II Sri Adi Śaṅkarācārya - श्री आदि शङ्कराचार्य II
Sōpānaṁ : 21 Towards Kedār :
The Bhāshyam contains the exposition of the meaning of mantras, assertion of one’s own opinions, & refutation of objections.
The Acharya’s commentaries are Simple, Delightful & Profound.
Among all the Bhāshyas, the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Bhāshya is the most insightful & the most Profound.
Bhagvadpāda composed the Bhāshyas & instructed them to the disciples three times.
Keeping the essence of these Bhāshyas in his heart, the ‘prakarana granthas’ that were written later,
were intended only for the best among seekers.
Texts like ;
vivekacūḍāmaṇi,
Upadeśa Sāhasrī,
Sarva Vedānta Siddhānta Sāra Saṅgraham,
Aparokṣānubhūti
were composed for the discriminating seekers who had no interest in debates & arguments, but were interested only in Sādhana &
Self-experience.
There are a number of other simple Prākaraṇas like ;
Ātmabōdha &
Proudhānubhūti.
Each of them is deep & profound and among them Dakṣiṇāmūrti Stotram remains the Crown Jewel, worthy of deserving a Vārtika (independent commentary).
The Knowledge of the Self
will dawn for a mature seeker by contemplating on Dakṣiṇāmūrti Stotram alone.
All these were written from time to time to instruct & bless the Disciples.
After completing the Bhāshyas, the group of ascetics resumed their journey from Vyāsatīrtha & arrived at Jyotirdhām.
The disciples wished to go to Kedār & Acharya agreed to it.
Knowing that Acharya was going to Kedār, the king made arrangements to restore all the temples Enroute.
In Uttarakhand, a pleasant breeze carrying the fragrance of Brahmavidya started blowing.
The Path was quite a difficult one ; They crossed,
Nanda Prayag,
Kalpeswaram (the 5th Kedār),
Gopeswaram,
Anasuyadevi,
Rudranath (the 4th Kedār),
Tunganath ( the 3rd Kedār),
Sonitapura (the erstwhile capital of King Bana),
GuptaKasi (the 2nd Kedār),
Narayanasthana.
Passing through ;
Mahishamardhini,
Sakambari,
Triyuginarayanam,
They reached Gauri Kund.
From Gauri Kund, one has to go through Chiravasabhairavam & Bhimasenasthanam to enter Kedār.
Kedār is triangular in shape, Extreme cold weather prevails here.
Here Mahadeva performs penance
in absolute solitude in his majestic form.
Acharya, along with the disciples, worshipped the Bhagavan.
days in Kedār, they started towards Gomukh, the source of the Ganga & after this pilgrimage they returned to Gangotri.
Here Acharya installed a Shiva LInga & an idol of Gangadevi & proclaimed that offering worship there is equivalent to a pilgrimage to Gomukh.
Acharya &
disciples reached the spot where Bhagirathi turns northward ( known as Uttara Kashi today ).
At this time Acharya was 16 years Old!
The pilgrimage of Acharya helped in reviving all the tirthas of Uttarakhand.
Now, withdrawing from all external activities Acharya started living
in a cave on the banks of the Ganga.
Mostly he remained in a state of samadhi.
realised d infinite Brahman in his heart as something (inexplicable) of d essence of eternal Knowledge& complete Bliss,
which is Unparalleled,
which is beyond all Limitations,
which is Ever free,
which has no activity & which is Indivisible
& absolute like d limitless sky."
The disciples & the devotees watched the stillness of Acharya with Awe.
The Profound peace of Self-Experience was truly palpable in the presence of the Acharya.
A Divine Meeting :
During this period, one day, long before Sunrise an aged ascetic came & stood before the cave.
Acharya’s disciples greeted the unusual visitor at the entrance.
The presence of this agile old man mysteriously had an impact on the Acharya.
Now Padmapāda had noticed that Acharya had got up & was getting ready for a bath, Coming out of the cave,
Acharya stood silently for a moment & greeted the ascetic.
Padmapāda wondered about the true identity of the elderly ascetic, who, by his mere presence had influenced the inner state of the Acharya.
Thus ends the twenty-first Sōpānaṁ.
I ओम् तत् सत् I
I Om Tat Sat I
• • •
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Whether it is the Human personality or the Plant specimen or Animal entity, no one wants to Die or Suffer any Agony & Pain.
Instead,
there is a positive effort at all times for the Acquisition of Knowledge & the enjoyment of pleasure &
for the Self-Preservation of the Individuality.
Nothing can remain away from its Dhārma (essential nature) –
there cannot be Cool Fire or a Dark Sun.
Every object must express its own Essential Nature.
“O God! Let there be born in the kingdom ‘brahmanas’ with ‘brahmatejas’ (divine lustre) who are well versed in the Vedas;
Let there be born the ‘Rajanya,’ heroic, skilled kings, archers & mighty selfless warriors ;
Cows giving abundant milk; Oxen good at carrying; the swift coursers; industrious, cultural women.
May ‘Parjanya’ (Rain-God, identified with Indra) send seasonal rains ;
Circa 1296(Feb month), Alaudding Khalji was the first Muslim ruler to unleash the terror southward & it opened the floodgates of Untold Devastation, Destruction & Desecration of Sanatana Dharma in South India by the muslim invaders.
This went on for the next 500 Years !
There was some relief in between during the Vijayanagara dynasty & some other brave Hindu rulers but the shadow of threat always loomed.
The situation, however, deteriorated in the 17th-18th centuries, and the Dikshitars (temple priests),
Why our Ancient Rishis were the Greatest Scientists :
What exactly is Science?
Science is something that tries to discover the different Laws of Nature.
The Ancient Rishis who were the custodians of our Culture were the greatest Scientists ever known.
Hanuman states very clearly that his greatness was due to his constant effort and not due to his inborn character, that of an ordinary monkey.
Brahmajñāna ~ ब्रह्मज्ञान is possible for all.
Mokṣā ~ मोक्ष, “liberation,” is everybody’s birthright.
In his case, Hanuman declares that his entire spiritual development was attained by single-pointed devotion to god.
He who constantly thinks of the Supreme becomes Supreme.