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Articles: Devotion | Journey into Adi Sankara
- Prof. venkata ramanamurty mallajosyula
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The snake and tree worship found a prominent role in early Buddhism also. In the Amaravati Stupa, in Andhra Pradesh, the worship of bhodhi tree is shown. Even in Jainism snake finds a dominating position, and one of the twentyfour thirtankaras, viz., and Parshvanatha’s crest is snake hood. Besides Adi Sankara all other heterodox schools also admit the well revered object snake as a religious symbol.
Adi Sankara Bhashya : An Archaeologist’ Journey III
Kerala the birth place of Adi Sankara was always so tolerant to all faithsincluding the religious Schools that had reached here through sea route. There was no such religious animosity and all the religious faiths co existed side by side with out conflict or rancor. They made lasting contributions to the process of cultural synthesis and reconciliation. Adi Sankara having born and brought up in such an atmosphere had to reconcile with all such Thoughts that prevailed at that time and established the supremacy of Advaita which could accommodate any such religious Preaching. Let us see two such religious practices that had their root there and analyze their influence in Sankara Bhashyas.
The natives here subscribed to a strange mixture of primitive rites and practices. They had a variety of local deities to whom they made offerings and early archaeological monuments also indicate that Tree and ancestor worships were common among them. As part of ancient Sangam Tamilagam it was nothing but the early Tamil Society of the main land. At the same time as the result of Kerala’s commercial contacts with foreign land, other religions like Christianity and Judaism were also introduced and they helped considerably in shaping the composite culture of the land. Numismatic evidences recorded in Kerala also attest that the commercial activities had started here much earlier than the beginning of the Christian era.
Christian faith is believed to have been introduced in Kerala in the first century C.E,** i.e., three centuries before it gained official recognition in Rome. Local tradition ascribes its origin here to St. Thomas, the Apostle, who is said to have landed at Maliankara, a place adjoing Kodunkallur in 52 C.E,. It is said that he had converted certain Nambudri families and founded seven churches in Malabar Coast.
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