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CHILDHOOD AND EDUCATION

Sankardeva lost his parents early in his childhood and his paternal grand-mother Kherasuti had to take care of the child. There are many miraculous stories relating to the Guru’s childhood career. Up to the age of twelve, Sankara spent his time by playing and roaming in the fields after the cows alongwith his time other comrades. Of his playmates, Ramarama, a descendent of Krsna Pandita and family priest of Sankaradeva, deserves special mention. Others included Jayarama, Bitopana, Chanda, Tita- rama, Bhekuri, Ketai, Santana, Harivara, Santananda, Hari, Harijaya, Jayahari, Ramahari, Srihari, Ciran, Biran, Ramarayan, Ramjaya, Bisai, etc. we have five male and six female attendants who served in the house of Sankaradeva. They are – Dhvaja Banbara, Bakara, Ubala, Gada, Gakula and Candari, Gutimali, Madhai, Madhavi, Rohini and Radhika.

As a strong and energetic youth, Sankaradeva caught wild birds, jackals and swam across the mighty river Brahmaputra. ­­­­­­­­
In all therse pastimes nobody could excel Sankara. When he attained the age of eleven he was invested with the sacred thread. He had no other passion but sports and games.Though he caught birds, deer and porpoises, he did it only for amusement and left these creatures immediately without any injury. One day, his grand-mother sitting at the table reminded him of the glorious tradition of his family and asked Sankaradeva to go to school. Accordingly he was admitted to the Tol (school) maintained by Mahendra Kandali of Singari. Sankaradeva is said to have been admitted to school on an auspicious Thursday in the month of Bhadra.

The Child Prodigy with Divine Talent

After learning the alphabet within a few days of his admission into the school, Sankaradeva is said to have composed a hymn called ‘Komal Gita’ (soft song, literally; song composition having no use of vowels except the first ‘a’)to glorify the God. The hymn exemplifies profound knowledge and divine genius. It goes like this:

Karatala kamala kamala-dala-nayana
Bhaba dava dahana gahana vana sayana
Napara napara para satarata gamana
Sabhayamabhaya bhaya mama hara satataya
Kharatara bara sara hata dasa-vandana
Khagacara nagadhara phanadhara sayana
Jagadaghamaphara bhava bhaya tarana
Parapada laya kara kamalaja nayana.

Having seen the composition the teacher Mahendra Kandali was highly surprised, and he could guess the future greatness of his young pupil. It may be remembered that Guru Nanak also composed his acrostic (called patti, in Raga As) just on his learning the alphabet

Within few years, Sankaradeva mastered all branches of learning like the Vedas, the Upanishads, the Mahabharata, the Ramayana, the Tantras, the Puranas, the Samhitas, Kavyas, grammar and lexicon, etc. , and ‘became an unerring scholar. He was so sharp and devoted a student that he could easily’ complete the course of studies within less time than was required ordinarily. During that period, Sankaradeva studied some works on yoga and was attracted to that. Accordingly, he used to practise yoga day and night and was able to perform many miraculous deeds through it. By exercising yogic power, Sankaradeva is reported to have spent many hours under water. This also has similarity with Guru Nanak’s life, who is said to have invisible under water for few days. But later on when Sankara came to known the supremacy of the Bhagavata-bhakti, he gave up the practice of yoga. The yoga exercise gave him eronomous physical strength to such an extent that once he quelled a mighty bull which created problems to the neighbouring people. It was probably for this Yogic practice in his early youth that the Guru processed an extra-ordinarily sound health had a long life one hundred and twenty years.

Sankaradeva spent nearly ten years in his school. It is said that he composed his Hariscandra-upakhyana during that period. Thus, in his early boyhood, Sankaradeve had shown some of the qualities, which were in herent in him to make him the famous saint and social reformer in future. According to Bhusana and Daityari, Sankaradeva became will-versed in all the sastras ‘and came out a finished scholar’. With his outstanding merit, Sankaradeva surpassed even his senior school fellows within a very short time. Some biographers are of the opinion that the Guru returned home at age of seventeen (or according to others, nineteen) after completing the study of all the scriptures. The Master then had take charges of Bhuyan estate as Siromani Bhuyan.