Adi Shankara

Who was Adi Shankara?

Adi Shankara – also known as Shankaracharya and Shankara Bhagavatpada, spelled variously as Sankaracharya, Śaṅkarācārya, Śaṅkara Bhagavatpāda, Śaṅkara Bhagavatpādācārya – was one of the most revered Hindu philosophers and theologians from India who consolidated the doctrine of Advaita Vedanta.

His works in Sanskrit establish the doctrine of advaita, the unity of the ātman and Nirguna Brahman "brahman without attributes". His works elaborate on ideas found in the Upanishads. He wrote copious commentaries on the Vedic canon in support of his thesis.

The main opponent in his work is the Mīmāṃsā school of thought, though he also offers arguments against the views of some other schools like Samkhya and certain schools of Buddhism.

Shankara travelled across the Indian subcontinent to propagate his philosophy through discourses and debates with other thinkers. He established the importance of monastic life as sanctioned in the Upanishads and Brahma Sutra, in a time when the Mīmāṃsā school established strict ritualism and ridiculed monasticism.