Philosophy of Adi Shankara
Adi Shankaracharya, believed by millions as a reincarnation of Lord Shiva, is the fourth most renowned Indian philosopher. In the biography of the acharya Shree Shankaracharya, 1994, a Sanskrit scholar and former director of Adyar Library, K Kunjunni Raja, mentions texts that situate his lifetime between 788 and 820 A.D. Adi Shankara is said to have been born in Kaladi village on the bank of the Periyar, the largest river in Kerala. His parents were Siva Guru and Arya Antharjanam. At a very early age, he left home in search of learning and becoming a sanyasin (hermit).
His works had a strong impact on the doctrine of Advaita Vedanta. He founded four monasteries, which are believed to have helped in the historical development, revival, and dissemination of Advaita Vedanta. He, like his predecessors, traveled across the Indian subcontinent to propagate his philosophy through discourses and debates with other thinkers, from both orthodox Hindu traditions and heterodox non-Hindu traditions, including Buddhism, defeating his opponents in theological debates. His commentaries on the Prasthanatrayi Vedic canon (Brahma Sutras, Principal Upanishads, and Bhagavad Gita) argue for the unity of Atman and Nirguna Brahman ‘Brahman without attributes,” defending the liberating knowledge of the Self and the Upanishads as an independent means of knowledge against the ritually oriented Mimamsa school of Hinduism. Shankara’s Advaita shows similarities with Mahayana Buddhism, for which he was criticized by a section of Buddhist scholars. Shankara himself stated that Hinduism asserts “Atman (Soul, Self) exists”, whilst Buddhism asserts that there is “no Soul, no Self.” Shankara has an unparalleled status in the tradition of Advaita Vedanta, and also had a strong influence on the Vedanta tradition in general. He influenced Hindu intellectual thought, but his historical fame and cultural influence grew after centuries of his death.
Over 300 texts are attributed to his name, including commentaries (Bhāṣya) on 10 Upanishads, original philosophical expositions (Prakaraṇa grantha), and poetry (Stotra). Adi Shankara is believed to be the organizer of the Dashanami monastic order and unified the Shanmata tradition of worship. He attained Samadhi at the age of 32 in the ninth century. He is believed to have attained samadhi at Kedarnath.
Master of Advaita Vedanta
Shankara’s great standing is derived from his commentaries of the Prasthanatrayi (Upanishads, Brahmasutra, and Gita), where he explains his understanding of Advaita Vedanta. According to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, “Advaita Vedanta articulates a philosophical position of radical non-dualism, a revisionary worldview which it derives from the ancient Upanishadic texts. According to Advaita Vedantins, the Upanishads reveal a fundamental principle of non-duality termed ‘brahman,’ which is the reality of all things. Advaitins understand Brahman as transcending individuality and empirical plurality. They seek to establish that the essential core of one’s self (atman) is Brahman. The fundamental thrust of Advaita Vedanta is that the Atman is pure non-intentional consciousness. It is one without a second, non-dual, infinite existence, and numerically identical to Brahman. This effort entails tying a metaphysics of Brahman to a philosophy of consciousness.”
This philosophical tradition, according to the encyclopedia entry, found its most sustained early articulation in the works of Shankara, who “endeavored to communicate non-duality through systematized theories of metaphysics, language, and epistemology”, and whose “philosophy and methods comprise a teaching tradition intended to culminate in a direct liberating recognition of non-duality that is synonymous with liberation or freedom (moksha).” In Bharatiya Chintha (Indian Thought), K Damodaran, scholar and a founding member of the Communist movement in India, says the essence of Adi Shankara’s philosophy is encapsulated in the much-quoted formulation: “brahma satyam jagan-mithya, jivo brahmaiva naaparah” (brahman alone is real, this world is an illusion/ and the jiva is non-differential from brahman).
