Sankara Charitham - Chapter 1

Jaya Jaya Sankara
Special Series on the life of Sri Adhi Sankara

(Based on the series in Tamil by Sri Ra. Ganapathy Anna)
Translated & Illustrated by:

Sri Narayanan Bala
Volume 29
October 2014 - Anusham
Copyrights reserved Kanchi Periva Forum
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Chapter 1 of Jaya Jaya Sankara by Sri Narayanan Bala (original in Tamil by Sri Ra.Ganapathy)
Sri Kanchi Maha Periva Thiruvadigal Saranam

Introduction
Hari Om!
Namaskaram from the Kanchi Periva Forum community. We are pleased to bring you our Twenty Ninth
edition ebook, which is the launch of a special Anusham series Jaya Jaya Sankara, a wonderful treasure
originally authored by Sri Ra Ganapathy Anna, and translated by our moderator Sri Narayanan Bala
(anusham163 in our forum).
Most of our readers are aware of our efforts to bring out regular ebooks which are designed to protect and
nourish our age old traditions, culture, devotion and spirituality. Apart from these standard ebooks, we
have also published special series ebooks like those on Sri Maha Perivas Life History.
Sri Narayanan Bala is a very well-known moderator to our Forum members (by the Forum name
anusham163) and he has already made his presence strongly felt through many drawings/sketches of
Periva and by his phenomenal translation works on Periva and on materials related to Periva.
An ardent devotee of Sri Maha Periva, Sri Narayanan is a born artist. While he did not get a formal coaching
from anyone, his manaseeka gurus were Shri Maniyam, Shri Gopulu and Shri Silpi. We would like to
express our sincere thanks to him for coming forward to translate and bring out this beautiful series, which
will help to cement this wonderful treasure in the minds of the present and future generations.
On behalf of this Forum and our respected members, I would also like to specially thank our moderator Smt
Sumi, who has put in a lot of effort in putting this title together and for getting it published well in time.
If you are not already a member of our Forum and received this ebook from any of your friends, please also
register on the forum http://www.periva.proboards.com to stay updated on devotees experiences and to
receive our regular free publications.
This ebook contains brilliant descriptive write-up of the life of Sri Adhi Sankara, and Sri Narayanan Bala has
closely reproduced the beautiful, touching language deployed by Sri Ra Ganapathy Anna in the original. I
am very sure each of you would find this as engaging and moving as I felt in the first reading itself
especially the superb description of the Bala Sankara and comparison of the infant with Lord Sankara!
We humbly submit this e-book edition at the lotus feet of Shri Maha Periva. Though this book is for
restricted circulation among like - minded members of the society, this is a free publication like all our
other publications, which can be downloaded from http://www.periva.proboards.com/ Any feedback or
queries may be sent to us at kanchiperiva@gmail.com
Administrator
Kanchi Periva Forum
Jaya Jaya Shankara, Hara Hara Shankara!

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Note from the Translator

Om Sri Gurubhyo Namah! Sri Maha Periva Thiruvadigal Charanam.
This narrative titled Jaya Jaya Sankara on the life of Sri

Adhi Sankara Bhagavat Paadhal was written by Sri Ra
.Ganapathy as a serial in the KALKI weekly in 1962,
with wonderful and lively drawings by Sri Maniyam.
I have undertaken the ambitious task of translating the

same into English. I bow my head to and submit my
Ananhthakoti Namaskarams at the Lotus feet of the
AdhiGuru and Sri MahaPeriava, to guide me through this
task.
I am greatly indebted to my very good neighbour and a very good friend of over forty years Sri
N.V.Subramanuam, who has taken it on him the task of reading my manuscript word by word,
comparing with the original and suggesting a lot of improvements in the selection of words and
reconstruction of sentences. A million thanks and Namaskarams to him for this great help.
I welcome your feedback on this compilation. I can be reached on beeyen.bala@gmail.com
Narayanan Bala
About the Author of the original series Sri Ra Ganapathy Anna
Sri Ra.Ganapathy Anna belongs to a rare breed of writers, who could bring through his
pen and with his authentic personal experience, the quintessence of religion
expounded by great sages. A naishtika brhmachari, he has a distinct style in Tamil that
is enjoyable to read and teases you sometimes with complex structure of
sentences.Sanskritised in certain narrations, he still does no violence to the
purity of language but captures beautifully the native Indian spirit in his works.
Read more about him & download his ebooks here: http://divyavidyatrust.org/
CHAPTER 1
The Ultimate Bliss Takes Birth
The land of Malayalam, resplendent
with Natures pristine
beauty.
It
was part of the Land of Tamil as

the Malayalam language had not
developed
then.
The sweet
language of the South (Tamil) and

the evergreen language of the
North (Samskrit ) had joined hands
with the people of the land and
were growing.
On the bank of the river called in

