आगमे ब्राह्मे विश्वासटिप्पन्यः

Sankara in Confrontation with Sage Vyasa

(1-21) Once, seated on the banks of the Ganga, the Acharya was teaching his commentaries to his disciples till late in the noon. Finding the disciples exhausted, the Acharya closed the session and got up, when he was confronted by an old Brahmana with the question: “What are you teaching, Sir? And may I know who you are?” Thereupon the disciples intervened and said: “This is our teacher, the great Acharya Sankara, the master of all the Upani- shads, who has established the doctrine of Non-dualism through his commentaries on Särīraka-sutras (Brahma-sutras).” The Brahmana thereupon remarked: “O Sannyasin teacher, this seems unbelievable. These people say that you have commented on the Sutras of Vyasa. If you are as learned as that, let me hear you expound any one Sutra of Vyasa." “My salutation to all exponents of the Sutras!” replied Sankara, “I do not claim to be a master of the Sutras. Still, if you question me on them, I shall try to answer to the best of my knowledge.” The Brahmana thereupon quoted the first Sutra (tadantarapratipattau ramhati sampariṣvaktaḥ prašna- nirūpaṇābhyām) from the third chapter of Brahma-sutras, and asked Sankara to explain it. To this Sankara replied: “In the light of the conversation between Gautama and Jabali in the Thandila-sruti, this Sutra means that at the time of death the Jiva departs clothed in the subtle essence of the Bhutas or elements.” The learned Brahmana then raised numerous objec- tions to this interpretation to the utter astonishment of all the scholars assembled there. Thereupon Sankara answered the criti- cisms and attacked the thesis of the Brahmana in several ways. Thus, the conversation turned into a learned disputation extending over eight days between these two, who resembled Adisesha and Brihaspati in learning. When the two were thus engaged in this prolonged debate, Padmapada, who got an inkling of the identity of the new-comer, said at last: “This Brahmana is none other than that very Vyasa, the knower of the essence of all Vedantas and the author of these Sutras. He is an incarnation of Mahavishnu.

THE MEETING WITH VYASA [[71]] And as for yourself, Sir, you are Siva Himself. What are we, your servants, to do when you two clash in such an endless and keen debate!” On hearing the surprising revelation of the identity of the opposing scholar, Sankara at once saluted him with palms closed, sang his praise with a new hymn he composed on the spot, and said: “Thy deer-skin covering, rain-cloud complexion, white sacred thread, matted locks, and shining diadem reveal thee to be Vyasa himself. Thy life and work have mitigated the baneful- ness of this age of Kali. If thou approvest of the commentary I have produced on thy Aphorisms which deal exhaustively with Truth transcendental and temporal, then deign to pardon my lapses and reveal thy true nature to me.” At these words, the sage revealed his real form with matted locks like a heap of golden wires, with a radiant complexion resembling that of rain-cloud surrounded by streaks of lightning, and with fingers held in Chin- mudra indicative of the granting of all favours. With a water pot made of lustrous material in hand, his frame spread its pleasant luminosity all round like the moon in the tight embrace of night, or like the blue Tamala tree with bright white flowers all over it. His head was encircled by a string of twenty-seven pearls, as if they were the twenty-seven stars (Nakshatras), the wives of the moon, assembled to honour the sage who was the greatest friend of the lunar dynasty of kings. With his matted locks, markings of holy ashes, staff, Rudraksha beads and tiger skin, he looked in every way fit to be a companion of God Siva. By the use of the sharp goad of Advaita philosophy he had brought under control the mad elephant of egotism, and with the cords of his aphorisms he had tied the numerous cows of Vedic passages to the post of his philosophy. The sage, reputed to be teacher of teachers and invisible to mortal eyes, now stood there, accompained by his disciples, casting his benign glance all round to the great joy and relief of those on whom it fell.

Sankara in Praise of Vyasa

(22-31) Seeing him thus in front, a rare sight for any embodied being, Sankara advanced towards him with his disciples. With great devotion and fervour, they all prostrated themselves at his feet and addressed him thus: “O Sage Dwaipayana! Our obei: sance to thee. By seeing thee, we have attained the highest end of [[72]]

