At Omkareshwar, Shankara found Guru Govinda Bhagavatpada seated in deep meditation inside a river cave. When the Guru opened his eyes and asked, "Who are you?", Shankara replied with a spontaneous composition of six verses—now known as the Nirvana Shatkam—explaining that he was neither the body nor the mind, but pure Consciousness. Deeply impressed, the Guru formally initiated him.

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