Short Works, Treatises and Hymns

INTRODUCTION

Śaṅkara, considered to be one of the most representative philosophical minds that India has ever produced, realised the most complete synthesis¹ and harmonisation of all Indian philosophical thought. His ‘method’ in the search for truth, which essentially consists in freeing it from the layers which cover it, has made a very valuable contribution to the philosophical/metaphysical² thought of the whole world.

He dedicated his short but intense life (788-820) to the noble purpose of ‘revitalising’ the Vedic Tradition by re-establishing the authority of the Śruti (Vedas and Upaniṣads) which had become degraded by that time.

To this end he compiled important commentaries (bhāṣyas) to the Prasthānatraya or ‘Threefold Science’³ of Vedānta (Upaniṣads, Bhagavadgītā, Brahmasūtra), as well as numerous other works, including the Vivekacūḍāmaṇi, the Ātmabodha, the Aparokśānubhūti, and the Upadeśasāhasrī, in which he summarises both the teaching and the discipline required to attain the realisation of advaita.

Śaṅkara placed the Vedic Scriptures on the highest philosophical plane by embracing, in his writings, the non-dual (advaita) aspect that was already present in them. With rigorous, profound investigations and the subtlest analyses, he established the Non-duality of ultimate Reality and proclaimed the grandeur of this vision not only in his ‘commentaries’ but also in the disputes and public debates which he held with the representatives of other schools and in which he refuted their theses.

Śaṅkara did not come to destroy, but to build up, and the philosophy which he taught must not be considered to be in opposition to other schools of thought or darśanas:

‘Advaita is a teaching which does not compete with the other orthodox schools … but illumines them from within and demonstrates that a single Truth polarises the whole totality.’⁴

By codifying Advaita, Śaṅkara also supplied a solid ontological and metaphysical basis for all the types of worship of his time, purifying their rituals and guaranteeing their survival, thus laying the foundations for a long-lasting and sound national unity.

Many see Śaṅkara as a philosopher, a mystic, an exegete of the Śruti, the founder of monastic orders and monasteries (maṭhas), a national hero, but, above all, we should see in him the supreme Teacher (ācārya) who is able to show us the true, supreme aim of human existence, an aim founded on knowledge and constituting the very purpose of the Upaniṣads, which is the acknowledgement of our real nature and liberation from the world of becoming/saṁsāra.

‘The central focus, the incandescent nucleus of the vast edifice of Śaṅkara’s thought, which has attracted and continues to attract great numbers of people, is liberation … Focusing first and foremost on this fundamental interest in mokṣa is the safest way of ensuring that Śaṅkara is not betrayed … Respect for liberating knowledge, which he accepts as a divine revelation (Śruti) given in past ages, lost in the mists of time, leads Śaṅkara to transmit it like a living flame rather than to mould it anew and thus impoverish it… Śaṅkara is happy to call himself, not a "supporter of māyā – as many continue to describe him – but a follower of the Upaniṣads" (aupaniṣada). In this designation, faithfulness to Brahmanical orthodoxy merges with the consciousness of being heir to mankind’s most precious heritage: self-knowledge, which is the solution for the world and its painful contradictions, for this is the meaning which he assigns to the term "Upaniṣad".’⁵

In Śaṅkara we find an astonishing combination of knowledge (jñāna), devotion (bhakti), and action (karma). In him these three aspects come to complete and glorious maturity.

As a devotee (bhakta) Śaṅkara was filled with boundless compassion, faith, and devotion. His genius was able to produce the purest of abstract thoughts to proclaim the philosophical teaching of Non-duality as well as verse compositions (stotras) full of fervour, such as Bhaja Govindam and Dakṣiṇāmūrtistotram. Aware that not everyone is ready to set out on the metaphysical pathway leading to Nirguṇa Brahman, Śaṅkara composed numerous devotional texts in praise of various deities. Among these Hymns, the Śivānandalaharī occupies one of the highest positions on account of its fervour, poetical intensity, and aesthetic beauty.

The presence of knowledge and devotion side by side is a rare event by itself, but in Śaṅkara there also co-exists another aspect that is just as worthy of attention: indefatigable dynamic action (karma), which has given him such a special place in the galaxy of immortal Sages that he has become the symbol for ‘triumphant action’. This prodigy of eternal wisdom was scarcely sixteen years old when he began his work, journeying across the length and breadth of the land. During the few years of his earthly life he established ten monastic orders (daśanāmin) to prevent the decline of spiritual practice, and he founded monasteries/maṭhas – focal points for a very powerful Influence which can still be felt today – at the four cardinal points of India, by which he ensured the continuity of the Tradition.

‘The Master (ācārya) who preached renunciation of the world and non-action did not withdraw into a Himalayan cave, but travelled unceasingly throughout the land, wrote continually, instructed his disciples, and spread the teaching of Advaita.’⁶

These words of P. Martin-Dubost constitute the best answer to those who hold that Śaṅkara urged people to totally renounce the world.

