Sri Sankaracarya climbed up Seshachala and had darshan of Lord Venkatesa. It was here that the Acarya sang the Vishupadadikesanta verses in praise of Hari.
This tamil pamphlet published by an adherent of the Tunga Sringeri matha, contains a brief note on the Biography of Sri Sankara Bhagavadpada (as found in the 19th century Samkshepa Sankarajaya of Navakalidasa Madhava) and Tanjore Mahratta mural image of the Acarya with His Four Sishyas.
The Great Shankaracharya,
(Life-time From B. C. 42 to B. C. 10.)
ஸ்ரீஜகத்குரு ஆதிசங்கராசாரிய ஸ்வாமி ஜீவித காலம் கல்யப்தம் 3058 முதல் 3090 வரை அதாவது வயது 32. ஜனன பூமி மலையாளத்திலுள்ள காலட்டி அக்ரஹாரம், இம்மஹானது ஏழாவது ஆண்டிலேயே சகலகலாவல்ல ஜகத்பூஜியராய், 16-வது ஆண்டில் கோவிந்தபாதரைச் சற்குருவாய்ற்றேர்ந்து ஸந்நியாஸாச்ரமத்தைப் பெற்று ஸ்ரீசக்கிரம், நவக்ரஹ யந்திரம், சந்திரமௌளீஸ்வர லிங்கம், நரசிங்க சாளிக்கிராமமிவைகளை யளிக்கப் பெற்றார்கள். பின்னர் ஸ்ரீகாசிக்குச் சென்று….
Sri Sankara Bhagavadpada had darshan of His Preceptor Sri Govinda Bhagavadpada 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 Bhagavat Gita, 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.
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 Bhagavadpada Parampara:—
“The author has taken great pains to sift and test the Various dates till now in the market of Shanakra’s birth and has chosen 509 B.C. as the most likely.
We congratulate him upon having hit the right nail on the head; it will please him to know that the ancient Tibetian records support him. For Shankara came in just 57 years and 9 months after the Nirvana of Buddha. He need not have wavered in his decision and put forth an alternative date of 44 B.C. of the Sringeri matha.
The life account of Shankara contains nothing new; and the author might have thrown overboard much of the heavy useless ballast of the various Shankara Vijayas and sail his craft lightly…………. The works now current might more properly be from the pen of the “Abinava Shankara of the Eight Century.”
This work has 2016 slokas in Nagara character which contain Tantric rituals for the worship of various forms of S’akti.
Gadyavallari was written by Nijátmá – prakás’ánandanátha Mallikárjuna Yogíndra in the18th century. A paper manuscript of this work was ccollected from Bihar State.
A brief reference about this Tantrik work is also found in the Notices of Sanskrit Manuscripts by R. L. Mitra, No. 2261, published by the orders of the Government of Bengal, Vol.VIzi, Calcutta, 1884.
This work opens with a list of the Gurus belonging to the S’añkarácharya Parampara. After naming some of the earliest Preceptors of Advaita such as S’iva, Vishņu, Vas’ishtha, Parásara, &c., the line of succession from S’añkaracharya runs thus:
1, Sankara;
2, Bodhaghana Achárya;
3, Jnánaghana;
4, Jnánottamas’iva;
5, Jnánagiri;
6, Simhagiri;
7, I’s’vara Tírtha;
8, Nrisimha Tirtha;
9, Vidyátirthas’íva;
10, Bharati Tirtha;
11, Vidyáranyaguru;
12, Malayánandadeva Tirtha Saraswatí;
13, Yádavendra Saraswatí;
14, …… sarasvati;
15, Srínrisimha Saraswatí;
16, Mádhavendra Saraswatí;
17, Mallikarjuna Yogindra;
18, Rámadeva;
19, Dáyadeva Yati;
20, Gananánanda;
21, Chidghanánanda;
22, A’nanda-chitpratibimba.
The succession list of Gurus of the Sringeri Matha given in the Guruvamsa Kávya of the Sringeri matha substantially agrees with that given in Gadyavallari written in 1435 Saka.. 1736 C.E. (upto Vidyaranya). It is to be noted that the names of Gurus starting from Malayananda Deva (Sringin or Malayala Brahmendra?) are not found in the recently published list of Gurus of the Matha.
A SHORT HISTORY OF JAGATHGURU SRI SANKARACHARYA AND HIS SUCCESSORS ON HOLY THRONE Compiled By Pandit Ramaswami Sastri with the help of Mahratta Pandits – Sri Vani Vilas Press, Srirangam (1915)
