https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLA1Gtb_p7I

Adi Shankaracharya ji is credited with unifying and establishing the main tenets of thought in Hinduism. His two core ideals – that there isn’t one God or many gods, there is only God and that, unlike Buddhist beliefs, the soul (Atman) does exist – form the foundation of His consolidation of the Advaita Vedanta.

It’s no wonder, then, that His Jayanti – the anniversary of the date of His incarnation – is celebrated throughout India and around the world. In a divine Satsang and a beautiful puja peppered with the chanting of stotras and the Veda Parayanam by Pujya Sadhvi Abha Saraswatiji, Pujya Swamiji and Sadhviji shared both the message of Jagadguru Sri Adi Shankaracharya and the beauty of his beliefs.

Pujya Swamiji shared so beautifully, “Bhagawan Adi Shankaracharya ji’s accomplishments are tremendous but his call for unity and oneness is something that not only united India then but continues to unite India now. Today, as we are in our homes, let us honour and celebrate our Saints, emulate and reflect on their divine example and cultivate respect for the Sant Parampara. Let us pledge and act to work for an India that is united in its appeal and practice of ahimsa and non-violence to divinity in the form of our Saints, but also divinity in the form of all living beings.”

Said Pujya Sadhviji, “The Jayanti is a holiday that teaches us about Oneness. Not one God, but nothing but God. Shankaracharya ji had a beautiful saying, ‘He who knows Brahman as one, and himself as another, doesn’t know Brahman.’ Meaning, if you think of God as separate from yourself, you don’t know God’ So, it’s that teaching that ALL is God. You can’t say that cow or that fish is separate from me, so I can eat it; Everything in the world – the air, the soil, the water, all of the species, it’s Self. Which means, take care of the Earth, take care of each other, because it isn’t each other – it’s Self.”