The Life & Teachings of Adi Shankaracharya: A Journey of Enlightenment
Adi Shankaracharya was born in Kalady, a small village in present-day Kerala, in the 8th century CE (though some scholars suggest the 7th or even 9th century). From an early age, he displayed a keen intellect and a natural inclination toward spiritual inquiry. Legends tell us that his father, Sivaguru, and mother, Aryamba, were deeply devoted Brahmins who had prayed to Lord Shiva for a son who would revive the true understanding of Vedanta. Their prayers bore fruit, but the boy they brought into the world was no ordinary child.
It is said that even as a toddler, Shankara could recite the Vedas with astonishing clarity. By the age of eight, he had already mastered the scriptures that scholars spend lifetimes studying. His mind was razor-sharp, effortlessly cutting through complex philosophical concepts. But more than knowledge, there was something else in him, an innate disinterest in worldly life. The stories of his childhood often emphasize his detachment from material concerns, his keen awareness that life is fleeting, and his longing for something eternal.
The Call to Renunciation: Leaving Home for the Ultimate Search
Though he was a devoted son, Shankara felt the deep pull of renunciation. But his mother, like any mother, resisted. She wanted him to live a householder’s life, to follow the traditional path of a Brahmin. Yet destiny had other plans. One of the most famous legends from his life tells of how, while bathing in the river one morning, he was caught by a crocodile. As his mother screamed from the riverbank, the young boy calmly told her that if she gave him permission to take sannyasa (monastic vows), he would be freed. Helpless and fearing for his life, she agreed, and as soon as she did, the crocodile released him. It was as if life itself had forced her hand, confirming that Shankara was never meant to walk the ordinary path.
Having gained his mother’s reluctant blessing, Shankara set out in search of a guru. He wandered through forests, across rivers, seeking someone who could unlock the highest truth for him. His journey led him to the banks of the Narmada River, where he finally met Govindapada, a disciple of Gaudapada, the legendary sage who had already established the foundation of Advaita Vedanta.
Meeting Govindapada: The Transmission of the Highest Knowledge
When Shankara approached Govindapada, the teacher asked him: “Who are you?” This was not a casual question. It was the most profound inquiry in Advaita Vedanta, the very question that would determine whether Shankara had already glimpsed the truth.
Shankara’s response was a spontaneous composition, later known as the Nirvana Shatakam, in which he declared:
“I am neither mind, nor intellect, nor ego, nor the five senses… I am pure consciousness, bliss absolute, I am Shiva, I am Shiva.”
Govindapada knew immediately, this was no ordinary disciple. This was a being who had already seen through the illusion of individuality, who had already touched the formless Brahman. Under Govindapada’s guidance, Shankara deepened his realization and absorbed the nuances of Advaita Vedanta. But the world was calling him. He was not meant to remain in the quietude of the forest. He had to bring this wisdom to the world.
Shankara’s Digvijaya: The Spiritual Conquest of India
Advaita Vedanta was not widely accepted at the time. Many schools of thought dominated India, ritualistic Mimamsa, dualistic Samkhya, Buddhist and Jain philosophies, and various sects that upheld multiplicity rather than non-duality. Shankara knew that if the truth of Advaita was to survive, he had to engage in direct debate with these scholars.
And so began his Digvijaya, his journey of intellectual and spiritual conquest. He traveled across India, challenging scholars, entering debates, and systematically dismantling arguments that upheld duality or extreme ritualism. One of the most famous debates was with Mandana Mishra, a scholar of Mimamsa (which emphasized rituals over knowledge). The debate lasted days, and in the end, Mandana Mishra’s wife, Ubhaya Bharati, served as the judge. When Mandana Mishra was defeated, he renounced his previous views and became one of Shankara’s closest disciples, later known as Sureshwaracharya.
Everywhere he went, Shankara revived the teachings of the Upanishads, bringing Advaita Vedanta back to the forefront of philosophy. He traveled to Kashi, Prayag, Rameswaram, and finally, to the Himalayas, where his mission would reach its culmination.
