Sankara

Sankara, also known as Adi Shankaracharya, was an Indian philosopher and theologian traditionally dated to the 8th century CE. He is regarded as the founder of the Advaita Vedanta school of Hindu philosophy and a central figure in the revival and consolidation of Hindu thought during a period of religious and intellectual change. Most biographical details come from hagiographic sources, and exact dates are debated among scholars.

Sankara’s core contribution is Advaita Vedanta, a non-dual system that asserts Brahman as the ultimate, impersonal reality and that the individual self (atman) is not different from Brahman. He taught that misperception of difference and the experience of the world as a separate realm (maya) obscure this truth, and that liberation (moksha) arises through scriptural study, discernment, and realization of one’s true nature. His principal exegetical works are commentaries on the Upanishads, the Brahma Sutras, and the Bhagavad Gita, collectively forming the Prasthanatrayi and shaping later Vedantic thought.

To preserve and propagate his teachings, Sankara established four mathas (monastic centers) at Sringeri in the south, Dwarka in the west, Puri in the east, and Jyotir Math (Joshimath) in the north. He also organized the Dashanami Sannyasin order, a tradition of renunciate monks who adopt monastic monikers and follow a disciplined path of study and teaching. These institutions helped sustain Advaita Vedanta as an influential doctrinal and theological framework in Hinduism.

Scholarly assessment of Sankara’s life and works varies, with some details regarded as traditional biography rather than verifiable history. Nevertheless, his philosophical influence and institutional legacy remain central to later Hindu thought.