Canto VII—Depicting of Ascending the Throne of Omniscience

Śaṅkara agreed to the proposal. He left the place along with his disciples. By his yogic power, he and his disciples were travelling through air. They reached near the dead body of a king, who in majesty looked like another Indra.^[1] His body was surrounded by ladies in tears and by ministers and officers with faces sorrow stricken and downcast. The king had gone hunting to the forest the previous night. In the course of the hunt he happened to fall unconscious under a tree and died on the spot. Seeing the dead body of this king, Śaṅkara said to his disciple Padmapāda that here lies dead the renowned king Amaruka. He had more than a hundred wives of exquisite beauty. Śaṅkara thought that why he should not enter into the body of this king and revive by yogic power, and thus live in his palace amidst these women through his body inorder to gain knowledge of sex love and achieve the status of an all knowing person. He should have an opportunity to make a direct study, as a witness of the manifestation of love in women and their behaviour under its influence. When Śaṅkara shared his thought, Padmapāda replied “There is nothing unknown to an omniscient personage like you. Yet, I shall speak a few words out of my love for, and devotion to you. It sems in days of yore, a great Yogi named Matsyendra, entrusting his own body to his disciple Gorakṣa, entered into the body of a dead king and thereby got access into his palace. In that time the Yogi reigned as the king, prosperity attended that kingdom. Timely rain brought bounteous harvests. Observing all this, it occurred in his ministers that some great soul must have entered into the dead body of the king. The king got so immersed in the emotional display of these women, their amorous advances, soft laugher, sweet songs and lovely dances. In that time he forget every thing about Samādhi and spiritual matters, and behaved exactly like sensuous man. Coming to know of the change that had come over Matsyendra, the disciple Gorakṣa, after duly protecting his teacher’s body in a safe place, came disguised as a dance instructor and got access to the inner apartments as a dancing instructor for women. And after he attracted the king’s attention and by instructing him about spiritual truth, he destroyed the king’s thirst for sense enjoyements. Through his Yogic power, Matysendra was able to leave the king’s body and re-enter his own”.

After Padmapāda completed, Śaṅkara who excelled Bṛhaspati himself in learning replied that what you have said is only a partial appraisal of the situation. You hear the whole truth about it. In one who is absolutely non–attached, desire for sense enjoyement will not arise. This was the case with Śrī Kṛṣṇa when he lived with the Gopis. The continence of one who knows the Yogic practise of Vajroli will remain unbroken. Saṅkalpa is the brooding imaginative association. That is the cause of desires. And then he added that he is without failing, even like Mahāviṣṇu. One who is without Sankalpa may live in saṃsāra without being affected by it; for the real root of saṃsāra has already been destroyed. The commandments and prohibitions of scriptures are applicable to men in ignorance who lived with deep routed conviction that their body is theirself. In the case of one who has realised even here that the Self, which is called ‘he’ is without all contacts and the relationless and eternally pure spirit, one of who is established in this supreme teaching of the Vedanta, the commandments and prohibitions of śāstrās have no application. There is only clay in all pots that are made of clay. It is same as in the case with all objects born of Paramātman. He and the world supposed to be born of Him are not different, the world having no existence apart from him. How can one who realises that the whole world as a mere appearance be effected by anything. In this manner if a person performs Yagās and Yajñās in dream, will he derive any benefit from it? All fruits are non-existent before one who has the world as a mere appearance. Let a hundred Yagās be performed, or let hundreds of men can be killed. Neither the good nor the bad effects of such actions will affect a knowing one in the least. He has no sense of agency with regard to all actions flowing through his instrumentality. According to Upaniṣads not a hair of Indra was affected though he killed Trisiras, the son of Tvaṣṭā, and offered the bodies of Ascetics as food for wolves. Again the Vedas also said that though King Janaka performed many yajñās and charities, he did not get further embodiment to enjoy the fruits of these. In this manner by virtue of this knowledge he was absorbed in the Bliss of Paramātman for ever. A true knower will thus be free from all sinful effects like Indra, and from enjoyable fruits like Janaka. In this manner he is free from any sense of good or evil. So if I indulge in the enjoyment of sex-love with their body, no evil will result from it. So inorder that the world may not be misled in respect of virtuous conduct by observing the example of a saṃnyāsin indulging in the practise of sex love. Then he added that my proposal is to gain the experiences of sex-life through the body of another person whose dead body I am going to enliven by temporarily identifying myself with that body.

