Humble pranams to the Bagavatpaada..

नमामि भगवत्पाद शङ्करं.. Humble pranams to the Bagavatpaada..

Phenomena are just there..

They are neither born, nor do they depart.

They just appear, they just manifest or visible to others, when the time is ripe

Phenomena are just there

They are not there to be analyzed, nor are they existing for mere adulation

They just mould, transform and decide the course of history.

Shankara.. Shanakaracharya was a phenomenon of that genre

He is the eternal Shambhu the Shankara.. who has no birth or death, but it is He who decides birth or death of all beings..

He appeared during an epoch where darkness of ignorance covered the society, the pall of superstition shrouded the ailing human psyche..

He assumed human form and pried apart the veil of obscurantism and filled the earth with bright light.. for ever

There is no birth, and there is no date of birth for that Infinite Being..

Still, this day, reminds us of the Leela of manifestation of that infinite being as a recluse...Acharya shankara..

Shankara changed the thought process of his eon and ever after as no one, no king, no philosopher, has ever done.

It is a day to remember Him, pay pranams to Him, being thankful to Him..

श्रुतिस्मृतिपुराणानां आलयं करुणालयम् ।

नमामि भगवत्पादं शङ्करं लोकशङ्करम् ॥

शङ्करं शङ्कराचार्यं केशवं बादरायणम् ।

सूत्रभाष्यकृतौ वन्दे भगवन्तौ पुनः पुनः ॥

Humble pranams to Shankara BagavatpadaaH who is the storehouse of knowledge of Shruti, Smriti and Puranaa.. and who was ever the source of enlightenment and welfare of the whole world.

Pranams to Acharya Shankara, who is none other than Lord Shankara Himself

Pranams to Sage Vyasa the Badarayana, who is none other than Lord Narayana the Keshava

Vyasa gave us the Brahmasutra.. and Shankara gave us the Bashyam..

We can just contemplate their glory and offer our humble respects..

न कर्मणा न प्रजया धनेन त्यागेनेके अम्रुतत्त्वमानशुः

परेण नाकं निहितं गुहायां विब्राजदेतद्यतयो विशन्ति

Na karmanaa na prajayaa dhanena tyageneke amrutattwamaanashuH

Parena naakam nihitam guhaayaam vibhraajatedatyatayo vishanti..

XII-14:Mahanarayanopanisat.. tittariya samhita Krishnayajurvedam...

Not by work, not by progeny, not by wealth, they have attained Immortality. Some have attained Immortality by renunciation.

That which the hermits attain is laid beyond the heaven; yet it shines brilliantly in the (purified) heart.

वेदान्तविज्ञान विनिश्चितार्थाः सन्न्यसयोगाद्यतयः शुद्धसत्वाः।

ते ब्रह्मलोके तु परान्तकाले परामृतात् परिमुच्यन्ति सर्वे॥

दह्रम् विपापं वरवेश्मभूतं यत्पुन्डरीकम् पुरमध्यसँस्थं।

तत्रापि दह्रे गगनं विशोकं तस्मिन् यदन्तस्तदुपासितव्यं॥

यो वेदादौ स्वरः प्रोक्तो वेदान्ते च प्रतिष्ठितः।

तस्य प्रकृतिलीनस्य यः परः स महेश्वरः॥

vedāntavijñāna viniscitārthāḥ sannyasayogādyatayaḥ śuddhasatvāḥ|

te brahmaloke tu parāntakāle parāmṛtāt parimucyanti sarve||

dahram viapāpaṁ varaveśmabhūtaṁ yatpunḍarīkam puramadhyasasthaṁ|

tatrāpi dahre gaganaṁ viśokaṁ tasmin yadantastadupāsitavyaṁ||

yo vedādau svaraḥ prokto vedānte ca pratiṣṭhitaḥ|

tasya prakṛtilīnasya yaḥ paraḥ sa maheśvaraḥ||

श्री महानारायणोपनिषत् द्वादशोऽनुवाकः १५-१६-१७

śrī mahānārāyaṇopaniṣat dvādaśo'nuvākaḥ XII- 15-16-17

Having attained the Immortality consisting of identification with the Supreme, all those aspirants who strive for self-control, who have rigourously arrived at the conclusion taught by vedanta through direct knowledge, and who have attained purity of mind through the practice of the discipline of yoga and steadfastness in the knowledge of brahman preceded by renunciation, get themselves released into the regions of Brahman at the dissolution of the body.

In the citadel of the body there is the small sinless and pure lotus of the heart which is the residence of the Supreme. Further in the interior of this small area there is the sorrowless ether.. That is to be meditated upon continuously.

He is the supreme Lord who transcends the syllable Om which is uttered at the commencement of recital of the Vedas, which is well established in the Upanishads and which is dissolved in the primal cause (prakriti) during contemplation

The above anuvakas in Mahanarayanopanishat, which is a part of advanced yajurvedic learning along with raittareeyopanishat, in three stanzas describe the way of renunciated people, the location of the Supreme Self in the anahata lotus at the heart of the living being and identifies the Brahman who is to be worshiped.

These three stanzas along with Na karamana Na prajaya dhanena..... is chanted wherever the great Aacharys who have renunciated everything and walk on this earth as living gods are present.

today is Shankara Jayanti..

May the intense glow of knowledge kindled by Him lead us from brightness to greater brightness