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Adi Shankara contd …
The Digvijaya yatra continued through Karnataka into Andhra and then into Odissa. The caravan was becoming bigger and bigger as more followers joined the group: they now numbered around a thousand when they returned to Kasi after 13 years.
The Acharya and his disciples were in Kasi for about three months relaxing and rejuvenating, before moving again, this time to Ujjain, Omkareswara, Somnath, Dwaraka, Pushkara, Gandhara and then to Purushapura (Peshawar). From there they walked to Baluchisthan and then to Trivishtapura (Tibet), the heavenly land. In all these places, he could bring the people following various faiths – Buddhists, Yavanas, Parsis, Sakas, Abhiras, Jains and others – into the Sanathana fold by his talks, debates and discussions.
From Tibet , they went to the land of Daradas, in Gilgit, the northwest region of Kashmir and then onto their next destination – the Sharada temple, now in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (POK).
Shankaracharya and his disciples reached, Sharada Peeth which was an ancient centre of learning: between the 6th and 12th centuries CE, it was among the most prominent temple universities in the Indian subcontinent. The king of Kashmir met the Acharya and requested him to visit the temple. After he agreed, he sent messengers all over the country to invite scholars to participate in a large congregation to worship the Acharya as a ‘Sarvajna’ by making him sit in the Sarvajnapitha. He also invited leaders of different religious sects, desirous of participating in debates, to send their best scholars to defeat the Acharya, if possible.
The grand programme began with the majestic entry of the Acharya with all his illustrious disciples. Then, began the debates and discussions with scholars who represented the entire spectrum of religious faiths. Intense debates on various subjects followed, in the presence of the Acharya.
In the end of the long session, Acharya convinced everyone present that the Vedas are the origin of all knowledge and that any faith that doesn’t accept its supremacy would not last.
In the end, all the scholars respectfully accompanied the Acharya to the Saraswatikunda. With the accompaniment of musical instruments, he was led into the sanctorum. The Acharya was seated on the kunda. Then the King and his son performed abhisheka with waters of Saraswathitirtha. The chief scholar bestowed the title of Sarvajna on the Acharya while he sat there like Maheswara, calm, cool and detached.
The Acharya and his group travelled to Srinagar. Here, too many Buddhists, Saivas and Sakthas met the Acharya and debated and discussed with him various aspects of Maya, Vidya and Brahmajnana. As always, the amazed scholars prostrated before him and left. It was here that the Acharya composed one of his most popular hymns “Soundaryalahari”.
By the time the group left the place, the people of the land began adoring the Acharya and renamed the mountain as Shankaracharya Mountain. The group visited the world famous Takshasila University, named after Taksha, son of Bharatha. They later went to Jwalamukhi, where the Goddess of fire was worshipped by Acharya with Durga Suktham (Jathavedase).The Digvijaya yatra visited Naimisharanyam, Ayodhya, Mithila and Gaya. Acharya’s next stop was at Kamarupa (Assam).
It was at the Kamakhya temple that an evil attempt on Acharya was made. However his disciple Padmapada thwarted the attack and saved him. After a few more days, the group left for Pasupathinath temple in Nepal, walking through Gorakhpur. After visiting Pasupathinath temple, his next destination was Badarinath and then Kedar. He composed the now popular Sivaparadha kshamapana stotrams which is filled with deep devotion asking His forgiveness for forgetting the Lord, from birth to old age.
*Back to Shivaloka*
During the long Digvijaya yatra, Shankara had consolidated his work by establishing in the four directions, four Mutts called Amnaya Mutts to sustain and foster the sacred tradition of Sanathana Dharm Sri Shankara assigned one Veda for each of the Mutts, signifying that each Mutt would play a significant role in taking efforts to sustain and propagate that particular Veda. Thus Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharvana Veda were assigned to Puri, Sringeri, Dwaraka and Badrinath Mutts respectively.
Sri Shankara also nominated his four chief disciples, one to each of these Mutts. He assigned Sureshwara to Sringeri, Padmapada to Dwaraka, Hastamalaka to Puri and Totaka to Badri. That all these Mutts function to this day shows the vigour of the movement started by Shankara for the propagation of Advaita Vedanta and Sanatana Dharma as a whole.
The Acharya was sitting on the banks of Mandakini river at Kedar. He felt that his divine mission had been fulfilled. His disciples were gathered around him. The Acharya instructed them to remain in jnana and carry on with the work of spreading Upanishadic Dharma for the wellbeing and happiness of the world under the auspices of the four Amnaya mutts. He then blessed his disciples saying that he would be living in the hearts of all of them.
Tradition has it that the Acharya then disappeared from their sight back to where he belonged – Shivaloka.
*Jaya Jaya Shankara! Hara Hara Shankara !!*

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