商羯罗·薄伽梵·帕达阿查雅在他的世俗生涯即将结束时回到了南部的解脱圣城（Mokshapuri）——坎奇，在这座圣城摆脱了他的道德束缚，许多著作阐述了这些事实。Sivarahasya梵文著作16章46节的第九部分(在打印Canareese版No.32,迈索尔宫殿的Jayachamarajendra系列)，提到商羯罗阿查雅为了成功战胜其他信仰的学者，达到悉达（siddhi永恒极乐），在坎奇他自己的修道院崇拜瑜伽、布伽、瓦拉、穆克提和莫克夏林伽（Yoga,Bhoga, Vara, Mukti and Moksha lingas）。Anantanandagiri在《商羯罗的传记》 （所有版本印刷和手稿，包括马德拉斯大学版）说道“世界导师（商羯罗）渴望出离自己的身体，他在解脱圣城坎奇（Moskhapuri of Kanchi），内缩他的粗糙身为精微身，收至拇指大小，获得了永恒极乐，保留在该遍在的“意识”（ Cit）至今。”。Brhad Sankara Vijaya和Sri Sadasiva Brahmendra的Gurunatramala表明，阿查雅商羯罗在坎奇——南部的解脱圣城获得了永恒极乐。Rajacudamani Deeksita的Sankarabhyudaya的结语提到商羯罗每天崇拜Kamesvari （Kamakshi），并获得无上喜乐。Ramabhadra Diksita的Patanjali Vijayam (孟买Nirnaya Sagar Press, Kavyamala Series No.51)末尾有一节说，商羯罗在著作了注疏，并征服了方向（digvijaya）之后，永久地住在坎奇。
More than 2500 years ago, an avalanche of heretic andnon-Vedic sects, with horrible religious practices threatened to wipe away the ancient Veda-Dharma. In the Bhagavad Geeta, Lord Krishna has told Arjuna that,whenever there arises danger to Dharma, He (Krishna) will incarnate in this world to eradicate adharma and re-establish Dharma. In consonance with His words, the Lord has made partial incarnations during the course of the present Kali Age. And such an incarnation is the partial incarnation of Siva as Sankara Bhagavatpada, which happened some twenty-five centuries ago, on the prayer of celestials to Lord Siva to redeem Bharata-desa from the clutches of non-Vedicand heretic sects.Sri Sankara Bhagavadpadacharya was one of the greatest philosophers and spiritualists of, the world. He was a discerning dialectician,a consummate commentator and a celebrated poet. His miraculous achievements,within a short span of life of thirty-two years, speak of his super-human aspect. Sages and scholars, who have shone through the centuries after his time,have regarded him as an incarnation of the Divine. Many a thinker and many ascholar of different climes and times has been attracted by the philosophic discipline of Advaita (Monism), effectively propagated by Sankara. Even modern thinkers and scholars of repute have paid eulogistic tributes to Sankara'sgenius.The birthThere lived a pious Brahmin couple -Sivaguru and Aryamba -in the village of Kaladi in Kerala. Even after years after their marriage they had no issue. So they went to Tiruchivaperur (modern Trichur in Kerala) and stayed there for a number of days and worshipped Vrshachalesvara, the presiding deity of the temple there, praying for a male offspring. Sankara biographies narrate that both Sivaguru and his wife had identical dreams, at night of the last day of their stay in Tiruchivaperur, in which the Lord asked them if they desired to have a single son endowed with good qualities, wisdom and intelligence or sons wicked and idiotic by nature and that the couple left the decision of the choice to the Lord Himself.Months after Sivaguru and Aryambal had returned to Kaladi, a male child was born to Aryambal, on the fifth day of the bright fortnight of the Vaisaka month of the cyclic year Nandana (509 B.C.). Though many dates are assigned for the birth of Sankara, this date may be said to be fairly well established by research scholars on the basis of literary, architectural and astrological sources of information. The parents gave the name"Sankara" to the child. The life story of Sankara is told in many purely biographical works and also short sketches of the Great Acharya are had in works devoted to other topics. But since all works, which narrate the history of Sankara, have been produced, many centuries after his lifetime, the historian of Sankara has to depend on the lot of traditional information that has gathered round Sankara's name and fame.ChildhoodHaving had his upanayanam at the age of five, Sankara was sent to a local patasala for studying the Veda. One forenoon, during his rounds for collecting biksha (alms), Sankara happened to stop in front of a poor man's house and uttered the usual word of request for biksha -"Bhavati bikkshamdehi". The lady of the house came out and saw the lustrous little brahmachari. She went in and searched for something for offering to the boy.But there was nothing in the house to offer. She picked up a dry amla fruit and dropped it in Sankara's bowl. The boy looked at the woman and noticed the lines of poverty and sorrow writ large on her face. He began singing the praise of Sri Mahalakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth, in fine Sanskrit verses. And lo! Mahalakshmi stood above the house. Sankara requested the Goddess to provide the means for the livelihood of the inmates of that house. The Devi caused a shower of gold amalakas on that house. The eighteen verses of Sankara's prayer to Lakshmi go by the name "Kanakadhara Stotram". This very first poem of Sankara breathes with his compassion and concern for the poor and the needy.At the age of eight Sankara finished the study of the Veda.The idea of becoming an ascetic was revolving in his mind. One morning when he was bathing in the river flowing by the side of his house, a crocodile caught one of his feet and began to drag him into the deep. Sankara shouted for help.His mother came running to the bank of the river. Sankara told his weeping mother, "In accordance with my doings during past births I have to die.But I may