Sankara the Poet: Sivanandalahari

Sankara was nothing short of a phenom during his lifetime and has been one ever since. His massive output during a short life span is mind-numbing.

Among the tons of tomes written about him, there are none exclusively devoted to his literary skills. This book shows that, no matter what genre he chose to write in, he advocated undiluted (suddha) advaita from his folksy Bhajagovindam to the highly technical Saundaryalahari. The dozens of stotras that he composed in between, while apparently praising this or that deity, taught nothing but the one Reality called Brahman. Sivanandalahari is unique among the stotras in that all one hundred of its verses have a single unified theme-of jnana presented in the guise of bhakti-selfless, dedicated, whole hearted surrender to the Supreme. And the sheer beauty of his poetry is bliss per se.

About the Author:

In 1985, I.S. Madugula published The Acarya: Sankara of Kaladi as an introduction to the saint's life and teachings, emphasizing his renewed relevance to our times and for all time to come.

Sivanandalahari has fascinated the author since his childhood when he started reading the poem at bedtime. This book is a labor of love on his part that he would like to share with those who are interested in the subject.

Dr. Madugula taught English at universities and colleges in India and the U.S., in addition to working in library automation and research. He currently lives in Austin, Texas.