Adi shankaracharya childhood
Adi Shankara
8th-century Indian Vedic scholar
This article is about the vedic scholar Adi Shankara.
For the title used in Advaita traditions, see Shankaracharya.
"Adi Shankaracharya" redirects here. For the Indian film, see Adi Shankaracharya (film).
Adi Shankara (8th c. CE), also called Adi Shankaracharya (Sanskrit: आदि शङ्कर, आदि शङ्कराचार्य, romanized:&#;Ādi Śaṅkara, Ādi Śaṅkarācārya, lit.&#;'First Shankaracharya',[note 2]pronounced[aːd̪iɕɐŋkɐraːt͡ɕaːrjɐ]),[note 3] was an Indian Vedic scholar, philosopher and teacher (acharya) of Advaita Vedanta.
Reliable information on Shankara's actual life is scanty, and his true impact lies in his "iconic representation of Hindu religion and culture," despite the fact that most Hindus do not adhere to Advaita Vedanta. He is seen by Hindus as "the one who restored the Hindu dharma against the attacks of the Buddhists (and Jains) and in the process helped to drive Buddhism out of India."[4] Tradition also portrays him as the one who reconciled the various sects (Vaishnavism, Shaivism, and Saktism) with the introduction of the Pañcāyatana form of worship, the simultaneous worship of five deities&#;– Ganesha, Surya, Vishnu, Shiva and Devi, arguing that all deities were but different forms of the one Brahman, the invisible Supreme Being.[5]
While often revered as the most important Indian philosopher, the historical influence of his works on Hindu intellectual thought has been questioned.
Until the 10th century Shankara was overshadowed by his older contemporary Maṇḍana Miśra, and there is no mention of him in concurring Hindu, Buddhist or Jain sources until the 11th century. The popular image of Shankara started to take shape in the 14th century, centuries after his death, when Sringeri matha started to receive patronage from the kings of the Vijayanagara Empire[13] and shifted their allegiance from AdvaiticAgamic Shaivism to Brahmanical Advaita orthodoxy.
Hagiographies dating from the 14thth centuries deified him as a ruler-renunciate, travelling on a digvijaya (conquest of the four quarters) across the Indian subcontinent to propagate his philosophy, defeating his opponents in theological debates. These hagiographies portray him as founding four mathas ("monasteries"), and Adi Shankara also came to be regarded as the organiser of the Dashanami monastic order, and the unifier of the Shanmata tradition of worship.
The title of Shankaracharya, used by heads of certain monasteries in India, is derived from his name.
Due to his later fame, over texts are attributed to him, including commentaries (Bhāṣya), introductory topical expositions (Prakaraṇa grantha) and poetry (Stotra). However, most of these are likely to be written by admirers or pretenders or scholars with an eponymous name.
Works known to be written by Shankara himself are the Brahmasutrabhasya, his commentaries on ten principal Upanishads, his commentary on the Bhagavad Gita, and the Upadeśasāhasrī. The authenticity of Shankara being the author of Vivekacūḍāmaṇi has been questioned and mostly rejected by scholarship.
His authentic works present a harmonizing reading of the shastras, with liberating knowledge of the self at its core, synthesizing the Advaita Vedanta teachings of his time.[web 1] The central concern of Shankara's writings is the liberating knowledge of the true identity of jivatman (individual self) as Ātman-Brahman, taking the Upanishads as an independent means of knowledge, beyond the ritually-oriented Mīmāṃsā-exegesis of the Vedas.[note 4][note 5] Shankara's Advaita shows influences from Mahayana Buddhism, despite Shankara's critiques; and Hindu Vaishnava opponents have even accused Shankara of being a "crypto-Buddhist,"[note 6] a qualification which is rejected by the Advaita Vedanta tradition, highlighting their respective views on Atman, Anatta and Brahman.[note 7]
Dating
Several different dates have been proposed for Shankara.
While the Advaita tradition assigns him to the 5th century BCE, the scholarly-accepted dating places Shankara to be a scholar from the first half of the 8th century CE.
