SANKARA JAYANTHI —————————

Today is Sankara Jayanthi..Bhajagovindam’(also known as ‘Moha Mudgara)...The word struck me when listening to a film song in my childhood days..Its tune only impressed me then..But recently during this second Covid lock down,I chanced upon a Facebook post spotting Jagad Guru Shankaracharya‘s picture with full text of Bhajagovindam and its meaning in malayalam..

Was really amazed on the esoteric knowledge contained in it..eternal truths ingrained in simple couplets ..In Old Testament,the chapter ‘Subhashithangal’ (Proverb)presents verses in similar note.For us,a verse from Bhajagovindam appealing aptly at this time of pandemic;

നളിനീ ദളഗതജലമതിതരളം

തദ്ദ്വജ്ജീവിതമതിശയചപലം

വിദ്ധിവ്യാദ്ധ്യഭിമാനഗ്രസ്‌തം

ലോകം ശോകഹതം ച സമസ്‌തം

(താമരയില്‍ വീഴുന്ന ജലം പോലെ അസ്ഥിരവും വിറയാര്‍ന്നതും ഏതു നേരവും താഴേക്കു പതിക്കാവുന്നതുമാണ്‌ മനുഷ്യജീവിതം. മനുഷ്യശരീരത്തില്‍ ഏതു നേരവും രോഗം ബാധിക്കാം. നിന്റെ ശരീരം ഏതു സമയവും രോഗം ഗ്രസിക്കാന്‍ പാകത്തിലുള്ളതാണ്‌. ജീവിതം എന്നും ശോകവും ദു:ഖവും മാത്രം തരുന്ന ഒന്നാണെന്നിരിക്കെ, ഉള്ള സമയത്ത്‌ ഈശ്വരനെ ഭജിച്ച്‌ മോക്ഷം നേടുക.)

Hagiography suggests that Shankaracharya was born in 8th Century C.E at Kalady..He reached near Narmada river in Gujarat and became the disciple of Govinda Bhagavad padar.. he travelled across Bharat..Believed to have established four monasteries..Badri,Puri,Sringeri and Dwaraka..He set the rituals and worship protocol of many temples including Guruvayur..In Badrinath Nath temple, Sanakaracharya ordained Head of a malayalee Brahmin family to be the Chief Priest in perpetuity..The tradition still continues there .. the malayalee family enjoys this rare distinction even now..His main work ‘Brahmasutra’ is a key to Aadmanjana(knowledge about self) and Adwaita..His exegesis on Bhagavatgita, often referred to as Sankarara’s version of Gita forms foundation for his Advaitha philosophy...’Soundaryalahari’, another piece on Saaktheya worship, apart from scores of hymns like Sivapanchakshari,Ganeshapancharatnam,Lingashtakam bears testimony to the deep spiritual knowledge the great theologian had ..He was a sage and philosopher, where a rare confluence of Vaishnava,Saiva and Saaktheya traditions of worship are fused in a single being ...Jagat Guru left for his heavenly abode (Vaikuntam) at Kedarnath in Himalayas..believed to be when he was 33 years of age...