Sankara SampradhAyam - 7

[Dr. S.R.Marur]

After the decline of Bhuddhism due to the [*efforts of this*]
trio [*Kumarila Bhatta, UdayanAchAryA and Shankara*], only the school
of [*our*] AchAryAl got established in this land. The sanAdhana vEdic
religion, also known as smArtha sampradhAyam - whose ultimate state
is the advaitic gyAna, given by upanishads and established through
the elaborate discussions by AchAryAl - alone got stabilised once
again.

However, the advaithAnubhavam is not feasible for every one. By and
large, people were engaged in vEdic karmAs and Ishvara upAsanA. But
they did not carry them out, like pUrva mImamsakAs, with an attitude,
"karmA is every thing; Even a SvAmi is not required [*for the fruits
*]". As shown by AchAryAl, they accepted the Ishvara and engaged in
karmAs with the sense of dedication [*of phala *] to Him.

Whenever we do any karmA, don't we say nowadays, during the sankalpam
at the begining, that it is being done for the prIthi [*pleasure*] of
paramAthma (paramEshvara prIthyartham) ?

THIS SANKALPAM HAS BEEN INTRODUCED (and ordained) BY OUR
ACHARYAL ONLY.

Before Him, the sankalpam was not like this. He designed the
sankalpam this way to avoid such misinterpretations as,'the fruits of
a karmA belongs/goes to the karthA himself and one can obtain the
fruits directly from the karmA instead of being bestowed by an
Ishvara'. He got all vEdic karmas - right from a simple karma to
yAga and yajnAs - dedicated to IshvarA (IshvarArpanam).

When the original vEdic religion started adopting the smrithis or
dharma shAstrAs, which depend on and follow the vEdAs, it came to be
known as smArtha religion. They are not different. The vEdic religion
itself is smArtham. The karmAs are prescribed, in vEdAs, to be
carried out only with a sense of dedication to IshvarA, for obtaining
'chittha shudhhi'. Only the pUrva mImAmsakAs, who came later created
the confusion. AchAryAl has just rectified that. In other words, He
rejuvenated the 'original' and ancient smArtha religion and
re-established the same [*again*].


                                   .... to be continued

Regards,

Sudhakar

----------------------------------------------------------------
Translated from,
HH Sri Chandhra sEkharEndhra Saraswathi Swamiji, 'Sankara
SampradhAyam'. Deivathin Kural (in Tamil), Vol. II, Second
Edition, ed. rA. Ganapathi, Vanathi padhippagam, Chennai,
pp: 119-157 (1980).
-----------------------------------------------------------------