Adi Sankaracharya : The Voice of Vedanta

In the eighth century, a young sanyasi became ancient India’s greatest philosopher and theologian. Adi Sankaracharya was the leading exponent of Advaita Vedanta, a philosophy that has influenced thinkers till today.

The Voice of Vedanta

In a short life of just thirty two years, Adi Sankaracharya left an indelible mark on Hindu thought and religion. At a time when Hinduism was on a decline, he placed it once again on firm spiritual foundations. Beginning from Kerala he traveled ceaselessly across the Indian subcontinent, becoming a spiritual uniting force of the land. He also established the monastic order of the Sankararacharya mathas.

This is the fascinating story of a child prodigy, brilliant debater, beloved teacher, revolutionary thinker and social reformer.

Adi Shankara also known as Sankara Bhagavatpadacarya (”the teacher at the feet of God”), and Adi Sankaracarya (”the first Shankaracharya in his lineage”) was the first philosopher to consolidate the doctrine of Advaita Vedanta, a sub-school of Vedanta. His teachings are based on the unity of the soul and Brahman (not to be confused with Brahmin, which is a social class designation of the caste system), in which Brahman is viewed as without attributes. In the Smarta tradition, Adi Shankara is regarded as an incarnation of Shiva.

Adi Shankara toured India with the purpose of propagating his teachings through discourses and debates with other philosophers. He founded four mathas (”monasteries”) which played a key role in the historical development, revival and spread of post-Buddhist Hinduism and Advaita Vedanta. Adi Shankara was the founder of the Dashanami monastic order and the Shanmata tradition of worship.

His works in Sanskrit, all of which are extant today, concern themselves with establishing the doctrine of Advaita. Adi Shankara quotes extensively from the Upanishads and other Hindu scriptures in forming his teachings. He also includes arguments against opposing schools of thought like Samkhya and Buddhism in his works.