continue to live if I become an ascetic, since change of asrama causes a new birth. Hence grant me permission to become a sanyasi quickly". Aryamba reluctantly agreed, as she desired to have her son alive at least as anascetic. Sankara took to apat-sanyasa (becoming an ascetic in time of danger)by uttering the pertinent mantras. Suddenly the crocodile left Sankara's foot,turned into a gand harva (good spirit) and flew up after praising Sankara.Aryamba asked Sankara to come home. Sankara told her that from that day, the wide world was his home and whoever offered him alms was his mother. Aryamba asked him as to who would perform her funeral rites if she died in his absence. Sankara consoled his sobbing mother saying that he would be by her side whenever she chose to think of him and that he would perform the duerites on her death.Initiation into regular SanyasaLeaving his old mother in the care of near relatives, Sankara left Kaladi and began to travel towards the north, in search of a preceptor to get himself initiated into regular sanyasa. Months later he reached the bank of the Narmada. He learnt from the people living nearby that a great yogi lived in a cave near the river bank and that he was spending most of his time in penance.Soon Sankara went near that cave and stood before the entrance to the cave singing about the yogin in some couplets. The yogi, Sri Govinda Bhagavatpada,recipient of the Mahabhashya from the lips of Sri Gaudapada, asked from within the cave, who was standing near the cave. The reply of Sankara was in the form of 10 slokas ending with the refrain "Sivahkevaloham", These ten slokas constitute the famous Dasasloki of the Acharya. Immensely pleased,Govindamuni came out of the cave. Sankara who was struck by the divine personality of Govinda Bhagavatpada fell at his feet. After some conversation,Govinda Bhagavatpada accepted Sankara as his disciple and initiated him in allthe Mahavakyas, Some of the biographies say that Sankara lived on with his'guru' for about 3 years and learnt the spiritual truths and the disciplines under Govinda Bhagavatpada. After mastering all that had to be learnt from the'guru', Sankara was granted permission to leave, and the guru told him, that Sankara should preach Advaita Vidya, and also write an authoritative commentaryon the Brahma Sutras. He instructed Sankara to go to Benaras, which was the spiritual centre of gravity of India, to do this work. Accordingly in course of time, Sankara returned to Kasi, crossing the Vindhya Mountains, after aprolonged journey of months.Sankara at KasiTaking leave of his preceptor, Sankara left the Narmada bank and in course of time reached Kasi, also known as Varanasi, situated on the bank of the sacred Ganga, as desired by his preceptor. Sankara's stay at Kasiwas for about four years. During this period, a number of disciples gathered around him to learn the Advaita Vedanta. A prominent one of them was Sanadana,a native of the Chola country. It was during these years that Sankara wrote the famous commentaries on Vyasa's Brahmasutras, the principle Upanishads and the Bhagavad-Geeta..One day, when Sankara was seated at the Manikarnika Ghat in Varanaasi, Sage Vyasa came here, disguised as an old Brahmin. He saw a young ascetic sitting amidst numerous disciples and looking like Siva with his attendants, as Indra in the middle of celestials and as Brahma surrounded by sages. Vyasa asked the disciples who the boy ascetic was. They replied"Oh! Old man! This is Sankara, the preceptor steeped in bliss. Having dissolved heretic sects in many places, having produced a commentary, with clear and decisive interpretations on the Brahmasutras, and having taught Advaita philosophy to discerning students, he shines as Rudra on the bank of the Ganga." Then Vyasa got near the group of disciples and sat before Sankara. A long and heated debate ensued between the two on the purport of some of Vyasa's Brahmasutras. At a particular stage, Sankara learnt from a hint of his disciple, Padmapada, that the old man was Sage Vyasa in disguise and bowed before him. Immensely satisfied with Sankara's exposition of the Brahmasturas,Vyasa blessed Sankara and departed along with Brahma who had gone over there to grant an extension of life to Sankara.During the long stay at Kasi, one morning Sankara was returning with his disciples from the temple of Visvesvara. An outcaste,leading four dogs, stood on the way. Sankara asked him to clear away from the path. But the outcaste did not move and asked Sankara, "From which, do you want and, what, to go where? Do you want this body, which has been similarly built out of food? Do you want one living consciousness to go away from another? What do you say, Oh! Learned Brahmin? Which do you want to differentiate; this body of matter or the living Chaitanya?"Sankara was struck dumb at this, as the very purpose of all his teachings, that the Self alone is the sole Reality, had been summarised by the Chandala in a single verse. Sankara immediately understood the Vedantic purport of the Chandala's question and also conjectured that the Lord Himself had come in the form of a Chandala to test if Sankara had realised the truth that he had been teaching. He then uttered in reply, those