VIJAYAWADA AND KANAKA DURGA
Jagadguru ADI SANKARA was returning from the abode of Lord Jagannath, Puri after enhancing the power of the Mula Murties in the Temple, over there and establishing Eastern PEETHA to guide people in the region on Vedic Dharma and act as Highest Spiritual Centre at PURI. This happened, as historians say, in the Eighth century. Thereafter, returning to South, Adi Sankara halted at the banks of holy Krishna River and was doing penance or morning oblations to Jagadamba, Sarada in whose order, he had set up all the four sacred centres of spiritualism in all the four directions i.e. East, South, West and North. In the course of his long march from Kalady, Kerala to North and was visiting all holy places to do his bit in re-establishing the forgotten culture by replacing a morbid system of multiple deities and fight within different factions propitiating different Gods. After winning over the hearts of the entire Hindu community with his most convincing arguments and impeccable logic, Adi Sankara brought about peace in the warring factions and a systematic practice of Puja was initiated without acrimony or belittlement of any Deity.
TWILIGHT — KRISHNA RIVER
In this marathon march all over India by Jagadguru, he came to Vijay Vatika, the original name of present day Vijayawada meaning abode of penance by Vijaya, one of the ten names of Yodha Arjun of Mahabharat. Acharya, Sankara is on his way to the south and visited this ancient place. During the morning prayers, he noticed from a distance troops of pilgrims trekking the hillock with a lot of animals for sacrifice. Alayam Karunalayam Adi Sankara that he was, a gleaming saffron star, piety personified and a radiant Guru, was seen by the dumbfound gathering, looking at him awe-struck, while the river Krishna was excited as manifest in the unusual rising waves small and big competing with each other to wet the feet or his fully tonsured head as if presenting a spectacle of ABHISHEKAM on the incarnate of Lord Shiva, who Acharya was. And the flowers on the road-way improvised, strewn all over, as though each flower was attempting to touch his holy feet, Jagadguru reached the hill top and saw the GODDESS KANAKA DURGA, with Dharma Dand(holy stick) in one hand and Japmala in the other, of course, disciples surrounded. Jagadguru saw Maa Durga in her dreadful and ferocious form enjoying the Vamachara(Tantrik or Occult), which is what animal, bird or even human sacrifice is, to confer on the gullible masses small time desires. As the Acharya was about to trek the hill, he observed a completely serene smell of blossoming flowers in the early morning twilight and the golden or saffron Sun rays falling across from the rising Sun god on to the small mountain reflected in the twilight, providing enough food for thought for a creative genius in any field like poetry, music or painting. Jagadguru, Adi Sankara, himself a celebrity poet and author par excellence, started rendering extempore many Sanskrit verses, on different pleasant meters and octaves to appease Deity Durga, the most ferocious at that point of time.
VIJAYAWADA KANAKADURGA ADI SANKARA
A disappointed Sankara began questioning the Ferocious Durga about the quenching of her thirst with blood, and pleaded in his own inimitable style chanting extempore Stotras on the Deity. After he finished this propitiation, fully prostrated before the Goddess.Knowing that Maa Durga was pleased and readied Herself to turn soft, Jagadguru ordered his disciples to chant Vedic Hymns and established on the stone before the Idol, the “SRI CHAKRA YANTRA” in the SRIVIDYA procedure to end the occult propitiation. Thereafter, Vijayawada attained world fame as the abode of Maa Durga. VIJAYA, VIJAYAWADA AND VIJAYADASHAMI, the day on which Mother Durga trounced forever, the evil forces represented by Mahisha Asura, the animal (He-Buffalo) faced Demon became synonymous with victory. Why not Maa Durga, respond to her beloved child? who gave her own breast milk in the infantile stage according to Sankara Vijayam, the biography on Adi Sankara. There must be similar such great events connected to Sankara when the Jagadguru, pleaded with Aggressive Maa in different places like Jambukeshwar(near Trichy) and Madurai, where also, it is believed AKHILANDESWARI and MEENAKSHI also obliged Adi Sankara to turn soft and bless humanity.
In the Vijayawada Temple Sanctum Sanctorum the Idol of Maa Durga looks towards the North East Corner of the City which people consider beneficent to all the devotees. Even today in the early morning twilight the mountain gleams in golden color, which is why it is called Kanakachala. Another important feature in the temple is that Maa Durga as consort of Lord Shiva is to the right of HIM, while generally consorts stand to the left of the Male Deities. Warrior Arjun did penance here on this hill for Pasupata Astra and a pleased Lord Shiva granted him the same, a connection to the name of the city as Vijayawada.
Wish all a very happy Vijayadasami, marking victory over evil. Hopefully, on this solemn occasion, mankind wins over the evil CORONA.
With greetings, G K VISWANATHAM.
