(adi Sankara) 05 Sankara As Sanyasi Poem by Rajaram Ramachandran

Mother Aryambal desired
That Sankara be married,
But the purpose of his birth
Was to establish the Truth.

One day, when he was alone,
Seven Sages from the heaven
Appeared there before him
Just in time to remind him.

“Oh Lord, we’re sorry to say,
It’s bad to worse, day by day.
Atheists dominate this earth.
No place for the Truth.”

He said, “Good, you came.
I’m also seeing the same.
In the role of a Sanyasi,
Now I shall do my duty.”

“How can I tell my mother?
Will this not bother her? ”
This was up in his mind.
So, a way he had to find.

To free himself soon,
He made out a plan.
What a miracle it was!
The event ran like this!

One early morning hour,
He took bath in the river.
A crocodile caught
His leg too tight.

“Oh mother, mother,
Come and see here, ”
As pre-planned it,
Aloud he cried out.

She came fast running,
But could do nothing.
As there was none else,
She stood alone helpless.

“My child, what can I do?
How can I help you? ”
Like this when she asked.
For this chance he waited.

“Mother, if I go alone
Leaving my kith and kin,
And take sanyas now
I can live by this vow.”

“In this life I’m destined
Like this to be killed.
If I become a sanyasi,
It’ll change my destiny.”

“For Scriptures do say,
A new life starts that day,
When one takes up sanyas
Leaving all his possessions.”

“You’ll be saving me
As this’ll leave me
Once I become a sanyasi
With my fresh destiny.”

“Please now understand.
My life is in your hand.”
She gave her consent
With a heavy heart.

He felt for his mother
And then promised her
“Though I’ve no rights,
I’ll do your last rites.”

The crocodile left him.
He got his freedom.
Though she invited him
He refused to go home,

Such urgent Sanyas taken
Needed a Guru’s confirmation,
And so, after this incident,
In search of a Guru, he went.

(Sanyasi = One who renounced the material world
to go in the path of spiritual world.)