Tamil
ALAWAY
PUZHAI
and
CHOORNAA NADHI in Samskrit ,was situated a beautiful village. As that village

had been made sacred by the constant caress of the holy feet of great
mahans, it was (and is) known as KALADI.
There lived in the village a noble Brahmin, by the name SIVAGURU, who was
famous for his material wealth, his wisdom and benevolence. The Puja room
in his house was proof for the fertility of
Kerala and his devotion. Bananas,
coconuts and flowers in baskets which had been offered as Neyvedhyam to

God, were heaped there.
But, the Vedic scholar who was

looking at them and having his
food
in the kitchen was not
happy with what he saw. His

mind was only thinking about
the one great wealth which
was not present in the house.
The distress was overwhelming;
The tears in his eyes blocked the sight of the Neyvedhyam items. Afterwards,
he could not swallow the food also.
He swallowed only his distress with pain. His hands were kneading the food,
while the pain was kneading his mind.
He wanted to share his mind with his wife ARYAMBIKAI who was serving the
food. Although hers was a delicate heart of a woman which can be more
easily hurt and wounded, hers was a heart fully cultivated with devotion.
Therefore, Sivaguru seeked solace from the person whom he should console.
As he was not able to speak, he silently pointed his fingers at the Puja room.
That noble woman calmly said, The fruits are well ripe; the children will eat
them eagerly.
The children will eat them eagerly ------what a broadminded attitude hers
was ! All the children in the village were her own children ! She gets so much
fulfillment and happiness by giving the Prasadham to them.
Why, that was even dear to Sivagurus heart ! Even so, what a beautiful sight
it would be if two young and tender hands, filled to the brim with the fruits,
were to give away that Prasadham. Oh ! How unlucky I am, not to be
blessed with that sight! ---was his longing.
Where is that child ? where is the fruit of all my Puja ? when is my Punyam
(Virtue ) going to be fully ripe and bless me with a son ?
Arya ! -----he called his wife.
For generations, children have come to this house and accepted Prasadham.
With me that custom is . Sivagurus heart was full of pangs.
Why should it come to an end ? ---asked Arya confidently. Will not the
Bagavan give His Prasadham to those whose prayer is always, we should give
Prasadham to others,
You may say so ! But I have lost my faith in my own prayer. As long as we
fill our heart with only wishes, how can we have full concentration on the
Puja ?
The fruit will be according to that only! ---said he, with a feeling of
dejection.
Then, why dont you stop performing the Puja? asked Arya calmly !
SivaGuru was shocked ! What are you saying ? --- he asked, a little agitated.
I am saying that YOU do not perform the Puja. Your mind is not
concentrating on it, isnt it ? But we can watch and enjoy the bliss, when
somebody else, with a fully concentrated mind is performing the Puja.
Errrr..I have been wanting to tell you something for quite some time----Arya said.
Yes ? -----her husband encouraged her.
In our Sivapperoor temple, they conduct special Aradhanas and Abhishekams.

They say that our hearts will melt down when they perform Abhishekam with
pure ghee. That Sivapperoor Appan is the savior of the mankind in this Kali
Yuga-----this is what every one says. It has been my long pending prayer to go
there and observe Bajanam for a mandalam (48 days) I hesitated to express
my desire as you may not stop the Puja in our home. Moreover, a change of
place will do a lot of good
Yes ! yes !-----agreed Sivaguru.
Why should we differentiate as Home Puja and Temple Puja ? Is not the
same Deity () who is accepting our Puja and blessing us in our
home, is now calling us to Sivapperoor through you ? Our attitude and
mindset are more important, than whether it is our home or the temple.
Why do you doubt whether I will come to the temple, which has been
rendered sacred with singleminded devotion of the Rishis and Sidhdhas ? As
water runs in all the places under the earths surface, so also God
is
omnipresent. But, only in some places, our holy ancestors have brought out
His Presence () by the power of their Atman, and built wells of
Anugraha.
When we are unable to dig out and take water from our own home,
why
should we hesitate to make use of these wells in the Temples ?. Sivapperoor