The Establishment of the Four Mathas
To ensure that Advaita Vedanta would not be lost again, Shankara established four great mathas (monastic centers) in different parts of India:
- Sringeri in the South
- Dwarka in the West
- Puri in the East
- Jyotirmath in the North
These centers became the guardians of Advaita, ensuring that the teachings would continue for generations. To this day, the Shankaracharyas who lead these institutions are considered the torchbearers of his legacy.
The Final Years: Shankara’s Mahasamadhi
Shankara’s life was brief, many accounts suggest he left his body at the age of 32. Some say he ascended into the Himalayas and disappeared into the sacred Kedarnath region. Others say he simply merged back into the infinite, his work complete. Whatever the case, his impact remains timeless.
The Core Teachings of Advaita Vedanta
Brahman Alone is Real: The Ultimate Truth
At the heart of Shankara’s teachings is the declaration:
“Brahma Satyam, Jagat Mithya, Jivo Brahmaiva Na Parah.”
This single statement encapsulates all of Advaita:
- Brahman alone is real. It is the infinite, unchanging reality that pervades all things.
- The world is an illusion (Maya). Not that it doesn’t exist, but that it is impermanent and ever-changing.
- The individual self (Jiva) is none other than Brahman. There is no real separation between ‘me’ and the Absolute.
The Role of Maya: Why the World Appears Separate
One of Shankara’s most profound contributions is his explanation of Maya. If all is Brahman, why do we experience duality? Why do we suffer? Shankara compares it to a rope mistaken for a snake in the dark. The moment ignorance (Avidya) arises, we see separation where there is none. But when the light of knowledge (Jnana) dawns, the illusion vanishes.
This teaching is revolutionary because it doesn’t deny the world but reveals its true nature. The sage lives in the world, engages with it, but sees it as a passing dream, never bound by it.
The Path of Jnana: Self-Knowledge as Liberation
Shankara emphasized that liberation (moksha) does not come from rituals, prayers, or good deeds alone. True freedom is found in Jnana Yoga, the direct realization of one’s nature. He outlined a clear process:
- Viveka (Discrimination): Distinguishing the real from the unreal.
- Vairagya (Detachment): Letting go of attachments to the temporary.
- Shatsampatti (Six Virtues): Including self-control, focus, and inner peace.
- Mumukshutva (Intense Desire for Liberation): The burning need to awaken.
Only through deep inquiry (Atma-Vichara), like the questioning “Who am I?”, does one dissolve the illusion of individuality.
The Oneness of All Things: Seeing Brahman Everywhere
A truly liberated being, according to Shankara, sees no difference between rich and poor, saint and sinner, life and death. For them, all is Brahman. This is why he declared:
“He who sees himself in all beings and all beings in himself, he alone has wisdom.”
This is not merely a philosophy. It is an experience, a shift in perception where all distinctions fade, and what remains is pure, infinite awareness.
Shankara’s teachings remain an invitation, not to believe, not to follow blindly, but to turn inward and see directly: You were never bound. You were always free.
Adi Shankaracharya’s Contributions to Spiritulaity & Vedanta
The Prasthanatrayi Bhashya: His Commentaries on the Three Pillars of Vedanta
Adi Shankaracharya’s most deep contribution to philosophy was his commentary on the Prasthanatrayi, the three foundational texts of Vedanta:
- The Upanishads (Shruti, revealed scriptures that explore the nature of reality).
- The Bhagavad Gita (Smriti, the practical wisdom of Vedanta in the form of a dialogue).
- The Brahma Sutras (Logical aphorisms that unify the teachings of the Upanishads).
Through his bhashyas (commentaries), Shankara provided a systematic explanation of Advaita Vedanta, resolving contradictions and clarifying difficult passages. Before his time, Vedanta was fragmented, with multiple interpretations competing against each other. His commentaries unified these teachings under a coherent non-dualistic framework.
His Brahma Sutra Bhashya is particularly significant because it established Advaita as the highest philosophical understanding of the Vedas. In it, Shankara makes a simple yet revolutionary claim: The goal of human life is to realize the Self (Atman), which is not different from Brahman, the infinite, formless reality. This Self is ever free, untouched by birth or death. Liberation (moksha) is not something to be gained in the future; it is the recognition of one’s true nature in the present.
