Here is an illustration from the life of Adi Sankara. He was born in Kaladi in Kerala. When he was six years old boy his mother Aryamba, told him: 'Son, your father is a very pious person and he used to worship God according to the prescribed rituals. You must follow his example. You are very lucky. I am always devoted to God. Having taken birth as my son, you should conduct yourself in such a way that you achieve great name and fame and bring a good name to me. Act according to your father's example. It is the mother that makes a son noble and great. It is a noble son who brings glory to the mother. Hence remember this act according to your father's injunctions.
The father of Sankara was a regular worshipper of Devi Rajarajeswari for many years. He used to offer milk every day to the goddess. One day (when Sankara was barely four years old), the father had to leave his home to visit a neighbouring village. Every day after finishing his Puja and offering milk to Goddess, he used to distribute the remaining milk to his wife, son and others as Paradigm. He told the boy:’ Son, your mother cannot perform the worship which I do. You better do the worship today.’
After he left, the boy followed the father’s instructions. He filled a tumbler with milk, placed it before the image of goddess Rajarajeswari and prayed: ‘Mother! Accept this offering of milk.’ He went on praying to the goddess. When he found that the milk remained untouched, he was in great anguish. He cried: ‘Oh! Mother! What crime I have committed? When my father offered the milk you used to take it. Why are you not taking when I am offering it?’ He was in deep distress. He was thinking whether there was any lapse on his part. He became desperate. He declared in agony: ‘Mother! If you don’t take the milk I will end my life. I would have dishonoured my father. I would also be guilty of failing to fulfil my mother’s command. If I cannot please my parents, what use is there in my living.’?
He prayed intensely to the Goddess in great agony. Moved by the naïve entreaties of the boy, Rajarajeswari appeared before him. She told him: ‘Child! Be happy. I am immensely pleased with your devotion. I shall drink the milk.’ So saying, she drank all the milk offered in the tumbler.
The boy was aghast to see that the whole tumbler was empty. ‘Oh! Mother!’ he cried, if you drink all the milk what is left for distributing as Prasadam? My mother will think that I have drunk all the milk. I have to give Prasadam to her, my father used to give some milk as Prasadam to others also. Therefore please restore some of the milk in the tumbler.’
How can the milk once consumed be brought back? Can the river that has joined the ocean made to return? Can an apple that has been digested be brought back? The goddess told the boy that it was impossible to bring back the milk that has been consumed and vanished.
The boy was in deep distress again. He thought within himself: ‘I will get bad name from my mother.’ He prayed: ‘Mother! Please give at least little quantity of milk.’ Responding to the prayers of the young boy the goddess drew milk from her breast and gave it the boy. It was the sacred power of the milk, which enabled Sankara in later years to master all the scriptures and earn a lasting fame as a great spiritual teacher, revered by all. Knowledge of Vedas came to him effortlessly. It was due to the grace of the Divine Mother and the love and blessings of his own mother. When one is blessed with love and grace (Prema and Anugraha) he is transformed from the human to the Divine.
Therefore every person, man or woman, should respect the parents, install the Divine in the heart and pray to god constantly. It is everyone’s duty to bring a good name to one’s parents. When the children are good, they bring a good name to one’s parents. It was because of noble behaviour of Lava and Kusha that their mother, Sita, became renowned. When Lava and Kusha were engaged in a battle with Rama, Lava aimed an arrow at Rama with the prayer that if his mother Janaki was a Sadhvi (a supremely noble woman) the arrow should render Rama unconscious. Rama became unconscious when the arrow hit him. See what happened. The mere thought of his mother lent so much power to his arrow! This shows that when you cherish the mother and seek God’s grace, the blessings of the mother become more powerful.
In the world today such mothers are rare. Many mothers are worried about the future of their sons if they adhere to the righteous path. (They fear that such children may not be successful in life). In ancient days mothers thought otherwise. They would be immensely happy if they found the children devoted to God. They would feel happy with the thought: ‘My son will be a good man. He will earn a good name. (DE, pp. 66-69)
Adi Sankara was born in Kerala during 7th century AD. and propagated the essence of all the scriptures to mankind. But he left his body at an early age of 32years. Ramanujacharya was born in 11th century A.D and propagated the efficacy of the divine name. That was the time when devotion to God was on the decline. It was because of Ramanujacharaya’s teachings that people developed devotion and a sense of surrender to God. Madhvacharya was born during 12th century AD and propagated the principle of Dvaita (Dualism). Even he taught that the Jiva (individual soul) and Deva (universal soul) are no different from each other in essence. However the underlying principle in all the three systems of philosophy as propagated by Adi Shankara, Ramanujacharya and Madhvacharya is one and the same. The same principle of Atma is present in one and all beings. It is referred to as Ishvara-tattva (Divinity). The divine incarnations such as Rama and Krishna can be recognized by their divine forms. But Ishvara-tattva has no form. It represents the principle of truth that is present in all beings. It is responsible for Srishti, Sthiti and Laya (Creation, Sustenance and Dissolution). Ishvara-tattva which has no specific form is symbolized in the form of a Linga. It is usually placed on a horizontal base which is known as panavatta.
