Adi Sankara shines as a beacon light in the spiritual firmament by virtue of his superior jnana, vairagya and bhakti apart from his impeccable scholarship in the scriptures. These are basic and essential for all those seeking salvation and the acharya addresses the issue to reach out to each one of them, whatever may be one’s spiritual attainment, pointed out Sri B. Sundarkumar in a discourse.
For instance, his excellent Bashya granthas, the commentaries on the Prastanatraya texts, the Upanishads, the Brahma Sutra and the Bhagavad Gita explore the nuances of the scriptures and establish the Advaita siddhanta on a firm footing. At the next level, texts such as the Viveka Chudamani, the Atma Bhodha, Satasloki, etc, provide very valuable advice on sadhana for the sadhaka keen on gaining Atma Tatva.
But his innumerable stotra granthas on many deities such as Rama, Krishna, Goddess Devi, Siva, Dakshinamurthy, Subramanya, Ganesha, etc, are valuable to the common simple folk who can chant these and find great solace in tiding over the sorrows and hurdles of life. The Subramanya Bhujanga celebrates the glories of the deity Muruga at Tiruchendur. The Sankara Vijayam, the biography on Adi Sankara, mentions the story behind the birth of this soul-stirring hymn. Once when the acharya is in Gokarna, a jealous scholar named Abhinava Gupta inflicts a painful disease on him. Being an atma nishta, the acharya is unconcerned about it though the disciples are concerned. It is held that Siva appears in his dream and directs him to worship Subramanya at Tiruchendur. By his yogic power, the acharya goes to Tiruchendur and prays to be cured of the disease. The Lord is shown to be the most compassionate who is always ready to shower His boundless graces on all devoted souls. He grants all their rightful wishes necessary for crossing this life and also inspires them with the desire for salvation.
