[Advaita-l] Shankara's message to humanity

[V Subrahmanian]

Shankaracharya's sublime message to humanity:

त्वयि मयि चान्यत्रैको विष्णुः व्यर्थं कुप्यसि मय्यसहिष्णुः ।
सर्वस्मिन्नपि पश्यात्मानं सर्वत्रोत्सृज भेदाज्ञानम् ।।24।। Bhaja Govindam

In this verse Shankara says: In you, me and everyone and everything else
resides Vishnu, the only One. However, without realizing this you are angry
with me, unable to tolerate me. Look upon the Atman, your very self, in
everyone, everything. Give up the erroneous idea of difference everywhere.

The very name 'Shankara' means: the one who does the utmost good. It is
because of the idea of 'I am different and you are different' at the
fundamental level there results intolerance, hatred and all other maladies
of life. If only we open our intellect to the fact that there is only One
Supreme Atman that is beyond all differences that exist at the body-mind
level and that it is this Atman that we are in truth, we will rise above
all petty feelings of hatred, etc. For, the true content of everyone is
this Atman, Vishnu, the all-pervading Consciousness. The body-mind
apparatus is actually inert matter.

Such elevating messages are contained in a number of works of Shankara,
whether they are the Bhāṣyas for the Upanishads, the Bhagavadgita and the
Brahmasutra, or the prakarana works that are hymnal such as Nirvana Shatkam
and Dasha shloki, etc. or stotra works which are praises offered to various
forms of gods such as Vishnu, Shiva and Devi.

We can easily access these works along with translations too in various
languages thanks to the internet. We can surely better our lives by reading
them, with guidance if necessary. We can also share this knowledge with
others and bring peace to them as well. By sharing, the wealth of knowledge
does not deplete in us but only increases manifold. Such is the nature of
vidyā. We have contacts with a large number of friends, relatives and
institutions which offer immense opportunity for sharing knowledge we
acquire. If this happens in our lives on a daily basis, we will be
extensions of 'Shankara', doing good alone in our lives. After all a
lifetime is given to us only for that. That way each of us will be living a
life full of selflessness.

Jai Shankara