SHANKARACHARYA AT AGE 24

At age 24, Swami Rama became a Shankaracharya. But he realized soon the trappings of his position—from ministers to businessmen, from high officials to experienced dignitaries, all incessantly sought his audience. They were all seeking to fulfill their ego-driven ambitions. The moneyed-coffers were also a distraction from spiritual life. Swami Rama realized that he was falling behind in his meditations and daily practices, the very reason that had brought him to this position. One day wearing the expensive robe of the Shankaracharya he walked out, never to return. He had no money, and got into a general bogie in a train, only for the ticket collector to ask him to get down at the next station. One moment he’d the powerful bowing before him, in another he was being forced off a train compartment. Even though he was only 26 then, he’d seen it all! Twenty six is an age when most men are still searching for career options to join the rat race and climb up the corporate ladder, or they are busy filling out forms for more and more competitive examinations to get some position and place in life. And here Swami Rama had the powerful bow and kneel before him, and yet had the courage to walk away from that make-belief world. The worldly powers that a Shankaracharya’s robe brought with it meant nothing to him. He returned to the Himalayas where his Master was waiting. He knew that he would be in the world, and yet always remain above it.