Shankaracharya's quotes about death

“When your last breath arrives, intellectual knowledge can do nothing (Adi Shankara)”

— Shankaracharya

Read this Quote in Bengali

Know Source and Context of this Quote :

Adi Shankaracharya was not just a philosopher or a scholar. In fact he was a man of amazing energy combining in him a mystic, a saint, a scholar, a poet and above all a practical reformer and an able organizer.

Shankara was born in Kalady village in Kerala. Various evidences prove his date as 509 BC to 477 BC. His mother Aryamba was a pious devotee of Lord Shiva. His father Shiv Guru left him when he was only three years old. At the age of five only he had studied all the Vedas and Vedangas. Staying at Gurukul, he went to beg alms from a house. The lady was so poor that she could only give a dry Amla and she felt very sorry for it. Shankara prayed to Goddess Lakshmi who showered gold coins in the shape of Amla. This stotra a known as Kanakadhara stotra. At the age of seven he returned from Gurukul and wanted to renounce the world, but his mother denied. He entered a river and shouted that a crocodile had caught him and would only release him if he is permitted to renounce the world. The helpless mother granted him the permission for renunciation with the promise that he would perform her last rites. Thus Shankara left and on the way crossed rivers, hills, forests, towns, meeting varied personalities and limitless varieties of the creation experiencing the Brahman-the ultimate reality in every tiny living and non-living creature. He came across a cave in which Govinda Bhagwadpad was deeply engrossed in Samadhi. The cave was on the bank of the river Narmada and its flooding waters started entering the cave. Shankara adjusted a pot in such a way that the water could not enter the cave. Ultimately Govinda initiated him into Sanyasa and taught him the four Mahavakyas – Tat tvamasi, Prajnanam Brahma, Aham Brahmasmi and Ayamatma Brahma. Here Shankar attained Siddhis through Yoga and meditation and obtained super natural powers.

From here he visited Kashi and from there went to Badari Dham and wrote the Brahmasutra Bhashya. From here he was proceeding towards Kedar – ashram where he saw Kumarila Bhatt trying to immolate himself in fire as a revenge for his own act of denying the existence of God. Kumarila requested Shankar to meet Mandan Mishra and make him his disciple who will propogate the philosophy of Vedanta. Unable to save Kumarila, Shankara went to Mandana Mishra’s house and defeated him and his wife Sharda in Shastrartha. Acharya Mandan Mishra got engrossed in the propagation of Vedanta. From here Shankar proceeded towards Shri Shailam. Here he got the news of his mother’s death and true to his promise, he went and performed her last rites. To establish geographical, historical and spiritual integrity in India he established four mathas in four directions of the country – Jyotirmath in North, Govardhan Math at Puri in east, Shringeri Matha in Karnataka in south and Dwarika math in Gujarat in west and established Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham at Kanchi as his abode.

Shankara in the short span of his life (only 32 years), wrote Bhashya on Upanishad and Gita. He also composed 240 stotras, prakaran granthas, introductory books such as Upadesh Sahasri, Vivek Chudamani, Aparokshanubhuti etc., in all eighty books in number.

He spent his last moments in the worship of Bhagwati Kamakshi at Kanchipuram and left his body at the young age of thirty two only.

Not only the land of India but also the entire world today bows before Adi Shankara’s wisdom, intellect and the principles that he enunciated and the empire of spirit that he established. In fact, he is the brightest luminary in the galaxy of ancient Indian thinkers. In fact he was the first torch-bearer of national integration functioning on the intellectual, philosophical and religious plans, trying to bring about a perfect unity of thought all over India.