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Shri Adi Shankaracharya - Advaita philosopher

Hinduism - Shri Adi Shankaracharya

Shri Adi Shankaracharya or the first Shankara with his remarkable reinterpretations of Hindu scriptures, especially on Upanishads or Vedanta, had a profound influence on the growth of Hinduism at a time when chaos, superstition and bigotry was rampant.  Shankara advocated the greatness of the Vedas and was the most famous Advaita philosopher who restored the Vedic Dharma and Advaita Vedanta to its pristine purity and glory.

Shri Adi Shankaracharya, known as Bhagavatpada Acharya (the guru at the feet of Lord), apart from refurbishing the scriptures, cleansed the Vedic religious practices of ritualistic excesses and ushered in the core teaching of Vedanta, which is Advaita or non-dualism for the mankind.

 

Ashtavakra Gita

Ashtavakra Gita was written by Sage Ashtavakra. This Gita perhaps precedes the Bhagwat Gita as the later has references of the Ashtavakra Gita’s teachings. Sage Ashtavakra, deformed from eight limbs on his body, (so the name) was a very enlightened sage, who at the young age of 12 years became the teacher of King Janak. Ashtavakra’s teachings are presented in the form of his dialogue with Janak, the King of Videha. The story goes that Ashtavakra’s father is defeated by Vandin in an intellectual debate in King Janak’s court. Ashtavakra goes to the court to debate with Vandin to redeem his father’s reputation. In the debate Ashtvakra completes the unfinished thirteenth shloka which implies that Self is essentially non-dual, free and unconditioned. The Self becomes subject to happiness and sorrow, and the cycle of birth and deaths through the thirteen viz. (ten organs of sense and activity, and intelligence, mind and ego-sense). Through wisdom, the Self not only should transcend happiness and sorrow as well as the twelve silas (viz., dharma, truth, self-restraint, penance, good-will, modesty, forgiveness, exemption from envy, sacrifice, charity, concentration and control over the senses) but also surmount the thirteen. This is liberation in life, and the supreme Upanisadic truth, “I am Brahman” (aham brahm-asmi) and the self is all that exists (sarvam atma). Ashvakra defeats Vandin in the debate and King Janak becomes Ashtavakra’s disciple.

Origins of the Hindu Tradition

From about 1000 BC to 200 BC in four distinct regions the great world traditions that have continued to nourish humanity came into being:

Confucianism and Daoism in China

Hinduism and Buddhism in India

Monotheism in Israel; and

Philosophical rationalism in Greece.

The German philosopher Karl Jaspers called this period the Axial Age, because it was pivotal to the spiritual development of humanity.