is also not far away. ----- Sivaguru spoke thus in tune with his wifes desire.
It was decided that they would observe Bajanam.
Husband and wife
together going to sacred places; staying there for a Mandalam or two, taking
bath in the temple pond, spending time always in meditation and prayer with
strict control of mind, ------this is called Bajanam.
It is a belief that if we observe this, we will get what we seek. Even today,
many people do this like olden days. What was called Thiru Sivapperoor
then, is
known as Thrissur at present, (*
and the temple is known as
Vadakkun Nathan Temple).
In Samskrit, the place was called Virushaasala Kshetram. Eswaran has

installed Himself on the beautiful hill which is eulogized as the figure of
Nandhikeswaran, the Virusha king.
The Sivaguru couple, immersed themselves in the Aradhana performed on

Eswaran, and were slowly ridding themselves of the pain and sorrow. They
spent their time in thoughts of God only. Their speech, and breath, dream
and thought were all Sivam only.
Yes, even in dream, the thought of Sivam only. Virushaasalesan appeared in

Sivagurus dream as Virushabaroodan (Lord Siva and Devi Parvathi seated on
the back of the bull). His virtue has at last borne fruit ! What else could he
ask for after having that holy Darsan !
But Virushasalesan was not satisfied with the fulfillment of Sivagurus prayer;
He decided that time had come for the virtues of all the Rishis, wise men,
and devotees, who have made this Bharatha Boomi a Punya Boomi, to be
rewarded; and time had come for listening to the requests made by Devas.
Therefore, He granted the boon requested by Sivaguru; He told him that He

had blessed him with the boon of having a child !
But, He specified a strange condition along with the boon !
I will grant you a son, who is blessed with wisdom and Divinity, but with a
short life span; or many sons with long life but less wisdom. You may choose
from the above two. said the Lord.
Sivaguru was confused at this strange condition and didnt know what to
answer !
But the Virushabaroodan didnt stay there long enough to hear whatever
answer he was to give. Sivaguru woke up from the sleep. But the confusion
created in the dream continued in the awakened state also. He wanted to
wake his wife up and tell her all that happened and ask for her advice.
At that time, to his surprise, Aryambal herself touched him and woke him up
! The surprise increased in intensity when he heard what she had to say !
She had also had the same dream ! God had enacted a good drama with both
of them ! He had appeared in each of their dreams separately and specified
this condition, in order to test their maturity of minds and intimacy.
But immediately after that, He had disappeared without waiting to hear their
answer as He could not bear the thought of doubting their mutual love for
one another.
God is playing a Divine Drama. Is it so easy to get His Darsanam ? He gave

us that fortune but at the same time, granted us such a (strange) boon
which we cant enjoy. He has also played a trick with it.. Even though it is a
trick played by Him, if we fail in that test , there will be disaster for us.
We should lose a wonder child very young ! Or we have to leave a bunch of

fools behind us , as our representatives ! I am at a loss as to what we should
decide. What is your opinion ?asked Sivaguru.
It does not appear to me as you put it.---said Arya in a calm but deep
tone. who are we to decide ? God will never put a condition to true
devotees. We should prove that we are true devotees and make that
condition nonexistent..dont you understand ?
His condition is to choose between two alternatives; who are we to choose

whether we want this or that ? What you think is good for us, you may
please decide and do. If we return the condition to Him saying thus, the
responsibility rests with Him. We can be at peace.-----said Aryambal.
Seeing her calm composure, Sivaguru also was relieved from the dilemma and
regained his calm. At that time, there was somebody else who was more at
peace than these two. He is none other than the Kailasa Pathi ( The Lord of
Kailasam ), who removes all the confusions and grant ultimate peace.
Sivaguru expected fruit for his own penance; he only wanted the Aradhana in
his home to continue after him, without break But Lord Siva was waiting for
an opportunity to fulfill the desires of this holy land.
He had a sacred plan to start and install a hierarchy of wise men who will
perform the Chandramouli Puja on a permanent basis, and bring together the
whole land as a single family.
He wanted Himself to be born as the first member of such a hierarchy. He

was searching for a worthy couple in this Kali yuga, to whom He can be
born as their son, and whom He can call Amma and Appa.
At last He had found His ideal parents in Sivaguru and Aryambika. Therefore
when He created a problem to test them, that problem became His.
you know what is needed ! You will bestow all our needs ! Your wish is our
fortune !----- standing in front of Virushasalesan, and saying these words, the
couple surrendered at His feet.
You shall be blessed with a noble son !------spoke the Sivalingam in their
thoughts !
The couple returned to Kaladi and performed a grand SAMARADHANAI