Śaṅkara entering the body of the dead King Amaruka

After revealing his strong decision, Śaṅkara climbed upon a steep mountain peak. He told his disciples to preserve his body in the cave on the mountain while he would be residing in another body, to study sex love. At the same time his soul entered into the body of the dead king through Brahmarandhra in the head it was the Ācārya, the master of Yoga who entered into the body of the dead king naturally the dead king opened his eyes and after sometime he resumed his body functions. He stood up. Seeing this his wives surrounded his body greeted him with happy faces. It was compared to the sun being greeted by innumerably lotus buds in the dawn. Ministers in the palace were greatly stunned by seeing the king in the middle of his wives and others. They orderd for the trumpets, conch and others musical instruments to celebrate the joy of the whole kingdom. The sound of the instruments deafened the people.

Acquirement of Knowledge of Sex love

After performing various rites by the priests, the king went to the city in procession on elephant’s back. He consoled his subjects and ruled the kingdom like Indra over heavens. He received tribute and respect from the feudal rulers. It was the great Śaṅkara who was ruling the kingdom, through the body of Amaruka. His ministers felt doubt about the identity of the king as he behaved in a different manner. They could see all the divine virtues in him. They could find in him many rare qualities in abundance. He showed the virtue of Yayati, to do favours to the people. While giving speeches he was like Devaguru. To the opponents he was like Arjuna and in knowledge he could be identified with Śiva Himself. He carried a fragment of Divinity in him As he started ruling the kingdom, the trees bore flowers and fruits in all seasons. The cattles yielded plenty of milk. The rain came timely resulting in bumper crops. Everybody did their duty well, though it was the age of ‘Kali’. The king started a virtuous age surpassing the age of Tretā. They felt that some divine soul had entered into the king’s body. They thought that it would not be good if the new personage departed the king’s body. So they gave faint orders to destroy any human dead body they found.

After a time the king entrusted the administration of the kingdom to a cabinet of ministers and confined himself to the inner appartments to spend his time in the company of his handsome women. By his life in their company he understood the nature of joy that sex-love gives; but for him, (Śaṅkara who had enlivened the king’s body) it was only a shadow, a pervasion, of that Brahmic-bliss in which his mind was ever immersed. To others seems that the king, as in olden days, was enjoying the company of women. But what Śaṅkara was really doing was to observe and study the principles of sex-love in a practical way with the help of experts in it.

Reflections of Disciples

While Śaṅkara was gathering these experiences through the king’s body, his disciples were guarding his lifeless body began to murmer about their apprehensions among themselves, seeing that the appointed time for Śaṅkara’s return had already passed. They said that, he had said he would be away for a month. It is now five or six days past that period. They thought that where is Śaṅkara?^[2] Where shall we search for him? To whom should we communicate the news? Then Padmapāda knew full well the greatness of the teacher. He spoke the following meaningful words for restoring courage into the hearts of his sad co-disciples: “Dear friends, please stop weeping and wailing. We shall now search for him every where, be it on earth, in neither the world nor in the heavens, just as we search for the Supreme Being hidden in men, Gods and other beings. If one works hard, even very difficult things can be achieved. In ancient times, the Devas procured Amrta overcoming, through obstacles, the apparently insurmountable difficulties that faced them.It was very difficult to identify one who has entered into another’s body. Of course, there is a way for this. You can find him out by his excellences which will surely be expressed through his assumed body, just as the moon, even when swallowed by Rāhu, reveals his presence through Rāhu’s body. Inorder to master the science of sex love, that great one of fiery splendour, of absolute self control and of prestine purity untouched by sexuality has entered into the body of a king for a sake of facilities or association with the fair sex. Whenever a personage of that type, fully satisfied in the self, goes, there the people too, became happy and peaceful, ailments and miseries do not afflict them; theft, duplicity and exploitation disappear from the land, performance of swadharma becomes natural to men, and the land is blessed with a plentiful harvest due to timely rain. Therefore without spending more time in vain talk, let us go out in search of our great teacher whose feet are the resort of people who want to cross the ocean of saṃsāra.

