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| Adi Shankara and his deciples. www.dailyo.in/ |
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| Adi Shankara Janam Kshetra.trip advisor kalady |
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| Adi Shankara Janam Kshetra..inditales.com |
Born in Kalady, which is close to Kochi, Kerala on the banks of River Poorna, Sri Shankara's date of birth is vague and is a subject of discussion. Any way, his contribution to the Hinduism is so vast and one may wonder as to how he wrote so many commentaries in Sanskrit on Hinduism and traveled across the Indian subcontinent before he reached the holy feet of God at a young age of just 33. Kangathara sosthram, Soundarya Lahiri and Baja Govindam were his additional contributions along with many other gems.
Sri Shankarta's parents were poor and aged Nambudiri Brahmins and the couple led a simple and devout life of service to the poor; they named their child ''Shankara'', meaning "giver of prosperity". As his father died when Shankara was young, his mother had his upanayanam conducted. It was the initiation into student-life. Right from childhood Shankara took keen interest in ascetic life against the wish of his mother. After long discussion, with her permission, he moved over to north central India and and found a guru in Govinda Bhagavatpāda on the banks of the Narmada river at Omkareshwar. Very much impressed by his knowledge which was similar to his Advait, his guru asked him to write commentary (Bhashya). The cave where Govinda Bhagavatpāda spent his life, is still being maintained below the Shiva temple there.
At Kalady you can find temples where his mother used to pray.
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| The birthplace of Adi Shankara at Kaladyen.wikipedia.org |
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| Adi Shankara's quote. www.azquotes.com |
There are three mutts by Sankara - Mutts of Kanchi and Sringeri and the third is in a small village. Kalady Sringeri Mutt is the largest one. Sharadamba is the presiding deity of the Mutt
At Kalady Sankara Mutt there is Vrindavan of Aryamba or the samadhi of mother of Adi Shankara. There isalso a Shakti Ganapati Temple. The life story of Adi Shankara is inscribed in marble plaques there. His birthplace celebrates his life and shares his philosophy. Sri Krishna Temple in Kalady is the oldest temple in town. Kanchi Mutt here has built a lovely Keerthi Stambh that celebrates the six paths of worship of Hinduism as taught by Adi Shankara. They are: the deities Ganesha, Shanmukh or Kartikeyan, Surya, Vishnu, Shakti, and Shiva. Sri Adi Shankara Keerthi Stambh Mandap is an integral part of the structure here. Inside there
are two small temples. one is dedicated to Adi Shankaracharya
- his birthplace and the other dedicated to Shiva Parvati and Ganapati.
Adi Sankara established the Hindu monks of ten sects or names under four Maṭhas (Sanskrit) or monasteries, with main offices at Dvārakā in the West, Jagannatha Puri in the East, Sringeri in the South and Badrikashrama in the North. Each math was headed by one of his four main disciples, who each continues the Vedanta Sampradaya. The heads have to practice celibacy since their initiation into Sanyasam (ascetic life) and should be well-versed in many languages besides other religious subjects.
Tit-bits:
Adi Shankara's quotes:
01. ''All the manifested world of things and beings are projected by imagination upon the substratum which is the Eternal All-pervading Vishnu, whose nature is Existence-Intelligence; just as the different ornaments are all made out of the same gold.''
02. ''The witness of the three states of consciousness [waking, dream and deep sleep] and of the nature of Existence-Consciousness-Bliss is the Self.''
03. ''Just as a stone, a tree, a straw, grain, a mat, a cloth, a pot, and so on, when burned, are reduced to earth (from which they came), so the body and its sense organs, on being burned in the fire of Knowledge, become Knowledge and are absorbed in Brahman, like darkness in the light of the sun''.
https://www.azquotes.com/author/24264-Adi_Shankara
https://www.inditales.com/kalady-adi-shankaracharya-birthplace/
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