Shankaracharya

  1. He was born at Kaladi in Kerala and became a saint at the age of 5
  2. He was the disciple of Govindacharya
  3. He is credited with the doctrine of Advaita Vedanta
  4. In order to preach and protect the dharma, he founded Ashramas/mathas at Sringeri in Karnataka, Dwarak in Gujarat, Puri in Odisha and Badrinath in UP
  5. He wrote commentaries on Brahmasutras. His popular works include- Vivekachudamani, Saundaryalahari, Bhajagovindam, Shivananda Lahari
  6. The followers of Shankaracharya are called as Smratas
What does Advaita Vedanta mean?
    • This doctrine is based on the concept that the higher or true Self is identical to Brahman, the Absolute Reality.
    • In Advaita Vedanta, Jnana yoga is the path of knowledge to Moksha, or liberation from the cycle of life, death and rebirth.
    • This doctrine also believes that Moksha can be achieved in this life (Jivanmukthi) in contrast to other Indian philosophies that emphasize videhamukti, or Moksha after death
    • Advaita influenced and was influenced by various traditions and texts of Hindu philosophies such as Samkhya, Yoga, Nyaya, other sub-schools of Vedanta, Vaishnavism, Shaivism, the Puranas, the Agamas