The works composed by Śaṅkara may be classified into three principal groups:

1. bhāṣyas or commentaries on the fundamental texts constituting the ‘Threefold Science’ ( prasthānatraya ) of Vedānta : the Upaniṣads , the Brahmasūtra , and the Bhagavadgītā ;

2. stotras , devotional songs or Hymns of praise;

3. prakaraṇas , specific works or treatises in prose and verse which expound some of the expressions found in the Scriptures.

Since the Brahman, in the course of the various works, will be presented with various descriptions and affirmations – let us remember that the Brahman/Turīya is indescribable, unthinkable, indefinable, and so on – and also with the aim of elucidating expressions in the Upaniṣads such as ‘Brahman is pure Consciousness’, it is considered appropriate to quote a passage from Śaṅkara’s commentary to the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad (II, III, 6):

‘[If one were to wonder] how, through these two expressions of It is not this, it is not this, the Truth of truths is meant to be described, the answer is that through the elimination of all the qualifications arising from the limiting superimpositions [one reaches That, the Brahman] in which there is no longer any qualification, name, form, distinction, kind or attribute. Speech, in fact, can be employed solely on account of such means, whereas in the Brahman there is no qualification. This is why That cannot be defined as It is this, in the way that current idiom may say A cow with white horns is grazing there. The Brahman can be [indirectly] indicated only by means of the name, form, and activity which are superimposed on it and through expressions such as "Brahman is knowledge and bliss" (Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, III, IX, 28, 7), or [directly] by the use of terms such as Brahman or ātman. But if one wished to really describe its authentic nature, which transcends all the qualifications governed by the superimpositions, then one would find that there is no way in which this can be indicated. In this case there remains only this method: the designation given in the words It is not this, it is not this (neti neti, where neti consists of na and iti), whereby all the qualifications which could be attributed to it are eliminated one by one. And these two negative words (na) [in association with the word iti] are intended to suggest the repetition [of the negation] by extending it [to all qualifications] so as to eliminate every single thing [such as attribute and so on] that may be encountered … There is no description better than this. Therefore this is the only [possible] description of the Brahman: neti neti.’

The writings gathered in this volume are just some of the many prakaraṇas (Treatises) and stotras (Hymns) composed by Śaṅkara or attributed to him. Not all are as well known as Ātmabodha or Bhaja Govindam, but there is no doubt that their contents share the same beauty and profundity.

In presenting them, we have done our utmost to allow Śaṅkara’s words to speak for themselves; they are able to reach the consciousness of any reader who approaches them without prejudice.

Our notes, which are necessary, and at times indispensable, for a better understanding of the text, are kept short, and if at times we have had to lengthen them, this is in order to present aspects of the Teaching taken from the texts that may not be part of the heritage of those readers who are coming to Śaṅkara for the first time.

In presenting these works the criterion has been, as far as possible, to intersperse a longer Treatise (such as Ātmabodha) with a shorter work that typically describes a precise state of consciousness to be achieved (such as Dhanyaṣṭakam) or a Hymn (for example, Dakṣiṇamūrtistotram), thus allowing the note of knowledge and the note of love/devotion to sound alternately.

Nowadays Śaṅkara is beginning to be known in the West, too, even though there are times when his philosophical and operational vision may seem difficult and, for some, apparently arduous to implement. Śaṅkara is one of those great souls that appear from time to time on this planet to propound afresh Principles of a universal order in such a way as to constitute a precise and reliable reference point.

Our hope is that these writings will shed light on those consciousnesses that are sincerely seeking to find a direction and a pathway that will lead them beyond the world of becoming/saṁsāra, so that they may be ‘what they are’.

We considered it our duty to begin this collection of Śaṅkara’s writings by recalling his image, his works, and his function. We also thought it our duty to end this short Introduction by paying homage to the Ācārya with a verse from the Mādhavīyaśaṅkaravijaya (IV, 34), which declares:

‘Knowledge embellishes those who cultivate it, but, in the case of Śaṅkara, it was he who embellished Knowledge.’

Associazione Ecoculturale Parmenides

¹ Synthesis: in philosophy, the combination of parts, or elements, in order to form a more complete view or system. The coherent whole that results is considered to show the truth more completely than would a mere collection of parts. The term synthesis also refers, in the dialectical philosophy of the 19th-century German philosopher G.W.F. Hegel, to the higher stage of truth that combines the truth of a thesis and an antithesis. Encyclopedia Britannica.

² The purpose of the forward slash [/] in this text is to show the relationship of the two or more items either side of it. Thus it may indicate a single concept seen from two different perspectives or a concept of unity or wholeness. However, it is left to the intuition of the reader to appreciate the specific nuance imparted by the use of the slash each time it occurs.

³ Science: Philos. in the sense of ‘knowledge’ as opposed to ‘belief’ or ‘opinion’. The Compact Edition of the Oxford English Dictionary.

The traditional concept of Science is that it includes an absolute guarantee of validity and therefore, like knowledge, the highest degree of certainty. In contrast to Science is opinion, which is characterised precisely by the lack of guarantee concerning its validity. The different conceptions of Science may be distinguished according to how much guarantee of validity is attributed to them. Dizionario di Filosofia di Nicola Abbagnano.

