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Dead Corpse
One day, Sri Sankaracharya, accompanied by his disciples was proceeding to the Ganga for a bath. On the way, He saw a pathetic sight. A young woman, who was the picture of total grief, was crying loudly and soliciting help. A dead body, possibly of her husband, lay on the ground, its head resting on her lap. She wanted proper performance of the funeral rites of her departed husband. She had been sitting with a corpse in such a way that the narrow path leading to the river was totally blocked.
Sri Sankaracharya requested the woman to move the corpse to one side of the pathway, so that He could proceed to the river.
The women could not pay attention to Sri Sankaracharya’s words. On being repeatedly requested by Him to move the body to one side of the pathway, the woman responded by telling him, "Why, Great Soul, why do you not yourself ask the corpse to move aside?"
The Guru responded to her in a voice choked with compassion, "Mother, I understand your grief. However, can a corpse ever move of its own accord?"
The woman then fixed her gaze on Sri Sankaracharya and spoke, "You best of Monks, you say that it is the one and only Brahman who is the sole authority of the universe and Shakti is indifferent. Is this not so? When Brahman is present everywhere, why should not the corpse move? Brahman is present there too."
The Guru stood astounded and began to think over what she said. And, all of a sudden, both the women and the corpse disappeard!
He experienced the sportive play of the Great goddess, Mahamaya, who is Shakti or the ‘Prime Energy’. It was because of her glance that earth and heaven throbbed. Prostrating, The Guru began to sing in praise of the Goddess Tiripurasundari, the sole refuge of the universe:
Sri Sankaracharya understood that the Goddess Supreme, who was worshipped by the Lord Himself, had made him realise her magnanimous glory and grace. She was the Creator, the Preserver, and the Destroyer of this universe and it was She again who bestowed material abundance.
He had already experienced that the individual Soul (Jiva ) and the Infinite Soul (Brahman) were identical. He now understood that the Brahman was just a witness, a mere spectator and no more. The authorship of the universe was that of Shakti, The Prime Energy.
Sri Sankaracharya understood that by remaining immersed in deep meditation would not help him to accomplish his life's purpose.
He would have to work out a practical application to life and labour on earth, of his experience of the Absolute Reality. Only then, would he become the meaningful living embodiment.
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