Sri Sankara

Author : ShankaraNarayanan S Publisher: Adyar Library and Research Center ] The Theosophical

Society Press First Edition third Reprint 2011

ISBN [10]: 81-85141-14-2 ISBN [13]: 978-81-85141-14-5

ForeWord Radha Burnier

Swami Smarananda [ Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION

Rabindranath Tagore's Quote ... love for India, 1.Satyam Gnanam Anantam Brahma

Santam Shivam Advaitam

Biographies = 33 accounts Brihaccankaravijaya 1&2 = Chitsukhacharya 1220 AD? Sankaravijaya of Ananda-Giri

Sivarahasya tradition} Sankara was born in chidambaram

Sankara-Vijaya of Madhava Minister for Harihara Bukka 1300s ?vidyaranya of sringeri math

Vyasa-cala mahadevendra saraswati of Kanchi peetham 1498-1507

Brahmaananda disciple of sarvajna-atman, author of sanksepa-saariraka

Hostile Accounts Dwaita Works

Madhava Vijaya ManiManjari

Buddhism History = Taranatha Sankara leapt into Ganga after losing to Dharma-kirti

Criticism they are very late and full of exaggerative and hyperbolic

statements, 16.

State of history writing in India Poetic license Kumarila Bhatta in Mimamsa Vartika

states that even valmiki and Vyasa used poetic license in narratives

CHAPTER II: BACKGROUND HISTORICAL SOCIAL &

RELIGIOUS

Bhartrhari on the advent of extraordinary man; Quote 22.

2 fold Dharma of Bharat Pravriti [ Rituals and Scriptures ] Nivritti [ renunciation, enquiry, negation ] Decline and its restoration by the Divine, 23.

Condition of Dharma on the eve of Sri Sankara's arrival

The supremacy of Buddhism, 26.

6 schools of Dharma Sankhya: Oldest

inert material cause, [ pradhaana] ○ denouncing supremeness, ++ no God Particle ○ Satkarya vada [ theory of causation, effects exist subtly in the cause]

Nyaya nyaya vartika b udhyottakara 600AD? fight against buddhism

Vaisesikha, Yoga, Purva-Mimamsa,

Authors Jaimini, Upavarsa, Sabar-svamin ++ pravritti dharma ++ Karma Bhartru-prapanca = found it difficult to understand how Nivritti was an

independent path in itself The Bhakti school, 29.

Vedanta

Prasthanatraya = Brahmasutras ++ Upanishads ++ Bagavadgita

Advaita

Northern school of Vedanta, Gaudapãda

?Alleged Buddhistic features of Gauda pada's Karikas mandukya kaarika = commentary on Mandukya upanishad Buddhism picks off vedanta as Mahedra-varma I pallava 600 AD

noted Govinda Bhagavatpada. ,

Mahabhasya of Patanjali, grammarian Real name chandra-svamin , 4 sons : bhartruhari being one of them

○ who propounded - sabda-advaita vaada [ wave theory ] Kashmir / Ujjain

Southern school of Vedanta Brahmanandin, = Chandogya Vaakya, [atri] Dramidacarya.= Bhasya on the above vaakya [atri] Sundara Pandya= varttika on sariraka mimansa vritti by

upavarsa

3 degrees of reality illusory rope snake Absolute Brahman phenomenal reality

Sri Sankara unified all the above into 1

single framework

CHAPTER III: LIFE oF SRI SANKARA: BIRTH

Quotes by Veda Vyasa and Max Müller on the limitations of logic. 39

Scenic land of Kerala Parasu-Rãmaksetra, 41. Cidvilasa -= 15 verse description , purna, Curni, Aluwa,

Periyar,

Alwaye Kaaladi Kaipillli house

Atri Gotra Atri [book 5, svarbhanu, Sun ] taittiriya YajurVeda, 10K students a-tri free from rajas tamas, sat. Anusuya, ++ Dandaka Forest Sivaguru Father title : Vidhya-adhiraja Makha Pandita FIL / Meputtur Aryamba Mother Tri-sivaperur [ Trissur ] Blessing for son

Vrsa-cala Bull hill ++ Dakshina Kailasa

Legend of Sankara as Siva Muruga = Kumarila bhatta Indra = King Sudhanva Brahma = Visvarupa mandana Misra

Sarasvati as wife ubhaya bharati Vishnu = Padmapada Vayu = Hastamaalaka ….

