STORY - Bhagwatpad Shankaracharya - Part III

The basic aim of life is to free oneself of the clutches of Maya or wordly delusion which makes one a prey to passions. A person should realise that there is no mother, father, brother, friend in this life. One is all alone. One is born alone and shall merge in the Supreme alone.

Of course one might be born to some mother. One might even be born as a spirit, ghost, Gandharva, Raakshas or Pishaach. But invariably the same thoughts rise in the mind of individual - will I be able to maintain a separate identity in this universe, will I ever be able to make way into the divine land of Siddhashram?

The scholars do try to find answers to these queries. They don try to explain what life is. But they are not able to explain to the full.

Hidden in the words of Soundarya Lahiri is a very high knowledge and a whole text can be written on each verse of the text. And even after having written so many commentaries on this text the scholars are not able to explain all facts of life totally.

There is very deep knowledge in these verses and the scholars find themselves incapable of fully describing it. They cannot find words to express the essence of this knowledge.

By writing this text Bhagwatpad Shankaracharya did not create just a few verses rather he explained that there is no phenomenon like Dwait or dualism in this world. He said that Brahm and Maya are the same. One cannot contemplate of Brahm as being different from Maya.

Brahm is cloaked in the veil of Maya and in order to remove this veil one needs to meditate by the process of Veikhari. The first step in this process is giving a permanent place to the holy image of the Goddess Mother Parvati in one's heart and soul. And through this process one can reach the final stage of enlightenment.

It is necessary to explain each verse of Soundarya Lahiri in detail for without it the common man cannot delve into it secrets, he cannot realise the great science of Tantra hidden in it, he cannot pierce the veil of Maya and have a glimpse of the Supreme. Even greatest of Ayurved experts cannot glean from these verses invaluable knowledge about various miraculous herbs. The best masters of Yog cannot find the complete explanation of the world of Yog that lies hidden in its verses through which one can make the Kundalini rise from the Mooladhar to the Sahastrar. Can the most distinguished scholars realise the significance of this world, the Supreme, the human body and Siddhashram by reading this text?

This is perhaps not possible! This is why I have tried to explain here the deep knowledge that lies hidden in the verses written by Bhagwatpad Shankaracharya. This explanation does not focus on just the gross meaning rather it goes deep and tries to find the subtle thoughts that Shankar wished to convey. It is when a human leaves the gross behind and delves into the subtle that he is not a mere mass of flesh and bones, he is not merely machine activated by the nerves rather within him is the Infinite - the same Infinite whose glimpse Arjun had in the divine form of Lord Krishnna.

This infinite is present in each human being. All one needs is a Guru who could make one realise it. An ordinary ordinary Guru would not do. He must be a Guru who has understood this science, who has mastered all Sadhanas and spiritual processes and who can not just understand each verse of this text rather who can make others understand the same too.

He must be a Guru who has mastered Yog, who has deep knowledge of Ayurved, who can explain what Brahm and Maya are and who can make one pierce the veil of Maya and merge with Brahm or the Supreme.

I know that it is very difficult to find such a Guru. To master all these sciences is not possible for an individual. I also know that each of these sciences and processes is like a huge ocean of knowledge and even if one devotes one's whole life one cannot master the subject fully. For a common man it is not possible to become perfect in Tantra or realise the Supreme in a single life time.

One has to take many births to master just one subject and it would be then that one would understand what Brahm and what is Maya, or what is the true value of this world and the human body or what is the state of consciousness. It is after several lives of study that one can understand how totality can be gained in Tantra or how perfect and powerful Yantras can be designed. One can then learn how one can gain entrance into Siddhashram, the highest seat of spiritual learning.

It is a fact that all these subjects cannot be mastered in one life time. But one time or another one has to struggle with these questions. However perfect answers are gained only when a great spiritual master, a divine being, the Supreme incarnates upon the earth in order to explain the true essence of the verses written by Bhagwatpad Shankaracharya.