[Chaturamnaya] Jagadguru Speaks: Adi Sankara a Yogi

[S Jayanarayanan]

(On the occasion of the 2009 Sankara Jayanthi, the issue of Tattvaloka,
the magazine publication of the Sringeri Math, was dedicated to
Sankara and Yoga. The Jagadguru Himself had then said a few words on
Yoga in the Sankaran tradition.)

Yoga Darsana is one of the six schools of philosophy, which
prescribes methods and techniques of overcoming the mind. And
everyone knows that one becomes fit to receive enlightenment only
on conquering the mind.

What is more, if one diligently practises the methods given in
the yoga sastra, he will attain siddhis. This yoga marga has been referred
to in many places in the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita. But
Patanjali’s Yoga Darsana is the most prominent.

Adi Sankara Bhagavatpada was a
 great adept in yoga marga, too.
We learn from his life that he had fully acquired many siddhis. There
are examples to illustrate this.

He alighted in Mandana Misra’s house suddenly from the skies.
By a special yoga technique he entered the dead body of King
Amaruka. He also appeared miraculously before his mother at
Kalady in her dying moments as soon as he felt in Sringeri that she
needed him.

Adi Sankara’s Yogataravali, though relatively a minor work,
reveals many secrets of the yoga sastra. It is also on record that
Sankara wrote an exposition of Veda Vyasa’s commentary on the
Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Let us remember the great yogiswara Sankara
and attain our well-being.

sarvatantra svatantraaya sadaatmaadvaita vAdine .
shrImate Sankaraachaarya vedaanta gurave namaH ..

(To the Master of all studies, the Debater of the
 ever-non-dual Self,
to Sri Sankaracharya, the Teacher of Vedanta, I bow.)
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