Sankara Birth Pancami, Vaisakha [ May / June ]

Guru poornima today Nakshatra

○ punarvasu 7 Rama ○ ardra 6th Siva

Meaning of Samkara Sam [5] + Ka [1] + Ra [2] == 5 th day, 1st fortnight, 2nd month ..

7th nakshatra Sanskrit numbering = sequential consonants ++ chronograph, 1

sun, 2 eyes etc..

Key milestones 3Y = caulakarma Saundarya Lahari : Bhagavathi feeds the baby and baby narrates

[ Devibhujanga, Bhujangaprayaata ] 5Y upanayana = ghatika , chaturvaidyasala , bhiksha carana 7Y = completed all the vaidika works Kanakadhara stotra

Poor woman, gooseberry offering bhiksha gold + svarna Attu mana

8Y back at home Pulls river purna nearer to home for his mother 56.

Rajasekhara's visit Offers gold, ++ 3 poems recital …. they are good!! ++ Son is born

Rishis, 8Y Bless further life ++ expanded to 16Y sad news Samnyasa : Crocodile incident

VivekaChudamani [79,81,82,143 ] Crocodile as craving and indulgence in life

CHAPTER IV LIFE oF SRI SANKARA: (1) THE

COMMENTATOR AND DEBATOR

Quotes Merutunga and George Eliot on ancient stories 70.

Govinda Bhagavatpada Guru Ans Sat-chit-ananda Dasa-sloki

madhusudana Sarasvati comments that this is better than Brahma-sutras of baadaraayana / Vyasa ]

Contains the narmada narmada-astaka [ Vindhya viruddham dhyayati, Agastya = one

who conquered a mountain

Gaudapada Patanjali’s student and is cursed R Released by Govinda / ChandaraSvamin Wrote mahabhasya on Patanjali’s work Govinda asks Sankara to start his work

Works of Sankara Kasi [ pentad and Octad written ] Meeting Vishnu-sarma

Sanandana and later padma-pada Narrating Bhaja Govindam

dwadasa pajarika stotra chaturdasa [ charpata] panjarika stotra ] 12 + 14 = mohamudgara

Candala as preceptor = Manisa pancakam

Badarika Asrama Gauda padas 15 works 11 Upanishad Bhasya

Mandukya, Isha, Kena [2] , Chandogya, katha, prashna, taittiriy,a Aittiriya, bhruhad-aranyaka , mundaka 2 bhaasyas on kena are pada and vakya [ word and sentence]

Other Doubtful Upanishads nrusimha taapini, kausitaki, svetashwatara upanishads

3 itihasa bhasya Bagavadgita, sanat-sujaatiya vishnu sahasra nama stotra

Sutra-prasthana on brahmsutra shariraka bhaasya

Meeting Badaraayana Vyasa debate [ mural in the varadaraja temple in kanci gives him 16 more years

4 stages of learning Learning a subject [ understanding the subject living the learning accordingly [ propagating the learning [ 16Y [ comparison with

Devanaampriya Asoka

Agnisarma & return to Kaladi Agnisarma brings family wealth Sankara builds a temple Returns to Kaaladi Aaryamba dies and cremation by self cursing nambudiri of kaaladi Narrating the poems of rajasekara back to him from

memory

Kumarila Bhatta and Mandana Misra Disciples = Mandana, Umveka, Prabhakara Misra, Muraari Misra Kumarila bhatta Falls pushed by buddhists, losing right eye Sankara wants kumarila to write a varttika on Sariraka Bhasya Dying Kumarila, on the pyre reads introduction and guides him

to visvarupa / Mandana Mandana mishra

mahishmati , Shraddha ceremony Ubhaya bharati as the judge Judgment by fresh garland

