Reputation of Boy Sankara attracts the King
(1-9) Thus at the age of seven that wonderful child, having spanned the ocean of Vedic learning, left the house of the Guru and returned home to pay his respect to his mother. Thenceforth he spent his time quietly at home, engaging himself in the service of his mother, in studying the Veda and in offering oblations in the sacred fire twice a day along with observing all allied rituals. The very sight of that boy could rid young men of their impa- tience and aggressiveness. Even an aged man would feel inclined to get up in his presence and offer him a seat, and no man could help saluting him respectfully at the very sight. And the mother, too, felt overjoyed to see in her son a combination of rare virtues -power of speech, great intelligence, tendency to do good and great personal attractiveness. One day that lady, whose body had become weak by fasts and other ascetic observances, happened to fall down exhausted, as she went in the burning sun to take her bath in the river Purna, which was at some dis- tance from her home. Anxious at his mother’s condition, the young boy managed to get her back home with the help of several neighbours and restore her to consciousness by adopting appropriate remedial measures. Afterwards in order to make the river Purna easily accessible to his mother, he addressed an invocatory prayer to the deity presiding over it, requesting her to turn her course to the neighbourhood of their home. The river deity was pleased to grant the prayer, and the very next morning people were all surprised to see that the ocean-bound stream had changed its course and was flowing through the neighbourhood of that home like another Ganga, refreshing the whole village with the cool breeze wafted along its broad surface.
(10-19) The reputation of this wonderful child reached the ears of the king of Kerala and being anxious to see him, he sent a minister of his to fetch the boy to his capital. The minister duly arrived at the boy’s home with rich presents and a retinue in- cluding a troupe of elephants. The minister thus addressed the
EMBRACING SANNYASA [[41]] boy: “Because of my good fortune, the king of Kerala has been. pleased to send me here. This king is noted alike for his learning and his valour in the field of battle. At his court he maintains with due honours a large number of great scholars who are experts in refuting the arguments of others by their wise and pleasing words. This king, the most illustrious one of his dynasty, and the victor of all other kings, is eager to adore your holy self and be sanctified by the dust of your feet. He has sent the best of his elephants to take you to his palace. Please be good enough to sanctify his palace by your visit.” To that minister, who thus discharged his duty as a messenger, observing proper form and showing due respect, the boy gave a ready reply: “I am a Brahmacharin, wearing a dress of skin, living by alms, and engaged in the numerous observances that the Vedas have laid down for this station of life. A Brahmacharin should not leave his duties, lured by the luxury of riding on an elephant and the chances of being honoured at a king’s court. It is, therefore, difficult for me to comply with this request, and I am sorry I have to send you back home, dis- appointed. It is the duty of the king to see that men of the four Varnas and the four Ashramas do their respective duties properly. Therefore, do not come with a request that goes counter to this duty of kings.”
(20-30) Hearing these words, that straight-forward and simple- hearted emissary returned to the palace and appraised the king of the situation. Thereupon the king himself came to the house of the saintly boy and was astonished to see that unique Brahma- charin engaged in various Vedic rites, wearing a pure white sacred thread that looked, as it dangled down his chest, like Ganga flowing down a wooded Himalayan slope; dressed like another Bala Deva with a bluish cloth and a black buck’s skin; and wearing a girdle of Munja grass of golden hue, with which he looked lustrous like the Kalpa-taru (heavenly tree) whose beauty is enhanced by a golden creeper encircling it. On seeing that divine boy with a radiant form and an engaging smile, the king fell down before him and prostrated several times, recognising him to be an embodiment of the Divinity. After exchange of courtesies, the king presented a huge quantity of gold to that boy, the Incarnation of Siva, and then read before him three dramas that he had newly written. The saintly boy was very much pleased with the literary [[42]]
talents displayed by the king in these writings, and asked him to choose any boon he wanted. These words were to the king like veritable ambrosia, as they were in consonance with the object of his visit. He prayed to the young saint that he be blessed with a male issue equal in prowess to himself. The Brahmacharin there- upon blessed: “O King, your prayer will be fulfilled. Go home, free from all worry. As for all this gold you have presented, I want none of it. You may gift it to the people.” The king was further advised to perform the Vedic sacrifice called Putreshti. He there- upon went home joyously, remembering again and again the great qualities of the saintly boy.