Matha datings
The records of the Sringeri Matha state that Shankara was born in the 14th year of the reign of "Vikramaditya", but it is unclear to which king this name refers.[46] Though some researchers identify the name with Chandragupta II (4th century CE), modern scholarship accepts the Vikramaditya as being from the Chalukya dynasty of Badami, most likely Vikramaditya II (– CE).[46]
Scholarly datings
- – CE: This was proposed by late 19th and early twentieth century scholars, following K.P.
Tiele,[note 10] and was customarily accepted by scholars such as Max Müller, Macdonnel, Pathok, Deussen and Radhakrishna.[48] Though the – CE dates are widespread in 20th-century publications, recent scholarship has questioned the – CE dates.[note 11]
- c.&#;&#;– c.&#; CE: Late 20th-century and early 21st-century scholarship tends to place Shankara's life in the first half of the 8th century.[note 12] This estimate is based on the probable earliest and latest limits for his lifetime.
His works contains traces of debates with Buddhist and Mimamsa authors from th 5th-7th century, setting the earliest limit at c.&#; CE. The latest limit is established by Vacaspatimisra's commentary on Sankara's work, dated first half of the 9th century, thus setting the latest limit for Sankara at c.&#; CE.
Other datings
- 44–12 BCE: the commentator Anandagiri believed he was born at Chidambaram in 44 BCE and died in 12 BCE.
- 6th century CE: Telang placed him in this century.
Sir R.G. Bhandarkar believed he was born in CE.
- – CE: Venkiteswara not only places Shankara later than most, but also had the opinion that it would not have been possible for him to have achieved all the works apportioned to him, and has him live ninety-two years.
Traditional and historical views on Shankara
See also: History of Hinduism
Traditional views of Shankara
Shankara has an unparallelled status in the tradition of Advaita Vedanta.
Hagiographies from the 14thth century portray him as a victor who travelled all over India to help restore the study of the Vedas[54] According to Frank Whaling, "Hindus of the Advaita persuasion (and others too) have seen in Sankara the one who restored the Hindu dharma against the attacks of the Buddhists (and Jains) and in the process helped to drive Buddhism out of India."[4] His teachings and tradition are central to Smartism and have influenced Sant Mat lineages.[55] Tradition portrays him as the one who reconciled the various sects (Vaishnavism, Shaivism, and Saktism) with the introduction of the Pañcāyatana form of worship, the simultaneous worship of five deities&#;– Ganesha, Surya, Vishnu, Shiva and Devi, arguing that all deities were but different forms of the one Brahman, the invisible Supreme Being,[5] implying that Advaita Vedanta stood above all other traditions.
Prominence of Maṇḍana Miśra (until 10th century)
Scholars have questioned Shankara's early influence in India.
The Buddhist scholar Richard E. King states,
Although it is common to find Western scholars and Hindus arguing that Sankaracarya was the most influential and important figure in the history of Hindu intellectual thought, this does not seem to be justified by the historical evidence.
According to Clark, "Sankara was relatively unknown during his life-time, and probably for several centuries after, as there is no mention of him in Buddhist or jain sources for centuries; nor is he mentioned by other important philosophers of the ninth and tenth centuries." According to King and Roodurmun, until the 10th century Shankara was overshadowed by his older contemporary Mandana-Misra, the latter considered to be the major representative of ṇḍana Miśra, an older contemporary of Shankara, was a Mimamsa scholar and a follower of Kumarila, but also wrote a seminal text on Advaita that has survived into the modern era, the Brahma-siddhi.[58] The "theory of error" set forth in the Brahma-siddhi became the normative Advaita Vedanta theory of error, and for a couple of centuries he was the most influential Vedantin.[note 13] His student Vachaspati Miśra, who is believed to have been an incarnation of Shankara to popularize the Advaita view, wrote the Bhamati, a commentary on Shankara's Brahma Sutra Bhashya, and the Brahmatattva-samiksa, a commentary on Mandana Mishra's Brahma-siddhi.
His thought was mainly inspired by Mandana Miśra, and harmonises Shankara's thought with that of Mandana Miśra.[web 2] The Bhamati school takes an ontological approach. It sees the Jiva as the source of avidya.[web 2] It sees yogic practice and contemplation as the main factor in the acquirement of liberation, while the study of the Vedas and reflection are additional factors.
