a d e te ed A a uka s
body. His body was kept inside a cave.
The joy of the people in the capital city found no limit when their king
returned alive from his hunting mission ! They were surprised at noticing the
spe ial Tejas adiati g f o his fa e. The i iste s e e a azed at the
sharpness of mind and the intelligence they noticed in him. The queens could
not understand the reason how their husband who was after worldly pleasures
sudde l tu ed i to a ise a !
When our back itches, we rub it on the wall; It is so soothing to us; but the
wall which gives us the pleasant feeling does not experience any feeling itself.
When Gopika girls were with Krishna Paramatma, He made them experience
the pleasure without Himself experiencing any feeling at all ! Sankarar also
o du ted His fa il life i the sa e a e .
The Acharya, who was eulogized by the people as Jagath Guru, Acharya, learned
a d e e ole t, e e o side ed His ph si al od as His o . Like ise He
e e o side ed A a uka s od also His o . Whethe the leaf f o the
tree falls on the street corner or inside the Siva Temple, the tree never bothers
a out it; the sa e a , a G a i
ise a
ho sta s put ith the At a ,
never bothers where his body lives ----- this was what Acharya had said before.
He was the g eatest G a i ise a
ho had li ed ithout the state of His
body affecting His Atman, just the same way, as the shadow of the body does
not get affected whether it falls on the cool water of a pond or in the boiling
oil. He, ho elie ed that the o ld as a Ma a , ill e e elie e the e e ts
happening in such a world ! But still He enacted this drama, with the sole
purpose of establishing the Supreme Truth.
The doubt about the king, in the minds of the learned ministers who were
well versed with Yoga Sastras strengthened further. They came to the conclusion
that a rare event of a spirit leaving its body and entering another had taken
place. They thought that if they could find the other body and burn it off,
the ould etai this spi it i the ki g s od fo so e o e ti e a d get the
benefits of a good governance by a wise king !
Thus came the danger ! They searched and located the body of Sankarar in the
jungle cave. They placed the body, where in dwelt the Paramatma, on the
pyre, set fire to it and returned to the city !
The disciples, sensing the time had come, came to the cave with their hearts
beating fast with anxiety. The body of the Acharya was burning in the fire !
At the same time, as if the overwhelming devotion from the heart of Padhma
Padha , pulled a d d agged it, a ka a s P a a depa ted f o A a uka s
body and entered its old dwelling !
a ka a ose f o the p e a d a e out. The elated dis iples happi ess did
ot last lo g. a ka a s spi it had entered its body only after the fire had
charred its hand , the lotus hand which blessed the people, the tender hand
that had ee al a s g ippi g the Dha da
the sa ed pole of the E pi e
of Wisdom. Padhma Padhar, after seeing it, felt that his own eye had been
charred !
a i ! Please p a
Laksh i Na asi ha a i a d get a k ou ha d !
We cannot look at you without that hand which has come to save this world.
Please do not ignore it as irrelevant, Swami ! I am struggling, unable to focus
my mind and pray; that is why I am requesting you to pray. Swami, for our
sake please get a k ou ha d ----cried Padhma Padhar.
Sankarar agreed for the sake of the disciples. He started praying to Sri Narasimha
Murthy, the chosen Deity of Padhma Padhar.
He sang emotionally, saying , whether true or false or drama, He had to fall
i to the o ea of a sa a fo so eti e. A t ee alled a sa a , a t ee o e
out of so i g the seed of si . A t ee ith a hes of Ka as ; a t ee ith
shoots of senses; a tree where lust blooms; a tree where the flower of lust
ripens into so o ; I li ed that t ee of a sa a a d fell do ! Oh Ka u a
Mu th ! Laksh i Na asi ha ! p a gi e
ha d a k ! ---- He prayed with a
melting heart. He accepted a mistake which He did not do, just to show us
how we should repent having really committed that sin.
A ha a s p a e did
Na aHa i s lessi g.
ot go u e a ded; a ka a got
a k His ha d
ith
This stot a
alled Laksh i N usi ha tot a , has thi tee slokas a d solves
the p o le s of those ho e ite it; he e a adje ti e a kata asa a is
added to it.
Sarasavani, then lost her debate with Sankarar. As her husband was going to
renounce the world and become an Ascetic, she announced that she had decided
to get back to Brahma Loka and merge with Vani (Saraswathi). But Sankarar ,
i o de to stop he etu i g, ou d he
ith Va aDu ga Ma t a . He
requested that her presence be frozen in a place that He chooses and bless
Him. Sarasavani also agreed to it.
According to His wish only, She established Herself as Saradhai in the Sringeri
SriMatam which was established by Sankarar later.
There is a legend that says Sankarar and Saraswathi are brother and sister.
They are deities who wear the white colour and are wisdom personified. She
stayed in Sringe i as pe He
othe s ish. I additio , he also e a e the
A ha a s disciples in the hierarchy. The Peetathipathis (heads of Mutt) of
i ge i take the Ash a a Na a
BHAATHI. I the e d, he A ha a
esta lished the Ka akoti Peeta He a ed the iMata the e as a adha
Mata a d hile occupying the Peetam, assumed His name as Indra Saraswathi.
Mandana Mishrar renounced the world and became a Saint. He got the name
u es a a ha a . He,
ho
as a Ka a ogi , late
ote the ook
Naishka a a idhdhi hi h pa es the path fo the Ka aless state.
Acharyar continued His Digvijaya Yatra, with His old disciples and Sureswarar.
Du i g A ha a s ti e, the e e e totall se e t t o eligio s so e of the
founded on the tenets of Vedantha and others not based on Vedic concepts,
which were followed by different walks of people. Acharyar eliminated all these
single handedly, without the help of any king, but solely through His wisdom
and intelligence. He established Adhvaita. History accepts and is amazed at this
fact saying there had never been another wonder as this anywhere anytime.
Afte A ha a s ti e, a ious othe o epts su h as Visishtadh aita , Dh aita ,
Saiva Sidhdhantham were also established. But this development did not affect
Adhvaita Sampradhayam very much; the proof for this is the presence of
Smarthas in this country. But Acharyar while establishing Adhvaita, removed
many religions from here totally. We even do not know names of some of
those religions. All this He had accomplished in the 32 years He lived in this
world. Other than admiring at these miracles----miracles performed purely
through the wisdom and not otherwise----and paying our tributes, we are
unable to put them in mere words.
Acharyar, during His Digvijay Yatra only, met the heads of various other religions,
de ated a d ade the a ept Adh aita. This as the f uit of Pa a es a a s
Avatar. He left His footprints all over this country, in order to accomplish the
objective of His Avatar successfully.
Va ious ooks o a ka a s Dig ija a , gi e slightl
o t adi to
e sio s
regarding when and where all Sankarar went during His Vijaya Yatra. Some
doubts exist regarding certain persons whom He was supposed to have met,
whether they belonged to that time. But all of them confirm that He cleansed
the whole country with His holy feet and made it shine. Researchers think that
Acharyar must have travelled around the country three times.
What purpose did He do all this for? He had no Karma, nor did He enjoy its
fruit; He, the holy God, took this human form and wandered this land only to
help the humanity attain the state of Mukthi as long as this world and the
humanity in it exists.
( Tra slators ote :---- Here Sri Ra.Ganapathy elaborates to a considerable extent the details
about some prominent religions which existed during His time, and which He eliminated with
His wisdom and intelligence through debates, such as Meemamsa, Nyaayam, Vaiseshikam,
Sankiyam, Yogam etc. which were based on Vedic tenets. They may be useful to history
students, historians and researchers and such persons. With all humility, I am taking the
liberty of skipping these elaborations. In short, we may say that those religions say that one
can attain Mukthi by dividing, combining and expanding the various philosophies mentioned
y the ; ut A haryar says There is ut o e upre e Bei g. What we see with our naked
eyes are Its appearance only; it is impossible to divide combine and expand such an all
pervading matter. To become THAT is Mukthi; Experience is only Mukthi and not
resear h/a alysis. -----He established this without any doubt. He also laid the path to attain
that experience. He went on His Digvijayam explaining this and debating and firmly establishing
His philosophy.)
To be continued in chapter 13
Sri Maha Periva Divya Darsha



Volume 45
September 2015 - Anusham
www.periva.org
CHAPTER 13
HE OFFERED HIS BODY
In the land of Bharatha, along with those religions which were based upon
Vedic tenets, there were also other religions which did not believe in Vedas.
Acharyar won His debates with them also. Important among them were Jainism
and Budhdhism.
Jai s sa there are i u era le At as. The pra ti ed Ahi sa ot hurti g
other living beings) very rigorously, because they maintained that we should
love all of them. They also say that Atman will either shrink or expand according
to the body form it takes. We cannot understand any object comprehensively;
our knowledge of things will depend on our intelligence, time and place, and
so we can never say for certain if what we see is true or otherwise.
Jainism does not agree with the philosophy of one supreme being. They insist
that e should follo i the footsteps of those ho attai ed Mukthi after
having crossed the state of Kar a . As per the , At a has o s ious ess
(feelings), and Karma penetrates Atman and pollutes it. Their philosophy is that
o l
e ra i g their religio a a a , o e a get rid of this Kar a
Pala
fruits of Kar a a d thus get li erated. Jai is ad ises o trol of
se ses as a a to pre e t Kar a fro polluti g the At a . But it does ot
elaborate clearly, the nature of liberation obtained through release from the
Karma. This philosophy does not also explain the cause which created this
world. Thus neither the beginning nor the end have been explained here,
properly. Question also arises as to how the Atman, which is being interfered
with daily by the Karma, does stand away from it and reaches beyond happiness
and sorrow.
Budhdhism also does not say anything about God or worship of God. It also
e phasizes o
o trol of se ses a d other a s like Jainism. It says that
World is a meeting place where knowing, feeling, opinion, nature of mind, and
appearance , meet and depart, in many ways, none of these is permanent, and
there is no phenomenon as Atman. Some opine that Budhdha had never
mentioned anything about Atman, and that the disciples who came later were
the o es ho de ied the e iste e of At a . Whate er a perso sees e ists
in his intelligence; world is a mere flow of the state of mind. The elements
that are the ever changing customs, constitute this world. At the end everything
is only a void. It says that reaching this void by conquering the quest is Mukthi
or Moksham (Nirvana).
Budhdhism says that the world we see is an illusion; Advaitam also says that
the world is an illusion. That is why some from other religions which came
later, a used A har a as a irtual Buddha.
But the truth is very much different from this.
When Adhvaitam says that the world is an illusion, it DOES NOT say that it is
a oid. O l the appeara e of the orld as e see, is a illusio , ut the
world itself is the upre e Bei g --It says. Sankarar did not stop by saying
e er thi g i this orld is a illusio ; E er thi g is Brah a ----said He
ulti atel , ith total o i tio . He did ot sa that e er thi g e ds up i
Void , ut de lared that e er thi g e ds up i Whole .
While Budhdhism said that everything is impermanent, our Acharyar had
elaborately explained about the Atman which stands permanently, relating all
those impermanent motio s. The Budhdhist philosoph that
hate er o e
sees i his i tellige e is the appeara e of the orld , is aki to sa i g that
this orld is Jee a s i agi atio or drea . I that ase, there ust e se eral
worlds, ea h a ordi g to e er o e s i agi atio , is it ot? I A har a s
religion there are no different worlds. Brahmam, with its power of Maya
(illusion), appears as ONE world to every Jeevan.
O l those ho argue that oid a d hole are o e a d the sa e,
that Budhdhism and Adhvaitam are same.
a sa
Only Rishis (Ascetics) established Vedic religions. The one who established the
original Meemamsa was Jaimini Maharishi; Nyaayam was propagated by Rishi
Gouthamar. Vaiseshikam was established by a Rishi by the name Ganaathar;
Sankiyam by Kabilar; Yoga Sastra by Pathanjali Rishi. Rishi Vyasar was the one
who established Vedantam, which was elaborately explained and reestablished
our A har ar. Those ho follo ed a atha a Dhar a Dhar a indestructible

with time or place) believe that although all the Rishis had understood the
Supreme Philosophy as Adhvaitam, each one looked at it from different angles
and came to different conclusions. For example, Rishi Jaimini who did not talk
about God, obtained the Anugraham of Koothapiran ( Lord Nataraja) and had
prayed to Him. Pathanjali himself manifested as Govindha Bagavath Padhar and
preached Adhvaitam. Nyayam, Vaiseshikam, Sankiyam, Yogam, Poorva
Meemamsai and Vedantham are all called Vedic Dharsanams (Appearances). The
ord Dharsa a sho s that ea h a d e er o e looked at the Supreme Being
from different angles and got many views. which proves the interreligious
harmony. Budhdhism and Jainism are called nonVedic religions.
Acharyar did not destroy these views (Dharsanams). He only made them full. In
fact, the truths that are abundant in these views constitute Adhvaitam. For
example, the Karma rituals done by Poorva Meemamsites, and the yogic
practices of the Yogic religion are not exceptions to Adhvaities. At the same
time Acharyar made the nonviolence which the Budhdhism emphasized, as an
important part of the Adhvaita religion. God and God worship which are found
in Nyaya and Yoga, is found in Adhvaita also.
All the religio s a ept the o e otto Mukthi is the state here there is o
pai ; O e should dis ard desires to rea h that state. The o
o pri iple
a o g all these religio s is that Jee a s life does ot get fulfilled merely by
the bodily experiences of happiness and sorrow. A religion ---Lokayatha religion--- hi h said, Do hat ou like
ithout a
o trol o er the se ses as
e iste t e e efore a karar s ti e. This aar aaka religio
as supposed to
have been established by Bruhaspathi. Acharyar had shown such people also
the good way by explaining to them the glory of Atman, which resides in the
body.
We cannot say that Acharyar won over other religions merely by His intelligence.
That He was a living example of what He preached earned Him the victory and
glory, wherever He went. Did He not explain elaborately the qualities of A
Jee a Muktha o e who attains Mukthi while living in this world) and
unequivocally said that one could attain Mukthi here and now ? Acharyar, shone
as a li i g figure of su h a Jee a ), as an
epitome of Love, by seeing Himself as other living beings and seeing Him in
other living beings.
Having created a countless number of Slokas and Bashyams and other
Gra tha s literar
orks , He had e er e tio ed a
oti g a out Himself
in them. That is why we have to solve many contradictions while writing His
histor . But, a state e t at the o ludi g part of His ooththira Bash a ,
sou ds as if He had said so ethi g a out Hi self. If somebody , while living
i this orld ph si all , e perie es the Brah aa u a a
e perie i g the
Brah a
hole heartedl , ho has the a ilit to de that ?
Yes, because Sankarar had overwhelmed Himself in that Brahmanubavam, other
religions could not oppose or deny His Adhvaitam. That philosophy hoisted its
victory flag all over Bharatham.
It is ot possi le to ki dle a d sustai the religious feeli gs i peoples i ds
only with intelligence; feelings originate from the heart. Therefore, only those
religions which can freeze the feeling of Bakthi oozing out of the heart can get
a hold on the people. Talking about Bakthi (devotion) , comes in the subject
of idol orship. There as o dearth of su h God orship i A har ar s da s.
Devotion is not an ordinary feeling . While some develop Devotion out of Love
towards God, there are others, who worship God out of fear. There were many
Paasupathas a d akthas
ho feared God, a d i dulged i fero ious a ts
such as human sacrifice; because of which other devotees did not like them
and were afraid of them. Even those who sa the upre e Bei g as o
a
Nara a a , A a dha Natesa a d Lalitha De i a d orshipped
perfor i g
appropriate Pujas, did not see other devotees with kindness and love. They
were always quarrelling among themselves, as to whose God was superior. They
ere reati g superior a d i ferior Gods, ithout realizi g the fa t that all
su h differe t aroopa s are the differe t a ifestatio s of that o e origi al
Supreme Being. From those who inflicted tortures on themselves in the name
of Bakthi, to those who enjoyed all the pleasures of senses saying they were
offering them to The God, many different kinds of people were dissecting and
destroying Bakthi.
A har ar prea hed i a akthi Adh aita

