SHANKARA
JAYANTI |
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Celebration :
Birth of the greatest
Pholopher - saint, The incarnation of Lord Shiva
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Message :
Religion is realisation. |
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Religion :
Hindu |
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In the month
of : May - June |
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Guru charanam, bhaja
charanam,
Satguru charanam, bhava haranam.
Maanasa bhajare, guru charanam,
Dustara bhava saagara taranam
Guru maharaja guru jaya jaya,
Para brahma satguru jaya jaya. |
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RELIGION IS realisation; it
is not mere learning-this is the divine message which stands deeply in the
minds of every Hindu. This is not a mere fancy. This is not a mental
conception. This is not a stretch of imagination, It is not a coinage of the
brain. Nor is it a decision arrived at by vehement vituperation and incongruent
argumentation promulgated by an ordinary intellectual prodigy. |
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This is the assertion of Shankara, India's
greatest philosopher-saint, the incarnation of Lord Shiva, reverently known as
Srimath Adi Shankaracharya.
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What can a take him for except the Lord
Himself who proclaims authoritatively and undauntedly: "I am the Self of all; I
am the all; I am transcendent; I am one without a second; I am the Absolute; I
am the infinite Consciousness; I am homogeneous bliss". |
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Shankara is our Vedanta Guru. He was God
incarnate. He was horn at a time when Indian thought and culture were decaying;
when they underwent sore distraction; when ethical glory and the widespread
influence of the Buddhistic cult was gradually dying; when there was complete
chaos and confusion; when innumerable sects sprang up and, with their own
individual doctrines confounded the masses when evil social influences and
blind superstitions garbed falsely in the clothes of religion, attracted the
credulous masses into a frenzy, and ambushed them into complete ignorance of
the ultimate Reality. There were no less than seventy-two cults and sects of
this type which carried away people from the right path. |
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The advent of Lord Krishna rejuvenated Hindu
religion and saved many a soul from complete ruin, souls which would otherwise
have subjugated them-selves to passivism due to the misinterpretation of the
Vedas and the Upanishads. In the same way, Shandara appeared on earth to
deliver very many struggling souls He set them free, and enlightened them
through his peaceful, unostentatious persuasion and loving propaganda. Through
his irresistible logic, he planted the triumphant banner of unique intellectual
conquest over all other schools of philosophy. Before him, all other theories
proved to be phantoms and fallacies.
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It was only Shankara who gave the unshakable
concrete form to Hinduism and established the unity and purity of enlightened
Hindu thought and culture. Superstitions and corrupt practices melted away in
no time.
The age-long six systems of theism which were suppressed by the prattlers
re-emerged in their original glory only through the concerted efforts of
Shankara.
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His victory over other systems of philosophy
was not due to a stubborn grip onto his own faith and reasoning without
considering the pros and cons of others. He had mastered even the minutest
intricacies of the other theories. The underlying currents of Ms thoughts were
the foundations of the other systems, It is for this reason alone that his
philosophy was recognised with much reverence by all the other schools of
thought, despite differences in their superstructure. |
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The secret of his conquest and the charm
therein lay in his most apt and reasonable illustrations in every case. He
sever based his arguments on theoretical axioms and untestified hypotheses, but
entirely on integral experience. Further, all his arguments were based upon the
Vedas as well, which are genuine and authoritative.
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Shankara never entered into hot discussions to
substantiate his case or disprove others' theories. With his gigantic intellect
he poured out his masterly exposition in simple and clear terms with the same
supreme authority of the Gita, Upanishads and the Brahma Sutras, the
self-evident validity of the Sruti Pramana, and so on. |
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Above all, the philosophy of Shankara is not
restricted to the highly intellectual It is within the easy reach of even the
layman. With his profound knowledge, all-comprehensive learning, keen intuitive
insight and convincing explanations, he has erected the strong edifice of
Vedanta, equally accessible to the scholar and the layman. How effectively he
prescribed "Bhaja Govindam" to the scholar who was racking his brains in
committing various scriptures to memory! |
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Vedanta is not the only aspect of philosophy
he has preached to the world. He has entered the heart of every earnest seeker
after truth. He encourages the worship of various forms of the Lord and greatly
advocates Bhakti. Without a tinge of partiality to one form or the other, he
has composed innumerable hymns, each brimming with devotion and philosophical
truth, each inculcating divine ecstasy and perennial joy even in the tender
undeveloped mind. His untiring work for the welfare of mankind marks him out as
a veritable, dynamic Karma Yogi, too. |
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At the background of all these, his devotion
to his Guru is supermost. Mark what he says: "Any person who realises 'I am
That Brahman' through the unparalleled mercy and glance of the Sadguru, loses
all feelings of doubt and, with his mind free from illusion, attains liberation
even while living in the body". How much efficacy and glory he in devotion to
the Guru!
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Shankara Jayanthi falls on the 5th day of the
bright half of Vaisakh (May-June). On this day, study his works, pray and
meditate. May you be showered with his blessings!
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