Bhagavatpadabhyudaya by Lakshmana Suri (study)

by Lathika M. P. | 2018 | 67,386 words

This page relates ‘Shankara affected by the disease Bhagandara’ of the study on the Bhagavatpadabhyudaya by Lakshmana Suri: a renowned Sanskrit Scholar from the 19th century. The Bhagavatpada-abhyudaya is a Mahakavya (epic poem) narrating the life of Shankara-Acharya, a prominent teacher of Advaita Vedanta philosophy. This essay investigates the socio-spiritual conditions of 8th century AD in ancient India as reflected in Lakshmanasuri’s work.

Śaṅkara affected by the disease Bhagandara

Almost all the Śaṅkara Digvijayās points out Śaṅkara had bhagandara disease. Bhagavatpādābhyudaya gives a very short information about this disease.

yathā śuśrūṣayā siddhirna tathā śravaṇādinā |
iti niścitadhīraiṣa kaiṅkarye nirato guroḥ ||
[1]

Mādhavā’s treatment of the event is totally different.

atha yadā jitāvānyatiśekharo'bhinavaguptasaṃkṣīyatāṃ karmaṇa eva saṃkṣayādvyā-dhiḥ pravṛtto na cikitsyate mayā |
pateccharīraṃ yadi tannimittataḥ patatvavaśyaṃ na bibhemi kiñcana |
[2]

In the Kāmarūpa country, the Ācārya won a stiff debate against Abhinavagupta, a distinguished follower of the cult of Mother Goddess Śakti[3]. According to the conditions of the debate Abhinavagupta became a disciple of Śri Śaṅkara or rather pretended to be so, to avoid public review. However after a few days he employed some black magic to get the Ācārya killed. Consequently the latter had an attack of the disease bhagandara. The attack was so severe that no doctor could cure it. The pain grew unbearable. All were afraid that the disease might be a fatal one. Now, Śri Śaṅkara prayed to God Śiva for help. On His orders the twin gods Asvins, the celestial doctors came in disguise of two Brahmins to the Ācārya, revealed their identity and told him that the disease was certainly incurable because it was due to the black magic spell. On getting this information the disciple Padmapāda grew angry. Even before the ailing Ācārya could prevent him, the disciple had already employed some counter-spell. As a result, the disease left the Ācārya went back with greater intensity to its instigator Abhinavagupta and struck him to death[4]. This story puts the great scholar Abhinava Gupta in a very bad position as a tremendous black magician who tried to kill the Ācarya.

Vyāsacaliya Śaṅkaravijaya gives a similar account.