a d Nara a a Adh aita
a d
emphasized to people that all Gods are one. He also designed and established
the methods for performing Pujas to all Devatas, according to Vedic tenets, and
Sastras. He explained in detail how to worship the Devatas in His book
Prapa ha aara .
In those days, worship of Eswaran, Devi, Thirumal (Vishnu), Gananathan
(Ganesha), Adhithan ( Sun God) and Shanmukan (Karthik) were famous. Acharyar
regulated and set right these worships and because of this He got the name
ha atha sthapa a har ar o e ho esta lished the si religion worship). It
is due to Him that Rama Navami, Krishna Jayanthi and Shivarathri became to
be celebrated as common festivals for the whole country. As the one who
established Adhvaitam, He might have been seen as contradictory to later
philosophies such as Visishtadhvaitam, and Saiva Sidhdhaantham. But all of us
are i de ted to Hi as He as the o e, as ha atha taapakar o e ho
established the sixreligion worship), who stopped other religions from wiping
out Mahadevan and Narayanamurthy worshipped by the latter philosophies.
Sankarar also wanted those who fully accepted Adhvaitam to perform
Pa haa atha a Puja to the fi e deities Esa , A ikai, Nara a , Vi a aka a d
Adhiththan. As Skandan (Karthik) is Ag i aroopa for of fire , He said that
Vedic Karmas themselves form the worship to Him and did not add Him as a
separate Deity.
He cleansed Bakthi by wiping out Terror, Disgust and other evils and sensualities
from it , and established correct ways of worship of God with Love, and
treating others with love. He was the epitome of Love, who purified all the
paths here peoples feeli gs a d i tellige e flo ed. For the sole purpose of
spreading that Love only, He wandered throughout the country.
Books o a karar s tours a d stories passed through ge eratio s by word of
outh, tell us of u erous i teresti g i ide ts that happe ed duri g a karar s
Dig Vija a . Let us look at so e of the . There is o ertai t that the
happened in the same order as narrated here.
One da , i Pra ag, A har ar had go e for Aksha a Vata dharsa a , alo g
with His disciples. He saw a person, who was severely afflicted by leprosy,
tr i g to o
it sui ide
ha gi g fro o e of the tree s ra hes. The leper
also saw Him. He was so happy that he had dharsan of Sri Dhakshinamurthy
Himself with His disciples Sukar and Sanakathi rishis, when he saw Acharyar
under the banyan tree with His disciples. He prostrated before Acharyar.
A har ar s heart led he He looked at hi . His hite coloured hand went
near that horrible body, and caressed it without any hesitation whatsoever. Is
it not the lotus hand of that great Shakthi, Ambikai who created the whole
universe, played with them, pouring love and gold and food and fertility
wherever her hand touches? The moment His hand touched him, his disease
vanished ! His limbs shed their disease and grew normally, the moment he felt
the tou h of the Whole . As his distress of stu ted gro th of li s disappeared,
he got the a e Udha kar a d e a e the dis iple of A har ar.
While Acharyar was touring Gousambi He saw a couple who were crying
uncontrollably, on the dead body of their only son. His heart writhed with pain.
But a oi e spoke to Hi , What is the use of s pathizi g ith so ethi g
for which there is no remedy ? He thought
path ? who am I to
sympathize? Do I have the kindness that will make me feel the pain of these
parents and sympathize with them? Is it not the Eswaran who only can take
heart and show that much kindness to the ? -----He murmured these thoughts
automatically. Wonder of wonders ! The vedic boy, who was lying dead, just
got up as if he woke up from sleep !
But was it really a wonder ? Where is the wonder in this ? What kindness
Eswaran can generate, can Acharya not do? Eswaran is no different from Acharya!
Viewed from another angle, they are different ! Eswaran, would be stern in
giving the fruits of Karma. But Acharyar took over such Fruits of Karma (which
could not be altered by anybody) from others, and blessed them, was it not?
ai ts ould e er eutralize su h Kar a Pala
hi h is God s ill. But et,
those Mahans who have burnt down their own Karmas, when they saw the
sufferings of people, would take them upon themselves out of pure love and
ki d ess, a d release the . Christ s ru ifi atio , Para aha sa a akrish ar
getting afflicted with cancer, Ramana Bagavan also with cancer are all because
of this reason---this is the opinion of devotees. That is why it is said that we

should approach Mahans only for obtaining knowledge and not for other worldly
benefits. Some portions of histor
e tio that A har ar et a Kar a athi
by name Prabakaracharyar at a place called Prathishtanapuri, to the east of
Prayag, debated with him, and made him an Adhvaiti.
In present days we see many people professing as atheists outwardly , but
praying to God behind the scene. Such persons existed in the past also. A
Jain by name Amarasimhan was one such person. Even though he was a Jain,
he had been worshipping Kalaivani (Saraswathi). With Her Grace only He could
rite a
ooks o Jai is . He as the o e ho rote A arakosa , a
dictionary of Samskrit. That he had mentioned about all Gods in that book,
without any differences is noteworthy.
Amarasimhan insisted that he would sit behind a curtain and debate with
Acharyar. He had kept a pot behind the curtain and had invoked Saraswathi in
that. Not knowing this, Acharyar agreed to his condition. He started asking
Acharyar complicated questions, from behind the curtain and Acharyar gave
amazing answers to all of them. Same way, to those intricate questions asked
by Acharyar, Amarasimhan was giving apt answers. Sankarar got a doubt. With
His third eye, He understood the truththat the person who had been debating
with Him till then was not Amarasimhan, but Goddess Saraswathi Herself on
his behalf.
Va i! hould ou test
e like this agai a d agai ? -----He asked.
Immediately the curtain fell down. Whatever questions Acharyar asked after
that could not be answered by Amarasimhan. Amarasimhan was humbled. He
felt terribly ashamed. He went to the backyard and hid himself. He lit a big
fire there, and started throwing his books one after another into the fire. His
heart was burning more than the fire itself.
Suddenly, a coolness flowed into his hands as if the southern breeze had taken
shape and touched him. It took some time for him to realize that Acharyar was
holding his hands firmly.
A arasi ha ! What a foolish thi g ou ha e do e ? Did ou gi e shape to

your sharp intelligence, just for feeding them to the fire? Stop this atrocious
a t o ! ----said Acharyar with all His kind heart. He could save the only book
pal s ript that re ai ed i his ha d a d that as A arakosa .
Acharyar reached Sri Sailam in Andhra Pradesh. A lot of Kaapaalikas lived there.
They used to perform human sacrifices to appease their God Kapaaleesan. They
lived in burial grounds and ate human flesh. Acharyar had been condemning
such atrocious acts and had said they were not at all necessary. Because of
this, o e parti ular Kaapaalika
ho as orshippi g Ugra Baira ar i ri
Sailam, was terribly angry with Acharyar. He decided that he would wipe Him
out.
One day, when Acharyar was sitting alone in meditation, he approached Him.
Acharyar was sitting as a Jyothi merged with the Supreme Being. Kapaalikan
changed his plan. He decided not to kill him in that stage. Did he change for
the good ? Not that; he only decided not to kill Him without His knowledge.
Here is a true a asi radiati g J othi ! I stead of killi g Hi i the or al
way, if I offer Him as a sacrifice to Bairavar, then God would appear before
e! A d ill gi e e all the oo s a d ake e ki g ! so thought the
kapaalikan. The human sacrifice will give benefit only if the sacrifice was done
with the full knowledge and consent of the person to be sacrificed. That is why
he decided not to kill Sankarar without His knowledge.
Karunyam (kindness) was flowing from that Divine figure. The kapaalikan believed
in that kindness and woke Him up from the meditation. Prostrated before Him.
Paramacharyar looked at him with kindness. Without opening His mouth, He
asked him to express his wish.
The kaapaalikan stumbled and struggled and somehow told Him his wish.
Though I gave Ugra Bairavar many sacrifices, I could not get His Dharsan.
Swami will appear before me if I offer the head either of an emperor or of
a At a G a i he dragged o .
A har ar s iled ge tl . M dear fello ! Do ot tr for a e peror s head.

If you try then you will lose your head. If you think I am an Atma Gnani, then
I have no objection in you taking my head. There are no crown or ornaments
in this head., there is no hair even. You can get boons by sacrificing a simple
object.
But Kapaalikan had his doubt.---he was not sure if He
whole heartedly or out of fear from me, He is talking in
His fear. Therefore he told Hi , I ill get oo s o l
hole heartedl . Other ise, there is o use e ept that I
is offering His head

this manner to hide
if ou agree to this
ha e killed ou.
a karar laughed heartil . M dear fello ! I a totally willing to be given as

an offering to your God. I am so happy that this body is going to be useful in
the service of God. If tree withers then it is used as firewood; the skin of a
dead bull is used to stitch footwear. The skins of deer and tiger are useful as
seats; the tusks of an elephant have plenty of uses; the nerves of certain
animals are used as the strings for musical instruments like veena. Only the
human body has no use after death; I thought this has value only as long as
there is life in it. But you are now saying that you will make use of it, that
too for the purpose of pleasing the Gods. Then why should I hesitate to offer
my body ? Please complete your job without further delay. Because some of
my disciples may come here now. They will stand against your wish. Therefore,
do ot aste ti e thi ki g a out it. Co e o . a karar losed His e es,
sat in Yogasana and dissolved His Atma in the Supreme matter. It is quite
normal for Him. He has no botheration now about His body.
Kaapaalikan pulled out his sword with great joy. He swung his sword with the
happy thought that he is going to get rid of his enemy and at the same time,
is going to get the eight great boons and the Dharsan of his God.
Ahhhhhh.!
A terryfying noise reverberated in the ju gle a d e hoed off the hills
That terrif i g
shouting !
oise of
Ahhhhhh!
e hoed repeatedl
or ers.
as if the hills
ere
To be continued in chapter 14
Sri Maha Periva Divya Darsha

This painting is created by Sri Narayanan Bala


(Original Drawings by Sri Maniyam, recreated by Sri Narayan Bala)
Volume 49
October 2015 - Anusham
www.periva.org
CHAPTER 14
A HUNTER WHO WAS SUPERIOR TO A VEDIC SCHOLAR.
Bagavath Padhar opened His eyes on hearing the shout.

Oh ! What a wonderful scene in front of His eyes !
Lord Narasimhar was standing there, fury radiating from His face ! Was it the
body of Hiranyan, which was hanging around His neck ? No, No. It was the
body of the Kaapaalikan torn into two pieces !
Sankarar wiped His eyes and looked again. He did not see NaraHari ! Instead,
Padma Padhar was standing there, his face showing absolute ignorance and the
dead body of the Kaapaalikan was lying on the ground.
What is the
atter? asked Sankarar calmly.
I do ot u dersta d a thi g. I as doi g something somewhere. Suddenly

I had a i tuitio .. I rea hed here so eho . A d killed this Kaapaalika . --replied Padma Padhar without any clarity of mind.
Are ou ot er
u h de oted to Narasi ha a ? Whe
hand was
burnt some time ago, you asked me to worship Narasimhar. Have you obtained
sidhdhi ith Narasi ha Ma tra ? ---asked Sankarar, who knew the past, present
and the future fully well.
Padma Padhar as sile t for a i ute; the said i a drea
oi e, Yes, a
lo g ti e ago I did get Narasi ha Ma tra Upadesa ; ut did I get idhdhi?
No, I did not, nay, could not. I could not, then, but now that you are telling
me, yes, I think I got it NOW !
Padma Padhar forgot himself in the meditation of Narahari. After coming out
of it, he narrated an old story.
Sanandanar, a young lad from the fertile land of the Chola kingdom was taught
Narasimha Mantram by a Mahan. Sanandanar wanted to chant the mantra
continuously and obtain the Darsan of Narasimhar. He wanted to sit in a lonely
place and keep chanting the mantra. He left Chola Desam and reached
Ahobeelam which is a Narasimha Kshetram.
Ahobeelam was a land full of forests and hills; so, he thought that it would be
the most suitable place for meditation, sat there and started his meditation.
Suddenly, he woke up after heari g a oi e alli g hi
a i, a i . He as
surprised that there was somebody even in that dense jungle to disturb his
meditation.
A hunter was standing in front of him.
a i ! Did ou see a
I did ot see a
deer ru
deer or a
i g this
a i al answered Sanandanar.
Ho
ould ou sa that a i? It
ot see ?
I ould ha e see
e es losed !
it, had
Meditatio ? What does it
a ? ---asked the hunter.
ust ha e go e this
e es ee ope ! But I
a o l ; ould
as i
editatio
ou
ith
ea a i?
Sanandanar thought for some time; How to explain and make him understand.
He laughed and said, Meditatio
doi g ! , thi ki g a out Narasi ha
ea s sear hi g for a
!
a i al like ou are
Oh ! a i, ou are joki g ! Will so e od sear h for a a i al, sitti g i o e

pla e ith losed e es ?
It is true
dear fellow ! I am searching for a strange animal. That is why I
ha e to eha e stra gel !
What is that stra ge a i al a i ? Tell e hat it looks like ! There is
animal in this forest which is not known to me.
The hu ter as ot i a ood to gi e up ! o a a da ar told hi , That

stra ge a i al ill look like a a fro
aist elo a d a lio a o e.
a i ! You ha e ee heated ! There is o a i al as ou ha e described in

this ju gle ! Ho lo g ou ha e ee here asti g our ti e ? the hunter
said worried. He persuaded him to leave that place. Why should one waste time
searching for something which does not existwas his question.
Alas ! this hu ter is goi g to dri e
Sanandanar.
e a a
fro
this forest! thought
Wh are ou trou li g e a ! I ha e o e here k o i g full

is here! Is there a place where IT does not exist ?
ell that it
Sami ! Is there an animal in this forest which I have not seen ? I will not call
myself a man and sit here without knowing what that animal is ! Sami ! From
now on, it is my responsibility to search and find that animal ! It is no use
sitting in one place thinking that you will catch it when it comes here ! You
cannot go in search of it in this dense jungle ! You may sit here and look for
it ! But I will go and search for it in my own way, and bring it right here. You
a do hat ou a t ith it ! ---said the hunter.
a a da ar laughed a d said, You
again !
ill e er e a le to at h it ! a d laughed
Ok ! Let us see challenged the hu ter. If it is true that IT is here I shall

ertai l at h IT a d o e a k .
IT is ertai l here asserted Sanandanar, hoping the hunter would leave him
alone !
Gi e e ti e till to orro e e i g a i! If I do not bring IT by then I will
gi e up
life ---challenged the hunter and left the place after getting a
complete description of that strange animal!
The hunter focused on the figure with his mind, and wandered through the
forest, without any thought whatsoever of food, water and sleep. The day
a e to a e d. Though he ould ot lo ate the a i al, the hu ter s resol e
did not diminish a bit!
Throughout the next day, he went searching for that strange animal, always
focusing on the figure with a body of lion above waist and of man below. The
heat of the oo su started redu i g slo l , ut the heat i the hu ter s

mind started rising ! Slowly, the sun descended in the west. The hope in the
hu ter s i d also started di i ishi g ! For o e last ti e he ade a fresh
resol e a d started sear hi g for the Narasi ha .
Alas ! The last resolve also did not bear fruit ! There ! the evening sun is
descending behind that mountain !
Ok ! There is no choice but to kill myself !
He started twisting the vines hanging from a big tree and making a rope. Just
he he ade a k ot a d as a out to put his head i to it.
There ! No ! Here, just as
ha d a rea h. Is he drea i g ? He iped his
e es a d looked agai ! Co i g fro
o here, The Narasi ha
as sta di g
near him, by itself ! Narasimham ! Yes, Narasimham only ! And exactly as
described by the Sami!
He ithdre his head fro the k ot. He ut the ei s a d tied the Narasi ha
with them tightly ! The foolish animal even though half lion stood calmly and
allowed ITSELF to be bound !
Oh ursed a i al, so u h trou le to at h ou ! Co e o
ith
said the hunter and lead IT towards where Sanandanar was sitting !
IT is a ta e a i al o l ! Ca
thought the hunter.
e reared at ho e ! But to
e ! -----
hat use ? ---
Sanandanar was still sitting in meditation there.