The later Advaita Vedanta tradition incorporated Maṇḍana Miśra into the Shankara-fold, by identifying him with Sureśvara (9th century),[65] believing that Maṇḍana Miśra became a disciple of Shankara after a public debate which Shankara won.
According to Satchidanandendra Sarasvati, "almost all the later Advaitins were influenced by Mandana Misra and Bhaskara."[67] He argues that most of post-Shankara Advaita Vedanta actually deviates from Shankara, and that only his student Suresvara, who's had little influence, represents Shankara correctly.
In this view, Shankara's influential student Padmapada misunderstood Shankara, while his views were manitained by the Suresvara school.[note 14]
Vaishnavite Vedanta (10thth century)
Hajime Nakamura states that prior to Shankara, views similar to his already existed, but did not occupy a dominant position within the Vedanta.
Until the 11th century, Vedanta itself was a peripheral school of thought; Vedanta became a major influence when it was utilized by various sects of Hinduism to ground their doctrines. The early Vedanta scholars were from the upper classes of society, well-educated in traditional culture.
Kumarilla the teacher of adi shankaracharya biography in hindi Moksha , a term more common in Hinduism, is the similar liberating release from craving and ignorance, yet aided by the realization and acceptance that one's inner Self is not a personal 'ego-self', but a Universal Self. Mandana Mishra was performing a shraddha and the Brahmins were about to be fed. Eschatological verification Language game Logical positivism Apophatic theology Verificationism. Yet it was a very successful failure.They formed a social elite, "sharply distinguished from the general practitioners and theologians of Hinduism." Their teachings were "transmitted among a small number of selected intellectuals". Works of the early Vedanta schools do not contain references to Vishnu or Shiva. It was only after Shankara that "the theologians of the various sects of Hinduism utilized Vedanta philosophy to a greater or lesser degree to form the basis of their doctrines," whereby "its theoretical influence upon the whole of Indian society became final and definitive." Examples are Ramanuja (11th c.), who aligned bhakti, "the major force in the religions of Hinduism," with philosophical thought, meanwhile rejecting Shankara's views,[web 3] and the Nath-tradition.
Vijayanagara Empire and Vidyaranya (14th century) - creation of traditional (hagiographic) views
In medieval times, Advaita Vedanta position as most influential Hindu darsana started to take shape, as Advaitins in the Vijayanagara Empire competed for patronage from the royal court, and tried to convert others to their sect.
It is only during this period that the historical fame and cultural influence of Shankara and Advaita Vedanta was established.[13] Many of Shankara's biographies were created and published in and after the 14th century, such as Vidyaranya's widely cited Śankara-vijaya. Vidyaranya, also known as Madhava, who was the 12th Jagadguru of the Śringeri Śarada Pītham from to [78] and a minister in the Vijayanagara Empire,[79] inspired the re-creation of the Hindu Vijayanagara Empire of South India.
This may have been in response to the devastation caused by the Islamic Delhi Sultanate,[13][79] but his efforts were also targeted at Sri Vaishnava groups, especially Visishtadvaita, which was dominant in territories conquered by the Vijayanagara Empire. Furthermore, sects competed for patronage from the royal court, and tried to convert others to their own sectarian system.
Vidyaranya and his brothers, note Paul Hacker and other scholars,[13] wrote extensive Advaitic commentaries on the Vedas and Dharma to make "the authoritative literature of the Aryan religion" more accessible. Vidyaranya was an influential Advaitin, and he created legends to turn Shankara, whose elevated philosophy had no appeal to gain widespread popularity, into a "divine folk-hero who spread his teaching through his digvijaya ("universal conquest," see below) all over India like a victorious conqueror." In his doxographySarvadarśanasaṅgraha ("Summary of all views") Vidyaranya presented Shankara's teachings as the summit of all darsanas, presenting the other darsanas as partial truths which converged in Shankara's teachings, which was regarded to be the most inclusive system.
The Vaishanava traditions of Dvaita and Visishtadvaita were not classified as Vedanta, and placed just above Buddhism and Jainism, reflecting the threat they posed for Vidyaranya's Advaita allegiance. Bhedabheda wasn't mentioned at all, "literally written out of the history of Indian philosophy." Such was the influence of the Sarvadarśanasaṅgraha, that early Indologists also regarded Advaita Vedanta as the most accurate interpretation of the Upanishads.
