1232nd Birth Anniversary of Adi Shankaracharya Shankaracharya Jayanti on Monday, April 27, 2020

Shankara was born of poor but pious Nambudiri Brahmin couple in the Kaladi village of the Kerala kingdom. He lost his father early. He was the couple’s only child and the mother resisted her son becoming a monk giving up all worldly life. It took great persuasion on Shankara’s part to win her over. He promised attending on her final hour.

He went in search of a guru for further spiritual guidance and studied under Govinda Bhagavatpada, who was a famous disciple of  the great saint Gowdapadacharya.

Gowdapadacharya advocated monism or advaita. All the learning Shankara mastered was put to use through his brilliant eloquence. Dialetics, logic and semantics were the primary areas of scholar hood in those days, and the only means to achieve supremacy was to argue and win debates in august assemblies of scholars.  Shankara argued and won over many great scholars of his time belonging to different faiths. He established that the original teaching of the vedas was that God is one and the study of  vedas is the only way to salvation.

At the time Vedic texts were summarized in brief aphorisms. The basic texts of Vedic knowledge was preserved in Brahmasutras of Badarayana, a work of First century A.D. This was known as the main composition of Vedanta (literally meaning “End or culmination of Vedas”, used sometimes as culmination of Indian thought).

Shankara wrote a brilliant and convincing commentary on Brahmasutras which were accepted throughout India. He wrote commentary of Bhagavad-Gita, chief Upanishads and other philosophic works. He is created beautiful compositions in praise of God and Mother Goddess. Vedanta and its interpretation by Shankara is accepted and revered even by modern theologists including Swami Vivekananda and Aurobindo.

Shankara then took missionary work traveling the entire country (what is India today, then consisting of numerous feudal kingdoms). He established four monasteries in the four corners of the Hindu land — Kashmir in the North, Dwaraka in the West, Puri in the East and in Sringeri in the South.

Shankara did not forget his old mother or the promise he had made. Tradition records that he was by his mother’s side in her final moments. He then arranged for her funeral.

While Shankaracharya criticized Buddhism in its decayed form, he assimilated many tenets of Buddhism cleverly, like that of nirvana (void).  It was Shankaracharya who was responsible to absorb Buddha into Hinduism and recognize Buddha as an avatar (incarnation) of  God!

Shankaracharya was only thirty-two years old at the time of his death. Shankaracharya died in 820 CE at Kedarnath, which lies in the present day Uttarakhand.

But his life’s mission was complete. Revival and reformation of original vedic religion, which is considered intellectual Hinduism is alive to this day.

Sankaracharya occupies a very important position in the history of Indian philosophy. It can be affirmed, without any fear of contradiction, that Bharata Varsha would have ceased to be Bharata Varsha several centuries ago and would never have survived the murderous sword, the devastating fire and the religious intolerance of the successive invaders, if Sankara had not lived the life he lived and taught the lessons he taught. And those lessons are still pulsating in every cell and in every protoplasm of the true aspirant and the true Hindu.  

Literary work of Adi Shankaracharya

Shankaracharya was a beautiful poet, with a heart filled with Love of the Divine. He composed 72 devotional and meditative hymns such as Soundarya Lahari, Sivananda Lahari, Nirvana Shalkam, Maneesha Panchakam. He also wrote 18 commentaries on the major scriptural texts like Brahma Sutras, the Bhagavad Gita, and 12 major Upanishads. He also wrote 23 books on the fundamentals of the Advaita Vedanta philosophy which explain the principles of the non-dual Brahman. Some of them are Atma Bodha, Upadesa Sahasri, Viveka Chudamani, Vaakya Vrittiamong.

Some Quotes of Jagad Guru Adi Sankaracharya:

vKnowing that I am different from the body, I need not neglect the body. It is a vehicle that I use to transact with the world. It is the temple which houses the Pure Self within.

vTo be free from bondage the wise person must practise discrimination between One-Self and the ego-self. By that alone you will become full of joy, recognizing Self as Pure Being, Consciousness and Bliss.

vLike the appearance of silver in mother of pearl, the world seems real until the Self, the underlying reality, is realized.