ABOUT Jagadguru SRI ADI SHANKARACHARYA

Meeting with Mandana Mishra

Sri Shankara learnt that there was a great learned person by the name Mandana Mishra who lived in Mahishmati and who followed the Karma Mimaamsa method of devotion. Sri Shankara arrived at his house and found his house was closed and Mandana Mishra was carrying out some rituals inside his house. Sri Shankara entered the house by using his powers. Mandana Mishra became very angry and shouted at Sri Shankara.

However, Mandana Mishra admired the intelligence of Sri Shankara and started discussions with him after completing the rituals. Sri Shankara said that there should be a judge to decide the winner and suggested that Ubhaya Bharathi, the wife of Mandana Mishra, to be the judge. Ubhaya Bharathi, who was extremely intelligent and learned, realised that Sri Shankara was none other than Lord Shiva, did not want to declare her husband as the loser. She suggested that both of them should wear a garland of flowers and whichever garland fades first, that person would be the loser. Naturally, Sri Shankara won.

As per the original condition, Mandana Mishra became an ascetic and started to leave the house. Unable to bear the separation, Ubhaya Bharathi stood transfixed and told Sri Shankara that according to our faith, the husband and wife, even though have two bodies, are spiritually one and she would be incomplete without her husband.

Sri Shankara accepted this and started discussion with this lady. Ubhaya Bharathi showered questions like rain and Sri Shankara gave very beautiful answers and Ubhaya Bharathi acknowledged him, and followed Sri Shankara and her husband's footsteps.

In their travels, they reached Sringeri in Karnataka, which is on the banks of Tunga. While Sri Shankara and Mandana Mishra were walking, Ubhaya Bharathi did not move and stood fixed in the sands of Tunga. Sri Shankara turned back and realised by his divine powers that Ubhaya Bharathi did not want to proceed any further and created a seat for her for spreading the Advaita. This seat is today called the Sharada Peetham or the Seat of Sharada. This was the first Mutt installed by Sri Shankara, with the direction that all the heads of the Mutts will be called Shankaracharayas and they will have a lineage of Shishyas or disciples.

Last rites of mother performed

When Sri Shankara was in Sringeri, he divined by his superior powers that his mother was in her deathbed, and as per his promise while taking Sanyas that he would be by her side while she breathes her last, he reached Kaladi and paid his last respects to the old lady. Aryamba was happy that her son had come back. Sri Shankara prayed to Lord Venkateswara who appeared in person and blessed Aryamba. Sri Shankara did the last rites for his mother but the people of Kaladi said that a Sanyasi does not have the right to do the last rites, but he did not hear that and carried the body of Aryamba and put her in the pyre himself and lit it himself

After the death of his mother, he went all over the country and converted the people of other faith to Advaita. He revived a number of temples and using his powers, he established a number of Yentras in these temples to spread the blessings of Parasakthi. During his travels, he arrived at Kolluru of Mukambika, a religious place in Karnataka. A poor brahmin came to Sri Shankara with his deaf and dumb son and prostrated before Sri Shankara. Sri Shankara asked the boy, "who are you?". The dumb and deaf child, for the first time, opened his mouth and explained, "The body is not me, it is the Paramatma who is my body." Sri Shankara was pleased with his answer and he gave an amla fruit and named this boy as Hastaaamalaka. (Hastaa means hand and Amalaka means amala). Hastaamalaka became one of the principle disciples of Sri Shankara.

Sri Shankara, with his three principle disciples, namely, Sri.Padmapada, Sri.Sureshwara (Mandana Mishra) and Sri.Hastaamalaka, went from place to place, and preached Advaita. Sri Shankara gave intense training to his disciples. One of the other disciples, Giri, while listening to the discourses, would not ask any doubts, would not open his mouth, and would be silent all the time. Some of the other disciples thought that this Giri did not know anything. One day, all the disciples were ready to listen to Sri Shankara's discourses. Sri Shankara waited for Giri to arrive. Ultimately, Giri turned up but instead of keeping silent on that day, burst forth into eight slokas which had never been heard by the disciples earlier. These were the creation of Giri. On hearing this, all the disciples felt ashamed andpraised Giri. These slokas are called "Thotakaashtakam". Giri was named as Thotaka by Sri Shankara.

Vishnu Pathathi Keshanta Stotra

Sri Sankara visited Tirupathi and recited the Sloka "Vishnu pathathi keshanta stotra" which describes the Lord from his foot to the head. He wanted the people to visit the Lord in great numbers and get his blessings, he established an yantra. From that day the number of followers of the temple increased and is increasing day by day.

Rejuvenation of Badrinarayan temple

Sri Shankara completed his travels and went to Badrinath. Lord Vishnu appeared before him and told that his sculpture in Alaknanda river should be taken out and a temple should be built for it. This temple is called Badrinarayan temple and is one of the important religious places for Hindus.

Once completion his mission, only at the age of 32, on Kartik full moon day in 820 AD, he left for Kailash to merge with the supremshankara (Lord Shiva)

In the form of his works he is still alive; people across the world are being benefited by Adi Shankara making him eternal. The very fact that Hinduism is still a dynamic and all-encompassing religion stands as ample testimony to the deeds of Adi Shankaracharya. Apart from being the champion of Advaita philosophy, one of his invaluable contributions towards Hinduism was the reordering and restructuring of the ancient Sannyasa order. These Sannyasis help eternal code of life contained in the Vedas, still flows as the dynamic force underlying and unifying all humanity reach the masses.

Books written by Adi Sankara

•  A Bhasya on the Brahma Sutra.
•  Bhashyas upon the Eisha, Kena Katha, Prasna, Mundak, Mandookya, Taittireya, Chandogya, Brihadaranyak, Nrsinhatapaneeya Upanishads and also the Shreemad Bhagwadgeeta and Sanatsujateeya commentary on the Brhadaranyaka Upanishad.
•  240 works of strotras like Upvansh Strotra, Vivekchudamani, Aparokshanubhuti and 80 contextual works.

Four Major Mathas in Four Regions of India