Do you know how it looks like? At this Bhagavan, with a wave of his hand materialized a Linga with Panavatta). Lord Ishvara exhorted Markandeaya and his parents to sanctify their time in the contemplation of the GOD. He materialized a Linga like this and gave it to Markandeyas parents. They sanctified their lives by worshipping the Linga. Linga represents the atmic principle which is present in all. It is not possible for any one to understand or estimate the divine power. The principle of Atma is changeless. It can assume any form in accordance with the feelings of the devotees. Linga is not something which man has made for the worship. It is the direct manifestation of divinity (Sakshat-Akara). This truth was well understood by Markandeya and His father Mrukanda and hence they worshipped divinity in the form of Linga. (DD on 19-10-2004, pp. 4-5)
The moment Sankaracharya set his foot in Kashmir, the doors of the temple of Goddess Kanaka Durga on the hill locked of their own accord. The efforts of many people to open the doors were not successful. Several pundits and priests offered prayers to the Goddess. Goddess was pleased with their devotion and gave them an advice, herself remaining incognito, ‘Sankaracharya is a great Scholar and teacher. He is in the habit of putting into practice first, whatever he preaches. But, a small error had crept in such a noble soul. It is only when he makes an effort to remove that impurity in him that doors of this temple will open.
Sankaracharya then realised his mistake committed during his stay in the palace in the guise of the King and started doing intense penance giving up food and water for eleven days at a stretch to purify himself. On the twelfth day, the doors of the temple opened themselves. Since Sankaracharya entered into worldly life, the impurity had set in him. However, he did not do it on his own volition. He did it only with a view to give a befitting answer to Ubhaya Bharati’s question. Ultimately, he realised that one should love another person with Atma bhava (with a feeking that the same Atma dwells in him or her) and not Dehabhava (From the point of view of the physical body). Sankaracharya taught the whole world the Theory of Advaita, with a mind filled with such Atmic love. (Beacons of Divine Wisdom Part 2, pp. 175-176)
Propagated Advaita
Adi Sankararacharya toured the entire country of Bharat from Kashmir to Kanyakumari propagating the Theory of Advaita (non-dualism). He argued with distinguished scholars and convinced them. ‘There is only one God, not two. Like the juice in the sugarcane, God is present in every individual. Since you are attached to a particular name and form, you are deluded by diversity. There can be no ornaments without god. There can be no pots without mud. Similarly, there is only one God, who is the source and sustenance for all the names and forms in this world.’ Gradually, people have come to develop conviction in the Advaita Theory propounded by Adi Sankaracharya. (Beacons of Divine Wisdom Part 2, pp. 178-179)
Sankaracharya established Peethams
Once, Sankaracharya was walking on the bank of river Tungabhadra in the south. He saw at a particular place a snake and a frog in close friendship with one another, He also saw that the snake was protecting the frog from the severe heat, by spreading its hood over it. Immediately, he decided that that was a holy place and established the Sringeri Peetham (a religious Mutth) there. Similarly, he also established three more Peethams, one each in Puri on the east coast, Dwaraka on the west coast and Badri in the Himalayas in the north. In addition, he installed five Sivalingas in Puri, Dwaraka, Srinagar, Badri and Kasi and a Yogalinga in Kanchi. The great Saint Vidya ranya was also his disciple. Adi Sankara composed several Hymns in praise of various deities, with a view to encourage people in worship of God and develop devotion and surrender in them. The Heads of various religious Mutths established by Adi Sankara even today are continuing the tradition of worshipping those deities and are following the path of worship and the path of action will be helpful to the spread of the Advaita Philosophy. (Beacons of Divine Wisdom Part 2, p. 179)
Service of his Motherland
Adi Sankaracharya who had dedicated his time and body to the service of his Motherland, that is, Bharat, wrote commentary on the Prasthanatrayi – Upanishads, The Brahma Sutras Sutras and Bhagavad Gita from the point of the Advaita Philosophy, which he propounded. He dedicated his entire life for the uplift of mankind and finally laid down his mortal coil at the very young age of 32, having accomplished the purpose for which he came into the world. (Beacons of Divine Wisdom Part 2, p. 180)
In the circumstances that prevail today, there are very few who honour their mother, Your mother carried you in her womb for nine months and gave you birth after under going many difficulties and hardships, Forgetting such a mother is like forgetting God. This amounts to forgetting yourself. Mother is your first teacher. It is the mother who feeds and nourishes you. It is on the lap of your mother that you grow up and experience all types of of happiness. None should forget the love that he receives from his mother. First and foremost, our mother deserves our highest respect.
Sankara was confronted with a difficult situation. No one in his village was willing to help him. He had to perform the obsequies for his mother. The local Nambundiri Brahmins declared that they could not touch the body. They felt that Sankara was going against scriptural injunctions. Utterly helpless, Sankara carried the body himself to the backyard of the house and cremated it. What Sankara did then is practised even today in Kaladi. When any elders pass away, their bodies are cremated in the backyard of their houses. There is no separate cremation ground for them. When you go to Kerala you will find houses facing the street but the backyard will be open space. Anyone who goes there will have to take a purifactory bath. In this manner Sankara fulfilled the promise he gave to his mother. Sankara then left for Kasi. He was deeply pained at the attitude displayed towards him by the people of Kaladi. Sankara was walking all the way to Kaasi, with just a stick in his hand and an oil torch to light his way at night. (SSS Vol.29, pp.328-329)
After the death of his mother, many people told Sankaracharya to take the body out. But Sankaracharya told them, ‘Neither my mother is going to leave me, nor I am going to leave my mother, My mother and I are one forever. Bodies are different but principle of the Atma is the same in both of us. You may go away from me but none has any right to separate my mother from me. Her body will be cremated in the compound of the house,’ Accordingly, Sankaracharya cremated the body of his mother in the compound of his house. None can estimate the feelings of the mother.
All mothers and children should develop these feelings of detachment. So long as the mother is alive we should respect her, honour her and make her happy in every possible way. There is no need to be sad when she leaves the body. (SSS Vol. 41, pp. 66-68)