The Doctrine of Maya and the Two Levels of Truth
One of Shankara’s most groundbreaking ideas was his explanation of Maya, the illusory nature of the world. If Brahman alone is real, why does the world appear? Why do we experience separation?
To resolve this, he introduced the concept of two levels of truth:
- Vyavaharika Satta (Relative Reality): The world appears real to the ignorant, just as a dream seems real while one is dreaming. This is the level of ordinary experience, where we see multiplicity, birth, and death.
- Paramarthika Satta (Absolute Reality): From the highest perspective, only Brahman exists, and the world is like a mirage, seen but not ultimately real.
Shankara illustrated this with the famous rope-snake analogy: Imagine a man walking in dim light who mistakes a rope for a snake and becomes terrified. His fear is real to him, but the snake itself never existed. Similarly, our experience of individuality, time, and space feels real due to ignorance (avidya), but in truth, there is only Brahman.
By introducing Maya, Shankara provided a logical way to explain why the world seems real despite being an illusion. This idea became the foundation for all later Advaita teachings.
The Shankaracharya Lineage and the Mathas Today
The four monastic institutions (mathas) that Shankara established continue to uphold Advaita Vedanta. The Shankaracharyas who lead these institutions serve as spiritual authorities, preserving and interpreting his teachings. These mathas have been instrumental in maintaining Vedic traditions, Sanskrit scholarship, and spiritual debates such as those held at the Kumbh Mela.
Advaita Vedanta in the Modern World
In today’s world, where materialism dominates and people are lost in identity-based struggles, Shankara’s teachings hold immense relevance. The realization that our true nature is beyond body, mind, and labels is perhaps more necessary now than ever. His message is a direct antidote to suffering, reminding us:
- You are not your past, nor your future.
- You are not your thoughts, nor your emotions.
- You are not bound by circumstances.
You are the formless awareness in which all experiences arise. And to realize this is to be free.
The State of the Liberated Being: Jivanmukti in Adi Shankaracharya’s Teachings
What is Jivanmukti? The Ideal of Living Liberation
Adi Shankaracharya did not just speak of a theoretical liberation that comes after death (videhamukti). Instead, he emphasized Jivanmukti, freedom while still living. According to Advaita Vedanta, liberation is not an event in time but a shift in understanding. The one who realizes that they were never bound is already free.
But what does it mean to be free while living? Shankara describes the Jivanmukta, the liberated one, as a being who moves through the world without attachment, without fear, and without identity. They appear to act, but they have no sense of doership. They experience pleasure and pain, but they are not affected by either. The Bhagavad Gita beautifully captures this state:
“He who is the same in pleasure and pain, who regards a clump of earth, a stone, and gold alike, who is wise and unshaken in praise or blame, who remains the same in honor and dishonor, he is said to be established in wisdom.” (Bhagavad Gita 14.24-25)
Shankara echoes this in his commentaries, emphasizing that the Jivanmukta has transcended the gunas, the qualities of nature. They neither strive nor resist; they simply abide in the Self, untouched by the waves of life.
The Realization of Non-Doership: Freedom from Karma
One of the most profound aspects of Jivanmukti is the complete dissolution of the sense of doership. Shankara teaches that karma binds only as long as one believes oneself to be the doer. The moment one realizes their true nature as the witness (sakshi), karma ceases to bind.
This is why the Jivanmukta is said to act effortlessly, spontaneously, without seeking results. In the Upadesa Sahasri, one of Shankara’s most famous works, he describes this state:
“The knower of the Self remains like an actor in a play, engaging in actions without attachment, knowing fully that all appearances are unreal.”
To the outsider, the liberated being may seem to live an ordinary life, eating, speaking, working. But inwardly, they rest in an unshakable silence.
The Sage as the Silent Witness: The Rope-Snake Analogy
Shankara frequently used the rope-snake analogy to explain both bondage and liberation. Just as a man in the dark mistakes a rope for a snake and becomes afraid, the ignorant person mistakes the body-mind for the Self and suffers. But the moment a lamp is lit, the snake disappears, it was never there to begin with. Similarly, when knowledge dawns, the illusion of separateness vanishes.