Permission for his becoming a Sannyasin
(31-35) Many great scholars went to that master of all learning to get instructed in advanced texts of grammar and the like. Not only did he make them proficient in these texts, but imparted to them the capacity to think and reflect on what they had learnt, and thus increase the profundity of their knowledge. Thus, for many days he continued to stay at his house, observing all the customary duties with attention and humility, and giving great joy and satisfaction to his widowed mother. “I am the support of my mother; mother is my support. Any separation between us will be very painful’-thinking thus, this incarnation of Siva did not like to enter into the married state. But many relatives, finding that the young Brahmacharin had completed his education, thought it fit to get him married and went about searching for a suitable bride.
- (36-49) Meanwhile, the four great sages, Upamanyu, Dadhichi, Gautama and Agastya, came to the house of this divine boy to meet him. He gave them a respectful reception along with his mother, prostrating himself before them in the proper way and offering them Madhuparka and excellent seats to sit on. Then, as the boy stood before them with his folded palms held over the head in respectful salutation, the sages talked to him on various matters. After a time, the mother intervened in the conversation and said: “I feel very much honoured by this visit of your venerable selves. That we could see you even in this evil age of Kali, is not an insignificant blessing. This boy has attained
EMBRACING SANNYASA [[43]] to the highest proficiency in Vedic. study even at a very young age. He is also possessed of other great qualities to an unusual extent. I would like to know the secret of all these extraordinary. features about him.” At this, Agastya, as desired by the other Rishis, began to reply to her as follows: “Good lady, in former days your husband had performed austerities to propitiate Siva and obtain a son as a boon from him. On being asked by the great God to select between a long-lived but worthless son, and an issue short-lived but possessed of transcendent greatness, he selected the second alternative. Accordingly, out of your great good fortune, as it were, Siva Himself has taken birth through you as this boy, and there is no one equal to him in learning and wisdom in all the worlds.” Thereupon the lady expressed her desire to know how long her son would live, and the sages told her. “Though your son is destined to live only for sixteen years, the span of his life will be extended by another sixteen years more owing to various extraneous circumstances.” As the great Rishi thus began his predictions about the future, all the Rishis, as it were to stop him from further disclosing the future, got up to depart with the boy’s permission.
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(50-54) The words of the Rishi were such a shock to the mother that she almost collapsed under its impact as a lotus flower by summer heat, or a plantain tree by a strong wind. To her so afflicted, the boy Sankara addressed the following words of consolation: “Why are you so sorry in anticipation of the future? The conditions of life in this Samsara are well-known to you. As that of a silken flag tossed and torn by strong winds, is the condition of the extremely fickle life of man. Even a fool knows this and cannot think of the body as permanent. Life in the trans- migratory cycle is verily like stay in a caravanserai. How many children have we looked after, how many wives and husbands have we married, in the course of our repeated births and deaths? Those who live the life of the world will not have an iota of happi- ness. So what I desire is to take to the fourth state of life, that of the Sannyasin, in order to liberate myself from this repeating cycle of Samsara.”
(55-58) Hearing these words of very ominous import, the mother’s already grief-stricken heart was overwhelmed with fear of losing her son, and she said with tears in her eyes: “My boy, [[44]]
do not think or speak in this way. It is better that you marry, become a father, perform various sacrifices, and then become an ascetic at an advanced age. This is the orthodox way. How can I live alone, after losing my only child also to asceticism? If I die out of sorrow from all such bitter experiences, who will be there to perform even my obsequies? O all-knowing boy, how can you go away leaving me, your old mother? How is it that your heart is not moved to pity for me in my helpless condition?”
