(adi Sankara) 17 Advaita Challenged Poem by Rajaram Ramachandran

Sankaracharya, paid a visit,
To Southern temples next,
And the famous pilgrim center
At Tanjore-Tiruvidaimaruthur,

There, some hard-core Saivaits,
Claiming themselves as Pundits,
On ‘Advaita’ confronted him,
And for a proof they asked him.

They said, “How Siva, the Lord,
Creator, destroyer of this world,
You’re equating Him with us,
We, the ordinary human beings? ”

“Unless Lord Siva confirms
We totally disagree with this.”
To the Siva temple, he led them.
And showed them the Lingam.

There arose a voice,
That came out thrice.
“Satyam Advaitam,
Truth is Advaitam”

A hand stretched out
From the top of it
Sankara thanked the Lord,
Who supported his stand.

What they wanted came true.
They accepted him as a Guru.
Their faith on the Lord
Still more thus increased.

To the Chidambaram temple
He went with his disciples.
The Deity, Nataraja posed
In dancing role, as He stood.

He installed Panchakshra Yantra,
Praising Lord Siva, this one,
And Annakarshana Yantra
For world-prosperity, the next one.

He saw at Thiruvanaikkaval,
The Deity in the temple,
Akilandeswari, the Goddess,
In a look very ferocious.

With two ear-rings, he took
Away her serious look,
And with his prayer’s spell,
She looked more peaceful.

He established a seat,
The Govardhana Mutt,
At Jagannathpuri next
When he paid his visit.

As this seat’s head,
Padma Pada was made,
In the first line of order,
In the Eastern border.

Like this, in the west-coast,
He installed another seat,
The one, Dwaraka Mutt,
Lord Krishna’s famous spot.

Hasthamalakar, as its head,
The first one was made
To continue his mission,
And maintain its tradition.

His song Bhujanga Stothra,
In praise of Lord Muruga,
Popular for its curative power,
Is still sung at Tiruchendur.

With all his disciples,
He visited the temples
Of the Lord Vishnu
At Srirangam and Tirupati.

His song Vishnu Paadaadi
Kesaanda Stothra at Tirupati,
Described, head to foot,
The Lord, there he met.