Last Days of Adi Shankaracharya- A Perusal of various sources- 6 : Ramabhadra Dikshita’s Patanjali Charitam And Shankarabhyudayam of Rajachudamani Dikshita , the disciples of Nilakanta Dikshita (Palamadai).
Last Days of Adi Shankaracharya- A Perusal of various sources- 5 : Madhaviya Shankaravijayam, Advaitarajyalakshmi commentary (Verse 103 of Sarga 16)
Last Days of Adi Shankaracharya- A Perusal of various sources- 4 : GuruParampara namamala of Dakshinamnaya Sringeri (Kudali) matha, Shimoga Dist. Karnataka.
Last Days of Adi Shankaracharya- A Perusal of various sources- 2 & 3 : Sivarahasya – Sringeri Pandit’s translation into Kannada.
Last Days of Adi Shankaracharya- A Perusal of various sources-1 : Anandagiriya Shankaravijayam – 74th Prakaranam.
दसो दिशाओं के संरक्षक उपर्युक्त दशनामी संन्यासियों की संगठन शक्ति अक्षुण्ण बनी रहे और कालान्तर में उनके संगठन में किसी पृथकतावादी तत्त्व का समावेश न होने पाये, इसके लिये उन्होंने दशनाम संन्यासियों को निम्न रुप से एक ही शरीर के विभिन्न अंगों के रूप में प्रतिपादित किया-
” ब्रह्मरन्ध्रे पुरी चैव ललाटे चैव भारती जिह्वाग्रे सरस्वती चैव बाहौ च गिरिपर्वतौ।
कुक्षौ तु सागरश्चैव वनारण्यौ च जंघयोःपादोः तीर्थश्रमौ चैव दशनाम प्रकीर्तिताः।”
Sareeraka Meemamsa Bhashya (Brahmasutra Bhashya) of Shri Shankaracarya, printed at Venkatesvara (Steam) Press, Bombay, was published in 1913.
Mahavidvan Kasi Sesha Venkatachala Sastri (Dharmadhikari and Hereditary Court Pandit of the Maharajas of Mysore) who has edited the work, has written a lengthy Bhumika, (preface) to the Bhashya, in Sanskrit, which contains much of information about Shri Sankara Bhagavatpada’s date, His life, Shankarite Institutions etc.
He has concluded his discussion on ‘Shri Shankaracharya’s time (vide page 59 of Bhumika (preface) to Sareeraka mimamsa Bhashya), with the following observation:
‘’ तथा गच्छत्वमितो बलवर्माण ततो जयसिंह ततः कृष्णगुप्तमिति इति (ब्रह्मसूत्र भाष्ये ४ / ३ / ५) श्रीमच्छङ्कर भगवतत्पादैरुक्तस्तात्कालिक बलवर्म- जयसिंहः कृष्णगुप्तसामयिक एव पूर्णवर्मापि ग्राह्यः स च कलेः २००० वर्षानन्तर एव, नत्वंगलशकस्य सप्तमशतकादिः, स एव समयो भाष्यकृच्छङ्कर-भगवत्पादानां समय इति शिष्टं परिशिष्टे स्पष्टंप्रतिपादयिष्यते । “
The above passage in Sanskrit states that on the basis of Shri Shankaracharya’s observations in the Sutrabhashya (4-3-5 ) it is clear that the period of Shri Shankaracharya must be only after the elapse of 2000 years of the Kaliyuga.
– A.K.A
Sri Sankara Bhagavatpada had darshan of His Preceptor Sri Govinda Bhagavatpada at a place (cave) on the banks of the Narmada river.
Later, as per the wishes of Sri Govinda Bhagavatpada, Sri Sankaracharya crossed the forests of Central India and in due course reached the sacred mokshapuri of Varanasi where he stayed on for a pretty long time.
His illustrious commentaries on the Brahma-Sutras, the Upanisads, the BhagavadGita, the Vishnu – Sahasranama, the composition of the smaller pieces such as the Gangashtaka, the Manisha panchaka etc., are assigned to the period of His Stay at Kashi.
A verse in the Guruvamsa Kavya, remarks on the manuscript of this Kavya in the Annual report of the Mysore Archaeological Department for the year 1928 (Govt. Press, Bangalore) and an inscription in the Brahmendra Matha at Sivalaya Ghat in Varanasi clearly indicate Sri Sankara Bhagavatpada’s establishing religious institutions in the form of Mathas at important places which He visited or wherein He stayed for long.
The Guruvamsakavya speaks of the Acharya’s founding of *five mathas* at Varanasi, four for His principal disciples and one for Himself.
” वाराणसीं योगिवरोऽधिगम्य भुजैरिव श्रीहरिरेष शिष्यैः ।
सहात्मना पञ्चमठानमीषां प्रकल्प्य तस्थौ कतिचिद्दिनानि “II
-(Verse 23-Canto III).
On pages 15 to 20 of the Annual Report of the Mysore Archaeological Department mentioned above, the following remarks on the Guruvamsakavya are found:-
” It follows that the author was the contemporary of Somasekhara II (1714-1739) of Keladi when Sacchidananda Bharati (1705-1741) adorned the pontifical seat at Sringeri.
(Kashi) Lakshmana Sastri, the author, seems to have been a very good scholar and as he composed the work under the orders of Sachchidananda Bharati. It may be reasonably presumed that he faithfully copied all available traditional information about the successive teachers of Sringeri “.
On page 16 of this Report the founding of an important Matha at Varanasi by Sri Sankaracharya is noted-
” The author says that He (Sri Sankaracharya) set up five Mathas and mentions the names of Sringeri, Kanchi, Badri, Kashi and Jagannatha.”
The following inscription in the Brahmendra Matha in Varanasi (referred to earlier) points to a line of Acharyas belonging to Sri Sankara Bhagavatpada Parampara:—
” जगद्गुरो शंकरस्य पारम्पर्यक्रमागतः ।
शिष्यः सन्मार्गनिष्णातः चन्द्रशेखर नामकः ।
तस्य शिष्यो विश्वनाथयतीन्द्रो योगिनां वरः ।…”
(1/2)
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.
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.