And Vidyaranya founded a matha, proclaiming that it was established by Shankara himself. Vidyaranya enjoyed royal support,[79] and his sponsorship and methodical efforts helped establish Shankara as a rallying symbol of values, spread historical and cultural influence of Shankara's Vedānta philosophies, and establish monasteries (mathas) to expand the cultural influence of Shankara and Advaita Vedānta.
Hagiographies: Digvijaya - "The conquests of Shankara" (14thth century)
Reliable information on Shankara's actual life is scanty.
His existing biographies are not historical accurate documents, but politically motivated hagiographies which were all written several centuries after his time and abound in legends and improbable events.
Sources
Main article: Digvijaya
There are at least fourteen different known hagiographies of Adi Shankara's life.
These, as well as other hagiographical works on Shankara, were written many centuries to a thousand years after Shankara's death,[86] in Sanskrit and non-Sanskrit languages, and the hagiographies are filled with legends and fiction, often mutually contradictory.[note 15]
Many of these are called the Śankara Vijaya ('The conquests (digvijaya) of Shankara'), while some are called Guruvijaya, Sankarabhyudaya and Shankaracaryacarita.
Of these, the Brhat-Sankara-Vijaya by Citsukha is the oldest hagiography but only available in excerpts, while Sankaradigvijaya by Mādhava (17th c.) and Sankaravijaya by Anandagiri are the most cited. Other significant hagiographies are the Cidvilāsīya Śaṅkara Vijayaṃ (of Cidvilāsa, c.
between the 15th and 17th centuries), and the Keraļīya Śaṅkara Vijayaṃ (of the Kerala region, extant from c.
The Determination of perception pratyaksha pariccheda. At the same time, he enunciated the seemingly contradictory doctrine that all our activities and its results depended on God and God alone. Gaudapada spoke to the Acharya appreciating his attainments, in words and smiles that excelled the soothing influence of even moonlight. Part of a series on.the 17th century).[87][88]
Scholars note that one of the most cited Shankara hagiographies, Anandagiri's, includes stories and legends about historically different people, but all bearing the same name of Sri Shankaracarya or also referred to as Shankara but likely meaning more ancient scholars with names such as Vidya-sankara, Sankara-misra and Sankara-nanda.
Some hagiographies are probably written by those who sought to create a historical basis for their rituals or theories.[86]
Early life
According to the oldest hagiographies, Shankara was born in the southern Indian state of Kerala, in a village named Kaladi[89] sometimes spelled as Kalati or Karati.[90][note 16] His parents were an aged, childless, couple who led a devout life of service to the poor.
They named their child Shankara, meaning "giver of prosperity".[91] His father died while Shankara was very young. Shankara's upanayanam, the initiation into student-life, had to be delayed due to the death of his father, and was then performed by his mother.[92]
Sannyasa
Shankara's hagiographies describe him as someone who was attracted to the life of Sannyasa (hermit) from early childhood.
His mother disapproved.
Kumarilla the teacher of adi shankaracharya biography It was suggested to the Acharya that, by reason of his realisation of the Self, Hastamalaka was pre-eminently competent to write a Vartika Sanskrit commentary in verse on the Sutra Bhashya. Archived from the original on 8 May At Varanasi the great Acharya surrounded by Sanandana and other disciples shone like the disk of sun amidst its brilliant rays. This partially engendered in the other disciples a feeling of misgiving, which the Acharya immediately took care to eradicate.A story, found in all hagiographies, describe Shankara at age eight going to a river with his mother, Sivataraka, to bathe, and where he is caught by a crocodile. Shankara called out to his mother to give him permission to become a Sannyasin or else the crocodile will kill him. The mother agrees, Shankara is freed and leaves his home for education.
He reaches a Saivite sanctuary along a river in a north-central state of India, and becomes the disciple of a teacher named Govinda Bhagavatpada.[94] The stories in various hagiographies diverge in details about the first meeting between Shankara and his Guru, where they met, as well as what happened later.
