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PHRASES IN THE GITA - 116

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PHRASES IN THE GITA - 116


रुद्राणां शङ्करश्चास्मि  ... (अध्याय १० - श्लोक २३)
ருத்ராணாம் ஶங்கரஶ்சாஸ்மி  ...  (அத்யாயம் 10 - ஶ்லோகம் 23)
Rudraanaam Shankaraschaasmi  ... (Chapter 10 - Shlokam 23)

Meaning :  I am Shankara among the Rudraas ...

Shri Krishna says , "Among the Rudras , Shankara is Me" .  Who are the Rudras ?  Who is Shankara ?  For us common folks , Rudra and Shankara are one and same .  Let us ponder over a more fundamental aspect brfore knowing these ...

Shri Krishna says , "Shankara is Me" .  He does not say , Shankara is my assistant" or "Shankara is Junior to Me" .  Some Krishna Bhakti organizations say so .  Shankara is a Demi God" (small God) these say .

Advaita unites .  Advaita integrates .  All is One says Advaita .  Advaita encourages us to see the One in all .  Other Ideas cause split and disjoint .  These incite separatist vision .  'This is different .  That is different' declare these .  "Do not enter His Temple" .. "Do not take his names" .  "Do not keep his names for your children" .  "Do not read his books" .  These ideas isolate followers with such suggestions .  I had taken up a Gita yatra through the villages in Tamil Nadu .  In one of the villages near Shivakashi , I had stayed with a Vaishna family for three days .  On the third day , he asked me , "How do you talk with Bhasma or Ash on your forehead?"  Probably this question was lingering in his mind for three days .  "Veda is supreme for me and the Vedas talk only of Vibhooti or Bhasma .  Other things have appeared later" , I replied .  I do not know if he understood anything .  We have a tradition of Rameshwara , wherein Shiva worships Rama and Rama worships Shiva .  Vibhooti or Bhasma does not mean Shiva .  It is a philosophy .  It is something that bridges various and diverse communities in Bharat .

Advaita is the one Idea that sows seeds amicability in the society .  It is an idea tha binds a person with other person , a community with other communities , a person with Nature , an individual with the whole creation .  Yes .  Shiva , Vaishnava etc . are paths of worship and dedication .  One need not take all the paths .  One must choose a path that suits self and tread on it with devotion and conviction .  But , "All is One" must be the foundation .

We realize the greatness of Adi Shankara when we look at his life in this background .  Born 2,500 years back in a small village in Keralam , he has written treatise not only on the Vedas and Upanishads but also on the Gita and Shri Vishnu Sahasranaama .  He has composed devotional poems not only on Shiva , Ganesha and Devi but also on Shri Krishna and Shri Vishnu .  His followers gleefully observe fasts and celebrate Shivarathri , Devi Navarathri , Shri Ganesha Chaturthi but also celebrate Shri Rama Navami and Shri Krishnashtami with the same enthusiasm and devotion.

Gita is an essence on Advaita .  Shri Krishna's declaration here is wonderful .  "Among the Rudras , I am Shankara" .

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