(). After every one finished eating, Aryambikai ate the
Prasadham. She ate it with her mind full of the Almightys thought. That very
moment, that great Jyothi entered her womb.
The Bliss that He is, who cannot be tied up to anything, got tied up (as with
devotees) within Aryambas body and stayed there for ten months. Is He not
the all pervading Siva, who gives the humanity the strength and wisdom, and
relieves them from the worldly bondage ? Therefore, Aryai nurtured the
Jyothi, without any pain or weakness. Ten months passed off.
It was the (Tamil) year of Nandhana ----the year suitable for the Ultimate Bliss
to take birth. It was Spring time, when Mother Nature, out of Her Love for
the living beings, blooms with beauty, in spite of the severe warm conditions,
in order to give prosperity to them.
Lord Mahadevan had pledged to Himself that He shall descend from the level
of Ultimate Bliss and bloom in this heat, in order to rid the Humanity of the
family bond and elevate them to the higher level.
He decided to be born as a Jeevan Muktha who would sing thus:-- Jeevan

Mukthas are those who, having attained true knowledge of the Supreme
Brahman and got liberation even while living, do good to others without
expecting anything in return, like the spring season. (This is the 37th verse in
Viveka Choodamani).
It was the month of Vaisaka, very dear to the Supreme Being; it is also
known as Madhavi, which means Jasmine. Spring also refers to Jasmine.
It was Shukla Paksham (bright fortnight of the month), which is also dear to
the Sathva Moorthy whose heart is as white as butter, spreading the spirit
of wisdom.
It was Panchami which is very apt to the fivelettered ( : )

(NA MA: SI VA YA ), fivefaced Lord, who performs the five duties of Creation,
Protection, Destruction, Maya (False sense of reality ) and Anugraha.
It was noon, when Bhagavan Suriyanarayanan, who removes not only the
darkness outside but also the inner darkness, was overhead.
The star of the day was Adhirai which is derived from the name ARDHRA
(), meaning soaked in water.
Accordingly, Sivaguru was performing Abhishekam to the Lord already soaked

in Love, bathing Him with water, chanting simultaneously, Sri Rudram, which
sees everything in this Universe as Eswaran.
Somehow, on that particular day, both his heart and eyes were more damp
than usual. His heart started melting, even as he started the Abhishekam with
the first syllable SAM ()----meaning May I enjoy the Bliss.
The happiness I want is a son; will that SAMKARAN be born today itself?---he was thinking, while performing the Abhishekam. You are the pleasures
of this world and the outer world; you are also the Sankaran, who creates
them-----when he was chanting the Mantra..
Oh ! The everlasting happiness, which is the Ultimate Bliss, which is enjoyed

by the devotees due to their matured devotion, and which is experienced by
the wise men at the peak of their meditation, was born as his son bringing
happiness into his family !
The ever present Immortal Being, took an Avatar, in order to grant

immortality to the human race which was suffering from the pangs of birth
and death.
The Supreme Being, which is always in a state of bliss, without any external
feeling, out of Its abundance of Love, moved away from that state and took a
human form in order to give that ultimate pleasure to the human race.
At that sacred moment only, the nectar - like principle of Benevolence

() got the full import of its meaning.
Aryambikai gave birth to a male child on whom she will pour her abundant
love.
The gifted couple were in a state of ecstasy !
Some saints who came to have a look at the child, felt even happier than
them. What they saw was not a mere child; they realized that the origin of
all matters with no differentiation as male and female, had taken Avatar, in
order to give entirety to the ability of the male and the kindness of the
female.
They saw the figure of Sankaran Himself reflected in the marble like figure of
the beautiful child.
They marveled at and enjoyed the coolness of the dark hair, which contrasted
the white marble--like body. They understood that it is the coolness obtained
by wearing the crescent moon and the cool water (of Ganga) on His head.
They opened the young and tender palms, which were closed as if holding
the Atma Thathvam inside, and noticed with joy, the lines of and
., running along the palms; and the black mole on his throat
reminded them of the blue neck of Lord Neelakantan, who swallowed the
poison from the ocean of milk.
They were also happy at seeing the small scar on his leg and realizing that it
was the mark created when He kicked Yama.
They suggested to Sivaguru, to name the child as SANKARAN, after looking

