॥
In plain words
Yet today, through the reading of books and through clever and crooked reasoning, the young are given to plunging into arguments and counter-arguments of many kinds.
We Must Recognise Advaita Only in the Principle of the Ātma
Once, a fellow of 22 or 23 years went to Śaṅkara. While Śaṅkara was giving spiritual teaching to his disciples, this young man stood up in the middle: ‘Swami! In this vast world, in the principle that exists as such vast numbers of beings, you should recognise the oneness of all; to keep up differences in it is not good at all, surely! In this vast world there is only blood in all beings; milk does not come out of any of them specially, does it! So is it not right for elders like you to look on all alike?’ he asked. Śaṅkara laughed: ‘My son! Your young blood seems to be flowing very fast. Without examining what is eternal and what is not, it is not possible to bring Advaita merely into material things. So you may speak of an Advaita of feeling; but to set out this Advaita of the world is possible not for you, not for me, not for anyone,’ he said. ‘It is not possible for me to accept that,’ argued this young man. ‘I hold that to look on all beings with an equal feeling is the very best thing,’ he said. Śaṅkara saw that if this young man were given still more time in just this way, he might go beyond all bounds and might speak the words of a mind gone astray; and at once, so as to shut his mouth: ‘My son! We can talk of that matter later. Do you have a mother?’ he asked. ‘Yes! My mother is still living. Every day I worship. I offer my namaskāram,’ he said. ‘My son! Are you married?’ he asked. ‘Yes! I was married last year. My wife too has come here, to the camp,’ he said. ‘Very good! I am glad. Do you have a mother-in-law too?’ Śaṅkara asked. ‘Yes! My mother-in-law too is keeping well,’ he answered. ‘Do you have a sister?’ Śaṅkara asked.