Disciples Entering the Palace as Musicians

Śaṅkara’s disciples heard the words of Padmapāda with great respect and attention.^[3] They decided that a few should remain on the spot to guard the holy body. The other disciples should start out in search of the great teacher Śaṅkara. After crossing many mountatins and traversing through many countries, at last they reached the kingdom of Amaruka. That country looked like a heaven on earth, because of its prosperity and the joyous life of its people. The disciples heard from the people of that place, their king was considered as dead. People added that in a very mysterious way his supposedly dead body revived and that, since then, he has been ruling the country with the wisdom of Prithu or a Dilipa. On hearing this, the disciples came to the conviction that it must be their teacher who was working through the body of the king. They said they heard that the king was a great lover of music and the company of women. So they assumed the role of musicians and gained access to the palace. They were invited to give a musical performance. At that time the palace authorities were convinced that they were experts in fine art. In the music hall of that place, they saw their Ācārya surrounded by a heavy of beauties like the moon thronged by the stars. Behind him were handsome women waving the royal chowry with their creeper like hands to the accompaniment of the sweet sound produced by their jungling bracelets, and infront were other ladies, experts in music, filling the whole hall with the melodious tunes of their musical instruments. On entering the music hall, the king showed them their place with a movement of his eyes, and on being ordered by him, they began to sing a song in their melodious voice, closely observing all the rules of the science of music.

The meaning of the song was this-“O Honey sucker! We, your companion with bees, guarding your body on the wooded top of the mountain peak, have long been most anxiously awaiting your return. It seems our anxiety is at an end. Inorder to study the science of sex love you have been living here, abandoning your own body. Oh! Taking shelter at your feet and in the hope of having your holy company perpetually, we have followed you, abandoning all other forms of Sadhana, even the worship of Śiva at Varanasi. He expresses his grief. We have been deceived. O one with moon like face! How is it that by identification with your present situation, you have continued to stay on here, forgetting all your antecedents? O victor over passions! May you be pleased to be reminded of your higher nature through these words of ours! Rejecting with the help of Vedic dicta like “not this” not this, all the manifest and unmanifest phenomena as unreal, the wise ones arrive at that irreducible self nature which cannot be subjected to any further negation. You are that eternal Truth. The limitless universe constituted of the five elements, the supreme Being resides in it as the indwelling spirit. Just as one obtains the grain of rice by discarding the enfolding husk, the wise sages, seeking him, reject through analysis the five sheaths of Annamaya, Prānamaya, Vijñānamaya etc and arrive at the indwelling Supreme Spirit. You are that spirit. The senses are considered as wild horses. If they run uncontrolled along dangerous paths the wise one try to bring them under the control. They tie them to the all controlling self, the truth declared by the saying “Thou art That” within it is like one carefully separates the thin and delicate thread of the lotus stalk from its enfolding fibre, so do the wise ones discriminate and separate the Fourth stage, that is called Turīya from the three states of waking dream and sleep. And “Thou art That Truth, the Turīya”. The Vedas declare that “all this is Atman with a view to show that all this effect world has no existence apart from their cause, Atman. For example, just as the golden bracelets, head ornaments etc are form of gold, so, too is the Atman, the supreme spirit, the material cause of everything. Apart from Him, the supreme cause, nothing exists, and ‘Thou art That’ supreme cause. That which shines in this body, that is in the sun; and that which is in the sun, that is within this body also. The knowers of the Veda try in this way to establish the Truth of the unitary Ātman, and instruct “Thou art That” Ātman. According to the instruction of the Vedas, the intense faith and purity are attained through the performance of Yajñās, charities, austerities and self control and truely ‘Thou art That’ Truth. Truth which in themselves, spiritual aspirants resort to various disciplines and attaining which they seek, rise over sorrow and infatuation stating ‘Thou art That’ Truth, thus the sat-cit-ānanda’.

Hearing this sublime song, the king knew the realization of his duty.^[4] The king was pleased with them and gave them rich present. He came to a full consciousness of his identity, and withdrew his subtle body from the body of the king. The king fell down dead as before in the assembly. Then he entered into his own body, laying in the place where he had left it, through the Brahmarandhra and permeated and enlivened it. At that time a strange development had taken place. That king’s emissaries who had been commissioned to find out all lifeless bodies and burned them. They reached the cave where the Ācārya’s body was preserved while the disciples on guard were away for their ablutions. They took the body and put it on a pyre and just set fire to it. In that time the Ācārya enlivened. Inorder to have the fire extinguished, the Ācārya recited a great hymn addressed to Lakṣmī-Nṛsiṃha. That is called Lakṣmī-Nṛsiṃha Stotra. After the grace of Nṛsiṃha the fire subsided, and he emerged from the cave as the moon comes out of Rahu’s mouth at the end of an eclipse.

