Sri Adi Sankara Bhagavadpada - Part I ...Contd

Add as a preferred source on Google

Filled with speckless devotion, Sankara's spiritual powers began to show up at a very tender age. Once while he was begging alms (as a bramachari he had to secure arms for his living), he came across a very poor lady who came forward to contribute the last piece of amla that she had to Sankara. Sankara moved by the lady's selflessness sang the 'Kanaka Dhara Sthothram' invoking the blessings of Goddess Lakshmi over the poor lady. It is believed that Goddess Lakshmi showered golden amlas on the house of the poor lady. To this day devout Hindus read this sthothram to gain the blessings of the Goddess. By the age of eight he had mastered the four Vedas.

Sankara's mind was naturally inclined towards attaining Sanyasa ( renouncing family life and leading a spiritual life). However he had to face the apprehension of his mother who wanted him to get married. Once when he was having his bath in a river nearby, a crocodile clutched the leg of Sankara who cried out to his mother seeking permission to attain Sanyasa as he could start a new life if not become a victim to death. His mother readily agreed and miraculously the crocodile let go off his leg.

Sankara then set out on a mission to find his Guru to formally get initiated into sanyasa. In the course of his expedition he found the river Narmada in floods which he captured its furious waters in his Kamandala and released it in the banks of the river. This was marvelled by an ascetic called Govinda Bagavadpadha who witnessed this and took Sankara as his disciple.

Govinda Bagavadpadha taught the various Vedas to Sankara and further more introduced him to the Advaita school which philosophized the unity between the individual soul and the Brahman.

;