For the Jivanmukta, the world is still perceived, just as one who realizes the rope is not a snake still sees the shape of the rope. But the illusion no longer deceives. They move through the world knowing that all appearances are Maya, real at the relative level but ultimately empty.
The Bliss of the Liberated: Beyond Pleasure and Pain
Many people misunderstand Advaita as a cold, intellectual philosophy. But Shankara’s teachings reveal that the nature of the Self is bliss itself (Ananda). The Upanishads repeatedly declare:
“Brahman is consciousness, existence, and bliss.” (Sat-Chit-Ananda Swarupa)
The Jivanmukta does not seek external happiness, for they are already immersed in the unshakable joy of simply being. This is not an emotional high or a passing experience; it is the joy of resting as the formless awareness that was always there.
This is why Shankara states in the Vivekachudamani:
“The bliss of the Self is like an ocean without shore, beyond the reach of the mind and senses. The wise one abides in this bliss, knowing nothing else is real.”
A Jivanmukta might smile, might laugh, might even cry, but they remain untouched, like the sky untouched by the clouds passing through it.
The Final Surrender: Shankara’s Ultimate Teaching
Beyond Knowledge and Ignorance: The Last Step
For many seekers, Advaita Vedanta seems like a path of knowledge, learning the scriptures, understanding the philosophy, and intellectually grasping the truth. But Shankara warns that even knowledge must ultimately be surrendered.
In the Vivekachudamani, he states:
“Like a fire that burns itself out after consuming all wood, the knowledge of the Self destroys ignorance and then disappears itself. What remains is silence.”
True realization is not about accumulating concepts, but about seeing directly that the Self was never bound. This is why Ramana Maharshi, deeply influenced by Shankara, often said: “The greatest obstacle to realization is the idea that you are not already free.”
The Leap into the Unknown: Surrendering the ‘I’
For the ego, this realization is terrifying. The mind wants security, control, and personal identity. But Shankara urges seekers to take the final step, the complete surrender of the ‘I.’ This is not surrender to a deity or an external force, but the surrender of all false ideas about oneself.
In the Bhaja Govindam, he pleads with seekers:
“O foolish one! Drop your attachment to wealth and ego. Realize that the Self alone is real, everything else is dust in the wind.”
This surrender is not passive resignation; it is the ultimate freedom. When one lets go completely, what remains is pure, infinite being, no effort, no struggle, just the effortless existence that was always there.
Silence: The Final Teaching Beyond Words
After all the commentaries, debates, and explanations, what is the final teaching of Shankara? Silence.
His direct disciples recorded that, toward the end of his life, Shankara spoke less and less. He simply sat in stillness. Words had taken them as far as they could; now it was up to each seeker to look within.
In a famous moment, a disciple asked him, “What is the Self?”
Shankara smiled but said nothing.
The disciple pressed again, “How does one realize it?”
Shankara remained silent.
Finally, the disciple understood. The Self is not something to be explained, it is what remains when all explanations fall away.
The Last Journey: Disappearing into the Infinite
Legends say that, at the age of 32, Shankara walked alone into the Himalayas and was never seen again. Some believe he attained Mahasamadhi in Kedarnath; others say he merged into the formless Brahman. But his departure was simply the final act of a life dedicated to dissolving the illusion of individuality.
His physical presence vanished, but his words, his wisdom, and the force of his realization continue to awaken seekers to this day. His voice echoes in the Upanishads, in the teachings of Ramana Maharshi, in the silence of every true master who has walked the path of Advaita.
The Eternal Message: You Are Already Free
What remains of Shankara’s teaching today? If we could reduce it to one sentence, it would be this:
“You are not the body. You are not the mind. You were never born. You will never die. You are infinite, eternal awareness itself.”
No philosophy, no belief system, no ritual is required, only the courage to look directly at one’s own experience and see the truth.
Shankara left behind no personal legacy, no temple to himself, no claim to special status. He left only a doorway into the infinite, waiting for each seeker to step through.
And that doorway is always open. Right here, right now.
