Adi Shankaracharya was born in 788 AD at Kaladi in the present state of Kerala in the family of Nambudari Brahmins. His father died when he was just seven years old. Thereafter he grew up in the care of his mother, who took special attention towards his education. Shankara exhibited extraordinary intelligence and an everlasting thirst for knowledge, right from his childhood. At the tender age of eight, burning with the desire for liberation, he left home to become a Sanyasi.
He travelled some 2000kms to reach to the banks of the river Narmada, in the central plains of India, to his Guru— Govindapada. He stayed there serving his Guru for the next four years. Under his teacher’s compassionate guidance, the young Shankara mastered all the Vedic scriptures. By the age of sixteen, Shankara he had written treatises and commentaries on all major scriptural texts elucidating the subtle meanings hidden in the teachings of the scriptures.
Shankara then left his Guru's ashram and travelled extensively across the length and breadth of ancient India bringing to the hearts of the masses the life-giving message of the Vedas. Shankara propagated what came to be known as Advaita Vedanta.
The term Advaita refers to the idea that the true self, Atman, is the same as the highest metaphysical reality of the universe, 'Brahman'. It emphasized 'Jivanmukti', the idea that moksha (freedom, liberation) is achievable in this life itself, in contrast to other Indian philosophies that emphasize Videhamukti, or moksha after death. Shankara proclaimed “Brahman, Pure Consciousness, is the Absolute Reality. The world is unreal. In essence the individual is not different from Brahman.” Thus by the statement "Brahma Satyam Jagan Mithya, Jeevo Brahmaiva NaParah", he condensed the essence of the voluminous scriptures.
In those days ancient India was sunk in a quagmire of superstitions and scriptural misinterpretations. Degraded ritualism flourished. The essence of Sanatana Dharma, with its all-embracing message of Love, Compassion and the Universality of Humankind was completely lost.
Hindu Dharma was divided into innumerable sects such as Charvakas, Lokayathikas, Kapalikas, Shaktas, Sankhyas, Buddhas and Madhyamikas and there was chaos all through India in the matter of religion and philosophy. Each sect followed their own narrow philosophies and system of worship and there were constantly at fight against each other.
When Shankara saw this chaos, he immediately took the challenge to save sanatana dharma. He met the leaders of different schools of thought and through 'Shashtrartha' (open debate on religious scriptures) convinced them by arguments and established the supremacy and truth of the religion that he expounded in his commentaries.
He went to all the celebrated seats of learning. He challenged the learned men to discussion, argued with them and converted them to his opinions and views. He defeated Bhatta Bhaskara and condemned his Bhashya (commentary) on the Vedanta Sutras. He then met Dandi and Mayura and taught them his philosophy. He then defeated in argument Harsha, author of Khandana Khanda Kadya, Abhinavagupta, Murari Misra, Udayanacharya, Dharmagupta, Kumarila, Prabhakara and Mandana Misra.
These men of stature then accepted Shankara as their guru and the young Sanyasi came to be known as 'Shankaracharya'. They started to practice in accordance with his guidance, and this change in their lives also wrought a change in the lives of their innumerable followers, who came from all strata of society.
For their benefit Shankaracharya formulated the six sect system of worship which brought to the fore the main godheads – Vishnu, Siva, Shakti, Muruka, Ganesha and Surya. He also formulated the rituals and rites to be followed in most of the major temples in India.
He established four mathas (Monasteries) in four corners of India - Jyotirmatha in the north, Dwarka peetha in the west, Govardhana peetha in the east and Sringeri Sharada peetha in the south, and entrusted his four disciples to teach and propagate Advaita though them. They would take on the role of teacher and could be consulted by anyone with of a spiritual nature.
Apart from his immense intellectual and organisational abilities, Shankaracharya was an exquisite poet, with a heart brimming with Love of the Divine. He composed 72 devotional and meditative hymns like Soundarya Lahari, Sivananda Lahari, Nirvana Shalkam, Maneesha Panchakam.
He also wrote 18 commentaries on the major scriptural texts including the Brahma Sutras, the Bhagavad Gita and 12 major Upanishads. He also authored 23 books on the fundamentals of the Advaita Vedanta philosophy which expound the principles of the non-dual Brahman. These include Viveka Chudamani, Atma Bodha, Vaakya Vritti, Upadesa Sahasri, among others.
Considered to be an incarnation of Lord Siva, Sri Shankara lived only a short life span of 32 years.
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