Oh a i ! Your tri ks ill ot hold ater ith e ! Look here ! I ha e got
our Narasi ha ! Look and confirm that this was what you were searching
for ! ----- the hunter exclaimed cheerfully !
Sanandanar opened his eyes; saw the hunter; saw the rope he was holding in
his hands; saw the wonder of that rope ending in a void ! The hunter caressed
that oid a d said, Is THI our Narasi ha ?
Pad a Padar s heart hoked. He felt a pai i his heart.
His i d shouted, He Narasi ha! You are alled the Wealth of Lo e ! ou

did not give Darsan to me, who has been meditating on you, day in and day
out, but to this hunter---- ou ha e readil appeared efore hi !
And then, he heard the roar of the lion; immediately, a voice spoke loudly.
I did ot gi e ou
Darsa o l e ause of our thi ki g h darsa to
the hu ter a d ot to e ? Do ou elie e that God ill appear efore
somebody only on the basis of his/her caste? You are not aware of the
intensity of the single--minded focus with which he was searching for me,
although he was but a hunter. I appear and submit myself only before a person
who focuses on me intensely. You can see that I have allowed myself to be
bound by him and brought here. Only because of this short association you
had with this hunter, you can at least hear my voice. This will give you Sidhdhi
at the proper ti e.
Narasimhan spoke in Ashareeri
ithout appeari g i perso .
Padma Padhar got the fruit of the Sidhdhi only today. What an amazing use it
had ! He could save the life of his Guru !
That day in the past he only heard the voice of NaraHari; today he absorbed
HIS fury in his body; but still, he could not have HIS darsan !
Focusing of the mind is the fundamental prerequisite for meditation.
Ramakrishna Paramahamsar said that, like we remove the small stray pieces of
cotton from the end of a thread and sharpen it before inserting it into the
eye of the needle, same way, we should remove all the stray thoughts from
our mind and focus it on the Almighty. This is alled o e tratio of i d .
This o e tratio of i d is a solutel e essar to erge the At a
ith
the Brahmam, like the arrow hits the target.
SreeSailam is a great abode of Lord Siva. Mallikarjunan is the name of the
presiding deity. Acharyar, whose mind and heart are fully occupied by the
thoughts of the Almighty, whose every action is a prayer, whose every walk is
o sidered a Pradhaksi a , rossed through the ju gles and hills by walk,
and reached the temple, in order to make the world realize the greatness of
true devotion. He saw the Lord of Kailash in the Lord of Sri Sailam and paid
His obeisance to Him. Tears welled up in His eyes. Devotion oozed out from
His heart like a fountain. And Slokas flowed out from His holy tongue like a
flood. This flo of slokas e a e k o
as i a a da Lahari .
Viveka Choodamani says that those who forget the sel es i the E perie e
of elf or At a
e o e i aPeru a Hi self. A ha ar, fro e er ato
of ho , o erflo s this E perie e of elf ga e i a a da Lahari to the
world, as waves from the ocean of that Bliss . If e ake these a es flo
in our heart, our frozen mind will also melt, and His lotus feet will bloom in
that.
Those lotus feet are accustomed to the hard stones; does He not dance on the
hard floor of Mou t Kailash? M Lord ! Whe there are the ho es of De as,
spread with the feathers of swan; when there are the soft lotuslike hearts of
the goodhearted men, for you to dance on, why are you dancing on the
rocks? Knowing well that I am going to be born with a stonelike heart, are
you practicing on the rocks, so that you can dance on my heart also in order
to prote t e ? ----asks Acharyar in these slokas.
In another sloka, He ries ith e otio , You fell asleep due to sheer
exhaustion, by dancing in my stonelike heart; At that time, will I not hold on
to your lotus feet tightly? Will I not decorate my head with them ? Will I not
caress my eyes with them? Will I not hold them close to my body? Will I not
e jo the fragra e of those feet agai a d agai ?
He o siders Hi self as the lo est a o g si ers a d si gs, You are Pri e
among all Divinity who protect the sinners; If you are related to all those
sinners, no need to say how close you are in your relation to me ! Then, as
a ark of this relatio , o t ou pardo
e for all
si s , a d sa e e?
He was craving to give something to Umakanthan (Lord Siva) who had blessed
Hi so u h. Ais ar a
ea s That hi h elo gs to Es ara . He po ders
hat is that I , ut a poor pauper, a gi e that Ais ar a a ? . At the e d
He announces that He would give His mind itself. Almighty comes even to
a ept that ! He, ho is alled Ais ar a a has othi g ith Hi ! He o es
and stands with His old Bull, clad in elephant skin, and wearing snakes as
garla ds ! A d hat is His food ? Mere poiso ! A d He sa s,

our i d; hat is that I a gi e ou?
ou ga e
All the things with Him have been already mentioned; nobody would request
for any of those items boldly! Therefore Sankarar asked Him to give Him
so ethi g else; Gi e e o l o e thi g; a i dset to al a s pra i fro t of
our lotus feet . Agai a d agai , De otio comes back to the dancing feet
only!
There was a kind of devotion which made the devotee put his feet on His
fa e, as it ot? a karar eulogizes that also ! What is that hi h De otio
cannot accomplish? Because of that true devotion only, the hunter Kannappan
is regarded a je el a o g the de otees, is it ot?
There is an inner meaning in His giving Darsan to that hunter ! Yes, He, along
with His consort, manifested and appeared as a hunter in front of Arjunan
a d ga e hi the Pasupatha . Oh ! That is h ou are goi g here a d there
searching for animals, instead of residing in my mind ! But do you not know
that my mind is also a jungle, filled with desires? Do you not know that wild
animals such as jealousy and lust are wandering here madly? My dear Sir, do
not go anywhere else ! Come enter my heart and hunt these animals to your
satisfactio a d eat the up, o e! o e!
a karar had also e plai ed i detail hat is true de otio , i His i a a da

Lahari . It is the rope ith hi h the i d, hi h keeps o
a deri g e er here
like a monkey, is tied up. It is the chain which binds the heart similar to the
wild elephant, to the lotus feet of the Almighty.
The needle is attracted towards the magnet; the seeds of Azinjil ( )
tree, as soon as they fall to the ground, gather together and go and attach
themselves to the tree trunk; a true wife always stands by her husband.---same way, devotion is what makes the devotee get attracted towards the
Almighty. He adds further, De otio is othi g ut ergi g ith the Al ight ,
same way as a river merges with the ocean. The river which merges with the
ocean itself becomes the ocean. Likewise, a devotee becomes the Almighty
Himself, at the end. In other words, like Adhvaitam, where knowledge and
devotion are not two different entities, but are one and the same.
In another sloka, He declares that the person who worships Eswaran always,
who meditates on Him, who listens to Bagavat Gita, and who surrenders to
Hi is alled Jee a Muktha o e ho attai s li eratio here a d o , he
he is still ali e. . De otio destro s ig ora e; it ri gs the Brah a Vidh a , a d
shows the way to Mukthi.
He asks the Almighty to give him that kind of devotion, which will make Him
realize the Bliss of Adhvaitam. Asking what is that which Devotion cannot
accomplish, He describes, what all Devotion can do, through an analogy.
He depicts Devotion as analogous to a mother who is the epitome of love.
She bathes the devotee (baby) with the bliss of Siva. The child devotee is
bristles; she covers the child with a white cloth which is the mind without dirt;
Sins are wiped away by that cloth.
She, then, keeps the child on her laps. She feeds him with the various leelas
of the Almighty with the help of slokas. The child becomes sleepy after the
bath and feeding. Which means that the devotee who listens to the leelas of
Eswaran wants to get immersed in himself. Fearing that the child may wake up
out of fear, She smears the sacred ash on his forehead a d puts the udraksha
ala arou d his e k. he the puts hi i the radle of Es ara ha a ai
and makes him sleep----this is another sloka.
Sivanandha Lahari tastes sweet wherever you touch, like a hill of sugar candy.
Mallikarjunam, Madhyarjunam (Thiru idai maruthoor) and Pudarjunam are great
abodes of Siva, with no comparison. The latter two are in Tamil Nadu.
From SriSailam, Sankarar, Padhma Padhar and other disciples went to Ahobilam
and had the Darsan of Sri Narasimha Murthy. Then they continued their journey
towards south.
In Karnataka Desam, there is a Vishnu temple. The administrators of the temple
refused e tr to these sa red ash---Rudhraksha ala lad A har ar a d His
disciples. Sankarar explained to them that the Deity residing inside represents
the one and only Brahmam, and there is no difference in it like

Vishnu.
Sivan and
He Brah a ! You are saying that there is no difference as Sivan and Vishnu;
we will allow you inside the sanctum sanctoram; go and find out for yourself
whether the Deity inside is your Sivan (holding deer and axe) or our Vishnu
holding the o h a d the heel. ---saying this, those Vaishnavites lead Acharyar
into the Sanctum Sanctorum. They saw a wonder there ! In the place where
there was the Deity of Perumal, stood HARI HARA MURTHY, the combined
figure of Siva and Vishnu !
In Tamil Nadu, in a place called Thrupparkadal near Kaverippakkam, for the sake
of a devotee by name Pundareekar, Sivan became Thirumal. In Kutralam,
Narayanan became Siva for the sake of Sage Agasthiyar. In Karnataka desam,
both Siva and Vishnu became Hari Haran for the sake of Acharyar who
advocated Adhvaitam. From that day, that place came to be known as
Hariharam.
I Mooka i, here Mooka ikai as a ger perso ified , He esta lished a
SreeChakram in front of Her and brought out the fury in Her and endowed it
i the reeChakra . Mooka ikai e a e a ou a Murth .



Volume 52
November 2015 - Anusham
www.periva.org
Chapter 15 of Ja a Ja a a ka a
i Na a a a Bala o igi al in Tamil by Sri Ra.Ganapathy)
CHAPTER 15
MOTHE LOVE BECKON !
Acharyar was giving Darsan to devotees at a place called SreeVali. He was

neutralizing the grievances of the devotees with His look full of love and
Anugraham.
How many different kinds of devotees ! Some were those who had come in
search of wisdom and devotion; some others had come seeking His blessings
to get rid of their grievances. Thousands converged there hoping that their
desi es ould get fulfilled
Hi , ho the o side ed is a idhdha Pu usha .
We become strong by eating rice; but the same (cooked) rice can be used as
gum too ! But its main use is for consumption as food, is it not? Same way,
Mahans (great souls) come to earth to give us wisdom.
They can solve our worldly problems too; but, seeking them only for solving
our worldly problems is akin to using rice as a gum, instead of consuming as
food.
Many devotees were known to have sought His blessings for this purpose.
Jagat Guru would also solve their difficulties expecting that they would become
wiser.
One such devotee, a Brahmin brought his deaf and dumb child to Him, and
pleaded with Him to make his son speak.
Lo e oozed out of A ha a s hea t. He asked the hild,

dea o ?
ho a e ou,
Many oratorpundits would become speechless when they came before Him;
but now, some amazing thing happened ! The child answered Sankarar quite
fluently ! He did not even stammer; he was heaping slokas after slokas !
It was reminiscent of the young eightyear old Sankarar who answered Govind
Padhar on the banks of river Narmada, when the latter asked Him who He
was !
I a
eithe a hu a , o a De a, o a Yaksha , o a Vedic scholar, nor
a warrior, nor a merchant, nor a Velalan,; I am not a Brahmachari, not a
Grahasta, not a Vanaprasthan, not an ascetic, but I am the True Being, an
e odi e t of isdo !
Thus burst out the child !
Father could not make out what his son was speaking, nor did he care about
it. He was glad and proud that his son was speaking after all ! He prostrated
before the Achaya, and returned home with his son.
He gathered all the village folks, announced the great news and asked his son
to speak. But alas ! His son did not even open his mouth! The father suspected
that the a i a
as a fake! He ought his so agai to a karar. The son
spoke only in His Presence and that too, matters which could not be
understood by ordinary people like him !
The o is ot fo
ou; it see s he is fo
e ! said A ha a .
The father requested Sanakarar to adopt his son as His disciple. He returned
with full satisfaction of having given away his son to the world, when the
latter started speaking !
a ka a ,
ho a epted all At a G a is
ise
e
i ludi g the
u tou ha le , as His Gu u, did ot stop ith taki g the hild as His
ee
disciple ! He wrote commentary for the slokas spoken by the child in answer
to His question !
Normally, a person would write commentary only to books written by one

who could be considered as his Guru; But Acharyar, who did not possess
even an iota of egoism, wrote commentary for the slokas sung by His disciple!
That child who attained, on his own, the Bliss of Adhvaita, was none other
tha Hastha alaka
o e sa that Hasta alaka
as the
so of
Prabakaracharyar, from Pradhishtanapuri, whom Acharyar had defeated in
debates.).
The answer given by him to Acharya s uestio , i the fo

of slokas as
alled Hastha alaka tot a . This a d the o
e ta
itte
A ha a ,
form a very important part of Adhvaita Grantas.
On the banks of the peaceful Thungabadra river, Sankarar witnessed a scene

which overwhelmed His heart and mind. What a wonder ! A venomous snake
was protecting a pregnant frog from the hot sun, by holding his open hood
above the frog ! He was wondering if there was a better place than this to
establish a sanctum sanctoram for preaching Adhvaita, the religion of Love, to

the people. He asked for the name of the place, and was informed that the
name of the place was Srungagiri, where, the famous Sage, Rshyasrungar, who
did not know what was anger and lust, lived.
He also came to know that that was the place, where the two horns
(Shrunkam) of the Varaha (the avatar of Sri MahaVishnu) were imprinted when
MahaVishnu took the form of Varaha, and brought back the Mother Earth,
which was hidden under the ocean by Hiranyakshan.
He established the Sanctum Sanctoram of Saradhai who was none other than
Sarasavani whom He had bound with VanaDhurga Manthra, in that place. He
also consecrated the idol of Saradhambikai and established Saradha Peetam.
He stayed in that fertile place for a long time and worshipped Devi.
Devarajan, in order to render Divine service in Eswara Avatar, let a part of

him to be born as a king of Karnataka, by the name Sudhanva. He came to
Acharya to fulfill his incomplete service. The king of land offered all comforts
to the king of Wisdom.
He gave a lot of wealth, ornaments and royal comforts to the Ascetic who
did not need any of them. As it was the duty of an Ascetic not to exhibit
desire or disdain, He accepted all these royal treatments. .
When some extremists who were fakes, pretending to be Shiva Bakthas, sent
evil spirits on Sankarar to harm Him, Sudhanva prepared himself to fight them.
But, Sankarar, who did not wish to preach Adhvaitam with royal help, stopped
hi a d eut alized those e il spi its ith the help of His At a Bhala
(strength of the soul). He also made them adopt Adhvaitam. The number of
disciples increased day by day. Acharyar Himself taught all of them.
One day, Sankarar was sitting in silence, without starting the lessons. If He
spoke, it was a beauty; but If He was silent, it was a greater beauty ! He
would look like Dhakshinamurthy, who teaches the Brahma Thathvam through
His silence.
As the sa i g goes, The li it of Wisdo is ile e , isdo

