Sri
Sankara Jayanti Mahotsava commenced at Sri Gnanananda Niketan
as usual on the sacred day of Akshaya Tritiya on Monday, the 28th
April 2017. It was celebrated with Narayana Seva (annadana).
More than 250 people from the neighboring two villages were served with food on
the auspicious occasion.
“Akshaya”
means never diminishing. Many things happened on this sacred day. Lord Krishna
blessed Draupati with Akshaya Patra (bowl which supplied unlimited food
to the Pandavas and to all the guests during their vanavasa). Kubera who
is treasurer of god prayed to Sri Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth to fill his
treasury. Lord Vishnu took his sixth avatar as Parasurama. After the end
of Satya Yuga, Treta Yuga commenced on this day. Ganga descended
from heaven in response to the tapas of Bhagiratha. Veda Vysasa
began dictating the epic Mahabharata to his scribe Ganesa. Sudhama came
to Dwaraka to see Lord Krishna. He could bring only a handful of beaten rice
which the Lord received with great happiness and blessed him with immense
wealth on this day. Gates of the temple of Badri Narayana open on this day
after winter. Construction of the chariots for Jagannath Rath Yatra at
Puri commences on this day. This is also important day for Jains for fasting
and prayer marking the breaking of one year long fast by king-turned-muni Rishabadeva.
Sri Sankara Jayanti was celebrated on
Wednesday, the 30th April 2017. Elaborate poojas were
performed at Satsang Mandap. Ashtottarasata Namavali Archanas
were offered to Sri Dakshinamurti, Sri Adi Sankara Bhagavatpadacharya and
Sadguru Sri Gnanananda.
Before
the Aarti, Swami NityanandaGiri read the portion from Sri Sankara’s
Gita Bhashya on sloka no.
50 in Eighteenth chapter. It is about Gnana-nishta,
which Sri Sankara points out, is same as Para-bhakti.
Sri Sankara laid great emphasis on
proper performance of prescribed ritualistic duties Svadharma, which leads one to spiritual perfection. In Karma Yoga, which is Bhakti in action one offers all his
actions to the Divine and accepts the result as Iswara prasada. In fact, it marks the commencement of the spiritual
journey of man. He realizes in due course of time that all his skills come from
the Divine and, in fact, his work is a part of the universal yajna and the result is yajna prasada which gives chittasuddhi. Slowly, he realizes that
it is only the Prakriti that is
performing the action and he is only a witness.
Apart from developing chittasuddhi
and fourfold qualities of Sadhana chatushtaya;
which makes him eligible for receiving instruction in Brahmavidya, which alone dispels the primordial Ignorance, avidya. In fact, it is Bhakti that gives the Grace in the form
of viveka and vairagya and develops in him the inclination towards advaita in him.
Adi Sankara points out that Sanatana Dharma comprises of both pravritti, engagement in religious
activity and nivritti, withdrawal
from all such activities, turning inward and becoming exclusively devoted to
the study of Upanishads and Self-enquiry. Mere Vedic rituals can only give
temporary results and not Self-knowledge, which is freedom from the cycle of
birth and death. This was particularly important and had to be emphasized, as
at the time of Sankara, as there was resurgence of Purvamimamsa with the advent of Kumarila
Bhatta. Thus, He gave proper orientation to the place of karma kanda in a man’s life.
Sankara brings out that Samsara is the sense of doership and of
enjoyership of the results of actions. It is due to ignorance about one’s own
true nature as the Infinite. He compares the constant contemplation on the
teaching of Upanishads to the rubbing of Sandalwood, stinking because of its
lying immersed in an unused well for long time, till its natural sweet fragrance
only is clearly felt.
It was Sankara who highlighted the
importance of Prasthanatraya –
Upanishads for spiritual insight, Gita
for discipline and Brahmasutra for
logic. He establishes through them that the Trans-causal Brahman is the
Ultimate Reality as per the Upanishads. The later Acharyas also used the same
criteria for proving the validity of their spiritual insights of the Causal
Brahman, God. In this manner, Veda Mata in the Upanishads is able to
take care of all aspirants of different spiritual attitude and disposition.
Thus, the Upanishads present a broad spectrum of God-experience.
Sankara lucidly explains the
Upanishadic method of superimposition and negation by which the nature of the
Ultimate Reality is very well unfolded as the Changeless, Timeless Substratum
of the appearances of all changing and time-bound phenomena. This brings out clearly the difference
between the appearance and reality and how the Reality supports the appearance.
As in the past few years Krishna Yajur Veda parayana of Samhita and Saka was commenced with ghatasthapana
on the day of Sri Sankara Jayanti. It
concluded on 4th May 2017.
Swami Vidyananda Giri was given
initiation into Sannayasa by Sadguru Gnanananda on Sri Sankara Jayanthi day. His Aradhana
also followed Sankara Jayanthi and was celebrated on 05th May 2017
at the Main ashram.
Sannyasins and devotees from Niketan
attended the special puja at the Adhishtana (Samadhi shrine) of Swami
Vidyananda Giri in the morning of 5th May 2017. Sri Swami Sadasiva
Giri attended the traditional aradhana,
which was performed in the main ashram. A samaradhana
was organized at Niketan and a special bhiksha
was offered to Sannyasins and other devotees. Bhiksha for sadhus was also arranged at Yogi Ramsuratkumar ashram,
Tiruvannamalai on the day of aradhana
of Swami Vidyananda Giri.
Sankara Jayanthi Mahotsav concluded with prayers that the Grace of Adi Sankaracharya
and blessings of Sadguru Gnanananda be showered on you and all the members of
your family. May all of you be blessed with Sowbhagya,
prosperity and Sreyas, the highest
good!
Watch the beautiful rendering of Sankara Vijayam by these children from Chennai who are students of Smt. Mohana
