Hari
OM
Story-day is for cultural exploration, puraanas and
parables and finding out about leading lights in spiritual philosophy.
For
this month we have been focusing on Sri Adi Shankaraacharya. His jayanti
(birthday) is actually celebrated around the end of April, but other festivals
will be covered at that time, so this was a good opportunity. It is also worth introducing this amazing
sage, so why not at the start of a new year? To round it off, here is 'cut and
paste' from an article from Hinduism Today made in 1990, when Gurudev was still
present. CIF has moved on in leaps and bounds since that time and you can get
the full picture from the dedicated web pages on the links at the side bar.
That a place of such historical and spiritual importance should have come into
the care of Gurudev's foundation speaks volumes for the standing and regard in
which he was held and that Chinmaya Mission is still.
(Minor modifications to spelling and removal of some irrelevant data on activities has been undertaken, images added, but otherwise this is as the article appeared.)
Adi Sankara's Ancestral Home Bought by Swami Chinmayananda
Sinha, B.M.
Presently Unkempt Site to be Restored as International Centre in Honour of Philosopher
The ancestral maternal house of Jagadguru Adi Sankaracharya
(686-728CE),
standing for centuries on eight-acres of land in the village
of Veliyanad in the state
of Kerala is at last going to get the care it needed from
the people of India. It is
being acquired by the Chinmaya International Foundation and
will be carefully
protected, maintained and turned into a historical monument
of great attraction for
the devotees of Adi Sankara all over the world.
It was in this house that the great saint of the Vedantic
religion was born about thirteen
centuries ago to revive the glory and grandeur of India's
cultural and spiritual
values. It was in this house that he lived for years
studying the Vedas, the
Upanishads and other valuable works concerning spirituality
and meditating to
seek answers to the crucial questions facing his country in
those days. Even the
venerable mother of the saint, Aryamba, was born and brought
up in this house.
Aryamba belonged to the ancient Nambudiri family known as
Melpashur Illom. The
house is an excellent example of the splendid architectural
style of old Kerala, a
style in which the structural strength was admirably blended
with practical utility
and artistic workmanship. The house in which Sankara spent
many a summer
serving his ailing mother was in sad ruins for decades.
There was only one solitary
structure that still bears eloquent testimony to the
exquisite wooden panelling and
engraving expertly done by the carpenter artists of the
ancient days.
In keeping with the traditions followed by the Nambudiri
families of the past, a
Siva temple was also constructed on the compound grounds of
the house. It is
believed that Sankara lived in the house even after he
became a world teacher and
dedicated himself to the service of humanity. Traditionally,
a sannyasin (renunciate
monk) would not live at his family home. It was here that he
had composed his
Hymn to Uma-Maheswara to glorify Siva and Parvati installed
at the temple.
Sri Sankara had also written his commentaries on the Brahma
Sutras while living
here. The commentaries were reduced to ashes when the whole
gatehouse where
the acharya's maternal uncle had kept them (along with other
works of the saint)
caught fire. Fortunately for the world, the commentaries in
their entirety were
safely preserved in the marvellous memory of
Padmapadacharya, Sri Sankara's
foremost disciple. He wrote the commentaries down from
memory and thus
preserved them for future generations.
The Chinmaya International Foundation, (CIF) set up by Swami
Chinmayananda in
1989, intends to fully restore the house to carry out a
cross-cultural program it is
planning. A postal tutorial course in Sanskrit has already
been started. During the
summer, the newly created CIF facility will be available for
various training sessions
for children, youth, teachers and managers. Some
international programs are also
being planned.
The foundation is organizing a Gita chanting competition
from district to a national
level. Students from schools and colleges will participate
in the competitions and
win cash ... In all about 120 students will win prizes for reciting
the various chapters
of the Gita in a style that helps elevate the minds of the
listeners. […]
The foundation is also planning to set up what Swami
Chinmayananda calls the
"Chinmaya Institute of Living Values." The swami
told HINDUISM TODAY in New
Delhi recently that the institute will work for the
encouragement of the living values
relevant to our society. "With the continuous decay of
moral values and consequent mental dissipation we are unable to cope with the
problems faced by us and the society," he said. Swami-ji explained that
the values sought to be propagated would have their roots in India's culture
and spirituality. The institute's actions and activities will promote
value-based approaches to living applicable to persons of any profession.