immortal slokas which go by the name of "Manishapanchaka". These represent the highwater mark of Sankara's teaching, where the consistency of a remorseless dialectician, Sankara declares, that he, who has realised the oneness of the Brahman, and he who has intuited the Truth of this doctrine, is fit to be even Sankara's master, even though he, be a Chandala or a high caste Brahmin by birth.Even as he was about to conclude the small poem, the outcaste and his dogs disappeared and Lord Visvanatha was seen above the place, blessing the Acharya.When Sankara left Kasi, the King of Kasi, scholars and people bowed before him and bid him farewell.Biographies narrating in full the story of Sankara speak extensively regarding the long tours of Sankara to many parts of the country.These digvijaya travels may be said to have begun from the time of Sankara'sleaving the sacred city of Kasi. Biographies of Sankara tell about Sankara's visit to Prayag, Badrinath, Kashmir and to a number of places in the south such as Chidambaram, Madhyarjunam, Jambukesvaram, Srirangam, Rameswaram, Tirupati and to many other sacred spots lIke like Dwaraka in the west coast and Puri Jagannath on the eastern coast.Sankaras' Kailasa YatraSankara's yatra to Kajlasa, the abode of Lord Siva, is one ofthe most notable events in the history of the Acharya. During the course of his peregrination in the Himalayan region, Shankaracharya desired to have darshan of Sri Paramesvara having his abode in Kailas. Sankara managed to reach Kailas quickly because of his yogic power. He had darshan of Lord Paramesvara and Devi Parvati. According to tradition, Sankara adored Paramesvara by singing two hymns, known as "Sivapadadi-kesanta stotram" and"Sivakesadipadanta stotram", Immensely pleased with Sankara's prayers, Paramesvara blessed Sankara, presented him with five sphatika(crystal) lingas and instructed him to arrange for the worship of the If ngasIingas for the sake of the welfare of the universe, indicating also the mode of worship. Paramesvara also handed over to Sankara the palm-leaf manuscript of Soundarya Lahari, which is noted as Siva's own hymn in praise of the Parasakti.Kailas to KanchiFrom available biographical information, it is learnt that Shankaracharya placed one of the five sphatika lingas got at Kailas, the Mukti Linga in the temple at Kedarnath, and that he consecrated the Vara Linga at Neelakanta Kshetra in Nepal. With the other three, he returned to the south. He placed the Bhoga Linga for being worshipped at the Sarada Peetha in Karnataka and he sent the Moksha Linga to Chidambaram for being worshipped In the temple of Sri Nataraja in that sacred place, He kept the Yoga Linga for his own personal worship and for his successors at Kanchi.References to the places where the five-sphatika lingas were established for worship are found in Anantanandagiri's biography and in Markandeya Samhita. The Sivarahasya points to Sankara's hastening to the earth with the lingas and worshipping them in his own asrama at Kanchi. The people of Kanchi, under the leadership of King Rajasena, offered a grand welcome to Sankara at the outskirts of Kanchi City, It is said that the Acharya stayed atthe Mukti Mandapa in the small Visvesvara temple, on the bank of the Sarvateertham tank for some time.Bhagavatpada Sankara got Kanchi city remodeled and also caused the reconstruction of the three principle temples of Kanchi viz., the temples of Sri Ekamranatha, Devi Kamakshi and Sri Varadaraja with the assistance of Rajasena, ruler of Kanchi. Sankara consecrated the Srichakra before Devi Kamakshi and there by secured Her bounteous grace on devotees having Her darshan.Kanchi -Shankaracharya's Last ResortSankara Bhagavatpadacharya returned to Kanchi, the Southern Mokshapuri, towards the end of his earthly career and shook off his moral coilsin that sacred city. A number of works state these facts.Verse 46 of the sixteenth chapter of the ninth section of the voluminous Sanskrit work "Sivarahasya" (in the printed Canareese edition No.32, Jayachamarajendra Series of the Mysore Palace, refers to Shankaracharya's worship of the Yoga, Bhoga, Vara, Mukti and Moksha lingas, to his success over scholars of other faiths and to his attaining siddhi (eternalbliss) at his own ashrama in Kanchi.Anantanandagiri's biography of Sankara (all versions printedand manuscripts, including the Madras University edition) says "The World Preceptor (Sankara) desiring to leave for his own abode, sitting once in the Moskhapuri of Kanchi, absorbed his gross body into the subtle one and getting reduced into the size of a thumb, attained eternal bliss and remains at the all-pervading "Cit" to this day". The Brhad Sankara Vijaya, and Sri Sadasiva Brahmendra's Gurunatramala indicate that Acharya Sankara attained eternal bliss at Kanchi -the Southern Mokshapuri. The concluding verse of Rajacudamani Deeksita's "Sankarabhyudaya" refers to Sankara worshipping Kamesvari (Kamakshi) every day and attaining supreme bliss. Patanjali Vijayam by Ramabhadra Diksita (Kavyamala Series No.51 , Nirnaya Sagar Press, Bombay), has a verse at the end, stating that Sankara, after having produced the Bhasyas and conquered the directions (digvijaya) stayed permanently at Kanchi.
