The walk of destiny

 

Śaṅkara and Āryambha were locked in a stalemate. The son had thrown a challenge and the mother though fearful for the life of her only son, still struggled with the idea of giving him permission for Saṃnyāsa. Śaṅkara on the other hand saw this as an opportunity and therefore smiled inwardly. Āryambha was scared for her son’s life, the last thing a mother wants is for her child to die a horrible death at the hands of a predator. However, she was also struck by what the boy had just now said “Mother! Please give me permission to take up Saṃnyāsa and I am sure the crocodile will set me free…”  This gave her pause because she knew that this was no ordinary son, he had revealed enough of himself during the seven years of his life for her to know that he was special – “Is my son setting this all up to persuade me to give him permission to take up Saṃnyāsa?” was a question that entered her mind and therefore she dallied.

Saṃnyāsa is in a sense “re-birth” because it requires the purging of all that is “real” in the present, in the here and now. To die at the hands of an animal or to die in an accident, or through suicide are all classified under the category of “Dur-Maranam” i.e., undesirable, or bad death. If Śaṅkara were to be eaten up by the crocodile, then that would constitute a dur-maranam and someone who dies such a death is said to wander the nether worlds as a “Preta”^[1] Śaṅkara used this logic to make his next appeal to his mother: “If I were to take up Saṃnyāsa now, it would mean Punar-Janma (rebirth) for me. Therefore, the death that is going to come to me through this crocodile may not come to me as I would already be dead, in a sense. Therefore, the crocodile may release me. Furthermore, even if I were to die, I would die as a Saṃnyāsi and therefore the Dur-Maranam will not affect me, and I will not have to roam about as a disembodied spirit. Mother, considering all this, please give your permission for me to take up Saṃnyāsa!”

One of the ways to take saṃnyāsa is to stand in water up to the waist, in a waterbody such as a river, and utter the “Praisha” mantra. This is a way of giving up everything, the world and all that is contained therein, and this was Śaṅkara’s next salvo in his attempts to convince his mother.

“Mother, it so happens that I am already in water. If this opportunity is missed, nothing will happen other than me getting eaten up by this crocodile and suffering a Dur-Maranam. There really is no other way, other than me taking up Saṃnyāsa, but I will still not take that step without receiving permission from you.”

Āryambha was in a dilemma. Here was her only son caught in the jaws of death, telling her that the only way out of the dire predicament they found themselves in was for her to give him permission to take up Saṃnyāsa. A mother’s love for her child can neither be explained nor put into words. The rational mind that thinks linearly would probably wonder where the confusion stems from – isn’t the answer obvious and straightforward? Āryambha only had to agree to what her son was saying and at least she would know that he would live, even if he were to take up Saṃnyāsa. However, in matters such as this, rationality is often sacrificed at the altar of emotions and love.  Āryambha could not bring herself to utter the words that would have freed Śaṅkara from the jaws of death. In her state of utter panic and confusion, she blurted out “Do whatever you think you want to do” This was not really permission, but neither was it a denial of permission. Śaṅkara saw an opening and immediately uttered the praisha mantra and took up Saṃnyāsa.

The “Praisha” mantram in essence is a mantra that states unequivocally that no one should be afraid of him who has taken up Saṃnyāsa because the Saṃnyāsi does not mean harm to any being. None need be afraid of the Saṃnyāsi because the very presence of a Saṃnyāsi must spread joy and happiness and instill a sense of calmness and quietude wherever he goes. A Gṛhastha on the other hand cannot take such a vow of “ahimsa” because he needs to protect his family as well as those who depend on him. He must indulge in worldly affairs and may have to speak or behave harshly at times depending on the situation and the context. A Gṛhastha who practices absolute ahimsa and, in the process, risks the lives of those dependent on him, is against Dharma and becomes an adharmi.

There are several methods of taking Saṃnyāsa, the most common being the one taken at the feet of the Guru and obtaining Dīkṣā, i.e., formal initiation into the Saṃnyāsāśrama-dharma. Another method of Saṃnyāsa is called Ātura-Saṃnyāsa where someone who has developed intense virakti^[2] and vairāgya^[3] decides to take up saṃnyāsa immediately. Ātura-Saṃnyāsa literally means saṃnyāsa taken by one who is afflicted and is close to death or suffers from an incurable disease and feels he must change the course of his life immediately. There is a third type of saṃnyāsa called atyātura-saṃnyāsa – this type of saṃnyāsa is also called āpath-saṃnyāsa usually taken when death is imminent, and the person takes up saṃnyāsa by uttering the praisha mantra – this last method was the one that Śaṅkara had adopted.

As soon as he finished uttering the praisha mantra, the crocodile released him and disappeared into the dark depths of the river! As the boy fell forward, the mother pulled him towards herself and hugged him close to her bosom. She then held him at arm’s length and spoke to him with great love and affection. “My dear son, you have come back alive, come let us go back home and I shall prepare a favorite dish of your choice, celebrating your miraculous ‘rebirth’. My only wish now is to see you married before I close my eyes!”

Strange is human nature. A few minutes ago, she had wondered if her son would live to see another day and now, she wanted to see him married!

The boy looked at her with amusement tinged with pity and with a gentle smile playing on his face said: “Amma, have you forgotten that you have given me permission to take saṃnyāsa? From now on, I am a child to all mothers of the world, every woman who offers Bhikṣā to me shall henceforth be my mother as well. Do not think you alone are my mother anymore. I must go meet my Guru and receive Jñāna- Upadeśa according to that Guru-parampara. Every Guru in that parampara is henceforth my father. When I acquire jñāna and in turn give upadeśa, everyone who receives it from me, young or old, shall be my child. I have already found the person I want to marry. She goes by the name of Śānti (peace). She dwells in my mind, and I have already married her!” Even as the horrified mother looked at her son wide-eyed and open-mouthed, he added “Now, you must leave me and let me go, so that I can spend some happy moments with Śānti and also get to meet my other mothers…”^[4]

Āryambha knew that nothing she said would make her son change his decision. She sobbed silently and then in a broken voice asked him “Are you going to leave me high and dry? Am I to die without a son to perform my last rites, am I to die without catching a glimpse of my son’s face at the moment of my death?”