Śaṅkara’s disciples including Sanandana immediately surrounded him with great joy and affection. Śaṅkara was like Sanaka himself in his spiritual majesty, he was very anxious to go to Maṇḍana’s home for finalising the debate. Therefore he travelled through air to that house. There he found Maṇḍana, he was free from the sense of attachment. He had pride and self-consciousness that he got from ritualistic philosophy. Śaṅkara descended from the skies, Maṇḍana received him with all honour and cordiality. He stood before him with hands in salutation and eyes unwinking awaiting his command. Maṇḍana was always devoted to the truth he prostrated before him, and holding his feet with his hands and said “O master! My house, my body and everything that is mine. I have abandoned in your favour. Ubhayabhārati spoke to the sage who was offered a throne by Maṇḍana. Then she spoke thus Śaṅkara is great and he is Sadāśiva, who is the Lord of Brahma and of all the Devas, and he is the master of all learning. And she added that “O destroyer of cupid! That you did not defeat me in debate immediately and that you look all the trouble to master the science of sex-love, were meant only to confirm to the ways of the world. That we have met with defeat at your hands is no matter of shame. Great one! What dis-repute can accurate to the soft-rayed moon and the stars of their light is suppressed by the fierce brightness of the sun! I have finished my mission, and I am going to my heavenly abode. Give me permission”. After Śaṅkara replied that “he clearly know that you are Saraswati, the consort of Brahma and the sister of Śiva. It is you, who are the nature of pure consciousness, that has become Lakṣmī for the protection of the worlds. In future, be instituting temples of worship for you in Ṛṣyaśṛṅga (Śṛṅgeri) and other places. I ask you Devi Sarasvatī to manifest yourself in all those temples receiving the adoration of devotees and bestowing boons on them”. After Ubhayabhārati disappeared merging herself in Brahmaloka. At that time all the people in the assembly hall looked on wondering.

Everyone thought that Maṇḍana who was defeated in argument, would then become a saṃnyāsin and his wife would be reduced to widowhood. But Maṇḍana and others were not relieved because Ubhayabhārati, had ascended to Brahmaloka.Then Maṇḍana performed the sacrifice called Prajāpatya and offered all his wealth to holy men. All the worldly desires extinguished.When Maṇḍana was about to enter into the order of saṃnyāsa, Śaṅkara imparted to him the great Vedic sentence ‘Tat Tvam Asi’; to release him from ‘Saṃsāra’ miseries. Maṇḍana ceremonially collected Bhikṣā and Śaṅkara began to impart truths dealt in the Upaniṣads.

Instruction on the knowledge of Brahman

Śaṅkara instructed Maṇḍana ‘the real ‘You’ are not the body. The body is just an object like a pot. Both the body and pot you refer as ‘mine’ (that is as, ‘my body’, ‘my pot’ etc). I, the subject, gets identified with the body, an object. Just like a pot, the body, too can be destroyed with another object like itself. The body stands on a par with all these things of this objective world. Being an object, the body must be something different from ‘yourself’. There is a doubt arises whether it be identified with the self, or the subject? The senses are only instruments of the self. In deep sleep the senses are laid aside like any instruments, but the ‘I’ persists. It may be said that the Self is a collection of all the senses. In that case, the destruction of any of the senses should cause the destruction of the Self, that does not happen. But if you said that each of the Indriyas is the Self, then the body, would have many masters, that cannot function properly and must therefore perish. The Ātman cannot also be another additional sense similar to the five senses. If so who will them be there to feel the loss of any of the senses as his loss? If the eye is lost, the sense of touch does not feel any loss. Only something behind all the senses and common to all of them can feel the loss of any of them as his. The Ātman is distinct from all the individual senses. The mind is not an Ātman. That is only an instrument. We feel that the mind is absorbed at different times in things that are distinct from us. In deep sleep we experience the entire disappearance of the mind, but the witness remains. In that manner the principle of consciousness is different from the mind. For the same reason Buddhi or intellect can also be distinguished and rejected as an instrument of Consciousness. Like the mind, it too, is found to function in respect of other objects. In deep sleep it is finally laid at rest. It is considered merely as an instrument with which consciousness functions. The Ātman is not even ahaṃkāra, the I sense. The word indicates the ‘Aham’ or ‘I’ to be a Kāraṇa or an instrument in the hands of some one higher than it. Again, in deep sleep even the sense is not there. But the Praṇās are present even in deep sleep, in their all other powers and entities subside. You think, why should not Prāṇa be taken as the Self? That is entirely different from the Self. It cannot be, because we speak of ‘my Prāṇa’. That is different from the Self. In that sentence ‘Tat tvam asi’, the entity indicated by the word ‘tvam’ or ‘you’ indicates the Ātman or the spirit in the individual. The word ‘Tat’ or ‘That’ is the cause of the world, Brahman. The sentence signifies the oneness of the entity, to both the words ‘Tvam’ and ‘Tat’ point. The sentence equates an ignorant fool with the Omniscient Being. It indicates that darkness and light are the same. Such a statement contradicts all experience. The absurdity is here, because there is an identity in the person that indicates two words in the sentence, ‘he’ and ‘man’. In this manner the word ‘Tvam’ or ‘You’ is to be taken as referring not to the direct word meaning but to the indirect implied meaning of it. That is the Spirit behind the directly perceived imperfect individual personality, and ‘Tat’ the ‘That’ to the Spirit forming substratum of the mighty universe. The identity is, thus, of the spiritual Essence of both and not of the ignorance of the individual and of the might of the Universal. The sense that ‘I am the body’ has been acquired and strengthened by indulgence in self centered work during an infinite past. The cause of all suffering is the sense of ‘myness’ with regard to this body. This body is sure to be consumed by either fire, or insects, or birds or animals. All thoughts about external objects should be given up. A great fish or mahāmatsya moves from one shore of a lake to another and appears at the different shores. The Ātman manifests in the three states of waking, dream and sleep. Though associated with these states, the Ātman is separate from the states and their happenings, just like that fish. The feeling that you have identification with the states of waking, dream and sleep is created by the Buddhi super imposing these states on you, who are of the nature of pure Consciousness. On reflection that is discovered to be like super imposition of a snake or a stick or a crevice on a rope. In reality you are the Brahman Supreme, the fearless. That is the wonderful mystery of Māya.

