Shankaracharya
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| Shankaracharya | |
|---|---|
 Raja Ravi Varma · Public domain · source | |
| Name | Shankaracharya |
| Birth date | c. 8th century CE |
| Birth place | Kalady, Kerala (traditional) / disputed |
| Death date | c. 820 CE (traditional) |
| Occupation | philosopher, theologian, monk |
| Tradition | Advaita Vedanta |
| Notable works | Brahmasutra Bhashya, Upanishad Bhashya, Bhagavad Gita Bhashya |
| Influences | Gaudapada, Badarayana, Mandana Misra |
| Influenced | Ramanuja, Madhva, Vivekananda |
Shankaracharya Shankaracharya was an influential Indian philosopher and monastic reformer traditionally dated to the 8th century CE, credited with consolidating the doctrine of Advaita Vedanta and establishing a pan-Indian monastic network. His life is narrated in hagiographies linking him to Kalady, Kanchipuram, Varanasi and Kedarnath, while his philosophical standing rests on commentaries on canonical texts such as the Brahma Sutras, principal Upanishads, and the Bhagavad Gita.
Early life and background
Traditional accounts place his birth in Kalady in Kerala during the early medieval period and narrate training under teachers associated with Kanchipuram and Narasimha-related centers, with a formative encounter often identified with the scholar Gaudapada's lineage. Hagiographies involving figures such as Mandana Misra, Sureshvara, and patrons from royal houses like the rulers of Kashmir and Karnataka appear in later biographies, while regional traditions link him to monastic seats at Sringeri, Dwaraka, Puri, and Badrinath.
Philosophical teachings and Advaita Vedanta
He articulated non-dualism by interpreting texts attributed to Badarayana and the corpus of Upanishads through a reading that emphasizes an unchanging absolute, often identified with Brahman, over the empirically plural world described in schools such as Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Samkhya, and heterodox traditions represented by Buddhism and Jainism. His method juxtaposes ontological claims in the Brahma Sutras with epistemological tools discussed by authors like Vatsyayana and polemics against commentators from traditions such as those represented by Ramanuja and Madhva. Key doctrines include the distinction between apparent reality (often engaged via terms and critiques found in Gaudapada's work) and absolute reality, and reliance on scriptural exegesis exemplified in his commentaries on the Brahma Sutras, major Upanishads, and the Bhagavad Gita.
Major works and commentaries
The principal works attributed to him are the commentaries known as Brahmasutra Bhashya, commentaries on principal Upanishads including the Isha Upanishad, Kena Upanishad, and Mandukya Upanishad, and the Bhagavad Gita Bhashya. He is also associated with shorter treatises and stanzas such as the Vivekachudamani, Upadesa Sahasri, and Atma Bodha in various manuscript traditions. Later compilers and scholars—among them figures tied to Mimamsa and Puranic scholarship—debated the authorship of some works, while medieval commentators such as Vachaspati Mishra and Prakasatman engaged extensively with his texts.
Monastic order and Dashanami tradition
Tradition credits him with organizing a monastic federation that became known as the Dashanami order, assigning ten names (Dasa-nami) and establishing four cardinal mathas traditionally at Sringeri, Dwaraka, Puri, and Joshimath (Badrinath region). These institutions are linked in hagiographical accounts to royal patrons, pilgrimage circuits including Kedarnath and Badrinath, and ritual networks spanning Karnataka, Gujarat, Odisha, and the Himalaya. Successive acharyas of these mathas, such as those recorded in lists preserved at Sringeri and Kedarnath, claim institutional continuity with his reforms, influencing monastic discipline and scholastic curricula connected to traditions like Vyakarana and Nyaya.
Influence and legacy
His commentarial corpus reshaped Vedantic exegesis and stimulated responses from medieval reformers including Ramanuja, Madhva, and later interpreters such as Nimbarka and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Modern figures like Swami Vivekananda and scholars in institutions such as the Benares Hindu University and Aligarh Muslim University studied and promoted his thought in colonial and postcolonial debates, affecting Indian nationalism and comparative philosophy dialogues with Western thinkers like Arthur Schopenhauer and Ralph Waldo Emerson. His legacy endures in monastic lineages, pilgrims’ itineraries to sites like Kedarnath, and in academic studies within departments of Indian philosophy at universities including Oxford and Harvard.
Controversies and scholarly debates
Scholars dispute his historicity, precise chronology, and the authorship of several texts attributed to him; historians such as those working in the Orientalist tradition and revisionists linked to Indological studies debate dates ranging from the 5th to the 9th centuries CE. Philological controversies concern manuscript variants of the Upanishad commentaries and the attribution of works like Vivekachudamani with critics citing linguistic, stylistic, and doctrinal divergences examined by scholars in comparative studies at institutions such as Cambridge University and Banaras Hindu University. Debates also involve his polemical interactions with Buddhist and Jaina thinkers, the role of royal patronage in monastic institutionalization, and modern political appropriations of his image in movements connected to Hindu reform and nationalist narratives.