Śaṅkara consoled her and gave her a promise: “I will be by your side, during your last moments. You only have to think of me, and I shall come. I also promise to do the dahanakarma after your death.” Āryambha wiped her face and somehow consoled herself and started preparing for life without her son.

There are two questions that may be asked with regard to this episode and it is appropriate that they are answered here.

1. Does not the Śāstra state that in the case of parents with only one son, that son is not permitted to take up saṃnyāsa because he needs to fulfill his duties to his parents? If there are two or more brothers, then one of them can take up saṃnyāsa, but one son must necessarily stay back with the parents. In that case, was Śaṅkara right in taking up saṃnyāsa?

Strictly speaking, Śaṅkara should not have taken up saṃnyāsa as he was an only son. However, his very purpose of existence was the revival and re-establishment of Dharma. His role was that of the sanyasi as the avatāra-puruṣa – that is how the avatāra līlā had to play out. When that Īśvara had himself descended for the fulfillment of a specific pledge, then the rules don’t apply – this was an exception to the rule and for the specific purpose of Loka-rakṣaṇa.

2. How can a saṃnyāsi perform dahana-karma when he has given up everything and has broken all ties with everyone?

The answer to this question is provided by the Paramācārya of Kāñci, Śri Chandraśēkharendra Sarasvatī. The position of a mother is higher than everything else – this is what the Śāstras state. Matruṛṇa is a debt that cannot be fulfilled by any other means or through surrogate means. Even Pitruṛṇa can be repaid through the performance of a yajna called Sautrāmaṇī but Matruṛṇa cannot be repaid. Furthermore, in Śaṅkara’s case, he was the only son, if he had had a brother then the brother could have performed the dahana-karma, but since that was not the case, it was left to Śaṅkara to perform this and therefore he was justified in giving the promise to his mother. Additionally, while he was an avatāra-putra, his mother was not an avatāra-māta – therefore it was only fair that he performs the duties to his mother as laid down in the Śāstras.

Śaṅkara then spoke to his relatives and requested them to take care of his mother for him. He also made over a portion of his paternal wealth to them, so that they would have no trouble in taking care of her. He then took leave of Āryambha and his relatives. He carried with him the Daṇḍa, the wooden staff that marked him out as a saṃnyāsi, the clothes he wore on his body, and a tiny cloth bundle that held a second pair of clothes to change into when he washed the clothes he was wearing on his body.

Āryambha had once again started sobbing and she kept looking at the little boy who was steadily walking away from her. At first, she expected him to turn around and come running back into her arms, then as his form grew smaller and smaller, she hoped that he would at least turn around and look at her, but not once did the boy turn back. He simply kept walking, one foot after the other till he was just a speck in the distance and soon disappeared from her sight. The Draviḍa-Śiśu had embarked on his walk of destiny that would take him several months and across several provinces of Bharat.

The Crocodile who was a Gandharva

Legend has it that the crocodile that caught hold of Śaṅkara’s feet was in reality a Gandharva^[5] who had taken the form of a crocodile as a result of a curse from the sage Durvāsā who is himself considered to be a partial avatāra of Śiva and is known to have a very short temper. This Gandharva had been frolicking and playing when the sage happened to pass by and he had failed to notice the sage. Stung to the quick by this slight, the sage had cursed him but later had also given him a way out – he had told the Gandharva that one day an avatāra of Śiva would come to bathe in the river and the Gandharva had to hold onto his feet. This act would not only facilitate the taking of saṃnyāsa by Śaṅkara but would also release the Gandharva from his curse. This was the act that had played out just now in the divine play unfolding on the earthly plane.

To be continued…

Postscript

In chapter-1, the prevailing state of adharma at the time of Śaṅkara-avatāra was discussed and the rationale and need for an avatāra-puruṣa were clarified. In chapter 2 the prelude to Śaṅkara-avatāra and Śaṅkara’s parents were covered and in chapter-3 the promise of the descent was detailed. Chapter-4 was about the victory of Kumārila Bhaṭṭa. Chapter-5 is about Maṇḍana Miśhra and Bhārati’s love for each other and the descent of Śaṅkara. Chapter-6 is about the death of Śaṅkara’s father and the marriage of Maṇḍana Miśhra and Bhārati. Chapter-7 is about the genius of Śaṅkara and how as a five-year-old he composed the Kanakadhārā stōtram. In chapter-8, events preceding and foreshadowing Śaṅkara’s Saṃnyāsa are covered.

Go to the links below to read the chapters:

Chapter-1

Chapter-2

Chapter-3

Chapter-4

Chapter-5

Chapter-6

Chapter-7

Chapter-8

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[1] Preta: A disembodied spirit. A ghost whose life has ended suddenly due to murder, suicide, or accident. They wander the netherworlds and sometimes also haunt those who live in the world

[2] Virakti: Disengagement from worldly affections and passions. Aversion or indifference to the material world and its comforts.

[3] Vairāgya: non-attachment

[4] From Volume-5 of Deivathin Kural, “The Voice of God” Pg. 591

[5] Gandharvas: Celestial devas known for their artistic talents. The gandharvas are excellent dancers, singers, and musicians who are thought to live in the heavenly realms