Several texts suggest Shankara schooling with Govindapada happened along the river Narmada in Omkareshwar, a few place it along river Ganges in Kashi (Varanasi) as well as Badari (Badrinath in the Himalayas).[94]
The hagiographies vary in their description of where he went, who he met and debated and many other details of his life.
Adi shankara debates: To the astonishment of all, he unconcernedly crossed over to the other bank where he was duly rewarded by the embrace of the Acharya. Unwelcome Sanyasi Mandana Mishra had an innate dislike for Sanyasis because in his staunch belief of ritualism, he felt that only those who wished to escape the rigours of Vedic injunctions found a refuge in the Sanyasa ashrama. Feeling delighted with his loyalty, the guru gave all his wisdom to him mentally without the other disciples knowing. Throughout his twenty years of journey, he traveled in every direction of the Indian Sub-Continent on foot to spread knowledge that shows his strong determination and dedication.
Most mention Shankara studying the Vedas, Upanishads and Brahmasutra with Govindapada, and Shankara authoring several key works in his youth, while he was studying with his teacher. It is with his teacher Govinda, that Shankara studied Gaudapadiya Karika, as Govinda was himself taught by Gaudapada. Most also mention a meeting with scholars of the Mimamsa school of Hinduism namely Kumarila and Prabhakara, as well as Mandana and various Buddhists, in Shastrartha (an Indian tradition of public philosophical debates attended by large number of people, sometimes with royalty).[94]
Travels (Digvijaya) and disciples
Thereafter, the hagiographies about Shankara vary significantly.
Different and widely inconsistent accounts of his life include diverse journeys, pilgrimages, public debates, installation of yantras and lingas, as well as the founding of monastic centers in north, east, west and south India.[94]
While the details and chronology vary, most hagiographies present Shankara as traveling widely within India, Gujarat to Bengal, and participating in public philosophical debates with different orthodox schools of Hindu philosophy, as well as heterodox traditions such as Buddhists, Jains, Arhatas, Saugatas, and Charvakas.[96][97][page&#;needed][98][page&#;needed] The hagiographies credit him with starting several Matha (monasteries), but this is uncertain.[96] Ten monastic orders in different parts of India are generally attributed to Shankara's travel-inspired Sannyasin schools, each with Advaita notions, of which four have continued in his tradition: Bharati (Sringeri), Sarasvati (Kanchi), Tirtha and Asramin (Dvaraka).
Other monasteries that record Shankara's visit include Giri, Puri, Vana, Aranya, Parvata and Sagara – all names traceable to Ashrama system in Hinduism and Vedic literature.
Shankara had a number of disciple scholars during his travels, including Padmapadacharya (also called Sanandana, associated with the text Atma-bodha), Sureśvaracharya, Totakacharya, Hastamalakacharya, Chitsukha, Prthividhara, Chidvilasayati, Bodhendra, Brahmendra, Sadananda and others, who authored their own literature on Shankara and Advaita Vedanta.[96]
Death
According to hagiographies, supported by four maths, Adi Shankara died at Kedarnath in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand, a Hindu pilgrimage site in the Himalayas.
Texts say that he was last seen by his disciples behind the Kedarnath temple, walking in the Himalayas until he was not traced.
He supported the existence of a single Supreme entity which is Brahman. The sage was quite oblivious of the happenings awoke from his samadhi. The young Shankara, moved by the miserable condition of the large-hearted lady instantaneously composed a hymn on Lakshmi known as Kanakadhara Stotram praying for the relief of the family. After the Acharya had conferred the eternal state of Vaikunta on his mother he traveled through several places spreading his doctrine of oneness.Some texts locate his death in alternate locations such as Kanchipuram (Tamil Nadu) and somewhere in the state of Kerala.[94] According to the hagiographies related to the monastery of Kanchi, Adi Sankara died at Kanchi.
Hagiographies: attribution of Mathas and Smarta tradition (th century)
See also: Dashanami Sampradaya
Traditionally, Shankara is regarded as the founder of the Daśanāmi Sampradāya of Hindumonasticism, and the Panchayatana puja and Ṣaṇmata of the Smarta tradition.
