The Hindu : Miscellaneous / Religion : Sankara's tradition

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Thursday, May 05, 2005

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Miscellaneous - Religion

Sankara's tradition

CHENNAI: : Among the preceptors who have established different philosophical systems based on the Prasthanatraya— the Brahmasutras, Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita— Adi Sankara is unique in propounding that liberation is possible here and now. This concept, known as Jivanmukti, is exclusive to the philosophy of Advaita and Sankara has formulated it on the authority of the primary scriptural texts. The lineage of preceptors of this tradition is traced to Lord Siva Himself, who taught the truth in silence in the form of Dakshinamurti to the sages. The invocation on the Advaita lineage glorifies Sankara as the central figure adorning the galaxy of preceptors.

In his discourse, Sri P.M.Vijayaraghava Sastrigal said Sankara's versatility enabled him to write three types of scriptural texts to cater to the needs of the different levels of spiritual aspirants. His commentaries on the Prasthanatraya are the acme of philosophical dialectics, which can be understood and appreciated only by the cognoscenti. Hence, he wrote several independent treatises explaining the concepts of Advaita for the beginners to study before embarking on in-depth pursuit of Vedanta. The third class of his works is the hymnal literature for the devout comprising Stotras on the different deities of the six sectarian traditions that he systematised in the sphere of practical religion. Together these three genres of texts reveal his ingenuity in establishing a philosophical tradition that can be practised by all.

The Vivekachudamani of Sankara is a philosophical treatise in verse and is in the form of a dialogue between a preceptor and his disciple. The opening verse is an invocation on his Guru, Govinda Bhagavadpada whom he describes as bliss incarnate. This description underscores that there is no difference between the Guru and the Absolute, which is of the nature of eternal bliss. He highlights the significance of human birth right at the outset by stating that after performing good deeds in 100 crore births an individual might be liberated from bondage. It is possible only for a human being to acquire spiritual merit because other living beings can only work out their Karma. So it should become clear to a spiritual seeker that having been blessed with a human birth he should strive for liberation in this birth itself.

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