Adi Shankara (Devanāgarī: , ', IPA: ; Malayalam: ), also known as (the first Shankara in his lineage)Adi means "the first"; the heads of a few Hindumathas are also given the title Shankaracharya; Acharya means "teacher" and (the teacher at the feet of God), c. 788 – 820CE, There is some debate regarding this issue. ), (or literally Victory of Shankara), which are poetic works that contain biographical material written in an the epic style of legend. The most important among these biographies are the ', the ', the ', and the '.) and Aryamba (IAST') and lived for thirty two years.
Adi Shankara's parents were childless for many years. They prayed at the Vadakkumnathan temple in Thrissur, Kerala, for the birth of a child. Legend has it that Shiva appeared to both husband and wife in their dreams, and offered them a choice: a mediocre son who would live a long life, or an extraordinary son who would not live long. Both the parents chose the latter; thus a son was born to them. He was named Shankara (bestower of happiness), in honour of Shiva (one of whose epithets is Shankara).
His father died while Shankara was very young. Shankara's , the initiation into student-life, was performed at the age of five. As a child, Shankara showed remarkable scholarship, mastering the four Vedas by the age of eight. Following the customs of those days, Shankara studied and lived at the home of his teacher. It was customary for students and men of learning to receive (alms) from the laity; on one occasion, while accepting , Shankara came upon a woman who had only a single dried amalaka fruit to eat. Rather than consuming this last bit of food herself, the pious lady gave away the fruit to Shankara as . Moved by her piety, Shankara composed the Kanakadhārā Stotram on the spot. Legend has it that on completion of the stotra, golden amalaka fruits were showered upon the woman by , the Goddess of wealth.From a young age, Shankara was attracted to sannyasa (monastic life). His mother was against his becoming an monk, and refused him her formal permission. However, once when Shankara was bathing in the Purna River near his house, a crocodile gripped his leg and began to drag him into the water. Only his mother was nearby, and it proved impossible for her to rescue him. Shankara asked his mother to give him permission to renounce the world then and there and so die a monk. At the end of her wits, his mother agreed. Shankara immediately recited the mantras that made a renunciate of him. The crocodile released him and swam away. Shankara emerged unscathed from the water. (water pot) in the path of the raging water, thus saving his Guru, Govinda Bhagavatpada, who was engaged in (meditation) in a cave nearby.
On his mission to spread the Advaita Vedanta philosophy, Adi Shankara travelled to Kashi, where a young man named Sanandana from Choladesha in South India, became his first disciple. In Kashi, Adi Shankara was on his way to the Vishwanath Temple, when he came upon an untouchable with four dogs. When asked to move aside by Shankara's disciples, the untouchable replied: "Do you wish that I move my ever lasting Ātman (Self), or this body made of food?" Understanding that the untouchable was none other than godShiva, and his dogs the four Vedas, Shankara prostrated himself before him, composing five shlokas known as Manisha Panchakam. (lotus-footed one)., visited Adi Shankara in the guise of an old . Adi Shankara debated with the for over eight days when at last, Vyasa revealed his real identity and blessed Adi Shankara.). Mandana Mishra's Guru was the famous Mimamsa philosopher, . Shankara sought a debate with and met him in Prayag where he had buried himself in a slow burning pyre to repent for sins committed against his Guru: had learnt Buddhist philosophy incognito from him in order to be able to refute it. This constitues a sin according to the Vedas. thus asked Adi Shankara to proceed to (known today as Maheshwar in Madhya Pradesh) to meet Mandana Mishra and debate with him instead.