at the child very minutely and enjoying the bliss they experienced.
Sivaguru had also come to the same conclusion, as the child was born when
he was saying Nama: Sankaraaya during the chanting of Sri Rudram. The name
was also suitable to the child from another angle.
There was a tradition in Kerala to name a child according to the day of birth.
In the practice of counting by using letters as numbers, the letters SA(M)-KARA respectively indicate the fifth day of the month, first fortnight
() of the month, and the second month of the year.
So, when the Matter without a shape, obtained a shape and was born, that
nameless Matter got a name too !
Kaladi was surrounded by an environment of auspiciousness at the auspicious

time of the birth of Sankaran; an atmosphere of Peace descended on it; the
plants on the banks of Alaway Puzhai, showered their flowers on its waters;
The river water reduced its swiftness in order not to hurt them; the tiger and
the deer which came to the river to drink water fondled one another; the
elephant caressed the back of the tiger with its trunk.
In the Homa Kundas (the vessels where the flames are raised for the Homa),
the flames revolved clockwise (). The petals in the lotus
flowers that are the hearts of the wise men opened out in bloom. The
devotees enjoyed a peculiar happiness.
But at that same blissful moment, fear engulfed the minds of some persons.
Their awareness (knowledge) stumbled somehow; The which they
were holding fell down on their own. These are the people who were
responsible for the birth of Sri Sankara.
We have to travel back a few years in the ocean called time, to know the
reason behind this. We have to
leave Kaladi and go to the Himalayas
() and reach ALADI ( the foot of the Banyan tree).
(TO BE CONTINUED IN CHAPTER 2 ..)
Jaya Jaya Shankara, Hara Hara Shankara!

Sri Maha Periva Divya Darshan

All these paintings are done by Sri Narayanan Bala

Sankara Charitham - Chapter 1

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Jaya Jaya Sankara

Special Series on the life of Sri Adhi Sankara

Translated & Illustrated by:

Sri Kanchi Maha Periva Thiruvadigal Saranam

Jaya Jaya Shankara, Hara Hara Shankara!

www.periva.proboards.com www.periva.org Page 2 of 18

Note from the Translator

This narrative titled Jaya Jaya Sankara on the life of Sri

I have undertaken the ambitious task of translating the

I welcome your feedback on this compilation. I can be reached on beeyen.bala@gmail.com

Copyrights reserved Kanchi Periva Forum

www.periva.proboards.com www.periva.org Page 3 of 18

was part of the Land of Tamil as

language of the South (Tamil) and

On the bank of the river called in

CHOORNAA NADHI in Samskrit ,was situated a beautiful village. As that village

Kerala and his devotion. Bananas,

coconuts and flowers in baskets which had been offered as Neyvedhyam to

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But, the Vedic scholar who was

in the kitchen was not

happy with what he saw. His

The distress was overwhelming;

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Arya ! -----he called his wife.

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Yes ? -----her husband encouraged her.

In our Sivapperoor temple, they conduct special Aradhanas and Abhishekams.

Yes ! yes !-----agreed Sivaguru.

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should we hesitate to make use of these wells in the Temples ?. Sivapperoor

It was decided that they would observe Bajanam.

Husband and wife

known as Thrissur at present, (*

and the temple is known as

Vadakkun Nathan Temple).

In Samskrit, the place was called Virushaasala Kshetram. Eswaran has

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The Sivaguru couple, immersed themselves in the Aradhana performed on

Yes, even in dream, the thought of Sivam only. Virushaasalesan appeared in

Therefore, He granted the boon requested by Sivaguru; He told him that He

But, He specified a strange condition along with the boon !

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God is playing a Divine Drama. Is it so easy to get His Darsanam ? He gave

We should lose a wonder child very young ! Or we have to leave a bunch of

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His condition is to choose between two alternatives; who are we to choose

He wanted Himself to be born as the first member of such a hierarchy. He

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The couple returned to Kaladi and performed a grand SAMARADHANAI

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He decided to be born as a Jeevan Muktha who would sing thus:-- Jeevan

It was Panchami which is very apt to the fivelettered ( : )

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Accordingly, Sivaguru was performing Abhishekam to the Lord already soaked