snātvā purā kṣipati kambalavastramukhyai ruñcāsanaṃ mṛduśataissa dadāti nityam || 85 ||
santakṣya dantapariśodhanakāṣṭhamagrayaṃ vāhyāvaniṃ gatavate salilādikañca || 86 ||
śrīdeśikāya gurave tanumārdravastraṃ viṃśrāṇayatyanūdinaṃ vinayopapannaḥ || 87 ||
śrīpādapadmayugamardanakovidaśca chāyeva deśikamasau bhṛśamanviyāya || 88 ||
gurossamīpe na tu jātu jṛmbhate prasārayenno caraṇau niṣīdati || 89 ||
nopekṣate vā bahu vā na bhaṣate |
na pṛṣṭhadarśī purato'sya tiṣṭhati || 90 ||
tiṣṭhaṃgurau tiṣṭhati saṃprayāte gacchan bruvāṇe vinayena śruṇvan || 91 ||
anucyamāno vihitaṃ vidhatte yañcāhitaṃ tatkurute na tasya || 92 ||
bhagandaro nāpa vamannajasraṃ raktaṃ viraktānapi bādhamānaḥ || 93 ||
saṃbādhate deśikaśaṅkaraṃ sma upekṣito vyādhiranalpatāpaḥ || 94 ||
tacchoṇitāktvasanaṃ pratighasrameṣu kāsāratīragaśilātalapṛṣṭha bhāge || 95 ||
nenikti bhaktivaśago na jugupsate'sau yāvanmalaṃ tadapagacchati tāvadaddhā || 96 ||
kiñcitasamādhāyaṃ puroktamaṃśukaṃ nirṇetukāmassaratītaṭaṃ prage || 97 ||
prayāti saṃkṣālya viśuddhabuddhaye jidhratyabhīkṣaṇaṃ punareva dhāvati || 98 ||
evaṃ yatātmā vasanaṃ dinodine prakṣālya saṃveṣṭya dadāti bhūyase || 99 ||
śoko'pi kiñcinamanasīti vartate nāśaknuvaṃ kiñcidapīha veditum || 100 ||
prakṣālyamānaṃ vasanaṃ yathātmanaśiśarasamāhanti śilāñca karkaśām || 101 ||
bhaktyā paraṃ kṣālayato mahātmanaḥ padyātmanā sā pariṇāmamīyuṣī || 102 ||
śrīmadguroḥ pādasarojamūlāttadāśrayā tatkaruṇāsānā || 103 ||
bhaktirlatā toṭakavavṛttavṛntahṛdyāni padyāni phalānyavāpa || 104 ||
bhaktyutkarṣātprādurāsa sanyato'smātpadyānyevaṃ toṭakākhyāni santi || 105 ||
tasmādāhustoṭakācāryamenaṃ loke śiṣṭāḥ śaṣṭa vayaṃ munīndram || 106 ||
[5]

Here Abhinavagupta is not mentioned. Once Śri Śaṅkara had an attack of the disease called bhagandara, an eruption near the anus. The Ācārya was neglected it. Consequently, the disease developed and caused some anxiety. His disciples brought master physicians from different regions. They came and paid their repects to the Ācārya, examined his disease. They stayed with him and tried different treatments one after another; but all in vain. The disease was getting worse and worse day by day and looked fatal. And after they came to the conclusion that the affected part must be treated simultaneously by burning and by applying medicines. But there is a problem. The scriptures enjoin the body of a Saṃnyāsin should not be burnt on any account by the element fire. Hence the doctors revealed their dilema to the Ācārya. The latter heard attentively what the doctors got to say, i.e., the details of the proposed treatment and the scriptural prohibition. Then with no hesitation the Ācārya bade the physicians go back to their respective places. He told them: there after God Hari, the foremost among the physicians would take care of him. The doctors had already over-stayed with him for many days, and hence they should not stay there any longer, because many of their patients, suffering from more dangerous diseases, might be expecting their doctors anxiously. Accordingly the doctors departed.

Ācārya Śaṅkara prayed to the Gods known as Aśviṃs, the twin physician of the heavenly kingdom for help. For hearing Śri Śaṅkara’s call the Aśviṃs hurriedly obtained the permission of Indra, the Lord of the heavens came to the earth; and under the disguise of two Brahmin physicians, they went to the Ācārya and gave him an extraordinary treatment creating fire-flame and juice of medicinal shrubs by simply rubbing their fingertips. Immediately the disease disappeared and the Ācārya became normal. All the disciple gave a sigh of relief and jubilant. The physicians took leave of Ācārya and went back to their heavenly abode.[6]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Lakṣmaṇa Sūrin, Bhagavatpādābhyudaya, IV.2.

[2]:

Mādhava Vidhyāraṇya, Śrimad Śaṅkaradigvijaya, XVI. 2.

[3]:

Dr. S Sankaranarayanan, Śri Śaṅkara, His Life, Philosophy and Relevnce in Modern Times, p.129.

[4]:

Ibid

[5]:

Vyāsācala, Śaṅkaravijaya, Ed., T Chandrasekharan, IX. 85. 106.

[6]:

Dr. S Sankaranarayanan, Śri Śaṅkara, His Life, Philosophy and Relevence in Modern Times, p.129.

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