Guru's Grace #4 - Adi Shankara

Adi Shankara, the earliest proponent of the Advaitha Philosophy, lived over 2000 years ago from 788 BC - 820 BC.

Advaitha is a Sanskrit word that means "non-dual" or the concept that everything is one.

Adi Shankara was born in Kaladi, Kerala. It is said he left home at the age of 8 to be a sanyasi. He spent 8 years with his Guru - in the north of India and the Himalayas. After this, he travelled across India from the age of 16 to 32 sharing his teachings. He died at the age of 32.

Among all of his great works - my favorite and the one I was exposed to first is the The Atma Shatakam or Nirvana Shatakam. A collection of shlokas - each one a powerful pointer to the non-dual. Sharing the first one here:

“Mano buddhi ahankara chittani naham,

Na cha shrotravjihve na cha ghraana netre,

Na cha vyoma bhumir na tejo na vayuhu,

Chidananda rupah shivo'ham shivo'ham”

I’m not the mind, I'm not the ego, I’m not the intellect,

Not the eyes that see or the ears that hear,

Not space, nor the earth, not fire or the wind,

I am that - constant observer - Shiva.

The concept of Shiva in this shloka - is the “nothingness” that is all pervading in which everything appears. Symbolized as Lord Shiva in Hinduism.

As you contemplate the verses - you keep negating phenomenal elements around you and "slip" back (in subtlety) to a state where you are just observing... the "Shiva State". So whether you "know it or not" or "believe it or don’t" - you are that "Shiva being" 🙂. This is not for the “intellect” to understand - as the “intellect” appears in it - sort of like characters in a story- trying to understand the author!

snap2reset in every stanza 👍. Each of Shankara's works is powerful and I've listed a few links below for you to explore the mystery of life with Adi Shankara!

Vinod Chaithanya

Ref: https://www.amritapuri.org/40614/shankaracharya.aum

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adi_Shankara