Adi Shankara had a famous debate with Mandana Mishra in which the wife of Mandana Mishra, , was the referee. After debating for over fifteen days, Mandana Mishra accepted defeat. then challenged Adi Shankara to have a debate with her in order to 'complete' the victory. This debate was to be on the subject of (science of sex-love). But Adi Shankara, being a sannyasi, had no knowledge of this subject; thus, after requesting for some time before entering into this fresh debate, he entered the body of a king by his yogic powers and acquired the knowledge of . Later, however, declined to debate with him and allowed Mandana Mishra to accept sannyasa with the monastic name, as per the agreed rules of the debate., the temple of Hari-Shankara and the temple at Kollur. At Kollur he accepted a boy believed to be dumb by his parents, as his disciple. He gave him the name, (one with the amalaka fruit on his palm, i.e., one who has clearly realised the Self). Next, he visited to establish the and made his disciple.]] in debate. of Ujjayini, the proponent of Bhedābeda philosophy, was humbled. All the scholars of Ujjayini (also known as Avanti) accepted Adi Shankara's philosophy. He then defeated the Jainas at a place called Bahlika. Later, he had an encounter with a tantrik, Navagupta at Kamarupa. Navagupta pretended to have become a disciple, but later caused Adi Shankara to develop a rectal fistula. However, Adi Shankara was soon cured and Navagupta later died of the same disease. '' in Kashmir (now in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir). temple in Thrissur, Kerala., however, ascribe much earlier dates to him. If these dates were true, they would require moving back the date of Buddha (which serves as an anchor for modern academic history of India). Of the major Shankara active today, the ones at Kanchi, Dwaraka, and Puri ascribe the dates 509 – 477BCE to Adi Shankara. The , on the other hand, accepts the 788–820 CE dates. (abbeys), to guide the Hindu religion. These are at Sringeri in Karnataka in the south, Dwaraka in Gujarat in the west, Puri in Orissa in the east, and Jyotirmath (Joshimath) in Uttaranchal in the north. Hindu tradition states that he put in charge of these mathas his four main disciples: Sureshwaracharya, Hastamalakacharya, Padmapadacharya, and Totakacharya respectively. The heads of the mathas trace their authority back to these figures. Each of the heads of these four mathas takes the title of Shankaracharya (the learned Shankara) after the first Shankara. The matha at Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, claims that it was founded by Adi Shankara.
[[Image:Swans.jpg|right|thumb|The {{Hamsa (Hindu mythology)|swan}} is an important motif in {{Advaita Vedanta}}. Its symbolic meanings are: firstly, the swan is called hamsa in Sanskrit (which becomes hamso if the first letter in the next word is /h/). Upon repeating this hamso indefinitely, it becomes so-aham, meaning, "I am That". Secondly, just as a swan lives in water but its feathers are not soiled by water, similarly a liberated Advaitin lives in this world full of maya but is untouched by its illusion. Thirdly, a {{Sannyasi}} of the {{Dashanami}} order (founded by Adi Shankara) is called a {{Paramahamsa}} (the Supreme Swan)]]
Advaita (literally, non-duality) is often called a monistic system of thought. The word "Advaita" essentially refers to the identity of the Self (Atman) and the Whole (BrahmanBrahman is not to be confused with Brahma, the Creator and one-third of the Trimurti along with Shiva, the Destroyer and Vishnu, the Preserver.). The key source texts for all schools of are the Prasthanatrayi– the canonical texts consisting of the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita and the Brahma Sutras.
Adi Shankara was the first in its tradition to consolidate the (system) of Advaita Vedanta. He wrote commentaries on the Prasthana Trayi. A famous quote from , one of his prakarana granthas (philosophical treatises) that succintly summarises his philosophy is:
'
Brahman is the only truth, the world is unreal, and there is ultimately no difference between Brahman and individual self.
Advaita Vedanta is based on ' (scriptures), yukti (reason) and anubhava (experience), and aided by karmas (spiritual practices).See "Study the Vedas daily. Perform diligently the duties (karmas) ordained by them" from Sadhana Panchakam of Adi Shankara This philosophy provides a clear-cut way of life to be followed. Starting from childhood, when learning has to start, the philosophy has to be realised in practice throughout one's life even upto death. This is the reason why this philosophy is called an experiential philosophy, the underlying tenet being "That thou art", meaning that ultimately there is no difference between the experiencer and the experienced (the world) as well as the universal spirit (Brahman). Among the followers of Advaita, as well those of other doctrines, there are believed to have appeared Jivanmuktas, ones liberated while alive. These individuals (commonly called Mahatmas, great souls, among Hindus) are those who realised the oneness of their self and the universal spirit called Brahman.
Advaita Vedanta in summary
Adi Shankara's treatises on the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita and the Brahma Sutras are his principal and almost undeniably his own works. Although he mostly adhered to traditional means of commenting on the Brahma Sutra, there are a number of original ideas and arguments. He taught that it was only through direct knowledge of Brahman that one could be enlightened.
