Adi Sankara, the jagath guru
Krishna said, 'Paritranaay saadhunam vinaashaay cha dushkritaam, dharmasanstha panaarthay sambhavaami yuge yuge' (to protect the righteous, to annihilate the wicked, and to reestablish the principles of dharma, I appear on this earth, age after age). Many mahans have appeared on this earth, some to offer protection to sadhus, some others to overcome demons. However, only those avatars are celebrated to this day where the proponents establish dharma by following through in practice. Devotees connect to Rama and Krishna. Similarly, there is only one jagath guru, who established practices and remains a guide to all devotees. This is Adi Sankara, said Damodhara Dikshidhar.
To disseminate our sastras and guide devotees is not an easy task; our Vedas are limitless, the information contained are vast and complex. Hinduism also boasts a pantheon of gods, from Brahma, Vishnu, Siva to the local deities in remote villages and some may not realise that Hinduism is beyond the confines of temples, as one cannot read and process all the information in the Vedas in one's lifetime. However, Adi Sankara, born in Kalady, in 8th century, and hailed as a manifestation of Parameswara Himself, walked the talk. Travelling across the country, he visited countless kshetras, engaged in debates and discourses and is credited with having removed the first knot (in understanding the religion), making it easy for other acharyas following him to remove the rest of the knots.
As the propounder of Advaitha philosophy, Adi Sankara said bhakti is an easy way to reach God, but that alone is not enough. One cannot cross a waterbody by holding on to the tail of a crocodile. Similarly, one should not give up sampradaya in the name of karma. Bhakti is a means to realising the ultimate truth (Brahman). Like a river following its course (and changing its course due to obstacles where necessary), and reaching the sea, one should be a complete devotee, like Kannappa, who sacrificed his eyes for Siva. He was not well versed in rituals and practices but his devotion was pristine.
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