Author: Shankarasampradayakosh

Shivarahasyam – Kashi and Kanchi – Part 2

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The twentieth Chapter (Seventh Amsa) of the Shivarahasya speaks of the greatness of Kanchi and the Kotitirtha mahatmyam and Ekamreshvara and how praying to Shri Kamakshi and Ekamranatha removes all papas.

It is also noteworthy to add here that there is a Vishveshvara temple and a Muktimandapa on the banks of Sarvatirtha just as there is in Kashi.

Shiva says, “O Devi! Where Vegavati nadi flows, there is a city named Kanchipuri. There even Brahma and other devas always desire to live. My lingasvarupa named Ekamresha is there, the darshana of it removes all papas instantaneously”.

देवि काञ्चीपुरी काचिद्यत्र वेगवती नदी ।

तत्र वासमपेक्षन्ते नित्यं ब्रह्मादयः सुराः ॥

एकाम्रेशाभिधं लिङ्गं तत्रास्त्येकं मदात्मकम् ।

तद्दर्शनेन पापानि विनश्यन्ति क्षणादिव ॥

Vishnu details the story of a famine that lasted for many years.The Rshis went to Gautama and Gautam due to his tapobala created food. The Rshis then created a fake cow to eat the nivara dhanya and sent it to Gautama. Seeing the cow, Gautama Maharshi threw a blade of grass and the cow fell down and Gautama thought he had committed gohatya.

Later knowing the action of the Rshis, he cursed them that they will lose shraddha in the vedokta bhasma and rudraksha dharana, Somavara vrata, Shivaratra vrata and even faith in Kashivasa and lose Shivabhakti. The Rshis were crestfallen.

Vishnu then continues that all efforts must be taken not to attain this state of “ashaankaratva” and one must do Shivapuja. He further instructs Brahma to worship knowing that this devi of divine form the mother of Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva and Indra as Kamakshi.

ब्रह्मविष्णुशिवेन्द्रादिजननी दिव्यविग्रहा ।

कामाक्षीति विचार्याब्जसम्भवैनां प्रपूजय ॥

Thus Shiva concludes that Brahma as instructed by Vishnu staying in Kanchipuram worshipped me, Ekamranatha with great effort.

महादेव उवाच

इत्युक्तो विष्णुना ब्रह्मा मामेवैकाम्रनायकम् ।

सम्पूज्यातिप्रयत्नेन काञ्चीवासं चकार ह ॥ (2/3)

Shivarahasyam – Kashi and Kanchi – Part 1/3

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Shivarahasyam is rightly called an itihasa ratnam and it imparts Shiva bhakti. It begins with Skanda expounding the efficacy of Shivabhakti to Jaigishavya muni.

This voluminous text has 18 parvas and around 1,00,000 slokas making it longer than the Mahabharata. The work is divided into 12 amsas and 1000 adhyayas/chapters. This voluminous work though existing in manuscript form was not printed by the Sarasvati Mahal until 1932 and Shri Chandrashekharendra Saraswati Mahaswamigal expressed anguish that the chances of this rare itihasa getting lost is inevitable. Then the Saraswati Mahal took efforts and printing the Shivarahasyam manuscript which was procured from Varanasi by the Maharaja of Tanjore.

  • The seventh amsha begins with the first chapter that contains a Shivasahasranama taught by Shiva Himself to Parvati. Subsequent adhayas in this amsha elaborate on the efficacy and greatness of Kashi. Bhagavan Shiva Himself says that Devendra and other devatas leave swarga with all its bhoga and come to Kashi seeking Mukti.

