Sankaracharya, 1989 - Stamp, First Day Cover and Brochure

A commemorative stamp in the denomination of 60P on Śrī Śaṅkarācārya was released on 17.05.1989 with an FDC and Brochure. The stamp displays a stylised design of "Advaita" in Hindi, The FDC carries two mantras written in Sanskrit Devanāgarī script.

The first line is from the Ṛgveda, 1st Maṇḍala, 164th Sūkta, 46th Mantra.
एकं सद्विप्रा बहुधा वदन्ति
ekaṁ sad, viprā bahudhā vadanti
"Atman is One; the Sages speak of it variously."


इन्द्रं॑ मि॒त्रं वरु॑णम॒ग्निमा॑हु॒रथो॑ दि॒व्यः स सु॑प॒र्णो ग॒रुत्मा॑न् ।  

एकं॒ सद्विप्रा॑ बहु॒धा व॑दन्त्य॒ग्निं य॒मं मा॑त॒रिश्वा॑नमाहुः ॥

indraṃ mitráṃ váruṇam agním āhur átho divyáḥ sá suparṇó garútmān;
ekaṃ sád víprā bahudhā́ vadanty agníṃ yamáṃ mātaríśvānam āhuḥ.

They called him Indra, Mitra, Varuṇa, Agni; yea, he is heavenly Garuḍa, who has beautiful wings. That which is One, the sages speak of as many; they called him Agni, Yama, Mātariśvan. 

According to the earliest commentator Sāyanācārya, this ṛk (verse) is a praise to Āditya (the Sun). Being illumined, it can be Brahman too. One Āditya can be called by many names as the sages know the essence of nature. Sāyaṇa follows only Yāska, the author of Nirukta and Nighaṇtu, while giving this interpretation. Each of the Devatās has some significant qualities which is praiseworthy. Agni is mentioned twice here the meaning of one of which is to be taken as Lightning. Sat is Paramātman (Absolute Truth). Thus it is decisively concluded that God is One.

The second line (stylised) is one of the four* Mahāvākyas (Great Sayings) taken from the Bṛhadāraṇyka-Upaniṣad, I.4.10, which belongs to the Śukḷa-Yajurveda.

अहं ब्रह्मास्मि

ahaṃ brahma asmi 

"I am the Infinite Reality"

Śrī Svāmī Vidyāraṇya* gives the meaning in a nutshell -- 

स्वतः पूर्णः परात्माऽत्र ब्रह्मशब्देन वर्णितः | 

अस्मीत्यैक्य-परामर्शः तेन ब्रह्म भवाम्यहम् ||

"Infinite by nature, the Supreme Self is described here by the word Brahman; the word asmi denotes the identity of ahaṃ and Brahman. Therefore, (the meaning of the sentence is) "I am Brahman."

Unwanted Notes

The other three Mahā-vākyas are:

1. prajñānam brahma - "prajñānam is brahman" (Aitareya-Upaniṣad, 3.3 of the Rg-veda).
2. ayam ātmā brahma - "I am this Self; that is Brahman" (Māndūkya-Upaniṣad, 1.2 of the Atharva-veda).
3. tat tvam asi - "Thou art That" (Chāndogya-Upaniṣad, 6.8.7 of the Sāma-veda).
*Pañcadasī, 4.