Maneesha Panchakam

If brevity is the essence of wit, Bhagwan Adi Shankaracharya has it. And if wisdom is anybody's property, Shri Shankracharya shows it.

The setting: A swami with his disciples is on the way to Kasi Vishwanath temple after a sacred dip in the Ganges. He recoils from a sweeper doing his round of sweeping and asks him to move away.

The sweeper stuns the Swami with a challenging spiritual poser - one body may move from another, but can the Atma of one person be separated from another's?

Only five verses in Maneesha Panchakam, but enough to keep one thinking for a lifetime...