Philosopher and Saint who consolidated doctrine of Advaita Vedānta

The sacred land of Bhārata has been blessed with the divine descent of great souls who have, from time to time, re-established the eternal principles of Dharma. Among these divine incarnations, Śrī Ādi Śaṅkarācārya shines forth as a brilliant beacon of jñāna (knowledge) and vairāgya (renunciation). It is said that when the spiritual vitality of the was waning, the devatās and ṛṣis pleaded with Bhagavān Śiva to descend upon Earth and revitalize the path of dharma. Acceding to their fervent prayers, Bhagavān Śiva himself promised to be born as Śaṅkara.

The Life of Śrī Ādi Śaṅkarācārya

A Childhood of Auspicious Beginnings

Śaṅkarācārya was born in the village of Kāladī in Kerala to the devout Brāhmaṇa couple Śivaguru and Āryāmbā. Even from a tender age, the child was a prodigy, captivating everyone with his extraordinary intelligence and kindness. At the age of three, he began his education with the Akṣarābhyāsa, the initiation into writing and reading. By the age of four, he had lost his father, a profound event that shaped his early life. At the age of five, the sacred thread ceremony, or upanayana, was performed, marking his initiation into brahmacarya. As was the custom, the young brahmacārī would go from house to house, collecting alms for his guru.

One auspicious day, Śaṅkara approached the house of a very poor lady for alms. She had nothing to offer him, not even a single grain of rice, but with great devotion, she offered him the only thing she had: a single āmalaka fruit (Indian Gooseberry). Moved by her extreme poverty and unwavering faith, the compassionate boy composed a hymn, the Kanakadhārā Stōtram, praying to Goddess Mahālakṣmī to bestow wealth upon her. As a result of this divine hymn, a shower of golden āmalaka fruits rained down upon her home, an eternal testament to his divine grace and compassion.

The river Pūrṇā was a considerable distance from his home, yet his mother, Āryāmbā, would steadfastly walk there every day for her holy bath. One day, exhausted from the heat, she fainted on the riverbank. Young Śaṅkara, finding her in this state, prayed to the river goddess to bring the river closer to his home for his mother’s comfort. In response to his heartfelt prayer, the river changed its course and flowed closer to their home.

The Call of Renunciation

Śaṅkara’s inclination towards sannyāsa became evident at a very young age. One day, while bathing in the river, his leg was caught by a crocodile. His distraught mother could only watch in despair. At this critical moment, Śaṅkara, with a calm and detached mind, pleaded with her to grant him permission to take sannyāsa before he was devoured. Seeing her son’s life in peril, Āryāmbā, with a heavy heart, agreed. As soon as she granted her permission, the crocodile released him, and Śaṅkara was miraculously saved. This event cemented his resolve to embrace the life of a renunciate and dedicate himself to the spiritual path.

After this momentous event, he was determined to find a guru who could initiate him into the sacred order of sannyāsa. He promised his mother that he would return to perform her last rites, a promise he would later fulfill.

The Discipleship Under Govinda Bhagavatpāda

Śrī Śaṅkara’s search for a guru led him to the banks of the river Narmadā, where he found the revered jñānī, Śrī Govinda Bhagavatpāda. Śaṅkara performed a miracle for his guru when the Narmadā river swelled, threatening to overflow. With his divine power, he encapsulated the entire river in his kamaṇḍalu, a sannyāsī‘s water pot, and released it back, demonstrating his superhuman capabilities. Deeply impressed, Govinda Bhagavatpāda accepted him as his disciple. Under his guidance, Śaṅkara mastered the scriptures, including the Gauḍapādīya Kārikā, the Brahmasūtras, the Vedas, and the Upaniṣads. He exhibited such profound understanding that he was able to write commentaries on them by the tender age of sixteen.

The Triumphant Conquest of Knowledge

Following the instructions of his guru, Śaṅkara traveled to the holy city of Kāśī, where he gathered many disciples. One of his disciples, Sanandana, was drying his guru‘s clothes when Śaṅkara, from the other bank of the river Gaṅgā, called him to come across urgently. Sanandana, without a moment’s hesitation, began walking on the water, and with every step he took, a lotus flower blossomed beneath his feet. This miracle earned him the name Padmapāda.