Dashanami Sampradaya and mathas
Advaita Vedanta is, at least in the west, primarily known as a philosophical system. But it is also a tradition of renunciation. Philosophy and renunciation are closely related:[web 4]
Most of the notable authors in the advaita tradition were members of the sannyasa tradition, and both sides of the tradition share the same values, attitudes and metaphysics.[web 4]
Shankara was a Vaishnavite who came to be presented as an incarnation of Shiva in the 14th century,[web 4] to facilitate the adoption of his teachings by previously Saiva-oriented mathas in the Vijayanagara Empire.
From the 14th century onwards hagiographies were composed, in which he is portrayed as establishing the Daśanāmi Sampradaya, organizing a section of the Ekadandi monks under an umbrella grouping of ten names.[web 4] Several other Hindu monastic and Ekadandi traditions remained outside the organisation of the Dasanāmis.[][]
According to tradition, Adi Sankara organised the Hindu monks of these ten sects or names under four Maṭhas (Sanskrit: मठ) (monasteries), with the headquarters at Dvārakā in the West, Jagannatha Puri in the East, Sringeri in the South and Badrikashrama in the North.[web 4] Each matha was headed by one of his four main disciples, who each continues the Vedanta Sampradaya.
According to Paul Hacker, the system may have been initiated by Vidyaranya (14th c.), who may have founded a matha, proclaiming that it was established by Shankara himself, as part of his campaign to propagate Shankara's Advaita Vedanta. Vidyaranya enjoyed royal support,[79] and his sponsorship and methodical efforts helped establish Shankara as a rallying symbol of values, spread historical and cultural influence of Shankara's Vedānta philosophies, and establish monasteries (mathas) to expand the cultural influence of Shankara and Advaita Vedānta.
Smarta Tradition
Main article: Smarta Tradition
Traditionally, Shankara is regarded as the greatest teacher and reformer of the Smartismsampradaya, which is one of four major sampradaya of Hinduism.
According to Alf Hiltebeitel, Shankara established the nondualist interpretation of the Upanishads as the touchstone of a revived smarta tradition:
Practically, Shankara fostered a rapprochement between Advaita and smarta orthodoxy, which by his time had not only continued to defend the varnasramadharma theory as defining the path of karman, but had developed the practice of pancayatanapuja ("five-shrine worship") as a solution to varied and conflicting devotional practices.
Thus one could worship any one of five deities (Vishnu, Siva, Durga, Surya, Ganesa) as one's istadevata ("deity of choice").
Panchayatana puja (IASTPañcāyatana pūjā) is a system of puja (worship) in the Smarta tradition.[] It consists of the worship of five deities set in a quincunx pattern,[] the five deities being Shiva, Vishnu, Devi, Surya, and an Ishta Devata such as Kartikeya, or Ganesha or any personal god of devotee's preference.[][] Sometimes the Ishta Devata is the sixth deity in the mandala.[] while in the Shanmata system,[]Skanda, also known as Kartikeya and Murugan, is added.
Panchayatana puja is a practice that became popular in medieval India,[] and has been attributed to Adi Shankara.[] However, archaeological evidence suggests that this practice long predates the birth of Adi Shankara.[note 17]
Neo-Vedanta (th century)
Main article: Neo-Vedanta
Shankara's position was further established in the 19th and 20th-century, when neo-Vedantins and western Orientalists elevated Advaita Vedanta "as the connecting theological thread that united Hinduism into a single religious tradition." Shankara became "an iconic representation of Hindu religion and culture," despite the fact that most Hindus do not adhere to Advaita Vedanta.
21st century
A foot statue of Adi Shankara was unveiled near Omkareshwar Temple in Madhya Pradesh to commemorate his life and work on 21 September [] Another foot statue at Kedarnath was unveiled by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 5 November , is made of chlorite schist and weighs 35 tonnes.[][]
Works
Further information: Adi Shankara bibliography
Adi Shankara is highly esteemed in contemporary Advaita Vedanta, and over texts are attributed to his name, including commentaries (Bhāṣya), original philosophical expositions (Prakaraṇa grantha) and poetry (Stotra).
However, most of these are not authentic works of Shankara, and are likely to be written by his admirers, or scholars whose name was also Shankaracharya. Piantelli has published a complete list of works attributed to Adi Sankara, along with issues of authenticity for most.[]