human life. It is in line with thy vow of devoting thyself to the service of others that thou hast now come to make us blessed by giving thy darsan to us. Thou didst produce the vast Pouranika · literature consisting of eighteen Puranas which form an exposition of the teachings of the Vedas. Who else could compose even a few verses so full of sublime import! Seeing that the ordinary student of the Vedas will not be able to grasp that vast body of sacred literature in all its comprehensiveness, thou didst divide it into four, with different recensions. Thou art verily endowed with the know- ledge of the present, past and future; for, otherwise, how couldst thou compose the Bhavishyad Purana which speaks not only of the past but also of future events? In the milk-ocean that is thyself, dawned the moon of Mahabharata, whose light dispels the darkness of ignorance both spiritual and mundane. From thee have originated all the Sastras-the Vedas, the Vedangas, the Mahabharata and the Puranas. All these have been either produced or edited by thee. Thou art the heavenly Kalpataru (wish-yielding tree) that had its origin in an island. In the shape of the various Vedic recensions, thy numerous branches have spread everywhere. On one of these branches is seated that famous parrot, thy son Sri Suka, whose warblings continue to delight the worlds. From that tree are falling, for the benefit of men resting at its foot, the four great fruits of life-Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha. Thou art indeed a novel Sri Krishna, more unique than that unique incarna- tion. If Krishna held the ‘Lord of Mountains (Govardhana) in hand for seven days to relieve the few inhabitants of the cowherd settlement, thou hast manifested thyself, holding the Lord of Mountain (God Siva) in thy heart for all time for the good of men at large. If Sri Krishna protected the cows grazing in the forests, thou art protecting the cows of the Vedas in thy mouth. If Krishna required a full battle to destroy the Asura named Naraka, thou art removing the Jiva’s miseries of Naraka or hell by a mere look. That Being is neither existent nor non-existent, neither within nor without-with such contradictory expressions the Vedas describe thy glory as the Supreme Being — Maha- vishnu.

(32-39) Praised in this manner, the illumined sage sat on a seat offered to him and began to speak as follows to Sankara who kept standing before him in all humility: “I know the depth of

THE MEETING WITH VYASA [[73]] your scholarship. You are in every way equal to me in your learning. You are as dear to me as my son Suka. Do not think that I came to you for a mere debate. In the assembly at the heavenly abode of Siva I heard from the Siddhas that you have written a commen- tary on Vedanta Sutras. I was very glad to hear this, and I came desirous of seeing you, the commentator.” Hearing these words, the great Sannyasin, Sankara, who could be called the full moon of Vedantic wisdom, spoke to the sage, his body covered with horri- pilations indicative of his inward joy: “Though I am very insigni- ficant in comparison with thy great disciples like Sumantu and Paila, still out of thy pure goodness and mercy thou art looking upon me as worthy of thy recognition. To the luminous sun of thy Sutras shedding light on all doctrines of the Vedanta, I have only done an Arati by way of honouring it, with my com- mentary. Considering me as a disciple of thine, please pardon me for this foolhardy venture of mine, and condescend to give a critical estimate of it, correcting whatever mistake thou findest in it.”

Vyasa Blessing Sankara with a Longer Lease of Life

(40-50) From the hands of Sankara who was addressing him thus, Vyasa took a copy of the Bhashya and went through its contents, noting its clarity and profundity. He appreciated very much its methodology, consisting first in elucidating the meaning of the Sutras in simple words synonymous with them, then refuting the opposite views in an original way with the help of sound reason- ing, and next, giving a positive exposition of the doctrine in words that are in agreement with reason and scriptures. He then said: “Dear boy, I have gone through your commentary carefully. In no way can it be called a foolhardy enterprise as you charac- terised it. You asked me to make a critical estimate of it, showing its merits and demerits. To do that will, indeed, be foolhardy. You are unrivalled in your grasp of the technique of inter- preting Vedic passages. You have unusual mastery of grammar. And besides, you are a disciple of Govindapada. How then can there be any mistakes in your writings? You, who were able to reject the life of sense enjoyment from your very boyhood as the sun rejects darkness, and have taken to the life of Sannyasa, can never be considered an ordinary man. You must necessarily [[74]]

be a great man full of wisdom and philosophic insight. Who else but a man of your calibre can give such a clear and lucid com- mentary on my aphorisms, terse in language, vast in meaning, and, subtle in implications? Scholars say that it is difficult to under- stand what exactly these aphorisms mean; so terse are they in expression. Hence it is said that the difficulty of any one who interprets them is in no way less than that of the one who com- posed them. Who else but an incarnation of Siva could grasp all the implications of these Sutras and produce a commentary on them, thereby elevating the Vedas to their dignified position from the degradation to which they have been subjected by the Samkh- yas and other philosophers. Though you share the same name ‘Sankara’ with God Siva, you are unique and seem to excel even that Divinity in many respects. You have no trace of anger in your heart, which cannot be said of Siva who is noted for irritabi- lity. You entertain within yourself all Kalas or branches of learning, whereas Siva has only one Kala, the crescent moon, and that, on his head. You are fully saturated with Girija or knowledge born of Vedas, whereas God Siva has only one half of his shared by Girlja, his consort Parvati. Many have made commentaries on my aphorisms in the past and many will do so in future also. But none of them has been able to know their real meaning as I con- ceive it; only you have. With the help of this commentary on the Vedanta Sutras and many allied writings, may you refute all opposing doctrines and, thereby, become famous in the world! Now permit me to depart. My heart is leaping with joy at your achievements.”

