Sri Shankaracharya Jayanti

 

Sri Shankaracharya Jayanti Festival is celebrated on 6th May Friday 2022. The fifth day (panchami) of the waxing moon (shukl paksh) of Baisakh is the birthday of the great religious philosopher Shankaracharya.  The unique, ineffable, absolute reality of Brahma was Shankara’s theme.  Shankara born as the only son of NambudriBrahmin in kerala, who mastered Brahmopadesa at the age of five, became a Sanyasi (ascetic) at eight.  He was a disciple of Govinda Bhagavatpada.

Shankara wrote masterly commentaries on the Brahmasutras of Vyasa, eleven of the classical upanisads andon theBhagvad Gita (Gita Bhasya).

In a short life span of 32 years, he achieved so much powerfully, purposeful and indeed miraculously that centuries after his advent his birthday is celebrated with effective teaching of his doctrine.

In Vivekachudamani (296) Shankaracharya writes. “Therefore give p the identification with his lump of flush, the gross body, as well as with the ego or the subtle body, which are both imagined (because they are not in the soul and our ignorance conjures them up through the Buddhi or determinative faculty).  Realising thy own self, is knowledge absolute.