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Totakacharya (IAST Toṭakācārya) 8th century CE) was a disciple of Ādi Śaṅkara, the Advaita Vedanta teacher. He was made the first Jagadguru (head) of the Jyotirmaṭha Pīthaṃ, the original northern maṭha founded by Ādi Śaṅkara in Uttrakhand. He founded a maṭha by name Vadakke modam in Thrissur, Kerala.
Common Era or Current Era (CE) is one of the notation systems for the world's most widely used calendar era. BCE is the era before CE. BCE and CE are alternatives to the Dionysian BC and AD system respectively. The Dionysian era distinguishes eras using AD and BC. Since the two notation systems are numerically equivalent, "2019 CE" corresponds to "AD 2019" and "400 BCE" corresponds to "400 BC". Both notations refer to the Gregorian calendar. The year-numbering system utilized by the Gregorian calendar is used throughout the world today, and is an international standard for civil calendars.
Adi Shankara or Shankara, was an early 8th century Indian philosopher and theologian who consolidated the doctrine of Advaita Vedanta. He is credited with unifying and establishing the main currents of thought in Hinduism.
Joshimath, also known as Jyotirmath is a city and a municipal board in Chamoli District in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. Located at a height of 6150 feet, it is gateway to several Himalayan mountain climbing expeditions, trekking trails and pilgrim centres like Badrinath. It is home to one of the four cardinal pīthas established by Adi Shankara.
The Mādhavīya Śaṅkaravijayam states that when Ādi Śaṅkara was at Śṛṅgeri, he met a boy named Giri. Ādi Śaṅkara accepted the boy as his disciple. Giri was a hard-working and loyal disciple of his Guru, Ādi Śaṅkara, though he did not appear bright to the other disciples. One day, Giri was busy plucking flowers for pooja, when Ādi Śaṅkara sat down to begin a lesson on Advaita Vedānta. He however did not start the lesson saying he was waiting for Giri to come back from his chores and singing lessons. At this, Padmapada pointed to a wall and said that it would be the same if Ādi Śaṅkara taught to this dumb object as he taught to Giri. Now, Ādi Śaṅkara wanted to reward Giri for his loyalty and devotion. Thus he mentally granted Giri the complete knowledge of all the śāstras (sciences). The enlightened Giri composed extempore the Toṭākāṣṭakam, a Sanskrit poem in the toṭaka metre, in praise of the Guru Ādi Śaṅkara. Thus the humble disciple Giri became Toṭākācārya.
Sringeri also called Sri KshetraShringeri is a hill town and Taluk headquarters located in Chikkamagaluru district in the state of Karnataka, It is the site of the first maṭha established by Adi Shankara, Hindu theologian and exponent of the Advaita Vedanta philosophy, in the 8th century CE It is located on the banks of the river Tungā.
Guru is a Sanskrit term for a "teacher, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian traditions, guru is more than a teacher, in Sanskrit guru means the one who dispels the darkness and takes towards light, traditionally a reverential figure to the student, with the guru serving as a "counselor, who helps mold values, shares experiential knowledge as much as literal knowledge, an exemplar in life, an inspirational source and who helps in the spiritual evolution of a student". A guru is also one's spiritual guide, who helps one to discover the same potentialities that the guru has already realized. In Indonesian and Malay the word means teacher.
Sanskrit is a language of ancient India with a history going back about 3,500 years. It is the primary liturgical language of Hinduism and the predominant language of most works of Hindu philosophy as well as some of the principal texts of Buddhism and Jainism. Sanskrit, in its variants and numerous dialects, was the lingua franca of ancient and medieval India. In the early 1st millennium CE, along with Buddhism and Hinduism, Sanskrit migrated to Southeast Asia, parts of East Asia and Central Asia, emerging as a language of high culture and of local ruling elites in these regions.
The Toṭakāṣṭakam was composed by Giri in praise of his Guru Ādiśaṅkara. Literally, it means a rhyme of eight (Sanskrit: aṣṭa) verses (ślokas) composed by Toṭaka. The poem's meter is anapestic tetrameter, with four feet of unstressed-unstressed-stressed syllables (laghu-laghu-guru characters) per line, and four lines per stanza.
Anapestic tetrameter is a poetic meter that has four anapestic metrical feet per line. Each foot has two unstressed syllables followed by a stressed syllable. It is sometimes referred to as a "reverse dactyl", and shares the rapid, driving pace of the dactyl.
