Recently, I came across a very insightful speech by the UP Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath , where he spoke about Adi Shankaracharya and Varanasi. He narrated an episode from Adi Shankara's life, which is also mentioned in Manisha Panchakam and Sankara Digvijaya . One morning, during Brahma Muhurta (around 3-4 am), Adi Shankara was on his way to take a dip in the river Ganga. On the way, he encountered a ‘Chandaal’ (who earns his living by disposing of corpses on cremation grounds on Ganga Ghats), and in a moment of instinct, Adi Shankara said, “Move away, move away!” The Chandaal then asked a profound question: "Whom do you want to move—the body or the spirit(consciousness)?" Adi Shankara was taken aback by this question. The Chandaal continued, "From where has arisen this great delusion, which sees one as a ‘Brahman’ and the other as a ‘Chandaal’, Don’t you see ‘Brahm’ within me? Don’t you recognise the Paramatma in me?" Adi Shankar ...
One of the flourishing and foundational orchards of the vast and glorious plantation of Bhartiya Sabhyata ( Indian Civilization) are the Vedas. The Vedas are a majestic and unparalleled heritage of all Indians, despite their caste, creed, panth (religion). The fruits of Vedas have nourished our land for the past 5000 years or even more. Hence I thoroughly believe that we as Bhartiyas (Indians) should at the very least have a basic understanding of its essence. Rig Veda is the most ancient and most voluminous of the four Vedas and also serves as a foundational text for the entire Vedic Corpus. Through a rich tapestry of poetic verses, Rig Veda conveys various philosophical, spiritual, and cosmological ideas. Over the centuries many Rishis, Acharyas and commentators have tried to translate and interpret it. In my limited knowledge and reading, I found ‘ The Secret of the Veda ’ by Shri Aurobindo, to be a profound and critical examination of the core...