03/03/2024
The 'Crocodile Ghat' is a significant location on the spiritual tourism map of Kerala. Located in Kaladi, on the banks of the Periyar river, its legend is as fascinating as the life of its protagonist - Adi Shankaracharya!
Adi Shankara lived only for 32 years. But in these 32 years, he became the most towering architect of the religious, philosophical & spiritual infrastructure of Hinduism. The crocodile ghat in Kaladi, his birth town, is a beautiful & fascinating part of his larger-than-life life.
Right from his childhood, Shankara wanted to be a Sanyasi. But his mother would have none of it. Having lost his father when he was five, Shankara could not abandon his mother & pursue his spiritual aspirations. So he patiently waited for a change of heart.
One day, while taking bath in the Periyar river, a hungry crocodile caught him. In his dying moments, he pleaded with his mother to allow him to die a Sanyasi. The distraught mother conceded. Legend goes that the crocodile immediate set Shankara free. Assuring his mother that he would return when she needed him, he set off to fulfil his life's mission.
The place where the crocodile sunk its jaw into the wannabe Sanyasi's leg has been immortalized as the 'Crocodile Ghat.'
Like Sadhguru JV says, every seeker needs a GPS (Guru Positioning System) in the rocky & unknown terrain of the spiritual world. So Shankara sets out in search of a Guru.
One of the 12 Jyotirlingas is Omkareshwar. In a cave next to the Omkareshwar temple, sat a realized being - Govindapada Acharya. Shankara approached him, surrendered to him, and requested him to be taken as a disciple.
Shankara was an 8 year old boy then. Govindapada looked at the shining face & asked who he was. Impromptu, Shankara burst into a recitation that is today repeated like a mantra by Sadhakas on the path of Sanyasa.
It is called Nirvana Shatakam!
Nirvana Shatakam has 6 verses. Each verse begins with Shankara telling Govindapada what he is NOT, and concludes with Shankara articulating what he is!
In the first verse, Shankara says:
I am not my mind, intellect, ego or memory.
I am not the sense organs either.
I am not the space, earth, fire, or air.
I am consciousness itself - Shivoham, Shivoham!
The second verse goes like this:
I am not Prana, I am not the Pancha Koshas.
I am not the Sapta Dhatus, I am not any of my body parts.
I am consciousness itself - Shivoham, Shivoham!
Like this, all 6 verses begin with I am NOT, I am NOT, and conclude with Shivoham, Shivoham (I am Shiva!)
Obviously, Govindapada is mighty impressed. He initiates Shankara into Sanyasa, transmits all that he has as spiritual know-how, and prepares him to go into the world and weave the magic that he eventually does!