Adi Shankara is referred as Bhagavan Adi Shanakra as he was considered to be an incarnation of Lord Shiva.
Profile
Adi Shankara was believed to have born in 788 CE in Kerala into a Brahmin family. His parents were Sivaguru and Aryamba and they got this son when they were old and after a lot of penance. Named Shankara he showed signs of being a child prodigy as he mastered reading and understanding of books even at the age pf three. His father wanted to initiate him formally into the student life called Brahmacharya. The ceremony is known as Upanayana. Unfortunately Sivaguru died when Shankara was just three.So this ceremony was done at five by his mother. From his early age he wanted to become a renunciate but did not get his mother’s permission. Once while bathing in a river he was caught by a crocodile and he screamed to his mother to allow him to take renunciation (sanyasa) then and there. His mother fearing the death of her son granted permission and to her surprise the crocodile let go of Shankara. Now with his mother’s permission he went away to live the life of a great sanyasi at the age of eight. He found his guru in a cave on the banks of Narmada river, Govindapada. At the age of 32 he disappeared into the Himalayan mountains in Kedarnath after doing work for Sanata Dharma which was humanly impossible.
Philosophy Propounded
Adi Shankara was saddened by the decadence of the Sanatana Dharma and worked tirelessly to revive it. He advocated the Advaita philosophy stated in the Upanishads. The Advaita philosophy believed in the oneness of everything in the world, there was no second. However he did not shun Bhakthi, devotion which sees the lord different from human beings. He has written many hymns (stotrams) in praise of Ganesha, Devi, Vishnu.
Work Done to Spread the Philosophy
Adi Shankar wrote so many hymns and commentaries on the Bhagavad Gita, Brahma Sutras and Upanishads. He wrote original works like Viviekachoodamani, Atma Bodh, Tatwa Bodh which he said were initiation texts to be studied before delving into the Upanishads. He won over so many religious leaders of his time with debates. He had few brilliant disciples who were with him for all the work he did. He established Mutts in North, South, East and West of the country. In the North it is the Jyothir Mutt, in the south it is the Sringeri Mutt, in the east Dwaraka Mutt and in the west Puri Mutt. Today Shankaracharya is known Adi Shankara because he was in all ways the first person to bring back the glory of Sanatana Dharma in the recent past.
