Adi Shankara

Source: The article is based on “Who are the shankaracharyas — and who was Adi Shankara?” in “The Indian Express” on 16th January 2024.

Why in news?

Recently, the four Shankaracharyas have announced their decision not to participate in the inauguration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya on January 22.

Who is Shankaracharya?

1) Shankaracharya means ‘teacher of the way of Shankara’.

2) According to tradition, they are religious teachers who belong to a line of teachers going back all the way to Adi Shankara himself.

3) It is a religious title used by the heads of the four cardinal mathas or peeths. 

4) The four Hindu mathas (monasteries) in India are:

• • Dwarka in Gujarat (West)
  • Joshimath in Uttarakhand (North)
  • Puri in Odisha (East)
  • Sringeri in Karnataka (South)

5) Mathas founded by: Adi Shankara (c 788 CE-820 CE).

6) Presently, these mathas are intricate organizations encompassing religious shrines, temples, libraries, and residences. They are dedicated to preserving and advancing Shankara’s tradition.

Who was Adi Shankara?

1) Born: Kalady village on the bank of the River Periyar (Today Kerala’s Ernakulam district)

2) As per Shankara’s hagiographies, he was an extraordinary scholar-monk who was trained by Govindacharya.

3) Later he travelled extensively, visiting key spiritual centres, challenging established intellectual traditions, and establishing mathas and monastic organisations.

4) Travel history: Shankara is said to have travelled across India, from Kanchi in Tamil Nadu to Kamrup in Assam, and from the Himalayan temples of Kedar and Badri to Kashi on the Ganges’ banks and Puri on the Bay of Bengal to disseminate Advaita Vedanta teachings.

5) Writing: 116 works, comments on the 10 Upanishads, the Brahmasutra, and the Bhagavad Gita. However, the authorship of several of Shankara’s writings is still debated.

What is Advaita Vedanta?

1) It is a school of Hindu philosophy and spiritual discipline.

2) Core of Advaita Vedanta: Emphasis on the unity between atman, or individual consciousness, and brahman, the ultimate reality

3) Philosophy: Advaita Vedanta expresses a radical nondualistic ontological stance, asserting that everything we perceive is essentially illusory (maya).

• According to this philosophy, the sole true reality is the principle of brahman (distinct from the caste Brahmin), transcending empirical diversity.

4) Shanaka’s contribution: Shankara’s writings represented the first thorough exposition of this intellectual tradition.

• He attempted to express nonduality using systematic metaphysical, linguistic, and epistemological ideas.
• His thought and practices include a teaching tradition which aims at bringing to a direct, liberating awareness of non-duality, also known as liberation or freedom (moksha).

What is the legacy of Shankara?

1) Shankara’s influence extends beyond his contributions to metaphysics and theology.

2) His extended journeys are regarded as a quasi-nationalistic endeavour, in which faith, philosophy, and geography come together to imagine a Hindu India that transcends the political bounds of the era.

3) He established four cardinal mathas which are regarded as great examples of this vision.

4) These mathas are also regarded as the guardians of Hindu faith and customs.

UPSC Syllabus: Art and culture