Śaṅkarācārya continued his journey, spreading the profound philosophy of Advaita Vedānta across the land. He reached the city of Māhiṣmatī, where he sought to engage in a debate with the renowned scholar Maṇḍana Miśra, a follower of the Karma Mīmāṁsā school. To win the debate, Śaṅkara had to answer a range of questions, including those on the topic of kāma (desire). To gain the necessary experience, he entered the deceased body of a king through his yogic powers.

The Final Rites and His Teachings

True to his promise, Śaṅkara returned to his village to be with his mother during her last moments. His relatives, bound by orthodox customs, refused to help him with the funeral rites of a sannyāsī. Undeterred, Śaṅkara, with his own hands, performed the last rites for his beloved mother, demonstrating that the bond of love and filial duty transcends all societal norms. After his mother’s mahā-samādhi, Śaṅkarācārya traveled throughout the country. He engaged in numerous debates, converting of other faiths to Advaita. He revitalized numerous temples and, with his divine powers, established yantras in them to spread the blessings of Parāśakti.

Amnāya Pīṭhas Established by Śrī Ādi Śaṅkarācārya

He established four monastic centers, or maṭhas, in the four cardinal directions of India to preserve and propagate the teachings of Advaita Vedānta. He established the Śṛṅgerī Śāradā Pīṭham in the south, the Pūri Govardhana Maṭha in the east, the Dvārakā Kālikā Maṭha in the west, and the Jyotirmaṭha in the north.

Pīṭha	Location	Direction	Veda	Mahāvākyaⓘ	Presiding Deity
Śṛṅgeri Śārada Pīṭha	Śṛṅgeri	South	Yajurveda	Aham Brahmāsmi	Śāradā Devī
Dvāraka Śāradā Pīṭha	Dvāraka	West	Sāmaveda	Tattvamasi	Śrī Kṛṣṇa
Jyotir Pīṭha	Badarīnātha	North	Ṛgveda	Prajñānam Brahma	Badarī Nārāyaṇa
Govardhana Pīṭha	Purī	East	Atharvaveda	Ayam Ātmā Brahma	Jagannātha

^ⓘ Mahāvākya is the great Upaniṣadic sentence associated with the Pīṭha

Śaṅkarācārya’s life was a testament to the power of knowledge, devotion, and renunciation. His teachings, encapsulated in his timeless commentaries on the Upaniṣads, Brahmasūtras, and Bhagavadgītā, continue to guide millions on the path of self-realization. He left his mortal coil at a young age, but his legacy lives on, illuminating the path of spiritual truth for all seekers.

Philosophy and Works

Śaṅkarācārya’s Advaita Vedānta

The glorious philosophy propounded by the venerable Śrī Ādi Śaṅkarācārya is known as Advaita Vedānta, the sublime doctrine of non-duality. It is a brilliant and profound truth that reveals the ultimate reality of existence. According to this divine teaching, there is no difference between the consciousness that resides in all beings (jīva) and the Supreme Consciousness, the Ultimate Reality (Brahman). It is a unifying truth that declares the consciousness within the physical body is one and the same as the Universal Consciousness. The beautiful diversity of the world, with its countless forms and beings, is not an ultimate reality but an illusion, or māyā.

This perceived difference and duality are born from ignorance (avidyā), which veils the true nature of reality. The phenomenal world we experience is referred to as vyāvahāra, the transactional reality, which is not eternal. The Supreme Reality, Parabrahman, is the only truth. Therefore, there is no separate entity to be called jīva or Īśvara. The teachings affirm that Bhagavān Śiva, Bhagavān Viṣṇu, and all other are but manifestations of that one Supreme Reality, Parabrahman. All the various forms of the divine, including the Daśāvatāras of Viṣṇu, are nothing but expressions of the one and only Brahman.

Śrī Śaṅkarācārya’s life and work were dedicated to dispelling this ignorance and revealing the eternal truth that the Self (ātman) is Brahman. His philosophy is a guiding light, leading every seeker from the realm of perceived duality to the realization of the single, blissful, and infinite truth of non-duality. It is a path of profound knowledge, leading the devoted soul to understand that the entire universe is a manifestation of the one divine consciousness, and there is no division at all.