The Crocodile Incident and Departure from Home
(59-74) He, thereupon, comforted his weeping mother with many kind words and spent some more time with her. He thought within himself thus: “I have not the least liking for this worldly life. But mother will not permit me to leave it. She is a Guru unto me and, therefore, I must have her goodwill and blessing.” While continuing to stay at home with such thought in mind, he happened to go one day to the river for his bath. As soon as he stepped into the water, a crocodile caught him by the leg and he began to call out to his mother in distress. The mother rushed to the spot and began to weep and wail on seeing the lotus face of her son shining above the water while the rest of his body was submerged by the crocodile’s pull. “Alas! Why am I still alive!” she exclaimed in distress, “my husband is already dead, and now my son, my only support in life, is about to meet with his end in the mouth of a crocodile.” The boy now cried out to the distressed mother: “O mother! give permission to me to become a Sannyasin. I am sure the crocodile will then release me.” Hearing these words, the mother gave her consent, thinking within herself: “If he lives, even be it as a Sannyasin, I have a chance of seeing him at least on some rare occasions. If he dies, even that would not be possible.” And lo! Immediately the mother gave her consent, the crocodile released the boy, who came out without any serious hurt. He then said to the mother, “Mother! I am your son and servant. Tell me what I, this new Sannyasin, should do. I shall certainly follow your command. These relatives, to whom my paternal wealth accrues, will certainly keep you in comfort, supplying all necessities in life like food, clothing and shelter. If you fall ill, they will look after you, and in the event of death, they will surely do all your obsequies accordingEMBRACING SANNYASA [[45]] to rites. You can thus live on in comfort without any of the bother of managing an estate.” The mother thereupon replied: “It is, indeed, a good fortune that your life could be saved through my giving you permission to become a Sannyasin. But I desire very much that on my death you should come and perform my obsequies yourself. If this is not done, of what good is it to have borne a son!” “True, Mother,” replied Sankara, “whenever you desire my presence by your side, be it in sickness or death, be it during day or night, I shall certainly come to your side. And on your death; I shall come to cremate you. You should not weep and wail, thinking that this boy has gone away as a Sannya- sin, abandoning you, a helpless widow. By your sending me away with your blessing, you will derive a hundredfold more benefit by way of great merit, than by keeping me by your side.” Then, doing obeisance to his kith and kin, he entrusted the care of his weeping mother to them.
(75-79) By about this time, the river that he had formerly made to flow through his village for the convenience of his mother, began to erode the sides of the temple of Krishna there. During a rainy season flood water entered the temple, deposited mud within, and was about to carry away the image itself. So, when Sankara had decided to leave his village with his mother’s per- mission, Lord Sri Krishna, the Deity installed in the temple, spoke to him one day through a disembodied voice thus: “You are now departing from this place. You have brought this river Purna to this place from a distance. Its waters are invading My abode and giving Me constant trouble. It has become impossible for Me to stay on here.” So Sankara respectfully lifted up that image and established it in a secure place free from the disturbance of the river.
(80-88) Impelled by the spirit of renunciation, he then took leave of Sri Krishna, the Deity in the temple, as also of his mother, and started off on his journey in this wide world with the idea of taking to the life of Sannyasa, which is like a boat to one desirous of crossing the ocean of Samsara without falling into it. There were three factors that prompted him to leave his home and become a wandering ascetic. First, there was the revelation by sage Agastya, reminding him of his world mission; next there was the permis- sion given to him by Sri Krishna and his own mother; and above
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all, there was his intense spirit of renunciation which made all objects of enjoyment obnoxious to him. It is well known that Kama (cupid), the spirit of sex-love, would not dare to stand before the three-eyed God Siva who is famed to have burnt him to ashes by a look of his third eye. How then could low hankerings of worldly life have any charm for one who was of the very essence of that great God? “Both moon deity and Brahma were over- come by sexual urge. Even I (Siva) was overpowered by the same at the sight of Mohini”-is it thinking thus in his mind and desirous of stamping out all traces of sexuality from himself that the great God Siva took the form of this prince of ascetics who felt the prompting of renunciation at so early an age! Where is the learned man who could give an adequate description of the greatness of this boy ascetic who could so easily overcome the irresistible might of the ace-archer Mara (Kama or cupid), whose pride in his valour has been enhanced by the ease with which he could bring the Devas under his sway, deplete the vigour of the Asuras, infatuate the Gandharvas, and set ablaze the minds of human beings! How wonderful was the power of renunciation which generated in him all other spiritual endowments-Santi or peace, which consists in the tranquillity of the mind born of the knowledge of the futility of all worldly attainments; Danti or self-control, consisting in the capacity to resist the senses from running after sense objects; Uparati or withdrawal, which takes the shape of natural indrawnness of the mind due to lack of interest in all external objects and enjoyments; Kshanti or forbearance, which endows one with the capacity to stand all conditions of life unperturbed; Samadhi or concentration, which consists in spiritual absorption with complete awareness to the exclusion of all distractions like disturbing thought, lethargy, sleep, etc;, and Sraddha or faith, the most precious wealth of the spiritual aspirant, as it gives him unshakable acceptance of the scripture and the teacher! He started on a way of life which has solitude for one’s pleasure garden, chance-obtained food for banquet, and the indwelling Siva for sole companion. He passed through various lands, and whatever he saw on the way-forests, rivers, cities, countryside, mountains, animals, men and the rest-he looked upon as a great magic show put up by the Cosmic Magician, the Sat-chid-ananda, for His sport. He assumed the staff of the San-
EMBRACING SANNYASA [[47]] nyasin to drive the Cow of the Vedas on to the royal road of life, rescuing her from the foul dogs and jackals of hostile religionists whose torture of merciless criticism had forced her to seek shelter in obscurity. A calamity indeed would have happened had not the great world-teacher arrived in time, with staff in hand, to drive off these dogs of hostile critics with their tongues lolling out, as it were, in their eagerness to attack at the vital parts of the flying flock of God-fearing men.