Adi Shankara's opponents accused him of teaching Buddhism in the garb of Hinduism, because his non-dualistic ideals were a bit radical to contemporary Hindu philosophy. However, it may be noted that while the Later Buddhists arrived at a changeless, deathless, absolute truth after their insightful understanding of the unreality of samsara, historically Vedantins never liked this idea. Although Advaita proposes the theory of Maya, explaining the universe as a "trick of a magician", Adi Shankara and his followers see this as a consequence of their basic premise that Brahman alone is real. Their idea of Maya emerges from their belief in the reality of Brahman, rather than the other way around.
At the time of Adi Shankara's life, Hinduism had began to decline because of the influence of Buddhism and Jainism. Hinduism had become divided into innumerable sects, each quarelling with the others. The followers of Mimamsa and Sankhya philosophy were atheists, in so much that they did not believe in God as a unified being. Besides these atheists, there were numerous theistic sects. There were those who rejected the Vedas, like the Charvakas.
Adi Shankara held debates with the leading scholars of all these sects and schools of philosophy to controvert their doctrines. He unified the theistic sects into a common framework of Shanmata system. In his works, Adi Shankara stressed the importance of the Vedas, and his efforts helped Hinduism regain strength and popularity. He travelled on foot to various parts of India to restore the study of the Vedas.
Even though he lived for only thirty-two years, his impact on India and on Hinduism was striking. He reintroduced a purer form of Vedic thought. His teachings and tradition form the basis of Smartism and have influenced Sant Mat lineages. He is the main figure in the tradition of Advaita Vedanta. He was the founder of the ' of Hindumonasticism and of Smarta tradition. He introduced the ' form of worship.
Adi Shankara, along with Madhva and Ramanuja, was instrumental in the revival of Hinduism. These three teachers formed the doctrines that are followed by their respective sects even today. They have been the most important figures in the recent history of Hindu philosophy. In their writings and debates, they provided polemics against the non-Vedantic schools of Sankhya, Vaisheshika etc. Thus they paved the way for Vedanta to be the dominant and most widely followed tradition among the schools of Hindu philosophy. The Vedanta school stresses most on the Upanishads (which are themselves called Vedanta, End or culmination of the Vedas), unlike the other schools that gave importance to texts authored by their founders. The Vedanta schools have the belief that the Vedas, which include the Upanishads, are unauthored, forming a continuous tradition of wisdom transmitted orally. Thus the concept of apaurusheyatva (being unauthored) came to be the guiding force behind the Vedanta schools. However, along with stressing the importance of Vedictradition, Adi Shankara gave equal importance to the personal experience of the student. Logic, grammar, Mimamsa and allied subjects form main areas of study in all the Vedanta schools.
A well known verse, recited in the Smarta tradition, in praise of Adi Shankara is:
| ¦¦ | ¦¦ I salute the compassionate abode of the Vedas, Smritis and Puranas known as Shankara Bhagavatpada, who makes the world auspicious.
Adi Shankara's works deal with logically establishing the doctrine of Advaita Vedanta as he saw it in the Upanishads. He formulates the doctrine of Advaita Vedanta by validating his arguments on the basis of quotations from the Vedas and other Hindu scriptures. He gives a high priority to svānubhava (personal experience) of the student. A large portion of his works is polemical in nature. He directs his polemics mostly against the Sankhya, Bauddha, Jaina, Vaisheshika and other non-vedantic Hindu philosophies.
Traditionally, his works are classified under (commentary), (philosophical treatise) and Stotra (devotional hymn). The commentaries serve to provide a consistent interpretation of the scriptural texts from the perspective of Advaita Vedanta. The philosophical treatises provide various methodologies to the student to understand the doctrine. The devotional hymns are rich in poetry and piety, serving to highlight the helplessness of the devotee and the glory of the diety. Of his works, the authenticity of the Viveka Chudamani and a few Bhashyas are questioned.
Adi Shankara wrote Bhashyas on the ten majorUpanishads, the Brahma Sutras and the Bhagavad Gita. In his works, he quotes from Shveshvatara, Kaushitakai, Mahanarayana and Jabala Upanishads, among others. Bhashyas on Kaushitaki, Nrisimhatapani and Shveshvatara Upanishads are extant but the authenticity is doubtful.''
It has been established that everyone has the right to the knowledge (of Brahman) and that the supreme goal is attained by that knowledge alone.