ould e floodi g
out of silence . Today also He was sitting in silence oozing out wisdom. One
could not make out, what He was seeing with His eyes and what He was
not; He drowned Himself in the Bliss of Self, caressing His chin with His
fingers.
As time passed, Padhma Padhar wanted to see the beauty of His Guru talking.
He told Him obedie tl ,
e a e eage l
aiti g to hea the lesso s .
Let Gi i also o e ! -----saying this, He continued His silence.
Padh a Padha
as puzzled. Gi i is a good o . He ashes lothes ell; he
renders titbit services obediently; True! But what will he understand from
these lessons?
Has he at any time marveled and appreciated whenever Acharyar used to

explain the various principles in detail, like the other disciples did ? When
othe s e e taki g pa t i
a ious dis ussio s o Veda ta , did he e e
participate in them ?
Would he have known the greatness of Acharya at all? In matters of

knowledge, (sishya)Giri and Shrunkagiri are same! Why delay the lessons
e ause of hi ?
While Padhma Padhar was deep in such thoughts, music, as sweet as honey,
fell on his ears like a flood from sea. Padhma Padhar, whose ears surrendered
to the sweetness of the music, whose heart was lost to the poetic beauty of
the music, and whose knowledge bank was refilled with the greatness of its
ea i g, as o e hel ed.
Who is this? Is it Gi i ? Yes ! Gi i is o l si gi g a d da i g ! He is singing

in nectarlike la guage a d da i g too !
Gu u De a ! You a e
as lu ! Is it ot Be ause of You, ho gi es the
the experience that Brahmam and Jeevan are one and the same, people join
together by Lo e?
Hea i g Gi i s sloka Padh a Padha sh u k ithi hi self due to his e o of
judgement. But Giri continued to sing, unaware of the surrounding world.
Oh, a ka a Gu u ! I a fi
i
i d that You a e o e other than
Parameswaran ! Are you merely Parameswaran ? Is it not that ParaBrahmam
Himself is wandering here in your shape, and giving away the wealth of love
to those who surrender to you? Please grant me also that love which is born
ith ou !
Gi i, ho did ot k o a thi g , sa g eight slokas i

which could not be understood even by great pundits,
the feet of Acharyar. Acharyar, said ithout looki g at
is l i g do
like a eal
ou tai ,
ithout sti i
Thodaka Vi uththa
and fell speechless at
Padh a Padha , Gi i
g like a
A hala
(mountain). But he is not inert like Shrunka Giri; because his inner whole is
filled with the Bliss, he has e o e a
ou tai of Bliss ; if he sta ts e eali g
that B ah a a da
ete al liss , the e a e o od
ho ill da e like
hi .
Padhma Padhar became bashful again.
Giri (Ananda Giri ) who sang the eight slokas i

poem) came to be known as Thodakacharyar.
Thodaka Vi uththa
ki d of
There was another day which was like this; Acharyar was sitting in silence
without starting the lessons. But this did not seem like the silence borne out
of the peace of Bliss. It looked as if many serious thoughts were swirling in
His marblelike heart, like the ripples in the waters of Manasa Saras when
a stone was thrown in it.
Some unknown fear gripped the disciples. They departed from there, one by
one, so as not to disturb the thoughts of their Guru. Although Sankarar did
not see them assembled in front of Him,----although He did not speak to
them---- He was witnessing another incident which was happening elsewhere;
He was speaking with somebody else with His mind.
The scene He witnessed was happening in the same house in Kaladi where
He used to play and enjoy as a child. His mother who used to be overwhelmed
looking at Him play, was now lying down unconscious with fever.
Oh ! how cruel was that unstable state, slipping from consciousness to

unconsciousness, back and forth ! By and by, the conscious state started fading
away. Her mind wandered in circles somewhere, unmindful of the murmurs

of her relatives who had gathered there--- relatives who were anxiously waiting
for her end to grab her wealth.
Except that she was seeing a few particles of light flying in front of her, she
was not able to recognize if they were her relatives or neighbours surrounding
her ; nor was she interested in knowing !
Ears were blocked; she was not able to understand what they were speaking
except an interrupted sound----like HO! ;
o
as she i te ested i
understanding any of them.
The particles of light were merging together; She could clearly see her eight
year old son Sankaran with his moonlike bright face. The particles of sound
joined together and emanated from the lotus like mouth of that beautiful
face, like dew drops.
He e afte , this Gopala is our son; if you keep looking at Him, He will also
look afte ou.
The golden face of Sankaran disappears; as before, insects are flying before
her eyes. Ears are blocked; She was slipping away to a vacuum; She is
shuddering, unable to get out of that void.
Gopala ! F o the ti e
dea hild left this pla e, I ha e ee t i g to
look up to you only, but could not. I was not able to think about you,
forgetting that pauper son of mine who went and begged all the women for
alms, whom I gave birth to, after performing severe penance, and whom I
gave away to this world. Are you indifferent towards me because I was not
seeing you ?
Look ! I am writhing with the pain of death now-----will you not look at me
at least now, with your cool eyes and douse the heat which is burning my
od a d i d ?
A a as
i Kaladi fell o the ea s of Acharyar in Shrunkagiri.
Immediately His mind crossed Kaladi and Shrunkagiri, crossed the whole
universe and reached Sri Vaikundam. His mind spoke to Paranthaman (Sri
Vishnu), who would shower His love on those who were in deep trouble, and
p ote t the , Oh Lo d of the o ld, ea i g Gathai
a e , Co h, a d the
Chakra, and the spotless Garland hanging down to the knees!
Paramapathanaathaa, whom Devi, the ocean of love, embraces! This world is

born from you, rests in you, is protected by you, and merges with you in
the end ! The humans, the sages and the Devas attain Mukthi through you
only !
Please give your Darsan to my mother also and make her attain Mukthi; but
do not appear before her in this present attire with the Panchajanyam,
Sudharsanam and Devi Lakshmi, she will not be able to withstand that; appear
before her in the guise of the child Balakrishnan, to whom I entrusted her
he I as eight ea s old ! This is the gist of i K ish ashtaka .
The drops of light dancing in front of Aryambikai, merged together again. But
not as the moon like face of Sankaran, but the cloud colored face of
Paranthaaman. Like the drops of water falling from the clouds, the sweet
music of the flute from the lips of Sri Krishnan (Ganashyama Sundaran) filled
the ears of Arya. Arya lost herself in the music.
She got back her consciousness again slowly. Her past life ran before her ,
one year in one second.-----the long grief she underwent without a child; the
Bajanam she did in front of SivaPeruman; how He appeared in her dream;
ho a j othi light e te ed he
o ; the hild s i th; ho she a d he
husband celebrated it; all these incidents ran in front of her. She also
remembered the time when her husband, the Mahan, left her.
What is this wonder ! He is standing before me ! He is saying something !
A a ! You alled e a Maha u a a ; that is t ue, es I a a espe ta le

soul who realized who Sankaran was and experienced it; But you are one who
went through a greater experience of sacrifice, is it not? I was worried what
harm would come to Sankaran and prayed selfishly that I should leave this
world when He is by my side.
I made you a widow; But you ! you gave up that Divine child alive, of your
own free will, for the sake of the world.
Is there a parallel to that
e pe ie e of sa ifi e? -----said he.
That drama of sacrifice immediately came to her mind. How she gave
permission to Sankaran to become an Ascetic, how He told her not to think
about Him ever, a d ho she dis a ded Hi
sa i g Go..do ot o e
a k! all these incidents came to her mind like waves.
Mothe ! Please do ot totall put e a a like that ! Do ot ake e a

man of deceit, who left a widowed lady at the mercy of her greedy and
jealous relatives, and ran away.
Mother ! Please think of me when you reach the last moments of your life ;
whichever corner of this land I am in, whatever important ritual I am
performing, I will leave them all, and come running to you. In your last
moments, I shall keep you on my lap, comfort you, and send you to heaven.
I will see to it that you get a noble deliverance and attain Moksha. I shall
also light the fu e al p e, ei g ou o l so !
a ka a s
body bristled.
of p o ise o
that da , fell o
he ea s
o , lea l ! He
Ae
se ses o i g a k agai ? Oh ! Ho sad ! Should my memory come
back instead of leaving me completely ? Yes slowly, I am regaining my senses,
as it happened in Alaway Puzha, long time ago, after I fainted.
At that ti e, he I ope ed
e es, I sa the lotus face of Sankaran, writ
large with worry. I was relieved to note that I was lying in His lap. But now
?
A a ope ed he e es ith a g eat effo t. What a

face writ with worries, that she was looking at ?
o de ! Was it a ka a s
A a ikai s od shook. he ealized, he he od

that she was lying on His lap exactly like that day !
ed o a ka a s,
Aha! Afte all, it as ot a aste that I as holdi g o to

life this far
! Nor it was a waste that I got back my senses now ! I have seen Sankaran
with my eyes. I have felt Him with my body ! Over and above all this, OH, I
am hearing His nectar like voice !
Mothe ! Mothe ! Do t ou e og ize e ? I a

ou a ka a , I ha e
o e ! ---said Acharyar, with a voice filled with Love and sorrow !
TO BE CONTINUED IN CHAPTE 16.


Volume 54
December 2015 - Anusham
www.periva.org
CHAPTER 16
RENUNCIATION AND BONDAGE
houti g
and
a ka a , A a
ika put oth he ha ds a ou d A ha a s
e k
held Him. Next moment the agitation subdued. Her hands loosened their grip
and fell off His neck. Her tongue also twisted and blabbered.
What a uestio ou asked e a ka a! Did ou ask e if I e og ized ou
? What else other than you I recognize or have recognized ? Whom else I
have been seeing other than you up till now ? What else I have been thinking
about other than you ?
You told e, Thi k of Ka a
al a s; if ou thi k of e he
ou e d
o es, I shall o e to ou ! . But, I ha e ee al a s thi ki g a out ou
only, till now; but when I am dying, I wanted to remember Gopalan; you
know why ? If I think of you when my end comes, you will come running to
me; because of that your Karmas will be interrupted; that is why, I tried to
remove my thoughts about you; Those who went to Kashi and returned, told
me how famous you had become.
Now and then, I used to hear about your achievements and felt much happier
than when I gave birth to you. I tried to remove my thought about you now,
so that you do not divert your time (for my sake ) which you are devoting,
for the welfare of this world. I tried to think of Lord Krishna.
Could I not do it? Did I think about you again? Did I want you to be by
my side, in my inner mind ? Why did you come, leaving aside all your duties
?
We cannot say that Arya had said all these in so many words. When
appropriate words to reveal her emotions did not come in her mind,---when
the condition of her body did not allow even those few words that came in,
to be spoken ----- she poured out all these and much more, through the
language of her heart, through the language of love.
Leaning her body on His shoulders, Sankarar felt the palpitations of her body,
as well as, those of her mind. His mind also vibrated in resonance.
Mothe ! What did ou thi k of e ? Did you think that there was a more
important or better duty for me than to be near you during your last days
and serve you ? Did you think that such a service I do is not acceptable ?
What else, other than to be with you in your last days and to serve you and
to console you, have I done to you or going to do ? When I think of each
and every sacrifice you have made for my sake, each and every suffering
you have gone th ough, hat othe
a I a epa ou ? ---- He said in the
same language of love.
Those words that poured forth from Him, out of His love for His mother,
a e i the fo
of o de ful slokas, k o
as MATHUKA PANCHAKAM .
OH ! Mothe ! F o the ti e I appea ed i ou

o , ho
a st uggles
you must have endured as pleasant experiences ? How much you would have
suffered not being able to eat, or sleep ? Keeping away all those eatables
which you liked, you would have been under controlled diet ?
You would have slept on your back and struggled with your breathing, so that
it would be soothing to me. Even after I was born, you had toiled so much
ith ou od .
As if these e e ot e ough, ho
u h pai ou ust have withstood in
your heart for my sake ? That early morning, you came running to the
Gurukula Ashram----you had a dream that I had become an Ascetic, and being
unable to bear that distress, you came there in search of me and cried
uncontrollably. I would not be able to repay you even for that one single
i ide t !
He made her bad dream, a reality, compulsively ! He deceived her and left
once and for all. Did He deceive her ? No ! But she thought so during all
these years. But in the end He had come now !
What a startling difference between that child Sankaran who left her and
went away that day, and the Sankaran who has come now!
Clad in the saffron robe, and with a shaven head and age catching up with
Hi , I a a le to e og ize Hi
e
ell ! Is this hat is alled Mothe s
Lo e ?
Whe she thought of he so s As eti atti e, A a ikai became agile again.

Due to its force, her voice also regained its strength to speak.
a ka a ! Wh did ou e o e a As eti ? I hea d, though, that the hole

o ld is speaki g so high of ou ut still.. ut still.. Why this shaven head
and this attire ?
a ka a ! This fa il is fa ous fo its ealth ! The hole to

alled ou
g a d fathe Vidh adhi aja . Clad i a hite silk o e, a ious o a e ts
shining on his body, his body smeared with sandal paste, when he stood,
d i g up his tuft, do ou k o ho
o al he ould look ?
Wh did ou sha e ou head, a d ea this ough loth? Wh a e ou

wearing these Rudhrakshas, which hurt your skin ? Why are you looking at
e ith so u h pai ? Do t ou like the a I a speaki g ?
Or, are you feeling uncomfortable, leaning my body on your shoulders ? Yes,
why should I be on your lap ? Only m g a d hild e should e pla i g the e
Sankarar was overwhelmed with sorrow. However much she had controlled
her desires, how many thousands of wishes had sprung up in her mind ! She
had buried all those wishes and had been suffering ! How to console her who
is pouring out all those wishes, in this state of mental instability ?
A ha a thought fo so e ti e a d the spoke, Mothe ! I ha e al ead
lived the life that you wanted me to live. You said people used to call
g a dfathe aja affe tio atel ; But I li ed the life of a eal ki g fo so e
time, Mother !
I had nurtured the abundant hair on my head with scented oils, decorated it
and even had worn a crown. I had adorned myself with silk robe and Kashmiri
shawl. Many princes had played on my lap, mother ! But, I did not find any
happiness in those activities, that I found when I discarded all that.
I am not saying this for fun; there is, truly, no joy in the outside (world), such
as wealth, and ornaments and having children; it is in ourselves; we are that
jo .
Speaking thus, Acharyar tried to make her understand Adhvaita. He wanted

her to experience it and attain Mukthi (liberation). But she did not seem to
hear or listen to any of whatever He said. Slowly, her eyes started swirling.
Acharyar stopped speaking on Adhvaita. He started to chant the NAMAs (holy

names) of Lord Shiva. He prayed to Kailashnath, to give her Mukthi by
showering His love, as she could not get liberation by experiencing the concept
of Adhvaita.
The principal attendants sent by Easan (Shiva) came to take Aryambikai.