Meeting with Govindapada and accepting Sannyasa
(89-96) Travelling a long distance, that young Sannyasin, with staff in hand and wearing new Kashaya dress, arrived at the forest hermitage of sage Govinda towards one evening, even like the sun at the western horizon. The shade of tall trees on the river bank and the cool breeze blowing through them assuaged his bodily exhaustion very soon, while the sight of deer skins and bark clothes on the branches of bushes indicated to him that he had arrived at a hermitage. Desirous of being initiated into Brahman- knowledge there, he sought the advice of the ascetic inhabitants of. the place. As directed by them, he approached sage Govinda’s residence, a cave with an entrance only a cubit in width. In the presence of the hermits, he went round the cave three times, and then falling prostrate at its door, began to chant a hymn in praise of sage Govinda full of the spirit of devotion to the Guru. He said, “I worship Thee, the incarnation of the great serpent Sesha, who is the bed of Mahavishnu, an ornament of Siva, and the one on whose head the earth with all its mountains and rivers rest. Thou art the same sage Patanjali, a manifestation of Adisesha, whose thousand faces put his disciples to fright and who thereupon assumed a gentle form with a single face. Thou alone, as Patanjali, produced the great work on Yoga, as also the exegesis on the grammatical treatise of Panini. O far-famed one! Thou didst attain to the highest spiritual realisation from the instruction of the great Gaudapada, a disciple of Suka the son of Vyasa. Praying to Thee for instruction in the truth of Brahman, I salute Thee, the repository of all great virtues !”
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(97-105) Praised thus, the sage came out of super-conscious state and asked, “Who are you?” In reply Sankara said the follow- ing, indicative of his great spiritual enlightenment: “Revered Sir, I am neither the earth, nor water, nor fire, nor air, nor sky, nor any
i [[48]]
of their properties. I am not the senses and the mind even. I am Siva, the divisionless essence of Consciousness.” Hearing these words, pregnant with the spirit of non-dualistic consciousness, the sage-was delighted beyond description and replied: “Dear boy, through the supersensuous insight which the experience of Samadhi has given me, I see that you are the great God Siva come on earth in human form.” Then, in observance of the customary rules for establishing the relationship between the teacher and the disciple, the sage extended his feet through the mouth of the cave, which the would-be disciple worshipped with all devotion and ceremony. One may have an inborn knowledge of the Truth, but it is the scriptural dictum that one should be instructed duly by a teacher. So Sankara performed the worship of the teacher, and through the devoted service of him, became the object of his loving affection. Highly pleased with the disciple’s service, the sage imparted to him the knowledge of Brahman through the four Maha-Vakyas (great Vedic sentences) Prajnanam Brahma (Brahman is pure Conscious- ness): Aham Brahmāsmi (I am Brahman); Tat-twam-asi (Thou art That); Ayamātmā. Brahma (This Atman is Brahman). He was then taught the Vedanta Sutras of Vyasa, and through them, the innermost essence of the Vedanta philosophy. Vyasa was the son of Parasara, and Suka, of Vyasa. Suka had as his disciple Gaudapada, and Gaudapada had as his disciple Govindapada, from whom Sankara now received initiation in the knowledge of Brahman. Govindapada was considered an incarnation of Adisesha, described in the Puranas as the serpent supporting the worlds, and it was from him that the world teacher Sankara learned all the Sastras as a disciple, with the undertaking that he would do his best to spread that knowledge among men.
