At just twelve, he embraced sanyas, renouncing worldly ties to dedicate his life to the pursuit of the Absolute. With nothing but his intellect and devotion, he journeyed barefoot across the length and breadth of Bharat, spreading the light of Advaita Vedanta, the realization that the soul and the Supreme are one. In just twenty short years, before merging with the Eternal at the age of thirty-two, he authored profound scriptures and commentaries that continue to illuminate seekers even today.
To Shankara, God was not distant or separate. He was existence itself, the very essence of being, the cause and the effect, the timeless truth pervading all creation. His teaching was simple yet supreme: Brahman alone is real, the world is illusion, and the individual self is none other than Brahman.
Among the many fascinating stories from the life of Adi Shankara, one stands out for its depth, wit, and spiritual mystery.
It is said that one day, Adi Shankara got into a debate with a learned man and, as expected, won effortlessly. But the man’s wife, sharp and confident, stepped forward and said, “You may have defeated my husband, but we are two halves of the same whole. To truly win, you must also debate me.”
What a stunning argument and how could a philosopher of Shankara’s stature turn away from such logic? The debate began anew, this time with the lady. Her intellect was fierce, but soon she realized she was losing ground. In a final attempt, she turned the discussion toward the subject of human intimacy and sexuality.
“Tell me, Shankara,” she asked, “how can you speak of this without knowing it by experience?”
As a brahmachari, a lifelong celibate : Adi Shankara instantly recognized the trap. But being no ordinary sage, he calmly replied, “Give me a month’s time. After that, we shall continue this debate.”
He then retreated into a cave and instructed his disciples, “No matter what happens, do not let anyone disturb me.” Inside, he entered deep yogic samadhi, leaving his physical body behind while his consciousness journeyed elsewhere.
At the same time, far away, a king had died from a cobra bite. The poison had paralyzed his body, but his prana, the vital life force had not yet completely departed. In yogic understanding, prana moves in five forms: prana vayu (breath and thought), samana, apana, udana, and vyana. Even after the breath ceases, the prana vayu lingers for about an hour and a half, and vyana, the energy that holds the body’s integrity, can remain for up to two weeks.
Recognizing the perfect moment, Adi Shankara entered the king’s body, a rare and sacred yogic feat. With full awareness and mastery, he experienced life as the king, so that he could answer the woman’s questions not only from knowledge, but from lived experience.
But soon, the royal advisors grew suspicious. They noticed that the revived king, though looking the same, spoke and behaved like an entirely different person. Realizing something divine yet mysterious had occurred, they feared the sage might never return to his original body. They ordered every unclaimed body in the city to be burned, hoping to prevent his return.
Yet, through divine grace and his boundless spiritual power, Adi Shankara successfully re-entered his own body and continued his mission to uplift the wisdom of Sanatana Dharma and awaken countless souls.
Even the mysteries of prana and consciousness bowed before his will. His journey reminds us that knowledge without experience is incomplete and that the true seeker dares to explore both realms, the seen and the unseen.
True realization, Shankara said, comes when one transcends the illusions of individuality, the fleeting desires, the false sense of separateness, the endless pursuit of name and form. To be one with God is to dissolve completely in His boundless ocean of peace, where there is no division, no time, no space. only pure consciousness and bliss.
He taught that liberation is attained not through rituals or possessions, but through knowledge and renunciation by recognizing the divine oneness of the soul (Atman) and the Supreme (Brahman). When this truth dawns fully, the illusion of birth and death ceases, and the seeker rests forever in Moksha, eternal union with the Infinite.
Source / Image Credit : Isha Sadhguru