Works of Śaṅkarā

The list is sourced from the book “Sri Ādi Śaņkarācārya” published by Śringeri Śāradāpīṭham

Bhāṣya Grantha (Commentaries):

1. Brahmasūtra Bhāṣyam
2. Upanishad Bhāṣyam
3. Gītā Bhāṣyam

Laghu Bhāṣya (Shorter Commentaries):

1. Viṣṇu Sahasranāma Bhāṣyam
2. Lalitā-triśatī Bhāṣyam
3. Sanatsujātīya Bhāṣyam
4. Hasta-malakīya Bhāṣyam

Prakaraṇa Grantha (Treatises)

1. Prabodha Sudhākara
2. Svātma Prakāśikā
3. Advaitānubhūti
4. Praśnottara Ratna Mālikā
5. Yoga Tārāvalī
6. Jīvanmuktanandalaharī
7. Pañcīkaraṇa
8. Brahmajñānavālimālā
9. Nirvāṇa-mañjarī
10. Svātmānirūpaṇam
11. Śataślokī
12. Upadeśa-sahasrī
13. Sarva Vedānta Sāra Saṅgraham
14. Laghu Vākyavṛtti
15. Aparokṣānubhūti
16. Vākya-vṛtti
17. Ātmabodha
18. Vivekacūḍāmaṇi
19. Daśaślokī
20. Ekaślokī
21. Māyā-pañcakam
22. Manīṣā-pañcakam
23. Advaita-pañca ratnam
24. Nirvāṇaṣtakam
25. Upadeśa pañcakam
26. Dhanyāṣtakam
27. Anātmaśrīvigarhaṇam
28. Yati-pancakam
29. Brahmānucintanam
30. Sadāchārānusamdhānam
31. Svarōpānusamdhānam
32. Tattvōpadeśam

Stotra Grantha (Hymns of Praise):

1. Gaṇeśa Pañcaratnam
2. Gaṅgā Bhujañgam
3. Mīnākṣī Pañcaratnam
4. Tripurasundarī Aṣṭakam
5. Mīnākṣī Stōtram
6. Bhramarāmbāṣṭakam
7. Navaratna Mālikā
8. Gaurī Daśakam
9. Annapūrṇāṣṭakam
10. Kalyāṇa Vṛṣṭi Stavam
11. Mātr̥kā-puṣpa-mālā Stōtram
12. Bhavānī Bhujaṅgam
13. Kanakadhārā Stōtram
14. Ananda Laharī
15. Devī Bhujaṅgam
16. Devī Catusṣṭi upacāra Stōtram
17. Tripurasundarī Vedapāda Stōtram
18. Tripurasundarī-Mānasa Stōtram
19. Daśaślōkī Stuti
20. Dakṣiṇāmūrti Aṣṭakam
21. Vedasāra Śiva Stōtram
22. Dakṣiṇāmūrti Varņamālā Stōtram
23. Śivapañcākṣara Nakșatra Mālā Stōtram
24. Śiva Kēśādipādāntavarṇana Stōtram
25. Śiva Pādādikēśāntavarṇana Stōtram
26. Śiva Bhujaņgam
27. Dvādaśaliņga Stōtram
28. Mṛtyuñjaya-Mānasa--vidhi
29. Suvarņamālā Stuti
30. Lakṣmī-nṛsiṃha Pañcaratna Stōtram
31. Pāṇḍuraṅgāṣṭakam
32. Acyutāṣṭakam
33. Govindāṣṭakam
34. Viṣṇu-bhujaṅgam
35. Hari Stuti
36. Vișņu Pādādikēśāntavarṇana Stōtram
37. Subrahmaņya Bhujaṅgam
38. Kāśī-pañcakam
39. Yamunāṣṭakam
40. Narmadāṣṭakam
41. Gangāṣṭakam
42. Maņikarņikāṣṭakam
43. Lalitā-pamcaratnam
44. Śāradā Bhujaṅgam
45. Sauṃdaryalaharī
46. Śivapaṃcakşara Stōtram
47. Śivanāmāvalyāștakam
48. Kālabhairavāștakam
49. Jagannāthāștakam
50. Kriṣnāștakam
51. Śivāparādha Kṣamāpaṇa Stōtram
52. Dakṣiṇāmūrti Stōtram
53. Śivānandalaharī
54. Ardhana-rīśvara Stōtram
55. Umā-maheśvara Stōtram
56. Șaṭpadī Stōtram
57. Lakṣmī Nṛsiṃha Karuṇā-rasa Stōtram
58. Rāma-bhujaṅga-prayāta Stōtram
59. Moha-mudgara (also known as Bhaja Govindam)
60. Hanumad pamcaratnam
61. Gurvāṣṭakam
62. Nirguṇā-mānasapūjā
63. Prātaḥ-smaraṇa Stōtram
64. Bhagavānmānasapūjā