    स्वर्गभोगमपि त्यक्त्वा देवेन्द्राद्यमराः सदा ।
    काशीवासमपेक्षन्ते मुक्त्यर्थं सर्वसाधनैः ॥
  • Shiva then describes the layout of Kashi covering Panchakrosha – an area equivalent to five kroshas (equivalent to approximately 6.5 miles).
  • The third adhyaya details the importance of antargrha yatra / inner circuit of Vishvesha and the rules to be followed during antargrhayatra.
  • The fifth adhyaya talks of the qualifications to reside in Kashi and the vihitachara prescribed for those living in Kashi
  • The sixth adhyaya speaks of the greatness of Gnanavapi
  • The seventh chapter describes the grandeur of Muktimandapa
  • The eighth adhyaya describes the charitam of the five-year old balaka Dandapani and his intense tapas
  • The ninth adhyaya describes the stories of the Shivadvija in Kashi as told by Shiva and Vireshvara Charitam as described by Brahma.
  • The tenth adhya has a varnanam of the Pashupatakunda
  • The eleventh chapter describes the Vishnu doing Shiva Puja and aradhana in Omkareshvara Kshetra in the middle of Kashi, following the Shivastuti and Vishnu’s receiving the Sudarshana Chakra.
  • The twelfth adhyaya describes the Kedareshvara lingavaibhavam in Kashi.
  • The thirteenth chapter begins with the sages asking Suta Pauranika the qualifications for a person who resides in Kashi and Suta Pauranika detailing them.
  • The fourteenth chapter of the Shivarahasya consists of Shiva sending Nandikeshvara to see Skanda who is immersed in Shivayoga. Nandikeshvara then visits Kashi does abhisheka of Vishveshvara with water from the Manikarnika with water and milk. He then proceeds to see Skanda in Shrishailam and this chapter contains the greatness of Shrishailam and the charitam of Atri muni.
  • The fifteenth chapter talks of the procedure to do Shivapuja and the comparative benefits of doing Shivapuja in Vrddhachalam, Kanchi, Shrishailam, Kashi and the antargrha in Kashi.
  • The sixteenth,seventeenth and eighteenth, ninteenth chapters outline the shiva nama mahima and the things that are needed for Shiva Puja and the greatness of Shivabhakti. (1/3)

Shri Shankaracharya in Prayaga Kshetra

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तस्मात् प्राप प्रयागाख्यं स्थलं पुण्षविवर्धनम् ।

गङ्गायाः यमुनायाश्च सरस्वत्याश्च सङ्गमम् ॥

-Anandagiri Sankaravijaya, Prakarana 35

श्रितमुर्मुरमुद्धरंस्त्रिवेण्यां यतिराड् भट्टमघानि वो वितृष्णात् ॥

– Gururatnamalika

Madalapanji’s connection to Shri Shankara Bhagavadpada and His Five Mathas – 3

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Sectarian Conflict at Jagannath

According to the Madala Panji, the historical chronicles of the Jagannath temple, the images Shri Shnkaracharya a and Shri Padmapada were also placed on the Ratnasimhasana of Jagannatha and regularly worshipped until the reign of Raja Divyasimha Dova of Khurda (1787-1793 C.E).

However, at a later time, they were relocated from that position and unfortunately vandalized by members of another sect. Some say that the image of Bhairava, placed near the deity was removed by the person belonged to another sect who was in charge of Administration of the temple . The efforts made by local Advaita mathas to address this issue were not entirely successful, but they were able to partially maintain their rights within the temple.

Despite these sectarian conflicts, it is noteworthy that the royal dynasty of Odisha continued the tradition of granting access to the Shankaracharyas of the FIVE Mathas to reach the Ratna Simhasana of Shri Jagannath and perform worship in accordance with the established customs.

Sacred Honors to FIVE Shankara Mathas in Puri Jagannath Temple – 2

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Sacred Honors to FIVE Shankara Mathas in Puri Jagannath Temple… 2

In Puri, apart from the Govardhana Matha, there are four other Mathas: They are, Sankarananda Matha, Sivatirtha Matha, Gopala Tirtha Matha and Mahiprakasa Matha. The first three are supervised by dandi Sanyasis, while Mahiprakasa Matha is a Brahmacari Matha.

The Chamu Chitau – Royal Records

According to a historical record found in Chamu Chitau, Maharaja Bir Kishore Dev of Puri issued specific instructions regarding the privileges to be observed in the Jagannath Temple during the visit of the Shankaracarya of Govardhana Peetha. These instructions granted the Pandits of Govardhana Matha, Sankarananda Matha, Sivatirtha Matha, Gopalatirtha Matha, and the Brahmacharis of Mahiprakasa Matha the right to approach the Ratna Simhasana of Jagannath Purushottama Mahaprabhu.

On the 7th day of the Karkataka month, in the 14th year of his reign, Maharaja Bir Kishore Dev of Puri, Orissa, sent a communication to the Manager of the Purushottama (Jagannatha) temple. This letter provided detailed instructions regarding the honors to be accorded to the Acaryas of the FIVE Shankaracarya Mathas.