(51-58) At this Sankara said: “I have already written the commentaries, expounded them, and also refuted all hostile doctri- nes. What else have I got to do? Nothing more. I have come to the end of the sixteen years’ span of my life, and so shall presently give up this physical body of mine in thy presence. Please tarry a while at Manikarnika and witness it.” Hearing this, the sage Vyasa thought for a moment and said: “No, you should not end your life now. There are many more learned men, leaders of hostile schools of thought, whom you have not yet defeated in debate. Your life has to be prolonged for some years more, so that you may triumph over them also. Otherwise, the orphaned infant of aspiration for spiritual freedom, that has taken birth from youTHE MEETING WITH VYASA [[75]] for the good of mankind, will perish prematurely with no parent to take care of it. The intensity of joy that I experience by reading your very lucid and profound writing based upon your intuition of the Atman, prompts me to give you a boon. The Creator had given you only eight years of life. The satisfaction you gave to Agastya and other sages by your learning won for you an extension of your life’s span by eight years more. May you live for another sixteen years by the blessing of God Siva! May your commentary shine till the end of time! During the rest of your life, may you uproot the doctrines of those who oppose the Advaita philosophy, and establish in them faith in this doctrine of the unity of all ex- istence!" Hearing these words of Vyasa, Sankara who sanctifies the world by his holiness, said: “The greatness and reputation of thy Sutras are alone responsible for whatever popularity my commentaries on them have gained or might gain.” Saying so, he prostrated himself before that all-knowing sage, who for. his part now departed, having bestowed that boon on Sankara for the prolongation of his life.

Sankara at Prayaga

(59-67) Though himself an illumined sage, Sankara felt sad at the departure of the great Vyasa. How can any person help feeling sad when the force of circumstances separates him from such centres radiating universal love? Sankara, the greatest among Sannyasins, somehow assuaged his own grief by feeling Vyasa’s presence in his heart through meditation, and soon started, as desired by him, on a spiritual conquest of the whole land of Bharata. With a view to have an interpretative treatise (Vartikam) on his commentary written by Kumarila Bhatta, he first travelled towards the south where stands the Vindhyas, the resort of sage Agastya. Starting on this journey of spiritual conquest, Sankara, with a view to win over Kumarila, the staunch upholder of the ritualistic interpretation of the Vedas, first stopped at Prayaga where the blue waters of Yamuna and the sparkling clear waters of the Ganga meet like Vishnu and Siva and expiate the sins of those bathing at their confluence. The powerful flow of Ganga arrested the flow of Kalindi (Yamuna) by obstructing it, and the waters of the latter, therefore, stood still and shining like a woman whose movements are for the time-being paralysed by [[76]]

the joy of an unexpected meeting with an intimate friend. In some parts of it where the water was clear and shining, there were swans residing, as disciples do in the teacher’s residential academy. In others where the waters were dark, Chakravaka pairs found it convenient to stay as in the darkness of night. Even the Vedas declare that one bathing in these waters will go beyond death and disease, attain to a divine body and enjoy the delights of heaven. In these waters of the confluence of Yamuna and Ganga, whose uniqueness and mystery even the Vedas suggest by simultaneous descriptions couched in contradictory epithets as white and dark, Sankara had his bath, after which he recited verses in praise of that holy spot as follows: O Sanctifier! Thou hast the experience of being imprisoned in Siva’s matted locks, and yet, by sanctifying the numbers of people who bathe in thee into holy beings like.. Siva, thou art enhancing for thyself the danger of being imprisoned in the locks of all of them. O Mother! Thy waters being of such transcendent purity, why is it that thou receivest into thee so much of unclean matter like human bones? O, I understand the reason on reflection! The large numbers of men who get transformed as Siva by contact with thy waters, have to be provided by thee with the bones required for decorating themselves as Siva, and that is why the bones of dead men are consigned to thee. Thou rousest into the wakefulness of the Spirit, those who are wrapt in the sleep and dullness of ignorance. But strange to say, thou art reputed also for converting men who have abandoned all hankering for sense objects into “Dhurta-bedecked" beings (‘dhurta’ meaning both ‘sensuous men’ as also ‘a particular flower with which Siva is decorated’)."

