The Acarya Sankara (Shankaracharya) of Kaladi

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About the Book

This latest addition to Sankara literature is totally different in concept. It's not a biography; it's not history; and it's not quite fiction. Yet it is in some sense all these. It's based solidly in tradition, and it is at the same time just the kind of presentation that makes the postmodern reader sit up and take notice. It is philosophical, yet never forbiddingly so. It reads more like a story. The prose is simple, smooth, and meditative. Padmapada, Sankara's senior disciple, narrates the story in very human terms. His intent is not to glorify his master's life and work -for that is hardly necessary - but to present him as a friend of humankind, someone who is needed generation after generation, millennium after millennium. Humans have not changed in terms of their strengths or their weaknesses since the race first evolved on the planet, nor are they likely to morph into saints my time soon. The prophets help us cope with trials and tribulations of our daily lives and remind us of our divine roots if we care to listen. This book answers some of your serious questions about life if you have them read. If you don't , it will help you formulate them. Coming up with the right questions, after all, is the first step toward finding the right solutions.

About the Author

Born in 1933 in a village in Andhra Pradesh, India, into a traditional family, Indusekhara Sastri Madugula was exposed early to Sanskritic learning and philosophical literature. He obtained his M.A. (Hons.) in English from Andhra University, Waltair, India, and Ph.D. from Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA. He also has a Master of Arts in Library Science from River Forest Languages, Hyderabad, India and California State University, Bakersfield, California (while assigned to the library). His principal field of interest is the application of linguistic techniques to the analysis of literary texts. He is currently head of the Reference Department in Palm Springs Public Library, Palm Springs, California.

Contents:

    Introduction
    Preface to the Second Edition
    Prologue

1. Sanandana Meets the Acarya
2. Birth of Sankara in Kaladi
3. King Rajasekhara Visits Sankara
4. Sankara Renounces the World
5. Govindapada Accepts Sankara
6. Sankara is Now Acarya
7. Sanandana Earns the Name Padmapada
8. The Acarya Tested by Sage Vyasa
9. Qualifications of Master and Disciple
10. Kumarila Immolates Himself in A Slow Fire
11. Bharati Weds Visvarupa
12. Encounter with Mandana Misra
13. The Great Debate
14. Mandana's Defeat and Conversion
15. Mandana's One Last Doubt
16. The Primitive Kapalika
17. Hastamalaka Joins the Fold
18. The Fourth Disciple, Totaka
19. A Class Session on Brahman
20. Bickering Among the Disciples
21. Padmapada's Trip to Ramesvaram
22. The Passing of the Mother
23. A Poor Boy and His Mother
24. The Proper Place of Scholarship
25. Who Needs Philosophy?
26. Nilakantha, the Saivaite
27. Misconceptions About Reality
28. The Acarya, A Victim of Black Magic
29. The Throne of Omniscience
30, A Few Urgent Questions Answered
31. The End As Beginning,

      Epilogue
      A Millennial Meditation
      Index

Of Related Interest:

Life of Shankaracharya - The Adventures of a Poet Philosopher

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