A Tale of Austere Faith and Guru-Bhakti

A few disciples of a great saint were form) ever since his early childhood and drying their Guru’s clothes on the bank of often escaped to the forests to perform the river Ganges. Meanwhile, the Guru had severe penances in search of realization and taken his bath on the other side of the river direct vision of the Lord. and standing with his wet clothes on, asked There is an interesting story that relates to one of his disciples named Sanandana to one such episode when Sri Padmapada had bring back the become utterly frustrated failing to have a dry clothes to darshan of Lord Narasimha after several him. In his years of penance. One morning, out of earnestness to extreme desperation he ran into a deep forest immediately in the hills of ‘Ahobila’ and attempted to end fulfill his his life by hanging himself from a high tree Guru’s wish, branch. As he was preparing the noose using Sanandana was a few creepers and vines, a hunter who absorbed into a resided in that forest suddenly appeared divine trance and stepping on the water he before him and enquired about the cause for began to walk completely oblivious of the such intense grief as that compelled him to deep, vast Ganges flowing before him in all even attempt a suicide. Padmapada feeling her splendor. that an illiterate hunter devoid of any The intense devotion of this young spiritual knowledge would be unable to disciple towards his Guru deeply pleased comprehend his earnestness for Lord even Mother Ganga and She acknowledged Narasimha’s darshan, he explained the Sanandana’s Guru-bhakti by placing lotuses hunter that he was searching for a strange to support each of his steps as he walked animal having the head of a Lion and the over the Ganges. While the other disciples lower half that of a man. Even when the stood awestruck and astonished by this rare hunter tried to pacify Padmapada assuring miracle, Sanandana crossed the river that he had never come across such an unconcerned and happily handed over the animal, Padmapada insisted on the existence dry clothes to his Guru. To recognize this of such an animal. supreme power of Guru-bhakti, the Guru Beholding Padmapada’s conviction, the affectionately named him ‘Padmapada’. The hunter decided to search for the strange Guru was none other than the great Acharya animal himself and he asked Padmapada to Shankara! wait till evening. Padmapada would be free Sri Padmapadacharya was born in the to commit suicide if the hunter failed in his Kingdom of the Cholas on the banks of the search by sunset. So saying, the hunter river Kaveri in South India in a devout searched every nook and corner of the forest Brahmin family. His father’s name was for the entire day all the while being Vimal. Being immensely talented, Acharya completely absorbed only in the thought of Padmapada had mastered all the Vedas the animal described by Padmapada. He had while still in his teens. He was also an ardent combed through the entire forest but the devotee of Lord Narasimha (an incarnation animal was nowhere to be found. Ultimately, of Lord Vishnu in the half-lion half-human when the sun was about to set and the