In this manner, all people coming together as members of a family is only just like many travellers living together for a while in a caravanserai. For a short time they are together, considering themselves bound to one another in intimate relationship, but before long every one goes his own way. Man works day and night for securing happiness but it turns out in the end to be a cause of mystery. In a mind that has reached the perfection of purity, this truth dawns at the very first hearing of the Vedic sentences relating to it. But in those in whom ignorance is thick, it dawns only gradually through a series of preparetory disciplines like the service of the teacher, meditation on the Pranava, and the performance of duties laid down for the Saṃnyāsin. These will remove the impurities of the mind. And after it will take place the awakening into the unconsciousness of Non-duality. The teacher is verily like Śiva. He obeys his instructions day and night. If he is pleased with his disciple, he will bestow his grace on him. He respects the instructions of the teacher. It is capable of bestowing all excellences on you. It is the one cause of joy. If the Deity whom you adore is angry with you, the teacher can save you. But if the teacher is angry, there is no one who can. So, do not displease the teacher in the least. Man seeks the supreme ends of life-Dharma, Artha, Kāma and Mokṣa. He is to seek avoiding the forbidden acts and observing the commandments. It is the Guru, who gives these prohibitions and commandments, and also removes the evil and bestows the good. Through adoration, God bestows blessings on the victory. It is the teacher who enlightens one as to this adoration is to be done. Otherwise, how can man come to know the Deity who transcends the senses? If the teacher is pleased, all the Deities are pleased. And if he is displeased, all Deities are displeased. The true teacher is one who identifies himself with all the deities. He ensouls every thing.’

Spiritual Mission

Maṇḍana received the instructions on the nature of the Ātman, he said “O great teacher! By your grace, ignorance has been dispelled, and I have become blessed”.^[5] Maṇḍana was given the name of Sureśvara. He attained to the position of the chief disciple of Śaṅkara. He remained in a state of blessedness that was superior to even to that of Brahma. He was the creator immersed in the study and reflection on Vedanta, and thereby poised ever in the blessed self, Sureśvara noted among the egoless saints lived many days on the banks of the Narmada. Śaṅkara, the most gracious of all teachers, hearing brought the celebrated Maṇḍana in to his own fold, started again on his mission of eradication of false doctrines. And then he went Southwards, witnessing the beauty of dense forests full of trees in blossom and resonant with the hum of honey-seeking bees.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Vide Lakṣmaṇa Sūrin, Bhaghavatpādābhyudaya, p.85, The summary of the Section is based on chapter VII.

[2]:

Ibid., p.89

[3]:

Ibid.,

[4]:

Ibid., p.93

[5]:

Ibid., p.95