Did Adi Shankara Win His Intellectual Battle With Avtar Of Brahma And Saraswati? Find Out!

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Mandana Misra, the eminent scholar on Karma Meemansa siddhantha, had completed his tutelage under a great master of those times, by name Kumarila Bhatta. He perfected his philosophical concepts and settled at Mahishmatipura with his wife Ubhaya Bharati who was believed to be the incarnation of Saraswati.

At those times when women were not allowed outside the threshold of the house for any unnecessary reason, Ubhay Bharati shone her brilliance in the intellectual debates she held with her scholarly husband Mandana Mishra. It is not surprising to say she was the avatar of Saraswati. Scholarly debates used to be a regular feature in Mandana Mishra's house to such an extent that the domesticated parrots in his house, the cows, and the cats used to talk to each other using philosophical terminologies. These clues helped Shankaracharya to find his way to Mandana Mishras House.

Mandana Mishra And Ubhaya Bharati

Mandana Mishra and Ubhaya Bharati were likeminded and of the same wavelength and hence had shared an understanding and love that was unusual for a couple during those times. We have seen engineering professionals and scientists marrying each other just because they found perfect compatibility and similarities between each other. Ubhaya Bharati was so commited to Mandana Mishra and so was Mandana Mishra to Ubhayabharati. While Ubhaya Bharati was considered as Goddess Saraswati, Mandana Mishra was an avatar of Brahma, His real name was Vishwaroopa but was given this title as Mandana Mishra as he had a uniquely sharp way of presenting his arguments.

Mandana's Opinion About Sanyasis

Mandana Misra was a leading expert in the Meemamsa school of philosophy, Meemansa is all about rituals, and it is more about karma theory that is excerpted from Vedas. The practitioners of this school believed that the karma certainly will give an instant result if performed perfectly.

Mandana Mishra, at the very outset, had an intense hatred for sanyasis as, according to him the sanyasis were escapists and did not want to shoulder the responsibility of life and hence reverted to Sanyasa. Even today we can hear some students expressing that a life of sanyasi is much better than the life of a student as he gets every thing at his beck and call and three-square meals are guaranteed. A student has to find his own feet in this overly competitive world.

Shankaracharya Enters Using Yoga Shakti

Shankaracharya reached the house of Mandana Mishra to find it closed for Sanyasis. It was bolted from inside. It was also a social practice during those times, for sanyasis not to mingle with householders as both would be influenced by each other and will finally be neither sanyasi or householders. We call it sahavasa dosha or the side effects of friendship. Finally Shankara entered through the closed door through his yogic powers.

Mandana Rebukes Shakara

At the time Shankara entered, Mandana Mishra was performing tarpan kriya and was about to serve the brahmins, the shraddha food. It was not a good omen for a sanyasi to enter the premises where tarpan is being conducted. So naturally Mandana Mishra was wild with rage.
He started rebuking Shankara. At this stage other brahmins intervened and pacified Mishra saying that a sanyasi is regarded as Equal to Lord Vishnu during a Shraddha ritual and hence he should be allowed. Mandana Mishra gave in reluctantly and invited Shankara. But Shankara declined this invitation and said he was here not for food but as a beggar requesting food for thought and not food for his stomach. He wanted a debate and not his hospitality. Mandana Mishra was delighted to find an equal and opposite scholarly force standing right before him..

The Debate Begins

Mandana Mishra generously offered him a choice to choose a judge for this debate between them. Shankara chose Mandana Mishras wife to be the judge. The bet was the most difficult point in this argument. It was mutually agreed that in case shankara loses, he would have to marry, settle down and become the shishya of Mandana Mishra. If Mandana lost., he had to shave his head, be a sanyasi and disciple of Shankaracharya. The debate went on for not a day or a week, but for months on end in the presence of thousands of Scholars who watched this event with such intellectual glee.

They go through all the intellectual battles with equal ease and elan. Although Mandana Mishra was too sharp and bright, he was aging and hence slowly losing to Shankara. Shankara had the ultimate knowledge that stretched beyond the periphery of Mandanas thoughts. Also Mishra was not self-realized and hence he could not grasp the higher truths that Shankara propounded. The philosophy of Mandana Mishra was as old as him and finally got defeated. Ubhaya Bharati declared Shankara to be winner but was not willing to hand over Mandana Mishra to Shankara.

So she took him on in a verbal battle and asked him three questions related to marital life in detail. Shankracharya asked for a months' time to answer this and left the place, wandered about, to finally reach a Kings palace where the Kings Funeral was about to take place. Shankara instructed his disciples to guard his body carefully and then left his body, and got in to the king's body. He ruled the province for a month, understood the ways of life, and then went through the marital experience. He was now able to answer Ubhaya Bharatis questions. Clearly a case of mind over matter.

Ubhaya Bharati Accepts Defeat

Ubhaya Bharati accepted her defeat. It is also a widely known fact that Shankara was an avatar of Bhagwan Shankara. Ubhaya Bharati was so impartial in her judgement although she wished for her husband's win. She was pragmatic and a cut throat intellectual who argued with her husband on philosophical tenets, yet so emotionally committed to her martial life. Women of ancient times were gems in their own accord.