Hiranyagarbha a Volume 4 No. 1 a 15th April, 2011 45 ø˝ı˛Ì…·ˆ«ìrnh„gdCo¬ hungry, thirsty and tired hunter had given up much that he even took trouble to explain all hope of finding the animal, Lord Padmapada his Bhasyas thrice. Narasimha suddenly appeared before him in There is a famous incident about how his human-lion form. The hunter’s joy knew Padmapada had once saved Sri no bounds as he would now be able prevent Shankaracharya’s life. A Kapalika once Padmapada from committing suicide. He approached Shankaracharya and begged immediately tied the animal to a tree and from the Acharya his head as an offering to called Padmapada. Lord Shiva. The Kapalika explained that he However, although Padmapada saw the had performed austerities for a boon from rope tied to the tree, he was unable to see Lord Shiva to enable him attain Kailasa with Lord Narasimha. Being utterly pained and his physical human frame. Lord Shiva had wailing with tears in his eyes, he asked the declared that the Kapalika’s desire could Lord why He considered Padmapada only be fulfilled if he performed a sacrifice unworthy of the grace of His darshan when offering with the head of a King or an He revealed Himself even to the illiterate omniscient person. The Kapalika thus hunter! Then the divine aerial voice of the narrating his ambition said that Shankara Lord answered saying that the extreme with his deep spiritual knowledge and determination, ardent desire and the true complete non-attachment to materialism was unselfishness of motive in the hunter’s the most befitting person he could find for search forced the Lord to reveal Himself to the sacrifice. Saying this, the Kapalika the hunter. But Padmapada was not yet prostrated before Shankara. The extremely prepared for the complete realization of the generous and noble Shankara was filled with Lord. However, Lord Narasimha promised mercy for the Kapalika and willingly to always be present by his side whenever consenting to his request said that as the Padmapada would actually need him. physical body is impermanent and After this, Padmapada felt complete perishable, it would be a matter of great dispassion towards material life. Finally, satisfaction and glory if his head could pave when he was asked to marry, Padmapada the path for a person’s spiritual salvation. renounced worldly life and started But he warned that his head must be taken wondering in search of a Guru who would away in absolute secrecy taken without the lead him across the ocean of samsara. knowledge of his disciples. Accordingly, the Padmapada met his Guru Shankaracharya Kapalika came at a pre-appointed time when when he was staying at Kashi. the disciples had all gone to have their bath Shankaracharya’s all-pervading serenity, in the river. He found the Acharya in a state profound spiritual knowledge and the of supreme blissful Samadhi, completely inimitable Bhasyas immediately captivated oblivious of his surroundings and ready to his entire imagination and he offered himself sacrifice his body. in absolute self-surrender at the Acharya’s Just as the Kapalika raised his sword to holy feet. Shankaracharya also lovingly sever Shankara’s head, the whole plot accepted him as his disciple and initiated flashed at the inner-eye of Padmapada. him into Sanyasa under the name of Padmapada’s entire being flared up in rage Sanandana. Sri Padmapada’s unparalleled and the consciousness of Lord Narasimha devotion, generosity and earnestness in his took possession of him. Converting into an search for truth pleased the Acharya so absolute embodiment of ferocity,

Hiranyagarbha a Volume 4 No. 1 a 15th April, 2011 46 ø˝ı˛Ì…·ˆ«ìrnh„gdCo¬ Padmapada leapt into the sky and pounding Of the four most prominent disciples on the Kapalika tore open his chest with his (Padmapadacharya, Sureswaracharya, nails. Thus Lord Narasimha kept his promise Hastamalakacharya and Totakacharya) of of being at his aide when his actual need the great Acharya, Padmapada was the first. would arise. The other disciples heard the He became the first head of the Govardhana terrible roar of a lion and Shankara Math in Puri. rushed to the spot to find the Padmapada also founded Acharya in Samadhi and the Thekke Matham in Thrissur, corpse of the Kapalika lying Kerala. Together with nearby. With Padmapada still Sureshwaracharya, he roaring and possessed with developed ideas that led to the consciousness of the founding of the Vivarana Narasimha, Sri Shankara school of commentators. came out of his Samadhi and However, the only surviving saw Padmapada in the work of Padmapada known to formidable Narasimha form. be authentic is Sri Shankara then sang the Panchapadika. It is said hymns to pacify Lord that this work was carried out Narasimha and brought back in response to Shankara’s Padmapada to his normal request for a commentary on state. Sri Shankara also his own Brahmasutrabhasya mentioned that by dying at but the completed work was the hands of Lord Narasimha Himself, the once destroyed by a jealous uncle. The Kapalika had in fact been graced with a surviving text is supposed to be what place in ‘Golaka’, the abode of Lord Vishnu Shankara had recalled of the five chapters of and freedom from future rebirths. Thus the the commentary which Padmapada had supreme power of Padmapada’s austere once read out to him. devotion again came to the fore. –Sri Arnab Sarkar, Her Blessed Child

Egoism and Egotism It may be argued that the greatest thing that a person loves is his own self. It is the nearest possible thing to him – it is his existence. For this reason, our knowledge of sacredness comes from the Ego. The partial knowledge that we have through variations develops into comprehensive knowledge, the more we try to approach the Ego. Hence, the knowledge of the Ego is indispensible to solve any metaphysical problem as to the source of the idea. Egoism or the knowledge of the Ego is the basis of all philosophy and all religion but when the same is perverted and put into a limited sphere it becomes egotism. We call a man egotistic who is always talking about his little self ignoring the stupendousness of the same self that is standing behind. There is Ego no doubt but a perverted and distorted view is taken of it and so it is offensive. In other words, the continuity and the comprehensiveness of the Ego is lost sight of and only the tiny self is taken as the summum-bonum. -Sri Mohendra Nath Dutta (Brother of Swami Vivekananda)

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