In Praise of Sankara the Sannyasin
- (106-116) Having assumed the fourth Ashrama (Sannyasa), the resort of Paramahamsas and the reward of inconceivable merits, the great teacher shone like Dhruva in the vast expanse of the sky. With a light ochre-coloured cloth round his waist, he looked sublime like a towering snow-covered Himalayan peak, whose base is tinged red by the evening sun. Even as Lord Siva puts on the blood-stained skin of the elephant-demon (Gajasura) whom he had killed, the young Sannyasin appeared to have put on the red-tinged
EMBRACING SANNYASA [[49]] skin of the Elephant of Ignorance that he had destroyed, under the guise of the bright cloth having the ochre tinge of the rising sun. Sporting ever in the pleasure garden of Sruti (the Veda), providing support for all aspirants to Paramahamsahood, and ever established. in Bliss-Consciousness that is non-different from himself, Sankara is the veritable Brahman Himself.. In him the meaning of the root Brih (the vast), from which the word Brahman comes, becomes truly fulfilled. As one with the unitary non-dual consciousness, Sankara measures all the manifested worlds in one stride, as it were, by being the material and instrumental cause of everything included in the process of creation, preservation and dissolution, and thereby excels Mahavishnu who required two strides to cover the worlds in his incarnation as Vamana. Being ever established in the transcendent glory of the Self, he is above the three states of consciousness (waking, dream and sleep) as also uninvolved in any of the stages of life, unlike Mahavishnu who is subject to the states and to the stages of life in his various incarnations. He is also without attachment for anything, while Mahavishnu is involved in the life of, Vaikuntha. The Srutis, therefore, declare that one who has renounced everything and has become one with the non-dual Self is superior even to Hari (Mahavishnu). Com- pared to Rudra also, the superiority of Sankara is obvious, Rudra is attached to Bhutas (his followers of monstrous shape) while Sankara has no attachment to Bhutas (the five elements and their products). Again Rudra has intimate association with gava, bhūti, and bhoga (bull, ashes and snakes) while Sankara is free from attachment to gava (senses), bhūti (wealth) and bhoga (enjoyments). Rudra is supposed to have destroyed the tripuras (the three cities), but it was with the help of an army of followers, whereas Sankara destroyed the tripuras (the three bodies. gross, subtle and causal) by his mere look of unitive under- standing. It is for this reason that he is recognised as superior as Parama-Siva or Pure Consciousness, comprehending and transcending the three states of waking, dream and sleep. How can the Vedas help praising one like Sankára established in this non-dual state, as superior even to Rudra? For, Rudra in his conquest of Tripurās (the three citadels) was equipped with a sauvarna-dharma (bow made of gold); he was purusha-phaleshu (having arrows of which the Purusha or Mahavishnu was the [[50]]
handle); he was also prithvīratha (one equipped with earth as chariot) having the sun and the moon as wheels. With all this equip- ment he could conquer only three citadels. But without any of these, Sankara was victorious over the fortification of eight citadels (the Jivahood constituted of: the five Pranas, the five organs of knowledge, the five organs of action, the mind with its four aspects, ignorance or Avidya, desire or Kama, works or Karma, and tendencies or Vasana). He had no sauvarna- dharma (the dharmas relating to the four varnas); he was no purusha-phaleshu (one attached to fruits of actions); he was not also a parthiva-ratha (one with a sense of being identified with this body made of earth). When without any of these equipments he could overcome the fortification of eight citadels, how can one help describing him as Para-Siva (the Supreme Being above Rudra and above all manifested forms of the Deity)! This Samsara is verily a terrific rainy season, having sins as its darkening clouds and sorrows for its torrential showers. Having abandoned it, Sankara, the Supreme Swan, has flown to the far-off lake constituted of the minds of good men, and is thriving there feeding on tender lotus stems consisting of the fame of proud and powerful opponents. Sankara, the greatest of ascetics, is a real Paramahamsa, a Supreme Swan. Just as that noble bird is able to separate milk from water in spite of their indivisible mergence in each other, so has he been able to do the very difficult task of separating Brahman from the world of Samsara which seems to have covered Him and hidden His identity. Thus revealing the latent Spirit in the minds of men, he has helped to eliminate from them the polluted waters with which the life of Samsara has adul- terated their spiritual identity. All knowledge in the relative world is false, it being an inextricable mixture of the true and the untrue like that of milk and water, caused by super-imposition arising from ignorance. Even the wisest of men are, therefore, puzzled in the quest for Truth. But the Great Swan Sankara has been able to extract the milk of Truth from the water of untruth and present the same for the benefit of mankind. Those who will not accept it are verily mean creatures like crows which stick to their habit of eating the bitter margosa fruits even when better things are available. It is, indeed, very appropriate that Sankara shares the name of Hamsa (Parama-hamsa) with the sun (Hamsa).
