Question

write a short note on adi shankaracharya

Answer 1

Shankaracharya (IAST: Śaṅkarācārya, Shankara acharya) is a commonly used title of heads of monasteries called mathas in the Advaita Vedanta tradition. The title derives from Adi Shankara, an 8th-century AD reformer of Hinduism.[1] He is honored as Jagadguru, a title that was used earlier only to Krishna.

Shankaracharya

Jagadguru Adi Shankaracharya with his four disciples - Padmapadacharya, Sureshwaracharya, Hastamalakacharya & Totakacharya

PersonalReligionHinduism

The popular view among historians[who?] is that there were four Mathas or Peethas (religious orders):[1]

The Dakshinānmnāya Sri Sharada Peetham(Main Matha) or the Shri Sringeri Sharada Peetham in Sringeri, Karnataka.The Uttarāmnāya matha (Northern Matha) or the Jyotirmath Peetham in the city of Jyotirmath, Badrikashram also known as Joshimath, Uttarakhand.The Pūrvāmnāya matha (Eastern Matha), or the Govardhan Peetham at Puri, Odisha.The Paśchimāmnāya matha (Western Matha), or the Dwarka Sharada Peetham at Dwarka, Gujarat.

It is believed that after establishing the above four mathas and appointing his four disciples as head of these mathas, Adi Shankaraestablished a fifth matha at Kanchipuram asthe dakshina moolamnya sarvajna peetham and became the head of that matha till his life time.[2] This fifth matha is called Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham

The table below gives an overview of the four Amnaya Mathas founded by Adi Shankara, and their details.[3]

Shishya
(lineage)DirectionMaṭhaMahāvākyaVedaSampradayaPadmapādaEastGovardhana PīṭhaṃPrajñānam brahma (Consciousness is Brahman)Rig VedaBhogavalaSureśvaraSouthSringeri Śārada PīṭhaṃAham brahmāsmi (I am Brahman)Yajur VedaBhūrivalaHastāmalakācāryaWestDvāraka PīṭhaṃTattvamasi (That thou art)Sama VedaKitavalaToṭakācāryaNorthJyotirmaṭha PīṭhaṃAyamātmā brahma (This Atman is Brahman)Atharva VedaNandavala

Shankaracharya is also seen as an avatar of Shiva (Shankara). Shankaracharya is responsible for founding many punyakshetrasalong the length and breadth of India, by taming avatars of Parvati and imprisoning her essence in Sri Chakras.

Adi Shankaracharya wished to grace the Indian subcontinent by establishing five major mathas in the four corners of the peninsula – north (Jyothirmath), south (Sringeri,Kanchi ), east (Puri), west (Dwaraka) – to propagate the philosophy of advaita vedanta and to promulgate the concept of Sanatana dharma, thus establishing dharma or righteousness, as the way of life of people. His primary four disciples and himself took charges of each math and thus established a strong Guru-Sishya parampara (a lineage of masters-disciples) in every math, that continues to guide people to this day.

Answer 2

adi shankaracharya was an early 8th century Indian philospher and theologian who consolidated....the memorial of adi shankaracharya inside the shankaracharya temple.