Pada | Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation of P.R. Ramachander | Translation of Animesh Kumar Stutimaṇḍala |
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1 | विदिताखिलशास्त्रसुधाजलधे महितोपनिषत्कथितार्थनिधे । हृदये कलये विमलं चरणं भवशङ्कर देशिक मे शरणं ॥ १॥ | viditā khila śāstra sudhā jaladhe mahito paniṣat kathitār thanidhe । hṛdaye kalaye vimalaṃ caraṇaṃ bhavaśaṅkara deśika me śaraṇaṃ ॥ 1॥ | I praise and seek the protection of Śaṅkara, Who is the ocean of nectar of our great holy books, And who is like the Treasure Of the essence of the great Upaniṣads And I meditate on his clear holy feet in my heart. | O Śaṅkara, Who is learned in nectar-ocean like pile of treatises, and Who is the repository of explained philosophy in the honored Upaniṣat! I throw myself before Your faultless feet in my heart. O Śaṅkara, Who is the realized master! Be my refuge. |
2 | करुणावरुणालय पालय माम् भवसागर दुःख विदूनहृदम् । रचयाखिलदर्शनतत्त्वविदम् भवशङ्कर देशिक मे शरणं ॥ २॥ | karuṇā varuṇālaya pālaya mām bhavasāgara duḥkha vidūna hṛdam । racayā khila darśana tattva vidam bhavaśaṅkara deśika me śaraṇaṃ ॥ 2॥ | I praise and seek the protection of Sankara,Who is the great ocean of mercy, And seek protection for me, who has suffered deep sorrow,In the ocean of day to day life; And also request to make me,Know all the schools of our philosophy. | O You, Whose heart is an ocean of compassion! Protect me, Whose heart is afflicted by the miseries of metempsychosis. Convert me into one, Who is learned in the object of all the philosophies. O Śaṅkara, Who is the realized master! Be my refuge. |
3 | भवता जनता सुहिता भविता निजबोधविचारण चारुमते । कलयेश्वर जीवविवेकविदम् भवशङ्कर देशिक मे शरणं ॥ ३॥ | bhavatā janatā suhitā bhavitā nija bodha vicāraṇa cārumate । kalayeśvara jīva viveka vidam bhavaśaṅkara deśika me śaraṇaṃ ॥ 3॥ | I praise and seek the protection of Śaṅkara, Who is the great ocean of mercy, And seek protection for me , who has suffered deep sorrow, In the ocean of day to day life, And also request to make me, Know all the schools of our philosophy. | By You, the common people have become satisfied. O You, Who can meditate upon the Self, and Who has a beautiful mind! Incite me to learn the knowledge of God and living-beings. O Śaṅkara, Who is the realized master! Be my refuge. |
4 | भव एव भवा निति मे नितरां समजायत चेतसि कौतुकिता । मम वारय मोहमहाजलधिम् भवशङ्कर देशिक मे शरणं ॥ ४॥ | bhava eva bhavā niti me nitarāṃ samajāyata cetasi kautukitā । mama vāraya moha mahājaladhiṃ bhavaśaṅkara deśika me saranam ॥ 4॥ | I praise and seek the protection of Śaṅkara, Because of whom the world has a pleasant life, Oh great soul who can teach the great knowledge, Make me understand the knowledge of the soul. | You are Bhava (Śiva) — thus is my conclusion. It has set-forth curiosity in my consciousness (cetas). Absolve my ocean of immense delusion.# O Śaṅkara, Who is the realized master! Be my refuge. |
5 | सुक्रिते’धिक्रिते बहुधा भवतो भविता समदर्शनलालसता । अतिदीनमिमं परिपालय मां भवशङ्कर देशिक मे शरणं ॥ ५॥ | sukrite dhikrite bahudhā bhavato bhavitā sama darśana lālasatā । atidīna mimaṃ paripālaya māṃ bhavaśaṅkara deśika me śaraṇaṃ ॥ 5॥ | I praise and seek the protection of Śaṅkara, When I understood it is him, I became ecstasic with happiness, And requested, please dry the ocean of passion in me. | When numerous virtues have been accomplished, then by You, a desire to achieve indifference emerges. Protect me, who is very weak, thoroughly. O Śaṅkara, Who is the realized master! Be my refuge. |
6 | जगतीमवितुं कलिताकृतयो विचरन्ति महामहसश्छलत: । अहिमांशुरिवात्र विभासि गुरो भवशङ्कर देशिक मे शरणं ॥ ६॥ | jagatīm avituṃ kalitākṛtayo vicaranti mahā mahasaśchalata: । ahimāṃ śurivātra vibhāsi guro bhavaśaṅkara deśika me śaraṇaṃ ॥ 6॥ | I praise and seek the protection of Śaṅkara,Those who are born to protect this world,And who are like a burning flame,Roam everywhere without any one’s knowledge; But you shine before me like the Sun God | To satiate this incomplete world, the great knowledge exponents roam in disguise [of a human]. Among them, you shine like the rays of sun. O Preceptor, O Śaṅkara, Who is the realized master! Be my refuge. |
7 | गुरुपुङ्गव पुङ्गव केतन ते समतामयताम् नहि को’पि सुधी: । शरणागत वत्सल तत्त्वनिधे भवशङ्कर देशिकमे शरणं ॥ ७॥ | guru puṅgava puṅgava ketana te samatām ayatām nahi ko’pi sudhī: । saraṇāgata vatsala tattva nidhe bhavaśaṅkara deśikame śaraṇaṃ ॥ 7॥ | I praise and seek the protection of Śaṅkara, Who is the teacher among teachers Who does not have any equal, Who is the treasure house of Philosophy And who is merciful to those who seek his blessings. | O You, Who is the best among preceptors, and Who has a bull on His flag! Indeed there is no wise expounder like you right now. O Śaṅkara, Who cares for those seeking refuge, Who is the repository of truth, and Who is the realized master! Be my refuge. |
8 | विदिता न मया विशदैककला न च किञ्चन काञ्चनमस्ति गुरो । द्रुतमेव विधेहि क्रुपां सहजां भवशङ्कर देशिक मे शरणं ॥ ८॥ | viditā na mayā visadaika kalā na ca kiñcana kāncana masti guro । drutameva vidhehi krupāṃ sahajāṃ bhavaśaṅkara deśika me śaraṇaṃ ॥ 8॥ | I praise and seek the protection of Śaṅkara, And request him to shower his natural grace fast on me, Who does not possess expertise in any branch, And who does not even a small piece of wealth(gold?) | By me, not even one quality (kalā) has been understood. I don’t even have any amount of gold (wealth), O Preceptor! Very quickly bestow compassion, which is Your second nature. O Śaṅkara, Who is the realized master! Be my refuge. |
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