A a ika s e es hi h e e slo l losi g thei sights, sa this lea l . He
e es sho ed he fea . Oh ! The ghosts ha e o e a ka a! ---she shouted,
and her hands again went round His shoulders; she fainted.
Acharyar started praying to Lord Narayanan immediately. The power of His

words, brought all the servants of Bhagavan (Vishnu) there. They were not
like those fearful attendants of Lord Shiva.
Attired in silks, wearing crowns and various ornaments and garlands, and
holding the conch and the chakra like Vaikunta Nathan (Vishnu), the cloud
olou ed ou gste s ea ed A a ikai. A a s
i d also started towards
Naranan.
The Ocean of Milk flooded in her heart. Its pure white colour purified her
thoughts. Its sweet flavour sweetened her mind. The servants of Vishnu
relieved her Atman from her body smoothly, like a dry leaf falls from the
twig; like the jasmine flower separates from the plant softly; like a fully ripe
fruit detaches itself from the stem.
Giving her a divine form, they carried her in a palanquin, and presented her at
the Lotus Feet of Lord Vishnu. Was He not the Supreme Being who assured
Arjunan that there need be no doubt He would grant Divine status to those
who thought of Him in their last moments?
The lifeless body of Aryambikai slid down from Acharya s shoulde s. Fo a

brief moment, the spirit of detachment also left the man of Wisdom. He
wiped the tears from His eyes.
He looked around Him. He saw His relatives, who were claimants for a share
in His (material) wealth. But, what is to be shared between Him and them?
He knew only one matter which could not be partitioned; but they did not
think so.
The thought, He had o e just at the ight ti e

a a . Is He afte the p ope ties?
he
his
othe passed
Sankarar who was considered as a relative by the whole world and eulogized,
was not understood properly by His kith and kin and the folks in His own
village.
Yes, He did not come to His village, the way, He went to other places, where
He was received with respect and full honours. The whole country welcomed
Hi
ith the sa e o ds O e a ot attai Mukthi li e atio , th ough
wealth and people ut o l th ough sa ifi e -- words which He spoke to His
own mother at the time of adopting asceticism.
You a e a li i g e a ple of that sa ifi e; ou a e i

e sed i the a
Yoga, and you shine in a Divine fo
The hole o ld el o ed Hi
these words ( from Upanishads ), but Kalady did not, why?
asa
ith
Being a saint to the whole world, was it a punishment that He had to

impose upon Himself and come to His mother giving up His sainthood?
Acharyar considered the motherly love shown to Him during His childhood as
nobler than the sainthood.
a ka a said
Please a a ge fo
e atio .
Immediately, each one of the relatives vied with one another and came
forward to perform the last rites. There is nothing that greed for wealth does
not make people do.
a ka a said, No. I a goi g to lit the fu e al p e. I esided i this od

for ten months. After coming out also, this body had fed me for another ten
months. Therefore, I, myself, am going to present this body to Agnidevadha.
Tea s elled up i His e es. eat eads appea ed all o e His fa e. Ho

else can I repay the debt? I did not support her like other sons in the
world did by giving her food, clothes, and shelter. Let me at least perform
the duty of properly disposing of her body when it had become of no use
to anybody.
The dou t i the i ds of elati es i eased st e gthe ed What o se se

you are talking? Can an ascetic perform the last rites? The world will laugh
at you. If you want some , gold or money, you can ask for it. We will give
ou so ethi g ithout the k o ledge of a
od else. they said. What a
blow for Achariyar?
What was the reply He could give them? There is no right for an ascetic in
last rites. But, Achariyar did not forget the promise He gave His mother, when
He left her. When it goes beyond certain level, Love will wipe out even the
customs and controls. He wanted the world to know that customs and rituals
are meant for one to become an epitome of Love. Therefore, He did not
bother about criticism thrown at Him by the village folks.
Acharyar did not talk about Love in the same way as Buddha and Christ did.
Those who think that one should strictly follow customs and rituals, must get
their thoughts cleared from this incident. Controls are very necessary for one
who practices self realization.
When the mind attains maturity, control would automatically loosen up. One
will get Liberation, here, in this world itself. If controls are imposed afterwards,
they will not give any pain. That is why, those who attained Mukthi, here
(Jeevan Mukthas), practice controls. But, at some very difficult times, it will
be necessary to discard such controls also. Sankarar, was in the midst of such
a situation.
Nobody would have found fault with Him, if He had left without performing
the last ites of His othe , sa i g I ill a ide
usto s. But o the
otherhand, He submitted Himself to the love for His mother and was ready
to discard other customs.
This was the third big sacrifice, Acharyar did to teach the world. The first one
was, when He feigned ignorance on Advaita knowledge, when the untouchable
approached Him.
Second one was, when He entered the body of King Amarukan and accepted
the iti is . This as the thi d o e he He ade a asa Dha a
o
to the greatness of heartfelt Love.
All the elati es ho ealized a ka a s esol e i pe fo i g the last ites

Himself, abandoned Him and left the place. They also prevented Vedic scholars
from helping Him perform the Karma.
A ha a
as left like a
o pha
ith His
othe s od .
o eho , He a aged to lift His othe s od si gle ha dedly. While He

pe fo ed i a les ith His Yoga akthi
he He as follo i g a asa
Dha a pe fe tl , o as a o di a
a so , He dis a ded that st e gth.
The efo e, He ould lift His othe s od o l
ith a lot of effo t. Ho
fa I should take this od ? I a getti g ti ed.
He laid down the body in the garden behind the house. Who will prepare
the funeral pyre? Who will chant manthras? There was no living being around
to help Him.
a ka a said, He Ag ide atha, I did ot adopt the o al o ldl life a d

offer You ghee and rice. But, I am offering the holy body of my mother, as
an offering, which is more sacred than them. You need not accept her for
the sake of my ability to perform miracles. Accept her body purely on the
asis of G eat ess of Lo e.
Agnidevatha accepted the body of the Holy Lady, who had the boon of giving
birth to Parameswaran Himself.
Sankarar was attracted towards Sringagiri again. After the last rites of His
mother, Acharyar returned to Sringagiri. He gave shape to His long surviving
plan.
He created and established a hierarchy of disciples ( for us they are Gurus),

in order to ensure that daily Pujas are performed in Saradha Peetam and also
the disciples would undertake the task of preaching Advaitha. He nominated
Prithvithavar, a noble disciple, as the first Acharyar of Saradha Peetam.
Realizing well that there was no difference between Acharyar and Ambaal, He
gave the surname of Bharathi to him. Bharathi means, one who revels in
Jyothi ( Light ). All those who came in this hierarchy of Sages and who enjoyed
the bliss in the brightness of wisdom would hold this surname. He also
appointed Sureswarachariar to guide Prithvithavar.
It looks as if other disciples of Acharyar had no agreement of thoughts with

Sureswarachariar. This may be because he might have stayed aloof due to
age and also was more learned than others; or, Acharyar Himself might have
engaged him in many debates, respecting his knowledge.
Whatever be the reason, the disciples exhibited bitterness towards him. They
used the opportunity to express their difference of opinion at the time of
nominating the first Acharyar of Saradha Peetam.
They argued that Sureswarar did not surrender to Acharyar of his own free
will, having been attracted to Adhvaita, but did so as he lost to Him in the
debates. They also pointed out that he lived a worldly life for some time.
That is why, it is said, that Sureswarar was not directly appointed as the head
of the Peetam, but only in the role of supervising.
According to Anandakireeyam, the oldest book among the various complete

works on the Life of Sankarar, it is found that the first Acharyar of Saradha
Peetam was Padma Padhar.
But, ho does it atte

ho the fi st A ha a as? Adh aiata sa s All
a e o e ; a lea ed souls ho had astered Adhvaitam had ascended the
Peetam and decorated them; Every one knows the services they have rendered,
and are now rendering, for the growth of Adhvaitam.
It is believed that river Thunga was a part of Vishnu and river Badra was a
part of Siva. Ambal Saradha is residing in the place where these two rivers
mingle as river Thungabadra.
Saradha Peetam is the pond containing the nectar of Adhvaitam, established

by Bagavath Padar whose heart was full to the brim with the motherly love
and purity of Ambikai; who shines like Eswaran through His name, asceticism,
sacred ash, and rudhraksham ; who was a Jagat Guru like Sri Narayanan
who has taken the responsibility of the protection of humanity.
It is said that the other disciples did not agree when Sureswarar came forward
to
ite e pla ato
otes o A ha a s B ah a ut a Bash a . Thei
objection was that Sureswarar who was Mandana Misrar in His previous birth,
and was a staunch follower of Meemamsa, might write the commentary
supporting Poorva Meemamsai; they did not believe that he would write it
solely based on pure Adhvaita.
Acharyar, who showed the world the path for living together, was pained
to see His own disciples, having such deep differences, and told them that
the e as o eed fo a e pla atio to ut a Bash a .
But still, Padhma Padhar wrote the explanatory notes. It is said that he wrote
it in Magatha Desam. He read out the initial part of it to Acharyar. As if He
knew what was to come, Acharyar simply smiled and did not answer.
Padhma Padhar lost his peace of mind both due to the disaccords among the
dis iples a d A ha a s sile e. He left o a pilg i age to a es a a . O
the
a , he sta ed i his u le s ho e at Thi u a aikka. He left the
palmscripts that he wrote on Sutra Bashyam there and proceeded to Sethu.
Padh a Padha s u le as a stau h follo e of the Path of Ka a. He ead

the palm scripts. It infuriated him to find that the script talked very high of
The path of Wisdo
as o pa ed to The path of Ka a . The fu i g i d
showed its fury outside also and he burnt off the palmscripts ! In order to
sa e hi self f o Padh a Padha
ho ould e tai l la e hi
the g eat
a
u t do
the hole house.
Padhma Padhar, returned from Rameswaram and found out what had
happened. Consoling himself somehow, he returned to Srunkagiri and informed
Acharyar of all that happened.
A ha a said, You had ead out the fi st four parts of the first chapter and
the first part of the second chapter. I will tell you all those parts from my
e o ; ou a
ite the do .
Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsar had said that a person who practiced

Brahmacharyam (celibate life) for twelve years will remember anything and
everything and nothing will go away from his memory.
Even at present times, we see a lot of great people recollecting all details
about a person whom they might have met a long time ago, and enquiring
about their well being. Should we say anything at all, then, about our
A ha a s pu it of i d a d od !
These portions which Acharyar remembered and repeated to Padhma Padhar,

give explanations to the first five portions of Sutra Bhashyam; hence they
a e to e alled Pa ha Pathika . But e ha e got o l o e of the
o .
Acharyar started His Dig Vijayam (Yathra) again. As already mentioned,

different books on His history give varied details about the chronological order
in which He visited various places. But suffice to say that His holy feet
treaded all the holy places.
Acharyar visited all the te ples i Ta il Nadu. Whe

e sa Te ple , hat
comes to our mind immediately is Chidhambaram Natrajar temple. The holy
e ses The a a
i di ate Thillai Chit a ala
the o d Te ple o l .
Acharyar reached there.
He o shipped the Ni gu a Pa a ah a
up e e Bei g, e eft of a
ualit a d the agu a possessed of all good ualities i Nata aja Mu th
the e, hi h ep ese ts ethe a o g the Pa ha Bootha Kshet a .
He wanted to create a symbol, which can be considered, as having a form

o fo less, i
et ee the Ni gu a B ah a
a d the Beautiful fo
of i
Nataraja Murthy.
Immediately in His mind Bagavath Padhar witnessed an amazing scene. He

sa the Ni gu aagu a fo
hi h He a ted to eate, at that ti e
through His vision of Wisdom and was thrilled.
(TO BE CONTINUED IN CHAPTER 17.)
Divya Darshan of Sri Maha Periva
Above painting of Periva s rare pose is also by our respected

moderator Sri Narayanan Bala, specially shared for December
Anusham 10 Dec 2015


Volume 57
06 Jan 2016 Anusham; Sri Periva Aradhana day
www.periva.org
i Na a a a Bala (original in Tamil by Sri Ra.Ganapathy)
CHAPTER 17
IN THE HIMALAYAS
a ka a , i stalled the A a aaka sha a Ya th a

Po e that att a ts
rice/food) in Chidambaram, to quench the physical hunger of devotees who
come there with hunger of devotion.
From there He proceeded to Thiru Idai Marudhoor ( aka Madhyarjunam). Every
Shiva linga in every place has a specific name like for instance,
Kapaaleeswarar, Paadaleeswarar, Ekambareswarar etc. But here in
Madhyarjunam, the name of the Linga is Linga only---MahaLingam. This is
because, if we consider the whole of the land of Chozha which is famous
for its Shiva temples, as a Shiva temple then the Linga in Madhyarjunam
shines as the Sanctum Sanctoram in that.
a ka a
ade i a a da Laha i i Mallika ju a . But i Madh a ju a , the
God Himself opened His mouth. As soon as Sankarar worshipped , the top of
Mahalingam opened. Eswaran raised His hand and declared unequivocally
Adh aitha o l is up e e t uth
Jagath Guru, then reached Thiruchirappalli (aka Thrusirapuram). He drew out

the wrath from the face of Akilandeswari and embedded the same in two ear
rings, one of them representing Siva Chakram and the other Sri Chakram, and
decorated Her ears with them. No mother would look at her son with wrath,
is it not ? Therefore, Acharyar installed the statue of Vinayakar, just in front
of Devi.
Fo Vaish a ites, Te ple i di ates o l i a ga atha Te ple. He

o shipped Lo d a ga atha the e a d i stalled Ja a AAka sha a Ya t a
(Power that attracts people).
He also had a soul filling Dharsan of Madurai Meenakshi and sang Meenakshi
Pancharathnam. He debated with the scholars of Madurai and established
Adhvaitam.
He the
o shipped Ga apath i Thu di a d sa g Ga esa Pa ha ath a .
When one sings this Stotram, one will visuavalize the elephant shaped God,
dancing happily shaking His big body ! He then worshipped Lord Padhmanaba
in Thiruvananthapuram and established Adhvaita there, and thence proceeded
to Thiruchendil.
He is questioning Lo d Mu uga , Wh a e ou sta i g i the sea sho e? A e

you not suggesting indirectly that those who reach your sanctum sanctorum
will cross over the ocean of worldly life and also that just like the waves are
quelled, the problems of the devotees will also disappear ?
A u uka ! Oh, the si faced Muruga) You have twelve eyes full of love and
sympathy. What is that you will lose if you look at me with just one of those
?
Gu u is p a i g to Guha , You ust al a s e i

e es;
ea s should
always hear the glorious stories about you; I should always be uttering your
history; my hands should always be worshipping you; I should always serve
you with my mortal body; all my deeds (Karmas) should always merge with
ou.
a ka a is e uesti g i this stot a alled u a a a Buja ka , Whe the

God of death comes to me, you should come on your peacock sa i g Fea
ot . He tells Hi the sa e thi g hat Azh a told Lo d Vish u, I do ot
know if I will remember you in my last moments; I am chanting your Nama

o itself.
The la d of Bha ath is alled Aasethu Hi a hal f o ethu to Hi a hal

Sankarar went to Sethu and worshiped Sri Ramanatha Swamy. He then
proceeded to Kanyakumari, the south end of TamilNadu and prayed to Devi.
And thence, He reached the northern end of Tamil Nadu, Thirupathi.
Gurumani had Dharsan of Sri Venkateswara Parabrahmam. He not only saw

the mere idol but witnessed Sri Narayanan Himself in every part in all His
Splendor.
He sa
the Vaiku da asi o e
ho esides in Vaikundam) along with
Adhisesha a d Ga uda . He sa the Pa haja a
o h hi h as shi i g
in His hand like the moon on the peak of the blue mountain. We often say,
the heel of ti e e ol es ; He sa that Sudharsana Chakra. He saw the
ai of a o s f o His o A ka ; He sa the s o d Na dhaki hi h
Purushothaman swung while fighting with the Asurasthe sword which shines
on His body, like the lightning through the dark cloud. He saw the mace
which is none other than Gowmodhaki Devi, whom He held with His hand,
as He held that of Thirumakal. He saw that Thirumakal (Sri Lakshmi) also and
Bhoodevi along with Her.
He saw the lotus feet of Lo d Padh a a a

hi h De i s flo e like ha ds
were massaging. He was exulted at seeing His shining rows of finger nails
which resembled the dew drops on the petals of the lotus flower.
Even though The Lord was wearing plenty of ornaments, Sankarar was
es e ized
the ole i Vatsa o His hest. He o shipped i Laksh i
ho esided o His hest ea i Vatsa , u tu i g IT as He o

which gave Him the Na a iNi asa . He also sa the Kousthupa
appeared in the ocean of milk along with Her, dangling on His chest.
hild
hi h
He sa the Lo d s lips, hi h e e like the se o d Kousthupa . Was it