This correspondence briefly conveys the Maharaja’s order to the responsible officer in charge of the Jagannath Temple in Puri. This order directed the officer to make appropriate arrangements for the darshan of Sri Jagannatha when the Shankaracaryas of the FIVE Mathas visit Puri for darshan. This Ancient Royal Record underscores the Royal Honors given to the FIVE Shankaracharya Mathas, highlighting their importance.

The reason why the Orissa Royal House, Puri Jagannath Temple Authorities, and Pandits of Utkala Desha acknowledged all the FIVE Mathas instead of the four is a question that specifically awaits an answer from mathamnaya theorists.

The Lost Leaves

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The Lost Leaves – (Inquiry on the Mystery of the Missing Portion of Valliisahaya’s Manuscript on Sri Sankaracharya and Kanchipuram.)

Vallisahaya Kavi of the Vadhula gotra was a contemporary of Sri Abhinava Narasimha Bharati Swami, the 28th Pontiff at Tunga Sringeri matha from 1767 to 1770 C.E. He is the author of the Acarya Digvijya Champu in 7 kolahalas.

In his work, Vallisahaya pays homage to Anandagiri and Vidyasankara, primarily following the Cidvilasa-Anandagiri version. Notably, he explicitly mentions Mandanamisra as the grihastha name of Suresvara and Sarasvani as Mandanamisra’s wife’s name. However, he does not appear to be aware of anyone by the name of Visvarupa.

Unfortunately, the manuscript of Vallisahaya’s work is incomplete, with the narrative abruptly ending after recounting Sri Sankaracharya’s visit to Kanchi. Eminent scholars opine that since the manuscript abruptly ends with Kanchi, it is reasonable to presume that the remaining verses of Sankara’s stay and samadhi, as per Vallisahaya’s account, were intended to be in Kanchi as well.

This missing section could have contained valuable insights into Sankara’s final days, his spiritual attainment, and his connection to Kanchi.

It is possible that individuals who disagreed with this fact might have deliberately removed that portion of the manuscript.

Despite the missing section of the Acarya Digvijya Champu, scholars continue to explore alternative sources to glean insights into Sankara’s final days in Kanchi, the only Mokshapuri in South India.

( Sources: 1. PROBLEMS OF IDENTITY- MANDANA MISRA-SURESVARA By Vidyasagara Vidyavacaspati P P SUBRAHMANYA SASTRI B.A. (OXON), M.A., Professor of Sanskrit, & Comparative Philology, Presidency College, and Curator, Government Oriental Mss Library, Madras.

Sri Sankara gurukulam Journal, Vani Vilas Press, Srirangam.

2. THE PLACE OF SANKARA’S DISAPPEARANCE By W.R.Antarkar, The Asiatic Society of Mumbai Journal.)

SRI SANKARA BHAGAVATPADACHARYA – A BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ANALYSIS

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SRI SANKARA BHAGAVATPADACHARYA – A BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ANALYSIS

(1) Sivarahasya : Ascended the Pitha at Kanchi and stayed there till the end.

(2) Sankarabhyudaya : Ascended the Pitha at Kanchi and stayed to the last.

(3) Anandagiri Sankaravijaya : Established the Kamakoti Pitha At Kanchi, founded a Supreme Matha there and

(4) Markandeya Samhita : Established the Pitha and Matha at Kanchi. Ascended the Pitha at Kanchi, established His Supreme Matha and stayed to the last.

(5) Gururatnamalika : Established the Pitha and Matha at Kanchi. Ascended the Pitha at Kanchi, established His supreme Matha and stayed to the last.

(6) Guruparampara Stotra (Hultzsch) :Established his Ashrama or Matha at Kanchi with Surevara as successor and stayed there to the last.

(7) Sankaracharya Charitram: Ascended the Sarvajña Pitha at Kanchi and stayed till the last at Vrsachala or Gajachala (Hastigiri).

(8) Patanjali Carita : Stayed at Kanchi to the end.

(9) Cidvilasiya : Founded the Sarvajña Pitha at Kanchi and thence went to Kailasa.

(10) Madhaviya Sankara vijaya : Ascended the Sarvajña Pitha at Kashmir and thence to Kailasa.