The Hindu : The Lord's abounding grace

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jul 16, 2003

Miscellaneous

Miscellaneous - Religion

The Lord's abounding grace

CHENNAI JULY 16 . Human birth becomes meaningful only when a person takes to the spiritual path and comes under the guidance of a spiritual teacher (Guru). The spiritual tradition of Sanatana Dharma has been blessed with many saints and preceptors who have by precept and practice guided the destiny of generations of aspirants. Among them Adi Sankara occupies a unique position as he appeared at a crucial juncture in history when faith in religion was diminishing and Dharma was under threat. So he had to re-establish them on a firm footing though he is more popularly known for systematisation of the school of Advaita Vedanta.

The Lord had during his advent in the world in human form as Krishna declared in the Bhagavad Gita that the main purpose of His incarnations was to establish Dharma whenever it was on the wane. In this sense saints and preceptors are also hailed in the spiritual tradition as manifestations of God because their lives and accomplishments are extraordinary when compared to ordinary human beings.

The hagiographical account of Adi Sankara's life as documented in the Sankara Vijayam reveres him as an incarnation of Parameswara. Lord Siva manifested in the world as Dakshinamurti to teach the spiritual truth and it was out of His abounding grace that He once again took birth in human form as Adi Sankara for uplifting humanity from bondage, said Sri Goda Venketeswara Sastri in his discourse.

This text relates that the celestials beseeched Lord Siva to intervene seeing the predicament of mankind. In any enterprise a person cannot remain complacent that God would take care of him without making personal effort. So Parameswara told the celestials that they should also take birth in the world simultaneously as human beings so that the work could be accomplished collectively. The births of Sage Sankarshana, who contributed four chapters to the Purva Mimamsa of Jaimini, and Patanjali to establish the tradition of Yoga, were precursors to the advent of Sankara.

The main work accomplished by Sankara was the writing of commentaries on the principal texts of the Vedic tradition, the Brahmasutras, Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita, from the Advaita standpoint, based on the teachings of preceptors before him. His four disciples, Suresvara, Padmapada, Totaka and Hastamalaka helped him in his chosen ministry by consolidating his work.

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