Kousthupam or Berry fruits ? Even the beak of the parrot which had come to
eat the fruit is seen there. No, No ! It is not the beak, but the reflected light
from the nine gems embedded on His ear rings, falling on His pointed nose,
and creating a red border.
What to say of the beauty of His eyes which should be seen without batting
an eyelid ! They are immersed in the deep meditative sleep. Sankarar
o pa es the Lo d s fo ehead to the half oo a d His e es to a pai of
lotus flowers and says that the lotus like eyes are closed because of the half
moon just as lotus flowers close their petals on seeing it. He says that His
two eyebrows are like the beetles which are waiting for the closed eyes to
open their lids.
What a breathtaking view in between His two eyebrows! Do we not see the
padika Li ga the e ! E e a ga la d of lue lotus is da gli g o the Li ga !
Oh ! It is ot the a le Li ga; it is the Thilak Pu da a , s ea ed o His
forehead; and there is no blue lotus garland either; it is the illusion created
by the constant hovering around the Thilak by the dark eyes of Devi.
Even the shape of the crown on Sriman Narayanan is shining like a Lingam
only !
Acharyar worshipped Hari, who is inseparable from Haran, not only as

Venkatesan, but saw all His ten Avatars; He saw Budhdha, who established
the Sakkiya religion, which He won in debates, also as the Avatar of Lord
Vishnu. He praised Gouthama Budhdhar, as Ma asija Vija ee , as he o
over the God of lust.
In order that the world may also enjoy the Bliss which He felt, Sankarar gave
us Vish u Pathaathi Kesa tha tot a , detaili g all His e pe ie es hile
having Dharsan of Thirumal in Thirumalai.
a ka a esta lished the Dha a Aka sha a Ya th a

wealth) in Thirupathi.
Po e
hi h att a ts
F o Thi upathi, A ha a s at a sta ted to a ds No th. He o shipped Lo d

Parameswaran in Thryambakapuram on the banks of river Narmada, where
He obtained His Dheeksha and in Somanathapuram in Sourashtra. These two
are among the twelve famous Shiva kshetrams. In all these twelve temples,
He had walked with His holy feet a d eated the stot a D adhasali ga
tot a
hi h eulogizes the hi a Bakthi that u ites the hole of Bha atha.
D a aka is o e of the se e Mukthi thala s It p ides itself of ha i g ee

established by Sri Krishna Himself. After the war (Kurushetra war), Lord moved
to this place. Acharyar decided that this would be the best place to establish
Adh aita i the est. He esta lished Kalika Peeta
he e a d Bad a Kali a d
Sidhdheswaran. He made Padhma Padhar as the first Achrya of this Peeta.
Some books say that He made Hasthamalakar as the first Acharya. From the
books available in Dwaraka Peeta, we understand that Sureswarar also had
connections with this Peeta. The heads of Dwaraka Peeta had the heirarchial
a e Asi a i .
From Dwaraka, Sankarar proceeded to VadaMathura, Brindavanam and other

places where Nandakumaran had performed miracles. He sang a lot of
beautiful and simple songs in praise of Kannan.
He then went to Kashmir, the northern border of Bharatha to spread Adhvaita.

The e as a a ag a Peeta seat of allknowing souls) there. The doors
of that Peeta would open only when great souls who knew the Supreme truth
came there. In thousands of years after the Peeta was established, only three
great souls had visited it. The southern door which had never opened till
then, opened as soon as Acharyar came there. Bagavath Padhar, ascended
the Peeta, to the cheers of learned Pundits. The king of Kashmir, named a
hill the e, a ka a ha agi i , as a e o to the isit of the faultless J othi
of isdo . As a s
ol of the e e g ee Philosoph of Adh aita, the hill
and a temple on it are existent even today.
When Sankarar went to Badarikavanam, famous for its sages, Thirumal (Lord
Vishnu) gave Him Dharsan. He worshipped Him with six beautiful slokas called
hatpathi tot a . With the sta ti g sloka Please e o e the la k of
hu ilit i
e , He akes us ealize the utte hu ilit He possesses. You
and I are one and the sa e just as the sea a d a e a e o e. But the a e
belongs to the sea and not vice - versa. In the same way, I am owned by
ou, ou a e ot i e. He explains the essence of Adhvaita beautifully. The
Lord told Sankarar to take out His idol, which was buried under the bed of
Alakanandha and install it and disappeared. Sankarar completed that job duly.
I Bada i, He i stalled the thi d Adh aita Peeta , J othi Mata , ear Vishnu
Prayag. This is on the northern end of the country. The name of this Peeta
is J othish athi Peeta . The p esidi g deit he e is Na a a a ; alo g ith
Him, His consort Poornagiri is also installed. Anandhagiri, who got the name
Thodaka ha a as he sa g Thodakashtaka , as ade the fi st A ha a
of this Peeta. The hei a hial a e of the Peetathipathis he e is Gi i .
Another important incident happened in Badarinath. Sankarar was pleased to

have dharsan of His Guru Govinda Bagavath Padhar and Prama Guru Gowda
Padhar in penance. He saw them as the Adhi Guru Dhakshinamurthy Himself
and worshipped them with Dhakshinamurthy Sloka and prostrated at the end
of every line. These slokas give the essence of Adhvaita. Who else other than
Acharyar would know the greatness of Dhakshinamurthy so completely ? What
else other than the ocean itself, would know its depth ?
After leaving Badhari, Sankarar reached Kailash, from where He originally

started !
Kailash ! Be o d ou des iptio ! But ot e o d A ha a s ! A ha a s

des iptio of Kailash i i apaathaathi kesa tha sthuthi is the peak of poeti
beauty.
Kalpaka trees (A type of tree seen only in the heaven, which grants all desires)
every where ! Variety of flower plants in between them ! The divine ladies
from the heaven are plucking the flowers ,singing the praise of Lord
Parameswaran. Sages, Devathas and devotees are walking in lines. The
ou tai is filled ith the sou d of Baga a Na a . The oa o e hea s i
between is coming from the Bull, which carries Lord Parameswaran, who in
turn carries the universe.
The sound of the peacock, playing with Lord Murugan, also mingles with
these. The merry trumpeting of Lord Ganesha is rising above all these sounds
and filling the caves in the Himalayas and echoing back. Is there a limit to
His happy celebration ? The sound of the trotting of a horse is also heard
among all these noises. Lord Ayyappan, the son of Eswaran and Mohini ----a
manifestation of Lord Vishnu----is hunting on His horse.
Bagavath Padhar proceeds further, looking at all these happy scenes. Crossing
the walls studded with pearls and emaralds, He enters. He passes the beautiful
pala es of the Dhik Palaka s a d the eautiful ga de s ai tai ed
De i s
attendants. Sankarar follo s ehi d Cha dikes a a a d the Bhootha Ga as .
There is a spacious hall in the midst of the mountains all around. Yogis, wise
e , sages, De as, Asu as, de otees a d the Asu a Ga as ha e gathe ed
there, and the danseuses of the Heaven are dancing there; Music is flowing
from the Gandarva ladies, just like honey oozes out of the lotus flowers. Sage
Na ada is pla i g o the Yaazh a st i ged i st u e t like ee a ; the
melodious sou d of the M idha gas d u s a d the sou d of the Jal a s a e
k o ki g at the doo s of the i ds. The Bootha Ga as a e hee i g the
danseuses with shouts.
But a e these usi a d da e ea t fo the Bhootha Ga as ? Fo

ho
the sages and the Devas have gathered together there ? For whom Acharya
Sankarar is going further and further, immersed in a flood of devotion, with
moist eyes, a smiling face and a bristling body ?
Oh ! There ! The two divine figures sitting on the golden coloured - cushion;
cushion surrounded by pillars studded with the blue gems and accessed by
crystal steps and sculpted with artistic beauty; all these celebrations are for
them only !
Kailash has risen above all its Divine beauty, with the coming together of
Parameswaran, the father of this whole universe, Mother Parvathi, the
mother of all the universal bodies, and Sanakarar the Jagath Guru. Even for
those who have just touched the border line of the empire of devotion, it is
the Dha sa of the Th iMu th
i a, Pa athi a d a ka a , hi h fill
them with overflowing Bliss !
Is it possible to put it in mere words ? Or mere spoken words ? Does the

mind have the power to visualize this and realize its full import ? Vedas say,
Mothe is God; Fathe is God; a d the Tea he Gu u is also God . Whe
we worship our mother, father and Guru as Gods, at what level do we
worship the Divine Father, Mother and Guru ? We can merely be happy, by
visualizing this scene with our small eyes to the extent possible !
Just like one ocean has branched out and is surrounding the land of Bharatha
with three different names on three sides;
Just like the same river Ganga flows in heaven, earth and the underground;
Just like o e A athi plate
a hes out i th ee di e tio s a d glo s;
Just like the one Pranava Mantra resides as the inner matter of three Vedas;
Just like one Atman, lives in three different stages of wakefulness, sleep and
dream,
The one Supreme Being has manifested here as Eswaran, Jagan Matha and
Jagath Guru.
Just as we cannot say which of the three forms water, steam and ice, becomes
the other, The one Matter is shining in three different forms.
Just like our mortal body is made up of the five elements, Love, Beauty,
Dharma, Wisdom and Power have merged together, and solidified into the
Three Divine Forms and shining. It is not the scorching shine of the fire. It
is the cool brightness when the rays of the moon fall on the snow clad
mountain that cools and soothens the mind.
If we find it difficult to separate the Three, then it was difficult for the
Acharya to look at Parameswaran and Parvathi as two separate entities. It
was also difficult for Him to save Himself from dissolving into the flood of
Love. Can the salt bag avoid dissolving into the ocean ? But as Sanakarar had
some more duties left unfinished in this world, He somehow controlled
Himself. He only can fulfill those left out tasks; Eswaran wanted only Sankarar
to do those things and so, after transferring all His Divine qualities to Sankarar,
He is relaxing here royally !
The unique quality of Parameswaran is His sacrifice. He has renounced all the
worldly pleasures and is living in the burial ground. That same person has
now converted that unique quality into Sankarar and is living here with royal
surroundings! Now, He is not living in the burial ground. He lives in a palace.
He is ot o l
ea i g the tige ski , ut has o it o a silk A ga asth a .
The snake which is on His chest has a gem on its head; the ornaments on
His chest are shining and reflecting the light from it. His unkempt locks are
now nicely tied as a tuft and He is wearing a crown on it !
Nandhikeswaran is holding aloft a white umbrella over His head.
Eswaran is now posing as an emperor with all these. He is embracing Matha

with His left lower hand. The deer on His upper left hand is twisting and
bending to have a look at the beauty of Her eyes; His right upper hand is
holding the axe with which He cuts off the sins in us; and His right lower
hand, which showers blessings on all those who surrender to Him, is showing
the Chi Mudh a .
It was lucky for Acharya to be unable to see Lord and Mother Rajarajeswari
as separate entities. Because, the poetic rule is that male Gods must be
described from the foot to the head and female Gods from head to foot.
Acharyar was not satisfied when He described Parameswaran from foot to
head; ut e ause Mothe
as o up i g half of Lo d s od , He ould
continue by describing Her from head to the foot. Let us taste a few of those
Divine verses.
Cha d a
oo has le ishes. That too, the pa tiall g o
oo is ot
st aight ut, u ed ; he e he is ot st aight fo a d ! But Es a a has
given him a place of pride on His head. The inference is that ha d a is a
example that even bad persons can get salvation if they surrender to God.
When one looks at the curved strands of hair near His crown, it looks as if
He has placed river Yamuna also on His head along with river Ganga.
The sacred ash on His forehead resembles silver steps installed for the purpose
of attaining Mukthi. On His forehead, shines the third (red ) eye, like gem
fixed on crystal; His nose on the lotus like face looks like the pericarp of the
golde flo e . Whe the Lo d goes ea De i s fa e, His heeks ill sta t
itching, and the edges of His ear rings (Kundalam) will caress the cheeks.
When we talk about marks o tai ed i e a s, e joki gl efe ze o

a ks
as Ku dala ! a ka a is adopti g the sa e thought he e. a ka a s ea
i gs a e the Ku dala s that gi e ze o a ks to the fate
itte
o the
de otees heads !
His shining teeth resemble the foam of His nectar-like words, that remove the
inner darkness of the devotees. We can only call those words as the sound
a es f o the Pa a ah a . His elega t laugh AHAHA.. i je ts liss.
His milklike abdomen resembles the ocean of milk, and the beautiful folds
on them, the waves, and the navel ,the vortex. Snake is crawling here also
like i the o ea . A ha a
lesses the , Ma
ou
i d e Lord
Pu ushotha a
ho is esti g i the o ea of ilk
The lotus flo e s that a e Pa athi s feet, losso i spite of the p ese e
of the moon that is Her beautiful face; Jagath Guru also sang the praise of
the dust that are falling off those feet.
Did He worship only Lord Parameswaran and Devi Parvathi ? No, He offered
Pranams to the animals, birds, insects, and the grass and bushes also.
Parameswaran and Parvathi looked at Sankarar who churned the ocean of

Vedas, took out the nectar that is Adhvaitam and gifted it to the world, with
eyes full of Love. Is there anything dearer than the Atman ?
Pasupathi looked at the Peeta (table) kept near Him. Five shining crystal Lingas
were on them. There was also a palm script bundle on that. The crystal lingas
are for the purpose of remembering the Lord, and the palm script for
remembering Devi. The Lord of Kailashpathi gave them to Acharya.
Sivaperuman took each of those crystal lingas with His lithe fingers and placed
it on the soft pink palms of Acharyar; it is so thrilling to even visualize this
scene ! As a practical example of the Adhvaita principle that all the three
entities of action, actor and the acted (each one being complete by itself) are
in reality one entity only, Eswaran gave Eswaran to Eswaran !
As we place the world on Brahmam, we can put any
Lingam is not a shape with eyes, nose and ears. Nor
shapeless. It shows that the shapeless Brahmam can
Sankarar lost Himself in the thought that the scene He
colour on the crystal.

can we say that it is
assume a shape also.
visualized in His mind
in Chidhambaram had now become real. Eswaran said that the world would
attai
elfa e if the Pa ha Li gas fi e li gas
e e o shipped.
Parameswaran also gave the pal

to Acharyar. It is a set of Slokas
of Devi Thripurasundari. Bagavan
world. He, then asked Acharya
install Peetas in other directions
U a ahes a a tot a i p aise
unwillingly.
s ipt u dle o tai i g ou da a Laha i

whch Parameswaran Himself sang in praise
asked Acharyar to spread that also in the
to stay in the world for some more time,
also and merge with Him. Sankarar, sand
of U a a d Pa a es a a a d took lea e
The Dwarapalakan (gate keeper ) who saw Sankarar returning with a lot of
things in His hands, asked Him how He got all those items. Sankarar who was
immersed in the meditation of Shiva, did not notice this. Dwarapalakan
jumped on Him and plucked away what was in His hands without caring what
they were.
The last fifty nine of the one hundred slokas of Soundarya Leheri went into
his hands. When he examined what they were, he forgot himself seeing the
beauty of it, and did not notice Sanakarar.
Sanakarar returned with the Pancha Lingas and the forty one slokas. He was
perturbed to see that the holy book had been dissected. Devi from His heart
ordered Sankarar to make good the shortage Himself. That order was our
boon.
The first forty one slokas explain the principles of Saktham. From the forty
second verse starts the description of Mother from head to foot. These verses
are the waves in the pond of the beauty of Devi. Soundarya Lehari is the
Nature ( ? ) of Ambal same way as Pancha Lingas are the nature (?) of Eswaran.
The partial moon that rests on the exquisite crown studded with gems, appears
as a rainbow, as the gems refract the light into seven colours. The overflowing
fountain of beauty of Her face creates an impression of a flowing canal.
The place where the locks are separated on Her forehead, has become reddish
th e appli atio of i dhoo . Lo d s e es a e uzzi g a ou d Mothe s fa e
( like beetles), whose beauty mocks at the lotus flowers.
The e is o l the half oo o De i s head. Where is the remaining half ? It

looks as if Her forehead was created by the inverted half moon.
Othe tha the lue e es, the e is a ight ed thi d e e o De i s fo ehead.

