SRI SANKARA (SANKARACHARYA) S# Sankara, the greatest philosopher of altimes and he greatestHinds ‘othistime, is goneraly supposed te have beon born at Kalan Kerala ‘on the Wot Coast ofthe Indian perinsula in A.D. 788. Even as aby he alended the Ves shea. His sharp brain wen tying into the soul ofthe seeredVedle Lore and frmulated wth astute gen, sceurate detniions and exaet analysis, ® synthetic philosophy. He renounced te world before his mind could be cartaminatad byt vies, and embraced menethism, deieating histo Ishwareteakzaton and also, to bringing back the wor fits pristine purty _Ascuting his mother thal he would beat her bedside ator last moment, this passon-oss recluse wentin search a teacher, whe coulatormally inate him into the mysteries of Sannyasa and show the way to the ‘Supreme. At kamath, onthe rivr Narmada, Sankara found his gurvin Govinds Bhagavatapaca. He stayed vith him exploring every facet he supreme truth, and humbling himselin tre modesty of wisdom. In flsiment ofthe mandate Irom hie Guru to establish Advaita Vedanta (One God Theory) as the meeting ground a ll manstie and dualistic views, contradictory though they might appear to be, the young genius ‘WenttoVeranal he ancien gest of Vedic regon and culture, and started spr ‘he leamed leaders of various schools of thought, ahd, By uncovering .éng the gospel ‘One God i. lhwara. Heel dsptaions with {alse assumptions and questoning, assumed certainties, established the ‘supremacy of his system of thought. Hore the fist four aseples of SSanandana alr known as Pasmapada,jonedhim. From Varanasi the ssirtval colossus journeyed onto Badinath with is seis, sprescing the message of his synthetie philosophy He visited many holy places such as Prayag, Hardwar, Hrishikesh, Srinagar, Fudraprayag, Nandaprayag, Kemarupa and Gemukhi, worshipped the Dates on the way, and thus demonstrated that « knower of Nigune Brahma. Ishwara, loose nothing by paying homage to he statues of Devatas (Idols of messiah). Sankara wrote commentaries onthe ten Upanisads, te Bhagavad Ga, Brahma Sista andestalshedhis doctrine ‘onalem foundation, ‘Thon he wandered about from place to place engaging himsel in discussions wth dere of diverse creeds and secs, and, by his super lalocte sl, he went on denouncing false dogmas and puncturing ‘errongous sreeumptons. Sankara travelled allover, the length andbeacth ofthe vast sub-continent ‘ourtimes, established our principal monastares atthe fourearinl pans ‘of Inca, th Sringeri Math onthe Srngor il tho South, the Sarada “Matha: Dwaraka inthe West, the Jytimath at Badtik-ashrama inthe North, ane the Govardhan Math t Purl inthe East ane appointed his ‘our chit cisciples as pote of these Maths (Temples) to promote the spirtvl wel-being ofthe monks andthe people connectad wt the Math He also assigned to each Math Temple) one Veda. Thus, lg Veda wont te Goveranana Math, Yajur Veda to Scinger Math Sama Vacato Sarada Math and Atharva Veda to Jyoti Math Many obnoxious cuts had vite the Indian secley then ane tomples ‘woreinihe hands of acotari of coup piess dabblingin nideoustors ‘of worship and animal sacrifice. Sankara, with the help of scriptural ‘videnee and his dislectie sil proved thal these mised agains the ‘very spirit ofthe Vee. He reormed these corupt practice by infusing into them tenable pncipes of warship of One ishwara. He damonstatec that ideas of image worships only to pay respect to messiah but bost results obtained by praying to ishwara, His deop tfoctonfhis mother iumphed averhe rules governing the ‘order of sannyasins, and on her passing say, he performed the funeral Fite ofhis motherin the face o si oppastion rem hs relaives. During theve days Sannyains were not allowed todo lat rights of parents He assed away in Kedamathonthe Himalayas, tthe age tito,