We acquire degrees by mugging up reams upon reams of unintelligible pages and consider ourselves to be highly educated and turn our noses at illiterate people and those who are less educated than us and close our minds to their opinions .
Adi Shankara had memorised and digested all the 4 Vedas and every other scripture that Bharat was abounding with, by 16 years of age and had won every single debate with brilliant scholars in Sanskrit and the various schools of philosophy in Hinduism as well as in other religions ,all over India.
He has written innumerable treatises ,poetries,commentaries ,slokas and lyrics ,that were analytical as well as poetic , in chaste Sanskrit .He let his accomplishments rest lightly on his person and could cull the diamond of knowledge and let it sparkle irrespective of its source.
Maniisha Panchangam is a set of 5 verses composed by Shankara .'Maniisha' means 'conviction'. These verses,bring out in short, the philosophy in which he believed and expounded.This was written in Varanasi in the 8 th century A.D .The story behind these verses are legendary.
Shankara was on his way to a temple after bathing , On seeing a chandela [out caste] on his way ,he gestured to him to keep his distance as per customs of those days.
The out caste asked two questions which were poignant as well as of highest knowledge that made Shankara to pause and ponder and evoked a reply in the same vein, in 5 verses.
The questions posed by the chandela were ---
'
O great ascetic ! tell me .Do you want to keep a distance from you , by uttering 'Go away' 'Go away ', taking me to be a out caste ? Is it addressed from one body made of food to another body made of food or is it from one consciousness to another consciousness --who , O , the best among ascetics , you wish should go away?Do tell me.
Then the 2nd question ---
The sun's light falls on the waters of the Ganges as well as on drains .The sun's image is reflected from both the surfaces . Is there any difference between the two images ?Similarly is there any difference in the images of sun reflected in water contained in a vessel whether the latter is made of gold or mud?
These questions evoked the following reply, from Adi Shankara who saw the personification of lord Shankara in the out caste.
If one is convinced firmly , that he is that very soul which manifests itself in all conditions of sleep ,wakefulness and dream ,in all objects of the great Brahma[ the creator]
to the tiny ant and which is also vibrant ,but invisible , witness of all ,he is the great teacher /preceptor , be he twice born or an out caste. This is my firm conviction!
He is the great master ,be he a brahmin or an out caste ,who dwelling on the pure and the infinite Brahman,thinks himself as that very Brahman , of whose manifestation the whole universe is , though apparently the universe is assumed to consist of different things due to ignorance and the 3 gunas viz rajas ,thamas and satvic.This is my firm conviction !
The preceptors words that the entire world is perishable is true. A person who constantly meditates on the Brahman with a pure and calm mind will burn his past and future karma's ,in the fire of knowledge . This is my firm conviction !
As sun's halo is covered by clouds , the effulgence of god is hidden by ignorance . The yogi is great who grasps this truth within himself He is my guru . This is my firm conviction !
He who worships Brahman and is at peace with himself , is himself that Brahman . This is my firm conviction !
Shankara then concludes ---
O lord ! In the form of body I am your servant . In the form of life O, three eyed one I am part of your self .In the form of soul you are within me and in every other soul !
[ condensed from internet]
Adi Shankara had memorised and digested all the 4 Vedas and every other scripture that Bharat was abounding with, by 16 years of age and had won every single debate with brilliant scholars in Sanskrit and the various schools of philosophy in Hinduism as well as in other religions ,all over India.
He has written innumerable treatises ,poetries,commentaries ,slokas and lyrics ,that were analytical as well as poetic , in chaste Sanskrit .He let his accomplishments rest lightly on his person and could cull the diamond of knowledge and let it sparkle irrespective of its source.
Maniisha Panchangam is a set of 5 verses composed by Shankara .'Maniisha' means 'conviction'. These verses,bring out in short, the philosophy in which he believed and expounded.This was written in Varanasi in the 8 th century A.D .The story behind these verses are legendary.
Shankara was on his way to a temple after bathing , On seeing a chandela [out caste] on his way ,he gestured to him to keep his distance as per customs of those days.
The out caste asked two questions which were poignant as well as of highest knowledge that made Shankara to pause and ponder and evoked a reply in the same vein, in 5 verses.
The questions posed by the chandela were ---
'
O great ascetic ! tell me .Do you want to keep a distance from you , by uttering 'Go away' 'Go away ', taking me to be a out caste ? Is it addressed from one body made of food to another body made of food or is it from one consciousness to another consciousness --who , O , the best among ascetics , you wish should go away?Do tell me.
Then the 2nd question ---
The sun's light falls on the waters of the Ganges as well as on drains .The sun's image is reflected from both the surfaces . Is there any difference between the two images ?Similarly is there any difference in the images of sun reflected in water contained in a vessel whether the latter is made of gold or mud?
These questions evoked the following reply, from Adi Shankara who saw the personification of lord Shankara in the out caste.
If one is convinced firmly , that he is that very soul which manifests itself in all conditions of sleep ,wakefulness and dream ,in all objects of the great Brahma[ the creator]
to the tiny ant and which is also vibrant ,but invisible , witness of all ,he is the great teacher /preceptor , be he twice born or an out caste. This is my firm conviction!
He is the great master ,be he a brahmin or an out caste ,who dwelling on the pure and the infinite Brahman,thinks himself as that very Brahman , of whose manifestation the whole universe is , though apparently the universe is assumed to consist of different things due to ignorance and the 3 gunas viz rajas ,thamas and satvic.This is my firm conviction !
The preceptors words that the entire world is perishable is true. A person who constantly meditates on the Brahman with a pure and calm mind will burn his past and future karma's ,in the fire of knowledge . This is my firm conviction !
As sun's halo is covered by clouds , the effulgence of god is hidden by ignorance . The yogi is great who grasps this truth within himself He is my guru . This is my firm conviction !
He who worships Brahman and is at peace with himself , is himself that Brahman . This is my firm conviction !
Shankara then concludes ---
O lord ! In the form of body I am your servant . In the form of life O, three eyed one I am part of your self .In the form of soul you are within me and in every other soul !
[ condensed from internet]
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