It has been long since that I had been writing anything either in social media or even in my blogs. The journey of this life had been very dramatic and full of ups and downs. But it is for sure that I learnt a lot from the Life. I have met with so many people since became a sanyasi (monk), spoke to many about Advaita Vedanta , the highest of the philosophies but few were really conversant with the intricacies of Vedanta. And most of the people I met have not even tried to go deep in the information and seek for the reality of the information that are been presented to them.
In the monastic life my interest grew with Bhagavad Gita since I have read the Bhagavat Gita with the commentary of Acharary Madhusudan Saraswati - "Gudartha Dipika". Starting from 2006-2007 I stayed in Varanasi for a long period of time nearly 9 years with small pauses and gaps when I used to visit Kolkata or some pilgrim sites. While residing there out of mere inquisitiveness and interest I thought to look for the place where that great sage, Madhusudan Saraswati used to stay during his times. I came to know from the book that he lived by the river bank of Ganges in Choushatti Ghat . So I went visit that Ghat to find out where that sage actually lived, and thought that there might be some temple where actually Acharya Madhusudan Saraswati stayed and if i could sit there for a while that would be a great achievement for me in my life , because Madhusudan Saraswati was a great scholar and a great Yogi as well as a Great Gyani. I was a big admirer of him. After searching for few days I came to realise that none of the residents of that Ghat actually knew about him. Few elderly persons told me to visit the near by Ashrams but all efforts went in vain. So my dream of finding the seat of the great sage slowly evaporated in thin air. At that time when the enthusiasm was at the bottom suddenly a suggestion came up to visit the Sumeru Matt. This Sumeru Matt is a very old monastery, founder of this Matt is Adi Sankaracharya, and it is situated in the Daswaswamedh area by a very narrow lane which was not very far away from our Ashram- Vedanta Bhavan. Hence again came the light to lit the lamp of hope to get a chance to sit for a while at the seat of the great sage. I jumped out to visit that Sumeru Matt. But my enthusiasm was tested by fate, though I was so near in finding the fact where could be the actual seat of Madhusudan Saraswati yet I was made to wait for two more days for my entrance in the great sacred monastery which was established by Adi Sankaracharya. However somehow I managed to enter the monastery after two days and there I came to meet two very old aged monks one is Giri and another one is Parvat. The meeting was very exciting one we exchanged many words of wisdom and lastly they inquired about my visit. And told me it is now very hard to say where actually Madhusudan Saraswati actually sat on the bank of river Ganga because the course of the river has been shifting further east from west and they informed me that this Matt where I visited was not the one which was established by Adi Sankaracharya. The ancient Matt was washed away many times in flood and some other calamities. The actual Matt was established by Sankarachrya in the area somewhere in present day Luxa is, in Varanasi. The KashiRaj gave that land and helped to erect that Matt which with the passage of time has moved to present day place at dasaswamedh area. This new Matt land is as well donated by Kashi Raj. Since the course of river ganga is shifting further towards east from west all the old significant places have either been changed or lost or destroyed with time, so it is not possible for me to find out the actually seat of Madhusudan Sarswati any more, the old monks told me like that.
I was like in despair , but asked the old monks if the river shifted further east then when actually did this event happen? They informed me that this shifting of Mother Ganga happened many times, and the original site where Adi Sankaracharya actually raised that Matt, the river shifted from that place long ago; more than say 1200-1300 years ago. This information stirred a fresh inquisitiveness in my heart. I repeated if that was like some 1200 or 1300 years ago? They said yes, it is like so it may differ a bit but it did happen so and even also there was a conjoining of river Godavari and river Ganga somewhere near present day Godoliwa . I thought how this could happen, since I have read that Acharya Sankara was born in 686 AD ( few other say 787). Then it is nearly 1300 years ago that this Matt was built and as soon it was built it was to be moved further east. Then I realised this can not be true.
Later in my study time I found that Mohammad the founder of Islam left this earth in 732AD, I saw that within 50-100 years muslim kings entered Kasmir and many battles were fought with kings there. But never I can see that Sankara mentioned anywhere about this new religion or even his next generation of monks have mentioned it either, not in any texts. This is a big anomaly. Soon I realised that it was not those monks that were in falasity rather the data that Sankara was born in the year 686AD is completely false.
Upon finding such a revelation I searched a bit over internet and found that yes, Sankara was born much earlier than what is said in general information, it was in great difference, nearly around 500-600 BC was Sankaracharya born . And some unverified data showed me that after 1910 when some important texts from Kanchi Matt were destroyed the goverment then deliberately presented the data of Sankara's birth year to be 686 AD.
Whatever may be the truth. I realised from my own experience that though I could not found the much sought sitting place of Acharya Madhusudan Saraswati , it is true that our mighty and great ancient culture has been willfully moderated and changed to enable some deformities in it .
Today is Sankara's Birth day, we are very lucky that the Advaita Vedanta philosophy which has become the light house for the whole world now and showing the human civilization path for love and oneness. And Sankaracharya was the earliest exponent of this Advaita Vedanta. By following the direction of the remains of upanishadic culture definitely we shall be able to lead all from; form to formless, from darkness to light and from death to immortality.
