Through one lens, the story of Adi Shankaracharya, the towering Sage of 9th-century India, is one of wonder and adventure. His life narrative contains so many miraculous and larger-than-life episodes. There are tales of his knowledge of core Vedanta texts when he was only a toddler, an encounter as a youth with a crocodile that set his life mission in motion, and continent-wide journeys on foot.
His is also the story of a seer with the conviction and courage to challenge dogma and distortion that had crept into Hindu thought by his time, and his successful campaign to re-establish Sanatana Dharma, and realign Hindu spirituality with its deepest roots.
There is one part of his narrative that took place before he was born that is partly a miracle, but perhaps more importantly, it is a parable for a pivotal decision that all seekers must make at some point in their lives.
His father and mother, Shivaguru and Aryamba, were a devout and soulful couple, who deeply desired a child. They prayed to Lord Shiva to grant their wish. Aryamba was visited in a dream by Lord Shiva and he granted her wish for a child, but he also gave her a choice. He offered her the option to have a child with a long but typical human life, giving her the joy of motherhood into her old age. Or, she could choose to have a truly exceptional, special, divinely inspired child who would be with her for only a short time. She chose the special child, though she knew she would not have the pleasure of their presence for very long.
It is important to note that this decision was placed before her in a dream - and though she longed for the comfort and joy of a child in her life - she made an awakened decision.
This is similar to the decision spiritual seekers must make for themselves before they can be birthed into a deeper journey of Self-discovery.
The option to live in and for the world is open to all of us. It is the most sensorially tantalizing and socially approved way to live a life. We are conditioned, encouraged, and rewarded by the world when we choose the default path, though we have to stay asleep to a special presence within us. To live in and for the world is to scramble for approval, material success, physical comforts, and emotional security - convinced that this is a worthy enough way to spend our time on earth. The ego is bolstered, built up, and reinforced so that it lives a strong and long life as the controller of our destiny.
The option to choose something else is available to those of us who begin to listen to the quiet whisper within that asks if there is something more, a deeper purpose underlying what exists on the surface.
We can choose to live a life of sadhana (spiritual practice), satsanga (being in the company of wisdom), seva (selfless service to humanity in recognition of the One divine essence within all of creation). We can choose to purify the mind, lovingly tend to the body, nurture relationships that are straightforward and respectful, worship the divine in whatever form ignites reverence and joy from within us, attune our thoughts to spiritual truth, and begin to vibrate in harmony with teachings from wise traditions.
Choosing to keep coming back to a path of spiritual inquiry and awakening doesn’t mean our mortal life gets shortened, since that is a purely karmically timed event.
It does however mean that we are participating in a different kind of ‘snuffing out’ of existence.
This kind of life journey eventually extinguishes the ego’s attachments and identities, leaving behind only awareness of the truth, consciousness, and bliss of the Atman dwelling within and Brahman infused throughout the universe.
We are all existing in a kind of dream right now. We are all receiving the same question as Aryamba was given: What kind of life would you like to lead - one of mundane human exploration, or one of awakened divine discovery?
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Acharya Shunya has taught a series of Satsangas on Adi Shankaracharya’s 6-verse composition, the Nirvana Shatkam. View the recordings playlist here.
Sadhvi Ishani leads monthly live contemplation circles on these teachings.
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Adi Shankaracharya may have lived a shorten human life but his teachings continue on today. I often go back and read parts of his Tattva-Bodhah teachings, which Shunyaji introduced us to a number of years ago. They always bring me to a different way of viewing life. How old was he when he passed? Thank you for this background on Adi Shankaracharya's life, Ishani. Seems he was born a saint/sage.