EMBRACING SANNYASA [[51]] As the sun removes the darkness of night, Sankara eliminates the darkness of ignorance from the minds of men. He is again a Mitra, a friend, of all like Mitra, the sun, giving light to the whole world. As the sun gives joy to the Nalikàs (lotuses) by its light, Sankara gives joy to the wise with Nalikas (pure Truth with all untruth eliminated). As the sun by its light removes the suffering of separation of Chakras (chakravāka birds), he removes the accumulated miseries of a wide circle of devotees (Suhrit-chakra). As the sun reveals all Arthas or objects of the world, Sankara reveals the Truth (Artha) of the Spirit for mankind.
Floods in the Narmada
(117-124) While Sankara, after taking to the Ashrama of the Paramahamsas, was engaging himself in the contemplation of the Atman, the rainy season announced its approach by streaks of lightning, whose momentary glow in the skies declared, as it were, the volatility of all worldly enjoyments. The clouds in a mood of complaint and retaliation seemed to overcast the sun, the husband of lotus flowers, declaring, as it were: “He not, only subjects us to the merciless kicks of his flaming limbs of light rays, but also deprives, by his absorbing power, our lady-love, the earth, of the flowers of moistening rain that we are showering on her!” The streaks of lightning, characterised by momentary flashes and instant disppearance, looked like the outburst of philosophic wisdom of sensuous scholars, which ends as momentary glow of wordy illumination but has no permanent hold or expression in their lives. The rolling thunderous sounds of these clouds, coming afar from the sky (Vishnu-pāda) delighted the denizens of this parched earth, as if they were the revelations of Brahmic wisdom coming from the real Vishnu-pāda (or Vaikuntha, the abode of Vishnu). “How is it that these Sannyasins, out of their pride in the knowledge of Non-duality, have ceased to offer me, the leader of Devas, the tribute of Yajnas which all men owe me?” with this resentment in mind, did god Indra ascend his chariot of clouds and display his weapon of rainbow. The powerful forest winds, conveying the red dust of Kutaja `sprouts mixed with the dark pollen fallen from trees, swayed everything in the landscape, as if they symbolised the irresistible play of the Gunas of Prakriti in this mighty cosmic manifestation. The cloudy [[52]]
Rakshasas of dark body, equipped with the weapon of the rain- bow and fearsome with their gleaming eyes of flashy lightning and shouts of thunderous outbursts, got ready, as it were, to disturb the meditative sacrifice (Dhyana-Yajna) of the Sannyasins.
(125-127) Presently, the clouds covered the whole sky with a thick pall of darkness and began to hurl down torrential rain,. while Sankara sat absorbed in spiritual communion, with all his external senses completely indrawn and oblivious of what was taking place outside. As a coy young bride, under the gentle persuasion of her friends, enters the bridal chamber, and then little by little abandons her natural self-consciousness and contacts her husband and finally forgetting herself completely, becomes one . with him, so did the sage Sankara withdraw his mind into the inner recesses with the aid of the discriminative process inculcated by the Vedantic teaching and then shedding his ego-sense, seek to contact the Lord, and finally at the summit of communion, to lose his identity completely in Him. In that Supreme Self neither the sun, nor the moon, nor the stars, nor the lightning shines- what then to speak of earthly fire! It transcends heaven and earth. Being devoid of any trace of original nescience, neither time nor objectivity has any place in it. It is the experience of Pure Con- sciousness which is identical with the Blissful Self. He was ever established in the unique majesty of the Self, which is self-evident but yet hidden-that supreme experience of Bliss wherein one cares neither to seek nor to abandon, and which reveals all other values as mere trash.