(68-76) Having thus praised the Triveni, he dipped himself in its holy waters along with his disciples, and while doing so, he also remembered his mother for whose purification too he prayed. And while after bath, he was resting on the shores of the river, refreshed by the fragrant and cool breeze, he heard the following news: “That Kumarila, who at one time established the superi- ority of the Vedas by jumping down from a mountain, by whose efforts the Vedic cult of sacrifices was re-established, thus enabling the Devas once again to get their food of sacrificial offerings- even he, the zealous votary of the Vedas, in order to be cleansed of the sin of betraying his teacher, is about to enter into a fire made

2

THE MEETING WITH VYASA [[77]] of paddy husk as an act of expiation for his sins. A master of the Vedas, a deep scholar in all branches of learning, and an accomplished dialectician, his wheel of fame is revolving in all the three worlds.”

Meeting of Sankara and Kumarila

(77-105) Hearing this news, Sankara hastened to the place where Kumarila was, only to see him already standing in the oven of husk, with his illustrious disciples like Prabhakara standing around with tears in their eyes. Though the slow fire of paddy husk had already engulfed his body, his face could still be seen amidst smoke, fresh and blooming like a lotus surrounded by mist. He was himself like a flaming fire that destroyed all the detractors of the Vedas and saved those scriptures from being. lost to society. Kumarila now saw nearby the great Acharya who was so holy that his very look effaced the sins of men. Though they had never met before, Kumarila, who had heard of Sankara’s reputation, could easily recognise him. He, therefore, directed his disciples to give him a cordial reception, which Sankara thankfully accepted. Highly pleased with the hospitality, Sankara now showed his commentary of Kumarila; for even a faultless writing can prove its worth only after it has been examined by reputed authorities on the subject. After going through the commentary, Kumarila was highly pleased; for, though a follower of Purva- mimamsa and therefore, a dualist, he was a noble-minded person. It is only the shallow-minded people who view everything with a controversial spirit. He said: “An explanatory thesis of at least eight thousand verses will be required even for a single subject like superimposition treated in this work. Had I not taken this vow, I would have produced such a Vartikam on your commentary. It is a very rare piece of good fortune to meet such holy men like you, especially at the time of death. It must certainly be due to some good Karma done by me in the past that I have been so blessed with your sight. Except association with holy men like you, there is no way of upliftment for men immersed in this fleeting life of the world. Long have I been entertaining the desire to meet you. At last it has been fulfilled. In this world it is not always that man’s aspirations are satisfied. Time is the arbiter of man’s fortune; it brings about fulfilments and disappointments to him. [[78]]

I have disproved the positions of those who, accepting logic as the sole means of ascertaining truth, reject the scriptures. I have expounded the Vedic philosophy of ritualism; and I have lived a full life of the world with all its ups and downs. But I have not been able to overcome the power of time. I have committed two sins. One is that in my works I have rejected the idea of God. I have done this only to emphasise the importance of the Veda-to establish that the Veda is self-existent and self-certifying and requires no Iswara to establish its truth or validity. What I have done is to reject an Iswara as the cause of the world, and not an Iswara who is love and who redeems the world’s sorrows. Next, I have committed Guru-droha or persecution of my own teacher. It came this way: The land became full of Buddhists, and the adherents of the Vedas dwindled. So I planned to overcome these Buddhists and re-establish the dominance of the Vedic religion. Their leaders, along with the disciples, have been going about converting all kings to their faith and instigating them to reject the Vedas. They have been trying to establish that the Veda cannot be accepted as a true scripture, because of the mutual contradictions of their teachings, and on account of their inherent irrationality. I found no one in the land powerful enough to oppose these nefarious activities of theirs. So I confronted the Buddhists in philosophic debates, but as I had no mastery of their philosophy and their system of dialectics, I was not able to refute all their arguments. So I went in disguise to a Buddhist monastery as a student and stayed there as one among its inmates. Once a leading Buddhist spoke in my hearing, criticising the Vedas. This brought tears into my eyes. Those who were near me saw this. From that day onwards they began to suspect my identity and my intentions. “This man must be a Brahmana and an enemy of ours,’ they began to murmur among themselves. ‘He has come to study our philo- sophy surreptitiously. He must not be allowed to stay here any more. Somehow we must get rid of him.’ Conspiring against me in this way, these prophets of Ahimsa took me by force to the top of a high building and pushed me down. I then resolved in my mind: ‘If the Veda is truly revealed knowledge, then I shall not be hurt.’ Thus, I linked the validity of the Veda with my life. Because I used the conditional ‘if’, expressive of doubt, and because I learnt the Buddhist scriptures by deception, I lost one of