We know the reason why it looks red. The other two eyes are extending
towards the ears on the pretext of blessing the devotees.
But in reality what those beetles - like eyes are doing is that they are rushing
there to taste the honeylike words of the poets flowing into Her ears. So,
how can the third eye in the centre of the forehead come near the ears ?
That is why, it is very angry and hence the fierce red colour ! The two rings
o De i s ea s efle t o He cheeks and create an impression that they are
the fourwheeled chariot on which Manmadhan (God of Love) came to
conquer Siva !
The s i gi g of those ea i gs aki g Ja a Ja a sou d, see s to e

appreciating the music from Vani (Saraswathi). Devi will also open Her mouth
to sa a hash !
ell! Well! ; a as athi, o ealizi g the utte s eet ess
of that voice, will feel humbled and stop her music and put the Veena in its
bag ! Music is nothing but what emanates from Devi.
The e a e th ee dis ipli es i

usi , a el , hadja a , Madh a a
a d
Ga dha a . A ha a
o de s hethe De i is ha i g th ee li es o He
throat, in order to prevent these three disciplines from mixing together !
Acharyar goes on describing Mother up to Her feet, in the same style. Those
lotus like feet seem to smile with their curved nails. What is the smile for ?
The Veda Mathas losed ha ds a e o shippi g De i. Those Veda athas a e
f o the De aloka he e the Kalpaka V uksha hi h gi es e e thi g asked
for, exists.
The tree will give only to those who had reached under their branch. But,
this Devi gives more than requested, with the tips of Her toes, to those who
do not even come and hold Her feet. That is why the lotus feet are smiling.
The reddish solution which is smeared on those feet is the gem from the
head of Lord Vishnu. And the Ganga from the head of Lord Siva is doing the
A hisheka o those feet. Whi h e e tuall
ea s that oth i a a d Vish u
are wearing those feet on their heads. Sankarar pleads with Devi to put Her
lotus feet on His head also.
A o g A ha a s a ious o ks, ou da
A ha a Ashtoth a
e tio s ou dha
Vitha aka a Na a: But Baga ath Padha ,
this thuthi , ut a e gi e
ou; You o
be a greater humility than this ?
a Laha i o upies the fi st pla e.

a Laha i Muk a Bahu sthoth a
sa s at the e d, I did ot ake
l
ade this thuthi . Could the e
(TO BE CONTINUED IN CHAPTER 18.)
Above painting of Sri Maha Periva is also done by our respected

moderator Sri Narayanan Bala
Jaya Jaya Sankara, Hara Hara Sankara!


Jaya Jaya Sankara Chapter 18 (Concluding Part)

Volume 60
03 Feb 2016 Anusham
www.periva.org
i Na a a a Bala o igi al i Ta il
i a.Ga apath
CHAPTER 18
KAMAKOTI
Sankarar started from Kailash. He reached Neelakanta Kshetram in Nepal.
Pasupathinathan gave Darsan with five faces, to Sankarar, who brought five
Lingas from Parameswaran. Acharyar installed one of the five Lingas ----Varalingam----in Pasupathinathan temple and also Maha Thiripurasundari. In
Kedarnath, which is one among the twelve Linga kshetrams, Acharyar
worshipped Kedareeswaran and installed the second of the five Lingas, ( Mukthi
Lingam) there.
Reaching the Ganga plains, He wiped out other religions, and established
Adhvaita. He again went to the holy Kashi, along with His disciples. It was
then, seeing an old Pundit memorizing the Samskrit grammer, He sang
Bajago i dha so g. He ad ised hi that he the God of death app oa hes
him, grammer would not save him but only Karunakaran would. Following
His ad ise His dis iples also pou ed out so e slokas. The Bajago i dha that
we have today, contains those slokas also.
After establishing Adhvaita in many places in Madhya (central) Bharath firmly,

a ka a ea hed the east oast. Pu i
ea s it . But Pu i al a s poi ts to
Jagannath Puri. It is the place where Govindhan resides with Balaraman and
Shubadhra. Acharyar worshipped Him by singing the Jagannatha Ashtakam. In
line with the establishment of Sankar Mutt in Shrunkagiri in South, Dwarka
in the west, and Badhari in the North, He established the Mutt in
Jagannathpuri in the East. He named it as Govardhana Matam.
He established Vimala Peetam there, and appointed Hasthamalakar as its First

Acharya. Some books mention that PadhmaPadhar was the first Acharya there.
The Peetathipathis he e e e gi e the a e A a a .
i a.Ga apath
After establishing Adhvaita everywhere in Bharatha, Sankarar returned to

h u kagi i o e agai . He i stalled the Boga Li ga the e. The goal of
Adhvaita is to get released from the cycle of birth and death; Nectar gives
that state of eternity; Chandran (Moon) is the person who allows the nectar
to flow. Eswaran wears that Chandran on His head; to convey this idea,
a ka a ga e the a e of Cha d a oulees a a to the Li gas i the t o
Adhvaita Mutts.
Acharyar left Shrungagiri and travelled through many holy places in Thondai
Mandalam ( the area comprising Chennai, Chengalpattu, Thirvannamalai,
Thiruvottiyur and the surroundings). In Thiruvottiyur He installed the Sri
Chakram of Ambal, in front of Devi Thripurasundari. It is eveident that
Acharyar was welcomed with special regards in Chennai and its surroundings,
from the existence of His idols in Thiruvottiyur, Poovirunthavalli, Mankadu and
other places.
In order to fulfill the remaining exalted duty of His Avatar, Jagath Guru came
to Kanchipuri. The seed of wisdom which dwells in Kailai(Mount Kailash),
generated tender shoots in Kaladi, became a bud in Kashi, blossomed as a
flower all over the world, spread the knowledge of wisdom, ripened into a
fruit and reached Kanchi.
KANCHI ! It is the P ith i Kshet a

he e all fo tu ate pe so s
ho
cultivated the plant of De otio i thei
i ds, see Di i e p ese e i e e
pa ti le of ea th he e. It is o e of the se e
Mukthi thal pla es of
deliverance). The three important manifestations of the Supreme Beingthe
three
gems----Ekamban,
Varadharaja
Perumal
and
Kamakshi
MahaThripuraSundari reside there. It is regarded as the first among the
eightee hakthi Peetas seats of po e .
i a.Ga apath
It got the name Kanchi, because it is the central place in the Universe. If one
meditates in Kanchi with a singleminded focus and prays, all the worlds will
follow Dharma, same way as a big circle will be balanced when it stands on
a needle kept in its centre. That is why Bagavath Padhar reached Kanchi.
Ka hi s a othe a e is ath a V atha Kshet a a pla e hi h follo s T uth
steadfastly); therefore He came there to make it the Capital of ath a
Thath a
p i iple of t uth .
Sankarar stayed in the Visveswarar temple on the border of Kanchi. King

Rajasenan went there and received Him.
Bagavath Padhar asked the king to re-layout Kanchipuram in the form of

SriChakram, which was eulogized as the form and seat of Ambal. He also
wanted the Kamakshi temple to be the centre point of that circle. The king
obeyed and carried out those instructions. AdhiSankarar was instrumental in
Ka hi ei g p aised as Naga eshu Ka hi Ka hi is the u e o u o a o g
cities).
Guru worshipped Varadhan in Vishnu Kanch. When Brahman did the yagna,
Perumal came there personally and partook the Ha is ooked i e offe ed to
the fire of Homam ) and blessed him; Sankarar praised the Lord.
In Siva Kanchi, He worshipped Ekambaranathan. In the holy (cross breed

mango) tree of the temple, only one fruit would ripen. It indicates that the
fruit of the penance of wise men is the Supreme Being made up of Sivan
and Sakthi.
Kamakshi came here to marry Him (Ekambaranathan).
i a.Ga apath
In Kailash, Gowri closed the eyes of

Gangadharan playfully; His eyes are the
sun and the moon; sun and moon being
the eyes, darkness engulfed the whole
universe.
Eswaran
got
extremely
annoyed with His consort Sakthi. He
cursed Mother to be born in the earth
as a human. That curse, was a boon for
us. Devi was born as the princess in
Kaattukkudi in Thondai Mandalam.
Not forgetting Her previous existence,

She made Lingam out of the sand of
River Palar, and started worshipping
Him whole heartedly. The otherwise dry
river Palar, was flooded one day. The
flood came near Mother and the Linga.
She embraced the Linga with Her whole
body to make sure that if death came
to Her, it should come when She was i p a e . Ga gadha a s lo e fo He
rose like a fountain and subdued the flood in The river Palar. He appeared
before Mother and accepted Her. He made Her one half of Himself (His left
half).
The princess who was bo i Ta il Nadu a d ade a Li ga out of the la d s

earth and worshipped was Kamakshi. Her form as She was doing penance
meditating on Eswaran, got frozen as an idol and became Kamakshi.
Is it possible to describe HER PENANCE ?! PENANCE, owing to the penance

IT did, reached HER! Dhakshinamoorthy, when He is doing meditation (penance
, keeps hakthi ithi Hi self a d shi es as Adh aita a da as a o i ed
i a.Ga apath
form of Sivan and Shakthi; same way, Kamakshi also, while meditating, keeps
Es a a
ithi He self a d shi es as Adh aita a oopi i . But i o de that
the world may survive, that the humans may enjoy the fruits of their
Karmas(deeds), that they may get an opportunity to attain Mukthi (libaration),
Ambal and Eswaran should come out of their penance and look at the world,
is it not?
For this purpose only, Devi saw Ekamban outside of Herself, and married Him.
However, as a holy symbol of Her Penance, She took the form of an idol.
Kanchi Kamakshi is an idol form whose beauty cannot be assimilated with our
o di a e es, a d the flood of Ka u a
a ot e o e by our hearts.
Eswaran accepted Kamakshi whose penance was disturbed. But Kamakshi, who
did penance, accepted Eswaran ! Yes, She has Him as Her third eye in Her
forehead ! The eye(s) which She covered in a playful mood in Kailash, because
of which She got the curse, became a part of Her! Brahma and Vishnu became
He othe t o e es. KA i Ta il i di ates B ah a ; the lette s A a d MA
indicate Siva and Vishnu. Kamakshi has in Her all these three letters. She is
not the consort of Rudran, who among the three Murties, is the God of
destruction. She is Kamakshi the thought, which shook the Brahmam, the Self
which is not any other, and combined Him with the Maya which is the cause
for the appearance of the world. Then, in order to create that world, protect
it and destroy it, She created Brahma, Vishnu and Rudran.
She is Kamakshi as She fulfills the desires of the devotees with Her Look.
A ha a ea hed that Ka akshi s te ple. He ea hed the a tu a to a

of Mother whose temple Situated exactly at the centre of the city, so that
the Utsava Murthies of Varadhan and Ekamban can move around
(circumambulate) Her. People followed Acharyar fearing the wrath of Kamakshi.
i a.Ga apath
Was it really anger ? People mistook the heat of Penance from the Jyothi of
wisdom, for anger. Acharyar on the othe ha d sa He as Ka u a Mu thi
and melted.
Acharyar, with His own hand, fixed the Sri Chakram in front of Her idol, and
ue hed the Fi e of Wisdo
f o He fa e, e do i g it i to the i
Chakram. Then, She became beautiful, very very gentle, like a lotus flower,
delicate, attractive Supreme Being and gave Darsan. Upanishad mentions the
name of that True Being, which is ONE WHOLE Matter without a second, as
Lalitha. Kamakshi appeared like that Lalithai. She is Lalitha not only because
She was so gentle, sweet and beautiful, but She plays with us with Her
Motherly love and reforms us to a better path.
She is holding a goad to subdue the anger in us. In order to eliminate all the
bonds we have with the world, , She is also holding a string to tie us up
with Her . With the help of the Bow made of sugar cane, She aims at our
heart and binds us with Her. With the five arrows of flowers, She sets right
the fi e se ses i us. We a thi k What is this o
ade of suga a e
a d the a o
ade of flo e s ? A e the e su h ha less eapo s ? But the
heart of the One that wears them, is sweeter than sugar cane and softer
than a flower !
he is a Thapas i o e ho pe fo s pe a e . he has a sti k a d o i

Her hand, wears a red cloth around her waist. The devotees were
overwhelmed with joy, looking at them between whom they did not find any
difference ! Were there more fortunate souls than those devotees who lived
in Kanchi then?!
The devotees of Kanchi were truly fortunate souls. They were lucky to witness
some more excellent scenes.
i a.Ga apath
Sankarar decided that Adhvaita Philosophy should be established all over

Bharatha without any doubt whatsoever, by gathering all those who did not
believe in that, and debating with them. For this purpose, He established a
a ag a Peeta a seat fo the allknowing) in Kanchipuram. We saw earlier
that there was one such Peeta in Kashmir and Acharyar ascended it. Like
VadaMadurai and ThenMadurai (Mathura in the North and Madurai in the
south), Kanchipuram was known as South Kashmir. Sankarar established the
a ag a Peeta the e.
There were Jains and Budhdhists in Kanchipuram. There were some more
pundits of other religions in other parts of the country. All these people
debated with Acharyar. There was a sevenyear old boy among those who
came from the banks of river Thamiravaruni. He debated with Acharya for
three days without getting tired. Finally Acharyar won. He regarded that child
as His o
At a a d a ed hi
a ag ath a a d ga e hi
a asa .
In order to announce the greatness of Sankarar, Saraswathi Devi Herself

appea ed , de ated ith Hi a d as defeated. he ga e the title a as athi
to Him and disappeared.
a ka a as e ded the a ag a Peeta a d sho e like a lio of isdo .

