The Greatness of Adi Shankaracharya

Lord Adi Shankaracharaya was imparting the esoteric secrets of Upanishads to his disciples, when suddenly he felt the taste of his mother’s milk in his mouth reminding him of his days as an infant when he suckled his mother’s breast. The wise shankaracharyaji thought: ‘What is this? Why am I reminded of the taste of my mother’s milk? This sure must be an indication to something.’ He went into his cottage, and immersing himself in meditation, saw a clear picture of his sick mother remembering him. Being a master of yogic powers, Acharya Shankaraji traveled across the sky over the shringeri Monastery to reach Kalri (Kerala). His mother Aryamba was lying unconscious and her sick body had become extremely debilitated. The people who had inherited his father’s wealth had now turned their backs on them and usurped their property as well. Their eyes were now on the remaining immovable assets. A kind, noble lady in the neighborhood, Janki Amma (Shubhra) was serving his mother, while the rest of the people were waiting for his mother to depart so that they could claim her vast gardens and other properties. Apart from the immovable properties they were also waiting for the movable ones in the house as well. In the whole of Kalri Village, only Janki Amma was serving Aryamba selflessly.

Shankaracharyaji was all tears as he saw his mother’s condition. He called out to mother Aryamba in a choked voice: “Mother! Mother!!! Your son Shankar Mother! I am here.”

His mother opened her eyes. A wave of consciousness gushed forth across the conscious, debilitated mother and she held her son close to her showering her affection on him. When and on whom that Love personified Lord will bestow his desired fruit, He alone knows.

Shankarcharyaji couldn’t stop his tears seeing the pitiable state of his mother. His mother said: “Your father has already left me. Now you too have become a sannyasi. Don’t you fell any pity for me?”

“Mother! I have come now, forgive me. Mother! I will not desert you again.”

Mothers’ joy knew no bounds. Inadvertently, she got engrossed in contemplation the love- personified supreme Soul. She was a devotee of Sri Krishna.

Sri Krishna Govinda Gare Murare! Hey Nath! Naryana Vasudeva!! Krishna, Krishna, Krishna…

The Brahmins of the village saw that property and donate all the wealth to monasteries and temples. The minds of those Brahmin youths had become depraved as the foreign missionaries had turned them against sadhus and Sharma by making them drink liquor and eat meat. The intellect becomes demonic through drinking liquor.

The youths stood guard at various places throughout the village wielding sticks in their hands, and collected all the dry wood from the forest to ensure that shankaracharyaji would not get any wood for cremating his mother’s body. No Brahmin would see him, and if anyone wanted to go to him for his darshan, he would be driven away with sticks and stones. Intoxicated with greed and hatred, the youths were hurling abuses while wielding sticks in their hands. Anti-religious elements had filled their minds with such cruelty that they had become blind to the greatness of Acharya Shankara.

Here Shankaracharyaji was alone with his Mother Aryamba and the lady who was serving her. Shankaracharyaji served and looked after his mother but her body had become so weak that there was no hope of her remaining alive.

The mother said: “Son! Teach me something so that I may fulfill my human birth. May I not wonder or be born anywhere else after leaving this body. Son! You are a sannyasi, a saint, let me listen to your satsang.”

Shankaracharyaji preached the Cosmic, all-pervading, non-dual Brahman, the Atman, by chanting the verse, ‘I am not the mind nor the intellect; nor the ego or mind- stuff am I…’ etc.

The mother said: “Son! An illiterate, village woman that I am, I cannot understand this philosophy and Vedanta. Throughout my life I have followed the dual aspect of devotion. Tell me something about devotion to Sri Krishna so that I may experience divine love and go to the abode of God.” Shankaracharyaji explained Sri Krishna’s teachings in the Mahabharatha from the philosophical point of view and then gradually he described the Cosmic form of God, “Mother! Lord Sri Krishna, that Banke Bihari, the son of Nanda and Yashoda is the Supreme Brahman, the Supreme Soul. He enchants, attracts and enraptures all. He is Bliss personified!”

Mother’s mind was gradually experiencing communion with God.

“Mother! Just as man and his power are inseparable, so is it with Lord Krishna and His own shakti ‘Radha’, the two syllables of which when interchanged become ‘Dhara’. Dhara means the modifications of the mind. That is Radha and Krishna.”

“Yes-Yes Son! Radha-Krishna, Radha-Krishna”

Adi Shankarachary realized that his mother wouldn’t reach perfection if she didn’t progress beyond beholding the physical form of Radha-Krishna.

“Mother! Radha-Krishna… is just like man and his shakti. Initially, Lord Krishna alone existed but ‘He wasn’t happy being alone.’ He resolved to become many and created Radha by His own power. Krishan to be the supreme soul who permeates the universe. This sensory world is the manifestation of God.”

In this way through a synthesis of Vedanta and devotional love Srankaracharyaji explained to his mother how God existed in the form of the universe and as luster and wisdom, and infused her heart with the knowledge of the Consciousness Absolute. He established his mother’s devotion to the Lord with form, in the bliss and knowledge of the formless Lord and in her formless absolute Self.

Gradually, Mother Aryamba’s Consciousness attained repose in God. Her countenance reflected Self Bliss and Divine repose and gradually in few moments her body become lifeless.

The villagers came to know that the mother had left her body. Then the people who belonged to our dharma, but who were instigated by anti-religious elements, started thinking, ‘Now let us get hold of him and trap him so that we can lay our hands on the property.’ All the arrogant rebels of the village came together and blocked the road from all sides in groups to prevent anyone from going to him.

Wielding sticks in their hands, the rebels surrounded the village from all sides and talked all kinds of nonsense against Shankaracharyaji. They ensured that he did not get any wood and that nobody went to him so that he would not be able to perform the last rites of his mother. When the elders and veterans tried to make them see reason, they would rebuke and disobey even the elders. Shankarayacharyaji was thinking how he could arrange for the necessary materials for his mother’s cremation when there. Then that lady who was serving his mother, said: “Mother was aware of the intentions of these diabolic elements, so she hand kept the materials for her cremation ready beforehand. She had also kept some coconuts, incense sticks and wicks. Everything has been prepared by her, but we will have to arrange for wood and fire.”
Pondering over the matter, Shankaracharyaji became engrossed in the Supreme Truth.