(128-131) With the advent of the monsoon the clear and pure sky, now overcast with clouds and streaks of lightning, became dark and corrupted, just as the mind of a householder, under the influence of a seductive woman, becomes dark with infatuation and outbursts of hot passion. When the rains started, the lakes everywhere got filled with muddy water, and that filled the swans inhabiting them with anxious thoughts about their flight to Manasa lake (mänasa-chintä); for, whoever will not be filled with anxious thoughts (mānasa-chintā) when his life is in danger? The silvery moon (kalāvān) trudging through the clouded sky, looked dull and lustreless like a master of all arts (kalāvān) dressed in dirty clothes. Pray, how can a kalāvān (meaning both ‘a learned man’ and ‘moon”) avoid being lustreless when he becomes a mali-
EMBRACING SANNYASA
nāmbara-dhāri (‘dressed in dirty clothes’ in the case of a learned man, and ‘appearing in a clouded sky’ in the case of the moon)? After a long period of anxious expectation, the host of Chātaka birds had now their thirst quenched with fresh rain water, just as ‘spiritual aspirants striving hard’ (ghanāsraya-dhāri meaning also Chātaka bird) attain to Immortality (amritatva, meaning also ‘fresh water’ in the case of Chātakas) after waiting for a long period of time.
(132-138) While in that season of heavy clouds and torrential rains, powerful winds were blowing all round, pulverising the forest trees with their heavy impact and threatening the lives of pedestrians moving about in the open, the great sage Sankara was sitting on the banks of the river Reva with its many human habita- tions, wrapt in deep spiritual communion and his organs of percep- tion completely closed to external contacts. Thus, for five continuous days did Indra, the Lord of rain, harass the land with torrential showers and brilliant flashes of lightning, until con- sternation spread among the inhabitants of the place. The river Reva now got flooded, and as at the time of the deluge, its roaring waters began to carry away the trees and villages situated on its banks. The wild cries of the flood-stricken people reached the ears of Sankara. Seeing that his teacher was absorbed in Samadhi, he waited for a while watching the situation. Then uttering a power- ful Mantra, he gathered all the flood waters into his water vessel, as Agastya in days of yore confined the waters of the ocean in the hollow of his palm.
Govindapada Commissioning Sankara
(139-149) Coming to normal consciousness from the state of Samadhi, Sankara’s teacher Govindapada happened to hear about his disciple’s prodigious feat from the reports of people. He was glad to note that Sankara had attained perfection in Yoga so soon. So, some days after the weather had cleared, he called Sankara to his side and spoke to him as follows: “Dear one! Look around and see how the sky has become clear and visible, as the Supreme Truth is at the dawn of Knowledge. The clouds and the Sannyasins move from place to place after fulfilling the needs of vegetation and men respectively—the clouds through rain and Sannyasins through spiritual instructions. See how the moon shines brightly in the sky [[54]]
that has been cleared of clouds. The intelligence of knowing ones also shines likewise when the obstructions of Maya are removed. When the clouds disappear, the stars too begin to shine. Just so do virtues such as benevolence and the like shine in a mind that has been rid of such passions as jealousy and anger. Look at the river with its clear waters. Does it not resemble the form of Mahavishnu? Like Goddess Sri ever clinging to Him, sparkling clarity (Sri) abides in these crystal-clear waters. As the lotus eyes and feet of Vishnu enhance His charm, so do the lotus flowers on the bosom of this river add to its beauty. In the whirlpools (chakra) on the surface of the river and in the waters filling its bed, you can visualise the Chakra (discus Sudarsana) held in Vishnu’s hand and the worlds contained in His abdomen.. As many incarnations like those of fish and tortoise (Matsya-Kachchapa) abide in Mahavishnu, numerous are the Matsyas (fish) and Kachchapas (tortoises) living in these waters. Like the Paramahamsas (holy men, also great swans) resorting to Him, this river is the resort of numerous great swans. Like a wealthy man turned into an ascetic, the clouds have yielded their long-acquired wealth of waters to birds (Dwijāḥ) and other creatures, abandoned their association with the bevy of beauties consisting of flashes of lightning, and are now walking away from their home in the skies. The season of spring that is now appro- aching is verily like a Yati (Sannyasin); for, all over its body it seems to have applied the ashes of moonlight; it is found holding in its hands the moon as a Kamandalu (a Sannyasin’s water pot), and round its body it appears to be wearing a Kashaya (ochre) cloth constituted of the growth of red Bandhuka flowers. Like your own heart, purified and enlightened by knowledge, the waters of yonder lake are unperturbed, without impurities, without the fury of wind, majestic and attractive by the swans residing on its. surface. The expansive sky, with the light clouds spread all over and the bright sun shining in it, simulates the broad chest of Mahavishnu decorated with white sandal paste and the brilliant Kaustubha gem. Just as the heart lotuses of meditative Yogis bloom when they face Hari (Mahavishnu) in contemplation, so are these lotuses in full bloom when the rays of the sun (Hari) in the high skies fall on their upturned faces. Look at these trees, they stand there like Sannyasins, smeared all over with their pollen for ashes, dressed in the ochre robes of tender leaves, wearing the Rudraksha beads of hoy-!
