Pancadasi Chapter1 Verse 1

Verse 1 :

Salutations to the lotus feet of my guru Sri Sankarananda whose only work is to destroy the monster of primal nescience together with its effect, the Phenomenal Universe.

My Understanding:
In indian culture , before anything is started paying obeisance to one's parents, Guru or deity is a normal practice. Pancadasi or 15 chapters was written by Vidyarayana who here pays obseisance and respect to his Guru Sankarananda.

Lotus Feet or Kamala Padam as it is called in Sanskrit is very often referred to deities, God or Gurus. The following are few reasons why the the literary works often refer as the lotus feet.

1. Lotus as a flower is considered sublime and sacred
2. Lotus feet is referred to indicate the feet being as soft as its petals.
3. Other aspect of Lotus is , eventhough in water it never gets wet, similarly eventhough the Guru lives in the matrialistic word is not contaminated by its Maya (Illusion)

Destroying of Primal Nescience as the only Goal.
Nescience here can refer to ignorance and thus who is a GURU (GU ignorance, RU Dispeller), dispeller of ignorance and that is the main objective of a Guru( snakarananda in this case).
Shankara + Ananda is Shankarananda . Ananda means Bliss.
Shankara = Shanka (Doubts) + Hara (Destroyer), hence he who destroys or defeats doubts is called Shankara.

Effect of Ignorance
The effect of ignorance is believed to lead to Maya or Illusion. WHile sleeping we are ignorant about reality , but ignorance effect in sleep causes dreams or illusionary world in itself, similarly those who are ignorant of the truth , in even awake state create their own phenomenal world of Maya.

ignorance exist not as something outside reality but something inherent to it , which is a creation because of AVIDYA? and recognizing and knowing it by experience is knowledge