Bhagavatpadabhyudaya by Lakshmana Suri (study)
by Lathika M. P. | 2018 | 67,386 words
This page relates ‘Death of Mother’ 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.
Death of Mother
In Bhagavatpādābhyudaya and Mādhaviya Śaṅkara digvijaya, the death of mother is described in different manner. In Bhagavatpādābhyudaya mother’s death is after the coming of Vyāsa and before winning Maṇḍana Miśra.
tatra snānādikaṃ kṛtvā nivartitanijakriyaḥ |
sasmāra jananī tīrthamāhātmyena prasaktadhīḥ || 71 ||
tāṃ tadā''sannamaraṇāṃ nidhyāyadhyānacakṣuṣā |
sahasākāśamārgeṇa māturantikameyivān || 72 ||
kṛcchreṇa sā tamityaha dhanyadhanyā'smyahaṃ |
yanmāmabhyupapanno'smi mumurṣuḥ mātṛgandhanīm || 73 ||
purastiṣṭa kṣaṇaṃ yāvanmartyanīḍaṃjahāmyahaṃ |
māturuttamalokārthī so'pi tuṣṭāvaśaṃkaram || 74 || [1]
Śri Śaṅkara was tourig the area of Tuṅgabhadra, he saw through his yogic power his Mother’s last day had come. He informing his disciples and travelled through air to his native place. He saw that Āryāmba was very weak. He bowed before her and she at his sight was free from all her distress.
And after Śaṅkara said his mother, Please tell your Heart’s desire. She says that,
‘Dear child my mind can find no rest in such an impersonal, abstract, qualityless Being. So plesase recite the prize of the attractive Divine Person and reveal Him to me.’
adhigamya tadā''tmayogaśakteranubhāvena nivedya cā''śravebhyaḥ |
avalaṃvitatārakapatho'sāvacirādantikamāsasād mātuḥ || [2]
But in Mādhaviya Śaṅkaradigvijaya his mother’s death was after winning Maṇḍana Miśra. Through Yogic power Śaṅkara saw mother’s last day had come. So he reached through air near Āryāmba and bowed at her feet.