Sankarar, who, till that time, appeared like Mother, kindness showing all over
His body----who appeared as the seat of simplicity and service----- was sitting
o the a ag a Peeta like the Hi ala a
ou tai , the dignity and honour
adiati g f o His od . The people ha ted Ja a Ja a a ka a ! Ha a Ha a
a ka a ! , the e e e atio ea hi g the sk a d p ost ated efo e Hi . As
if hearing that noise, those residing in the Heavens, gathered there and
showered flowers. The emperors and kings fell at His feet and worshipped
Hi . a ka a sho e like a ight J othi Light e eali g the g eat ess of
wisdom.
i a.Ga apath
The people of Kanchi were fortunate to witness those scenes.
Sarvagna Peetam was created for the wise men; in order to win over the
other people (ordinary, illiterate) with Love and lead them to the Supreme
Being, Acharyar established another Peetam. This is the crowning glory of all
the good things He had done during His avatar. Kailai Nathan (Supreme Being)
reached Kanchi mainly for this purpose only. We call that Peetam, which is
the dwelling place for Love and Custo , KAMAKOTI .
The number five has a speciality. God performs the five duties of Creation,
Protection, Destruction, Hiding the Supreme Being with the illusory appearance
of the world, and removing the veil and revealing the Jeevan as Brahmam.
Parameswaran has five faces; Parameswaran gave five Lingas to Acharyar, as
an indication of this; Elements are five, viz. Ether (sky), Fire, Air, Water and
Earth. The doors of Karma and of Wisdom are five each. Vestures of the body
enshrining the soul (Annamaya, Pranamaya, Manomaya, Vijnanamaya and
Anandamaya). There are five Pranas. Acharyar specified Puja of five Murthies,
Adhityan, Ambikai, Vishnu, Gananathan and Maheswaran to devotees.
One of the many Namas (names) mentioned in Lalitha Sahasranamam for

Ambal is Panchami. Ambal is most important for Adhvaitam. She is the One
who shows ONE as Many. She is also the Brahma Vidhyai who removes that
ignorance and takes us to the status of Adhvaita. Therefore, Sankarar, who
was born on Panchami day, established the Kamakoti Peetam, His fifth Peeta
as a reflection of Ambal, in Kanchi, which was the best among the Sakthi
Peetas ( Seats of Power). He Himself ascended the Peeta, which was like the
Sanctum Sanctorum of the other Four Peetas.
i a.Ga apath
Kamakoti ! The place where all desires will be terminated. It is the name of
Kamakshi. Kamakoti Peetam shines in Her Divine Presence. Kamakoti Peetam
is the fi al e pla atio of the Philosoph
hi h sa s, Whe desi es die, the
mortal human, becomes immortal. He enjoys the Supreme Being. When the
knots of Bond in the mind loosen up and untie themselves, Man becomes
Ne ta . This is the o lusio of the Upadesa .
Mothe Ka akshi
ho is the o igi of Aksha a
lette s/alpha ets is
eulogized as Vak De i . Therefore Acharyar named the Peeta established in
Ka hi as a adha Mata . He
as e ded the Ka hi Ka akoti Peeta i
Saradha Matam as Jagath Guru Sri Paramahamsa Pairvirajakacharya
a ka a ha a I di a a as athi .
I di a a as athi is the a asa Na a

of the Ka akoti Peetathipatis.
a s athi ga e He a e to Hi , he e the a e a as athi . But ho did
He get the a e I di a ?
Once in Kanchi, Sureswaracharyar was unwell. Sankarar, at that time, cured

hi
ith the help of Ash i i De athas . Ash i De athas a e the o al
physicians for Indira. Devarajan, overcome with Ego, shot the Vajrayutha on
Ashwini Devatha.
Acharyar, with the strength of His Penance, blocked it so that they did not
harm the Ashwinis. Accepting that the defeat of Vajrayutha is his own defeat,
ga e a a His title I di a to a ka a a d e t a a .
Upaninishad says that the wise one who sees the whole world in its true
fo is Idha Th a a d that is I di a . I
a
pla es i
Vedas, I di a
i di ates the up e e Bei g o l . F o

very apt for Paramacharyas.
i a.Ga apath
that a gle also, the title I di a
is
a ka a i stalled the Yoga Cha d a oulees a a Li ga i Ka akoti Peeta .

Yoga
ea s u iti g . Yogali ga joi s the Jee a
ith the up e e Bei g.
A ha a , ho is Yogees a a
as o shippi g Yoga ha d a oulees a a ,
MahaThripurasundari in the form of SriChakram and Kamakshi and was
spreading rays of Bliss.
Those ho had pe fo ed Pu a Ka a
i thei p e ious i ths, it essed
the Pujas performed by Bagavath Padhar and got Mukthi. They witnessed the
Parama Guru performing Puja, and meditating. In the remaining time after
Puja and Meditation, He talked to the people, and delivered Upanyasams.
Ki d ess i His talk; Lo e i His look; Mothe s softness in all His deeds; But
still, He is the Adhvaita matter, who does not speak; His look which penetrates
through the minds of people, goes beyond their minds, and looks at the
Supreme Being which is everywhere. The Pu a u thi has o deed to
perform; Although He stays in a mortal body, it is only an appearance which
the devotees can behold and rise up. The people of Kanchi who had the
Darsan of this Holy Being performing Devi Puja, were really fortunate.
Sankarar shone as the central figure in Kanchi Peetam after establishing Mutts
all over the country, appointing true disciples in them, like the huge Banyan
tree with its shoots spread all around. Those disciples also visited Him
frequently and had Darsan. In the flood of increasing love, the simple
differences and disputes between the disciples slowly disappeared. They united
together in love. Others realized the greatness of Sureswarar. He revealed his
o plete faith i Adh aita
iti g a ook titled Naishka
a idhdhi a d
ote e pla atio s to so e of A ha a s o
e ta ies. He also
ote
commentary (meaning/explanation) to Dhakshinamurthy stotram.
A ha a s se i e thus a e to a
i a.Ga apath
e d.
The dis iples fulfilled A ha a s de otio al se i e also. Padh a Padha

ote
e pla atio to A ha a s ook P apa ha a a
hi h e plai s ethods of
worship of various Deities. Six disciples spread the methods of six religions of
o ship. Gi ija Ku a a did Ga apadh a
fo
o ship of Ga esha; Vaduka
Natha did Kou a a
fo
o ship of Mu uka ; the
e e oth a helo s;
Paramathakaalanalar did for Siva worship, and Lakshmanar for Vishnu, Divakar
for worship of Sun, and Thripura Kumarar for Saktham. They came to Kanchi
and informed Acharya of their success in completing the tasks. One can see
the idols of these six disciples under the idol of Acharya in Kamakshi temple.
Thus o luded the A ata a Ka a

fi
esta lish e t of a atha a Dha
the pu pose of the A ata

a i Bha atha Va sha .
ith the
A ha a s thoughts ope ed out--- The task is o pleted; To o pe sate fo

sitti g o ti uousl fo Kalpa Kala ,
alked da a d ight uisi g the feet,
a d sp ead Adh aita all o e the ou t ; To o pe sate fo ei g the ile t
Murthy, have delivered upanyasams, stotras and debates; to compensate for
the lo g pe iod of holdi g the ha d i Chi Mud a , ha e
itte ple t of
books, have offered mountains of flowers to Deities and performed Pujas;
What next ?......
We said that those who lived in Kanchi at that time were fortunate souls;
we said rays of bliss spread all over Kanchi; But when Acharya completed His
32nd year in this world, a strange sadness engulfed them. When He started
reducing His activities in absolute silence, they understood His inner thoughts.
In the place where Kamakshi resided with Her red eyes in the (Tamil) year
akthakshi , peoples e es e e oiste ed ith tears and became red.
i a.Ga apath
As if preparing to leave the place, His actions of calling the disciples and
k o i g thei a tio s a d deeds, gi i g the
upadesa
et . aised thei
doubts.
He appointed Sureswarar as the Peetathipathi (head of the Peetam) of

Kamakoti. Although Sureswarar was liked by all other disciples, He wanted to
make sure that the old doubts should not rear their heads. Therefore He
appointed Sarvagnathmar to perform Pujas to Chandramouleeswarar and
Th ipu asu da i. Pu li s o
a d pai i eased he a ka a stopped
performing the Puja.
In the month of Vaikasi (Tamil), on Ekadashi day of Shukla Paksham Acharyar

called all the devotees and gave Upadesam. He explained in five slokas called
the Upadesa Pa haka , hat e e the i po ta t duties of the people.
Though His mind had always been with the Supreme Being, that day, He could
not consider the things outside of Him as other matters but saw them as the
Supreme Being only. Though His mouth was speaking, His mind was wandering
in Chidambaram only.
If Kanchi was the centre of the Universe, then Chidambaram was its heart.
He sent the one remaining Linga (Mukthi Linga) of the five to Chidambaram.
That Lingam which unites the Nirguna mystery(state of void) with the Saguna
a apathi, is alled the Bu a ath a a Li ga
i Ma ka de a Pu anam. Puja
is being done to this Lingam six times a day.
Followed by everyone in silence, Sankarar reached the Sanctum Sanctorum of

Mother Kamakshi.
i a.Ga apath
Guru saw various scenes in the Sanctum Sanctorum, not witnessed so far. The
ocean of Nectar pushed its waves there. An island sparkled. Karpaka trees
lowered their branches and sent cool breeze. Kadamba flowers sent their
fragrance. In the forest, walls with beautiful Gopuras were seen. In the palace
inside, Divine Sri Chakram sparkled.
On the Sri Chakram was a seat supported by Brahma, Thirumal, Rudran and
Sivan on four corners. On that shone Kameswaran in total peace. On His left
lap sat Kameswari--Kamakshi and Gave Darsan.
As Sankarar was witnessing all these amazing scenes, honeylike words

flo ed out of His th oat. It took shape as Th ipu a u da i VedaPathasth a
stotra. The last line of each slokam in that is a sentence from Vedas. It is
said that the crown of Veda returned unable to see the feet of Devi. Acharyar
enables us to have Darsan by reciting Vedhapadhasthavam.
Slowly, He saw Kameswaran merging with Kameswari. He eulogized Her as

Adh aita oopi i , B ah a Vidh ai a d si gle atte shi i g i the i d
that is a a e.
lo l , He sta ted to dissol e a d e ge i that i gle Matte . Light a es

started radiating out of Sankarar along with sloka. His body started to dissolve
i that o ea of light. Let the u io
ith i Chak a a d De i s At a take
place.
This is the fi al f uit of Upadesa ----these words reverberated and the ocean
of light became dense and entered the Sanctum Sanctorum. It crossed the Sri
Chak a ; It e te ed the hea t of the u i e se; It e te ed the i a a da
J othi i Chit a ala .
i a.Ga apath
Whe e e the i d goes, ou a oopa

should sta d the e. Whe e e
the head o s, ou lotus feet should e the e, Oh, Mothe ! these honey
like words reverberated in the Sanctum Sanctorum and echoed. At the same
time, Sankara Jyothi merged with the form of Kamakshi.
A ha a Gu u ho p ea hed Adh aita all His life, esta lished i aSakthi

Adh aita
he He eli uished life. He, ho a e off Dhakshi a u thi
who kept Sakthi inside Him, merged with Kamakoti who kept Sivam inside
Her.
(Above drawing of Sri Sankarar by Selvi Tejaswini, grand daughter of Sri N V

Subramanyam)
Where did He disappear ?
i a.Ga apath
Where did the mortal body of the Great Soul, who was in a state of Mukthi,
while He lived in it, disappear ?
Where is the God who established the National unity through Devotion and
Knowledge, by traveling the length and breadth of this country ?
Where is that golden body where all the dust of this country had deposited
?
Where is the beautiful body which bathed in all the holy rivers in this land ?
Whe e is that lo el ha d
surrendered to Him ?
hi h ga e A ha a
p ote tio
to all those
ho
Where are those lotus like eyes which let out a flood of love and kindness ?
Where is that holy face which soothed the worried minds which came to Him
for solace ?
No ash is left after the camphor burns off. Same way, Sankarar disappeared
from this world after dissolving the body.
Did Sankarar disappear ?
How could He disappear ? Where is the extinction for Nectar ?
i a.Ga apath
Where is the end to Knowledge ?
Is there a waning for the moon of sacrifice?
Is there death for Love at all ?
Acharya Bagavath Padhar lives in all those places where knowledge united
with kindness shines.
Even in Kaliyuga the flood of love and kindness mingled with Knowledge has
not dried up.
That Knowledge mingled with love shines in the form of Kanchi Kamakoti
Paramacharya.
Adhvaitam is walking amidst us.
Ambikai is speaking.
Adhi Acharya who worshipped Ambikai and preached Adhvaita also is living.
He makes us realize the way to live.
JAYA JAYA SANKARA ! HARA HARA SANKARA !
OM SHANTHI: SHANTHI: SHANTHI:
i a.Ga apath
Above painting of Sri Maha Periva is also done by Selvi Rutu,

grand daughter of our respected moderator Sri Narayanan Bala
i a.Ga apath
Concluding Notes by the Translator-Illustrator Sri Narayanan Bala
Pranams to MahaPeria a s Lotus feet.
Pranams to all MahaPeriava Devotees.
For the past eighteen months MahaPeriava has been pushing me from behind;
With the Power of His Anugraham, this task has been completed.
He has been the Force behind all this and I had no part to play in this except
ei g a i stru e t i His A haya Hastha
There are better persons with better command over the languages, who would
have done a better job of it; Why He chose me is known to Him only. He said
to Ra.Ganapathy anna once----When he told Him that he got tired of writing
a d asked Hi
(
to gi e hi
a yasa Dheekshai----
), therefore keep
Kar a has to
riti g . May
e re o ed
e this
as o e
opportunity He gave me to wash off my Karma. I take it this way.
When the idea was sown into my mind, I thought of only doing the translation
and posting it on the forum; but, the Administrator had different ideas, and
came out with the proposal of publishing it as an eBook, on every Anusham
Nakshatram; then I decided to do some drawings to go with the texts; then I
thought,
hy
ot re reate ri Ma ia
possessi g the origi al ersio of Kalki
s dra i gs as
ot
i a.Ga apath
a y
ould
agazi e .
I wanted to share those Divine drawings with all, and that would put me in
so e
editatio too. That
as ho
this Yag a started and concluded today.
I thank all those who read these with patience, those who had placed some
encouraging comments under every chapter(special mention to Sri Kahanam,
Sri Radha); I thank Smt. Sumathi for converting the texts and the drawings to
wonderful and attractive eBooks, and the Administrator for giving me this
opportunity.
I also thank two from the younger generationmy grand daughter and my
good frie d ri u ra a ia
s gra d daughter, who have contributed with
wonderful drawings.
I also thank my neighbor and good friend Sri N.V.Subramanyam, who has been
reading my manuscripts and editing them, with improved words and better
construction of sentences, without which it would not have been even this
good.
I request all of you to kindly condone my mistakes, omissions and commissions.
JAYA JAYA SANKARA ! HARA HARA SANKARA !.
Narayanan Bala

Sri Sankara Charitham-Sri Ra Ganapathy Anna

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Jaya Jaya Sankara

Special Series on the life of Sri Adhi Sankara

Translated & Illustrated by:

Sri Kanchi Maha Periva Thiruvadigal Saranam

Jaya Jaya Shankara, Hara Hara Shankara!

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Note from the Translator

This narrative titled Ja a Ja a a ka a on the life of Sri

with wonderful and lively drawings by Sri Maniyam.

I have undertaken the ambitious task of translating the

I welcome your feedback on this compilation. I can be reached on beeyen.bala@gmail.com

Copyrights reserved Kanchi Periva Forum

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was part of the Land of Tamil as

language of the South (Tamil) and

On the bank of the river called in

CHOORNAA NADHI in Samskrit ,was situated a beautiful village. As that village

Kerala and his devotion. Bananas,

coconuts and flowers in baskets which had been offered as Neyvedhyam to

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But, the Vedic scholar who was

in the kitchen was not

happy with what he saw. His

The distress was overwhelming;

ell ipe; the hild e

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ill eat the

------what a broadminded attitude hers

as e e dea to i agu u s hea t ! E e so,

hat a eautiful sight

ith that sight! ---was his longing.

A a ! -----he called his wife.

ha e o e to this house a d a epted P asadha .

faith in my own prayer. As long as we

e a o di g to that o l ! ---said he, with a feeling of

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i g the Puja? asked A a al l !

as sho ked ! What a e ou sa i g ? --- he asked, a little agitated.

concentrating on it, is t it ? But

the Puja. You

somebody else, with a fully concentrated mind is performing the Puja.

Yes ? -----her husband encouraged her.

o du t spe ial A adha as a d A hisheka s.

is the savior of the mankind in this Kali

ill do a lot of good

Yes ! es ! -----agreed Sivaguru.

e diffe e tiate as Ho e Puja a d Te ple Puja ? Is

same Deity () who is accepting our Puja and blessing us in our

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all the pla es u de

the ea th s su fa e, so also God

should we hesitate to make use of these wells in the Temples ?. Sivapperoor

as de ided that the

people do this like olde

known as Thrissur at present, (*

alled Thi u i appe oo

and the temple is known as

Vadakkun Nathan Temple).

a sk it, the pla e

installed Himself on the beautiful hill which is eulogized as the figure of

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