Ubhaya bhaarati questions on sex kama sutra = amaru-sataka by sankara

Mandana becomes sureshwara-carya [ 1st sankara of sringeri ]

Chapter V : Triumph, Pigrimage and Mukti

Visits and meetings list Kapalika meets and dies hasta-aamalaka

7Y son of prabhakara, dumb gets voice, becomes disciple hastamaalakiya bhasyam

○ guru writes bhasya on disciples verses Giri becomes totaka-acharya

sruthi sara samudhaarana in totaka meter 179 verses verse for a leper Ekaasloki

commentary by svayampakasa yogi a disciple of gopala yogiindra kaapalika krakaca killed by bhairava bhagandara anal disease and cure

??Kaamarupa after debating with abhinava gupta

shanmatha sthapana acarya 6 deities unified for the first time with 6 disciples Surya / indra == ravi kumara Sakthi = tripura kumara Shaiva == paramata kaalanala Ganapatya = girijaa kumara Kumara = vatukanatha / kapaalika Vaishnava == laksmana

Sankara Matha Sringeri == Saradapitha = Bhoga == suresvara Dwarika == kaalika pitha Badari nath == jyotimati pitha = mukti Puri == vimala pitha Kanci == kaamkoti pitha == yoga

Disciples Mandana Suresvara == Bhasya on taittiriya and Bruhad

aranyaka ++ Nais karma siddhi Totaka = tika , pancapadika Padma Pada

Upadesa pancaka Pentad for easy understanding of advaita sara

samadhi of sankara kanci, kedaranath, badariaasrama, dattaatreya asrama Trissur,

types of commentaries Sutra Bhaasya Varttika

Chapter VI Philosophy of Sankara Brahma Jignasa, Atma Jignasa Brahma Vicara Brahma satya jagan mithya jiva barhmaiva naaparaha

Brahma sat Svarupalaksana

negation, == nirguna saguna antaryaamin

sambandha avastha imaginary relations maya- sakti leads to lower level entities with different sat rajas

tamas , sankhya inert Sambandha anaavastha

relentless relationship regression relationship is false bheda self contradictions three there is no

difference Brahma isvara self

advaita focus Focus on nature of Brahman and not relations sraddha ++ manana ++ anumana

frailty of suska tarka self based logic Sravana and sramana Buddha Sankara Brahma sat ! Nirguna saguna are the same

vimuktas cha vimucyate 3 states atma Brahman medium

self deha dehi ( jiva) reflects universal nature svaprakasa self luminous

Atman aham Difference is anirvacaniya and through maya-sakti Aavarana Maya and. Viksepa

veiling and manifesting extremes leading to lower forms self clouding

17 layers organs sutra-atma

atma as a string Indian string theory mahaprana virat vaishvaanara

Gods are interactions of guna rajas sat tamas in differing proportions

Maya == differentiation bheda ! Interaction sambandha ! Interpretation mithya

Brahman == Anantha ! Satya !

Jnana

Jagan mithya phantasia , buddha comparison vivartavada satkaaravada parinamavada vivartavada

change and no change cryptic Buddhist

Atma brahmaiva na para brahmavid brahmaiva bhavati atomic atma

embodied Brahman encapsulation satyam jnanam anantam atma ! ruler is not analogy of Brahman

Ruler knows the kingdom but not everywhere wrong association Brahman not associated

medium size atma realization failure Hunter kidnap instant realization to Prince

bhagatyagalaksana words association are dropped and only root essence is true … like number and arithmetic ways to get there impermanence

kataka nut water purification 8todo Soham vs daso-ham objection our perception is limited reality

association sambandha avastha problem like owner described as the house

Chapter VII : relevance on Sankara in modern times dogma and belief based on Veda Veda itself and Sankara prod people to think

independent experience and thinking before validating Pitch based on understanding self and nature

samnyasa is the basis of advaita !! progress does not need philosophy

agreed lot of progress is there but mind fear depression are today's challenges inner engineering

Appendix I : Dating Sankara

Dharmakirthi Buddha references

Appendix II : Twin Controversies

Appendix III : Works of Sankara