EMBRACING SANNYASA [[55]] ering blue beetles, and holding the water pots of large flower buds.
(150-161) “Holy men generally spend the rainy season in one place in the observance of the vow of Chaturmasya when they occupy themselves with meditation and study. After that, as if to render the earth holy by the dust of their feet, they travel from place to place during the rest of the year. Therefore, you have now got to move to Varanasi, the city of Siva. There you are to clarify the essential spiritual truths revealed by the Vedas through your writings and preachings, which will act like a shower of rain on the forest fire of worldliness raging in the minds of men. Hear what the sage Vyasa once told me on this point. In the Himalayas the sage Atri once conducted a great Satra (sacrificial festival) when the Devas presented themselves in forms visible to the eyes. In that assembly the sage Vyasa discoursed on the subject of the truth of Brahman. I (Govindapada) then said to that great one: “O great sage! You have divided the Vedas, written the Puranas and the Mahabharata. You have expounded the Yoga Sastra, and you have also composed the Vedanta-sutras (aphorisms on the Vedanta). Many scholars, representing different traditions, are interpreting these Sutras divergently. It is therefore necessary, O great sage, that you
write a commentary on these Sutras, so that no one may in future interpret them as they please and cause confusion in the minds of men.’ Hearing what I said, the sage Vyasa replied: “Once the Devas went to the heaven of Siva to make a similar request. Now, for your information, I shall reveal to you the future a little. In course of time you will get a disciple who will be a master of all learning and an equal to me in all respects. You can recognise him by his miraculous feat of confining in his water-pot the waters flooding the river Reva. He will refute all heretical religions. He will also produce a great commentary on the Vedanta-sutras. All quarters will become white, as it were, with your fame as his teacher, just like all land when winter snow is falling.’ What the sage then told me, I find confirmed by your advent and by what I have ex- perienced. You are a unique personage. There is none equal to you in this world. You have to restore the spiritual greatness of the country by the production of many great writings on the Vedanta. So, O dear one, you hasten to the city of Siva, Varanasi, which is washed by the holy waters of the Ganga. There the Divine Mother will shower on you Her choicest blessings.”
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Sankara’s arrival at Varanasi
(162-171) Though Sankara desired to stay all his life serving his teacher Govindapada, the latter sent him, his dear disciple, away on this world mission, though it be with tears in his eyes. He prostrated himself before the lotus feet of the Guru, and with great difficulty and deep sorrow at heart, took leave of him some- how. He then travelled up to Varanasi, a.city on the banks of the Ganga, adorned with numerous sacrificial pillars of gold and having a forest of Nimba trees in its neighbourhood. He saw before him the Ganga, dotted with innumerable cottages on its banks- the blessing in the form of a river that mankind got as the fruit of Bhagiratha’s great austerity and the ornament that adorns the locks of Siva. Maybe, because of its contact with Mahavishnu’s nails (for it was formed of the waters with which His feet were washed by Brahma), or because it flows from the crown of moon- crested Siva, or because it originates in the snow of the Himalayas, the waters of the Ganga flowed in their crystalline clearness. Was that maiden of a river singing through the humming bees hovering over lotuses crowding her waters? Was she dancing as that expanse of lotuses got tossed in the winds? Was she smiling through the white foam released from her surface? And was she lifting up her hands to embrace her beloved by the high waves rising on her bosom? At one place her waters were blue, perhaps by the rays emitted by the bluish side-long glances of celestial damsels bathing in it; at others bright, by the reflection of their shining robes and ornaments; and at still others red, by the admixture of the Kun- kuma dust with which they had smeared their bosoms. At the time of his bath in the Ganga, as the great teacher lifted up his head from its waters, his shining face looked like the crescent moon. that had fallen down into the current of that holy river from Siva’s matted locks, and after a dive therein, again reappeared in the firmament as the full moon with all its parts restored by the holy influence of those waters. His frame, with drops of the holy waters dripping all over, looked like a statue of Chandrakanta stone with moisture oozing by exposure to the cooling light of the moon. That noble personage thenceforth lived for sometime in the precincts of the holy shrine at Varanasi with the great satisfaction derived from the daily devoted worship of the Deity there, the great God Siva, who is the object of adoration of all gods including Mahavishnu.
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