⁴ P. Martin-Dubost, Çankara et le Védanta. Editions du Seuil, Paris 1973.

⁵ M. Piantelli, Śaṅkara e il Kevalādvaitavāda. Collezione Vidyā, Roma.

⁶ P. Martin-Dubost, Çankara et le Védanta, op. cit.

HYMN FOR MORNING RECITATION

prātaḥsmaraṇastotra

The first thoughts that come to mind on awakening, the first words spoken, and the first action undertaken every day exert a powerful and beneficent influence on the rest of the day in particular and on the whole of life in general. If they are consecrated every day by being offered to the ātman, which ‘shines by itself in the heart’, a threefold result will ensue: they are purified, transformed, and resolved, and consequently so are the organs of mind, speech, and action.

Prayer recited in the morning has a profound significance, because dawn is seen as the outer symbol of inner awakening.

These verses, in addition to being recited with the voice or in thought, need to be contemplated with the heart, so that within it there may be fulfilled the ineffable occurrence of total comprehension and therefore of conscious realisation, like the dawn of knowledge which utterly dispels the darkness of avidyā.

1. At dawn I turn my awareness towards Reality: Reality is the ātman shining by itself in the heart. Being absolute Existence, Consciousness, and Fullness, the ātman constitutes the Fourth and is the final goal to which the sages aspire, the Witness that knows the states of waking, dream, and deep sleep. I am That, the eternal Brahman without parts, and not an aggregate of elements.

2. At dawn I bow before That which is unattainable by word or thought; That by whose grace words themselves shine; That which the sacred Scriptures designate with the expression ‘It is not this, it is not this’ and which, as they themselves declare, is the Deva of devas, the Supreme, having no birth and being beyond any kind of change.

3. At dawn I pay homage to That which, being beyond darkness, is the essence of supreme splendour; That which is fullness and everlasting Steadfastness and is known as the supreme Puruṣa; That which has an indivisible nature and in which this entire universe seems to manifest, like a snake appearing in the rope.

4. As embellishments to the threefold world, those who recite these three sacred verses everyday at sunrise will undoubtedly attain the goal supreme.

KNOWLEDGE OF THE ĀTMAN

ātmabodha

The Ātmabodha is a well-known prakaraṇa, the subject of many commentaries by scholars of Advaita. The explanation of the terms and expressions used in the Scriptures helps the student to understand the subtle subject-matter that is concealed in them, so that knowledge of this introductory text becomes an essential prerequisite for anyone who wishes to comprehend Vedānta.

Śaṅkara addresses those who have purified themselves through the practice of austerity (tapas), have acquired peace in their hearts, have freed themselves from all fear and sensory desire, and now yearn for one thing only: identity with the Being-without-a-second.

According to Advaita Vedānta, what imprisons us is avidyā, or metaphysical ignorance; and so it is only through a ‘knowledge’ of a metaphysical order that one can defeat ignorance that is concerned with the nature of Being. This knowledge involves a profound transformation, a realisative sādhanā whose stages are nothing other than moments of transformation/transfiguration of the being subsequent to acts of consciousness, or ‘recognitions’, since the being already has absolute knowledge within itself.

The required qualifications are: discrimination (viveka) between the Real and the unreal; detachment (vairāgya) from the unreal that is recognised as such; the six mental virtues (śamādis); and the yearning for Liberation, or mumukṣutva.

If this ‘yearning’,⁷ or ‘love for liberation’, is missing, then the final goal cannot be attained, and Śaṅkara says with regard to this:

‘The yearning for liberation is characterised by the intense inclination to dissolve the bonds of formal life through realising the identity of the ātman with the Brahman. Love of realisation is the basis of liberation; if this is missing, study and the assimilation of sacred works afford no fruit.’⁸

⁷ See Śaṅkara, Vivekacūḍāmaṇi, 30 et seqq. Translation from the Sanskrit and commentary by Raphael. Aurea Vidyā, New York.

⁸ Śaṅkara, Sarvavedntasiddhntasrasaṅgraha 226-227. The translation of the classical texts, both Eastern and Western, which appear in this work, unless differently indicated, are edited by Aurea Vidyā.

1. This Ātmabodha (knowledge/realisation of the ātman) has been composed for the benefit of those who, yearning for Liberation, have totally purified themselves of error (pāpa) by means of constant austerities, and are mentally at peace and free from desire.

From the very first śloka, Śaṅkara makes it clear that his intention is to write for those who are qualified. On the other hand, the Ātmabodha, being the quintessence of Advaita Vedānta, requires precise psychological and conscious prerequisites on the part of the neophyte.

In the course of the sādhanā there may be many failures brought about by the absence of those foundations or pre-existing causes which are indispensable in determining specific realisative effects.

It is not enough to be good, in a sentimental sense. It is not enough to have an emotional upsurge of transcendence. It is not enough to have an acute and penetrating mind. What is required is a maturity of consciousness as a result of deeply ‘feeling’ the way of Return.

Thus Śaṅkara is addressing those who have

– a yearning for liberation (mumukṣutva), the