Sankara the Missionary

"Sankara is not an individual". Sankara is an institution. No single person could ever have achieved what he had achieved in his short span of life. Not Master or Prophet had ever achieved so much, for so many, in so short a time. Very often this tempts us to consider that Sankara was an Avatara."

"Sankara work represents the total turnover of a highly competent person, working intensively every hour of the day, under conditions of the highest mental and intellectual efficiency. Yogi-s invokes this 'total capacity,' lying dormant in everyone."

Preface to the Present Edition:

'Sankara the Missionary' was first published as a Souvenir for the 267th Gita Jnana Yajna at Jamshedpur in the year 1978. In his Foreword, Gurudeva has emphasised that Sankara is not an individual but an institution rather a phenomenon, who achieved so much in such a short span of life.

Sankara left his home in search of his Guru when he was hardly seven years. When he met his Guru Govindapada for the first time, the Guru asked who he was? Sankara's reply was in the form of ten verses known as Dasa Sloki, each ending with the words Sivah kevalo'ham (I am of the form of Pure Auspiciousness). Again, when he disclosed to his disciples and devotees at Kedaranatha that he was at the disciples as well as his ardent devotee the Raja of Banaras, he again chanted these very verses.... Dasa Sloki, which sparkle with subtle meditative thoughts; and instructed them specifically to contemplate and meditate upon the ideas contained in the verses. Thus considering the importance of Dasa Sloki, we have added transliteration and word-for-word meaning of these verses forming Chapter IX of this book. We do hope that his would help serious Sadhaka-s to grasp the deep significance of these verses.

In this revised Edition, diacritical marks are used for Transliteration of Samskrta words in the commentary. A new 'word-for-word meaning' section has been added to the Dasa Sloki verses, to enable the sincere seekers to have an indepth study. For the benefit of readers not knowing Devanagari, transliteration of Samskrta words is also added to this section. Non-English words have been italicised. This will help readers to identify and pronounce the words correctly.

The English plural sign 's' has been added to the untranslated Samskrta words after a hyphen (-) to show that it is not elemental to the word e.g., mantra-s, Veda-s, Rsi-s etc. Macrons are used on the last letter e.g., 'a, i' of such words to lengthen the quantity of sound in consonance with the pronunciation.

A key to the transliteration and pronunciation is added to the beginning.

We are pleased to bring out the present revised Edition of the original collection of articles ordered to be published in book form by h. H. Svami Chinmayananda whom we all reverentially refer as Pujya Gurudeva. This is our humble offering at His holy feet with a prayer that may His words and guidance inspire us to carry on His work in all spheres of activities such as this-publication of scriptural thoughts for the benefit of the society.

Gudhipadava Day : 28th March, 1998

Publishers

from the Introduction:

Bhagavadpada Acarya Sankara was not only a great thinker and the noblest of Advaitik philosophers, but he was essentially as inspired champion of Hinduism and one of the most vigorous missionaries in our country. Such a powerful leader was needed at that time when Hinduism had been almost smothered within the enticing entaglements of the Buddhistik philosophy, and consequently the decadent Hindu society came to be disunited and broken up into number-less sects and denominations, each championing a different view-point and engaged in mutual quarrels and endless argumentations. Each pandita, as it were, had his own followers, his own philosophy, his own interpretation; each one was a vehement and powerful opponent of all other views. This intellectual disintegration, especially in the 'scriptural field, was never before so serious and so dangerously calamitous as in the times of Sankara.

It had been at a similar time, when our society was fertile for any ideal thought or practical philosophy to thrive, that the beautiful values of non-injury, self-control, love and affection of the Buddha had come to enchant alike the kings and their subjects of this country. But the general decadence of the age did not spare the Buddhists either. They, among themselves, precipitated different viewpoints, and by the time Sankara appeared on the horizon of Hindu history, the atheistic school of Buddhists (asavadi-s) had enticed away large sections of the Hindu folk.

It was into such a chaotic intellectual atmosphere that Sankara Brought his life-giving philosophy of the Non-dual Brahman of the Upanisad-s . It can be very well understood what a colossal work it must have been for any one man to undertake in those days when modern conveniences of mechanical transport and instruments of propaganda were unknown. The genius in Sankara did solve the problem, and by the time he placed at rest his mortal coil he had whipped the false Buddhistic ideology beyond the shores of our country and had reintegrated the philosophical thoughts in then Aryavarta, . After centuries of wandering, no doubt richer for her various experiences but tired and fatigued, Bharat came back to her own native thoughts.

Foreword:

Sankara is not an individual. To us students of the Advaita philosophy, Sankara is an institution. No single person could ever have achieved what he had achieved in his short span of life. No Master or Prophet had ever achieved so much, for so many, in so short a time. Very often this tempts us to consider that Sankara was an avatara.

To deify anyone is take things for granted, and thereafter, our ordinary logic and rationale cannot be applied in studying such as individual's life. To test Acarya Sankara, the avatara, would thereafter be a palpable contradiction-to test by reason the alleged operations of omnipotence or to apply the code of common laws of logic to the Lawgiver who framed his very universe.

In this book, though the material gathered, in its totality, projects Sankara as a majestic entity striding over the total achievements of ordinary folk; through a quieter evaluation we shall find that Sankara's work represents the total turnover of a highly competent person, working intensively every hour of the day, under conditions of the highest mental and intellectual efficiency. Yogi-s invoke this 'total capacity,' lying dormant in everyone. I recommend this book to every student of Vedanta for a deep and sympathetic study.

Swami Chinmayananda