Sometimes inspiration comes from the most unexpected source. The story of Sankaracharya getting inspiration to write the famous panchasloki ( containing five slokaas) Manisha Panchakam from a so called "Chandaala" is an example for this.
Once on the banks of river Ganga, Sankaracharya had an encounter with a Chandala ( person of low caste) who was walking towards him along with a dog. In spite of Sankaracharya's advaitha darshanam, for a moment, his ego surfaced and he asked Chandala to stay away from his path. The enlightened Chandala asked Sankara: "Whom are you asking to move, the physical body nourished by food or my soul? I can move the physical body away from your body, but the soul living in this body of mine is the same as the soul that lives in your body. This Self, that is pure awareness, is shared by you and me, thus we are one, and one with One. How can this Omnipresent soul move away from itself? "
Sankara did Saashtaanga pranaamam or prostrated before him and told him that he was his Guru who helped to open his inner eyes of wisdom. Manisha panchaka is Sankara's extempore verses in reply to chandala's enlightening words. First two slokaas ends thus: "He who has learnt to look at this in the light of Advaita is my true Guru, be he a Chandala or be he a Brahmin".( chandaalosthu sa thu dwijosthu gururuthyesha manisha mama). Next three slokaas also ends saying that one who has this knowledge of "aham brahmaasmia' is my Guru
It is believed that Siva came in the form of a chandala to test Shankara and to make him fully realized.
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