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THE MEETING WITH VYASA [[79]] my eyes in that fall as a punishment for these two sinful acts of mine. Such, indeed, is the will of God. Even one who teaches you a letter must be respected as a teacher. What to speak then of one who teaches you a whole branch of learning! The sin I com- mitted in deceiving my teacher is, indeed, heinous. I learnt philo- sophy from the Buddhists, and afterwards managed to destroy their tribe. I also refuted the doctrine of Iswara, because of my acceptance of, and faith in, the Purvamimamsa doctrine of Jaimini. It is as an expiation for these two sins that I am at present courting slow death in a furnace fed by paddy husk. But now, by your very sight, I have become sinless, and the rite of expiation I am doing has become superfluous. I have heard of your commentary, and I had once thought of writing a Vārtikam (explanatory treatise) on it. But now it is too late to think about all that. I know that you are born to protect the doctrine of Advaita and thereby give joy to all good men. If I had obtained your darsan earlier, I need not have undertaken this expiation. Having taken this vow and entered into this slow fire, I have not the good fortune of gaining reputation by writing a treatise elucidating your commentary, as I had by my work on Sabara’s commentary on the Purvamimamsa Sutras of Jaimini.”

Kumarila accepting Sannyasa

(106-121) To the great Bhatta who spoke thus with a face like a partially open lotus, the Acharya said: “I recognise you as an incarnation of Guha born for the eradication of Buddhists. Sin can never affect you, as you are a disinterested worker for the good of the world. You have taken this vow upon yourself only for the world’s welfare. I can save you even now from this fire by extinguishing it with water from my waterpot. It would, indeed, be fine if you write your proposed exegesis on my commentary.” Addressed in this way by that great knower of Brahman, Kumarila, who was a firm adherent of right conduct, replied: “Great one! However generous and reasonable your suggestion may be, I am not prepared to do something that people would interpret wrongly. I should not set a bad example for them. It is true that by a mere glance of yours, you can restore a person to life even long after his death. It is only child’s play for you to save me from the slow fire. Nevertheless, I do not wish to abandon this vow based on Vedic [[80]]

dictum and, thereby, leave a bad name and a bad example behind. I know your powers very well. You are the one who creates and destroys the worlds. What wonder then if such a person offers to save me! Still I do not wish to escape from this self-imposed Vedic vow, and my decision to die in this slow fire remains firm. But, O great teacher, you will be doing me a great service and giving me the highest satisfaction, if you will initiate me into Brahma-vidya. If you could manage to defeat Mandana, famous among scholars as the greatest exponent of the ritualistic interpre- tation of the Vedas, your path for the establishment of the doctrines of Advaita as the true Vedic teaching will be clear of all obstacles. His defeat will be equivalent to the defeat of all scholars of this school. He is the champion of the gospel of ritualistic works and of life in the world. He is ever engaged in the performance of rituals. He is a householder of great wealth, fame and learning. You have got to defeat this great opponent of the path of renun- ciation, and for this I would advise you to go to his place immedi- ately. His wife Ubhaya-bharati is also a great scholar. It is said that she is Saraswati herself born in a human body because of the curse of sage Durvasas. Mandana is superior even to me in his mastery of the philosophy of work. And among my disciples, he is the one dearest to me. Engaging yourself in debate with him, with Ubhaya-bharati as the umpire, you have to defeat him and make him your disciple. You can then entrust him with the duty of writing annotations on your works. As for myself, I have been able to meet you, who are equal to Siva Himself, at a critical period of my life. I crave you to be gracious enough to impart the knowledge of Brahman to me. Also I beseech you to remain here for a while until I die seeing before my eyes your form, which is the object of meditation for Yogis.” Sankara there- . fore decided to impart to him the knowledge of Brahman, the knowledge that dispels one’s ignorance about oneself and the world perceived outside. Kumarila then heard the words of Sankara imparting the knowledge of Brahman, and by his grace his sense of separate individuality was dispelled and he realised his oneness with the All-pervading Being. Sankara then proceeded ’to Mandana’s place, traversing the sky.

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