Adi Shankaracharya: Contributions and Influences on Sanatana Dharma and Indian

Culture

The advent of Adi Shankara is a landmark event in the history of Indian philosophy and religion and in
the personal spiritual evolution of every individual. His teachings reveal the truth of the Supreme
Brahman to the sincere seeker. His contribution is beyond imagination; a few of these contributions in the
form of commentaries which are treasures to Hindu Sanatana belief. These are Vivekachudamani, Atma
Bodha, Aparoksh anubhuti, Ananda Lahari, Atma-Anatma Vivek, Drig-Drishya Vivekaand Upadesa
Sahasri. “More than 300 works—commutative, expository, and poetical—written in the Sanskrit
language, are attributed to him. Most of them, however, cannot be regarded as authentic. His masterpiece
is the Brahma-sutra-bhashya, the commentary on the Brahma-sutra, which is a fundamental text of the
Vedanta school. The commentaries on the principal Upanishads that are attributed to Shankara are
certainly all genuine, with the possible exception of the commentary on the Shvetashvatara Upanishad. ii
the commentary on the Mandukya-karika was also composed by Shankara himself. It is very probable
that he is the author of the Yoga-sutra-bhashya-vivarana, the exposition of Vyasa’s commentary on the
Yoga-sutra, a fundamental text of the Yoga school. The Upadeshasahasri, which is a good introduction to
Shankara’s philosophy, is the only noncommentative work that is certainly authentic.” 6 Sri R.
Krishnamurthy wrote in an article in The Hindu that “Adi Shankara sought to relieve mankind from all
the miseries that affect one and all. There are three kinds of miseries that human beings have to suffer in
this world. In spiritual parlance these are described as Adyatmika, Adi Daivika and Adi Bhoutika.
Adyatmika refers to the relation between the individual self and the Supreme Self. It is based on the truth
that the individual self is a manifestation of the Supreme spirit. Adi Daivika refers to the miseries caused
by fate and Adi Bhoutika to those sorrows caused by the material world and body. Adi Shankara’s effort
is a cut above for; this acharya destroyed the Rakshasa Avidya that is the root cause of all sorrows.
Removal of ignorance results in self realization which is the ultimate goal of the Jiva.” 7 H.P. Blavatsky
said about his contribution “The followers of one of the greatest minds that ever appeared on Earth, the
Adwaita Vedantins are called Atheists, because they regard all save Parabrahm, the second less, or
Absolute Reality – as an illusion. Yet the wisest initiates came from their ranks, as also the greatest
yogis.”8 Even though he lived a very short life and renounced his body at thirty-two years, his impact on
India and on Hindu Sanatana Dharma is extremely striking. He re-introduced a finer form of Vedic
thought. His traditions and teachings form the basis of the Smartis and have influenced Sant and Mutt
lineages.
H.P. Blavatsky wrote about his contribution to Indian literature “Sri Shankaracharya, the greatest initiate
living in the historical ages, wrote many a Bhashya on the Upanishads. But his original treatises, as there
are reasons to suppose, have not yet fallen into the hands of the Philistines, for they are too jealously
preserved in his maths (monasteries, mathams). And there are still weightier reasons to believe that the
priceless Bhashyas (Commentaries) on the esoteric doctrine of the Brahmins, by their greatest expounder,
will remain for ages yet a dead letter to most of the Hindus, except the Smartava Brahmins. iii This sect,
founded by Shankaracharya, (which is still very powerful in Southern India) is now almost the only one
to produce students who have preserved sufficient knowledge to comprehend the dead letter of the
Bhashyas. The reason of this is that they alone, I am informed, have occasionally real Initiates at their
head in their mathams (mutts), as for instance, in the “Sringa-giri,” in the Western Ghats of Mysore. On
the other hand, there is no sect in that desperately exclusive caste of the Brahmins, more exclusive than is
the Smartava; and the reticence of its followers to say what they may know of the Occult Sciences and the
esoteric doctrine, is only equaled by their pride and learning.” 9
“The Vedanta school stresses mostly on the Upanishads (which are themselves called Vedanta, the
apogee of the Vedas), unlike the other schools that gave tremendous stress on ritualistic Brahmans, or to
texts authored by their founders. It is known that Shankara’s Brahman was Nirvisesha (without
attributes), Nirguna (without the Gunas), Nirakara (formless), and Akarta (non-agent). This means he
was above all needs and desires. Regarding meditation, Shankara straightaway refuted the system of
Yoga and its various disciplines as a direct means of attaining moksha As per Shankara, moksha could be
attained solely through concentration of the mind.” 10 He also sought to unify the different groups of
Hindus fighting over the gods of Vishnu, Shiva, Ganesh, Surya and Shakti. Shankara made legendary
shlokas for each group and brought all these groups into the common fold. This helped to unify the sects
and their rituals of Hinduism.
Attributes of Philosophy
Shankara has been one of the great magnitudes of philosophical and theological history of India Vedic
literature. He has been called one of the great metaphysical tendencies in the history of human thought –
we may say that not just Indian thought, but the history of human thought. “He has been called India's
greatest philosopher and the pinnacle of India's philosophical contribution to the world scholars will call
him one steeped in darkness who doesn't know how to utter a true statement. But Shankara is widely
regarded as a great philosopher and represents the Platonic tendency in Eastern thought.” 11
It is usually said, "For learning logic and metaphysics, go to Shankara's commentaries; for gaining
practical knowledge, which unfolds and strengthens devotion, go to his works such as Viveka
Chudamani, Atma Bodha, Aparoksha Anubhuti, Ananda Lahari, Atma-Anatma Viveka, Drik-Drishya
Viveka and Upadesa Sahasri ".12 Shankara wrote innumerable original works in verses which are
matchless in sweetness, melody and thought. He deals with the whole quality of Brahman issue by
focusing on the nirguna/saguna distinction which is absolutely critical to the whole Advaitic position.
Shankara follows a very rigorous monism – or rigorous non-dualism – in the sense that he's not going to
accept any statements that show qualities or attributes of Brahman. Shankara's supreme Brahman is
Nirguna (without the Gunas), Nirakara (formless), Nirvisesha (without attributes) and Akarta (non-agent)
as stated before. He is above all needs and desires. He uses his text, one of the texts that we quoted in
Svetasvatara Upanishad in our great Mahavakya passages.
Shankara says, "This Atman is self-evident. This Atman or Self is not established by proofs of the
existence of the Self. It is not possible to deny this Atman, for it is the very essence of he who denies it.
The Atman is the basis of all kinds of knowledge. The Self is within, the Self is without, the Self is before
and the Self is behind. The Self is on the right hand, the Self is on the left, the Self is above and the Self is
below".
The word "Advaita" essentially refers to the identity of the Self (Atman) and the Whole (Brahman). He
wrote, "Ekameva Adviteeyam Brahma" (The absolute is one alone, not two). There is no second, but there
is the appearance of an enormous multiplicity. There may be many stalks of sugarcane, but the juice from
all of them has the same sweetness. Beings are many, but their breath is the same. Nations are many, but
the Earth is one. In this manner, Shankara proclaimed to the world that it is unity that underlines the
apparent diversity.
Satyam-Jnanam-Anantam-Anandam are not separate attributes. They form the very essence of Brahman.
Brahman cannot be described, because description implies distinction. Brahman cannot be distinguished
from any other than He. The objective world-the world of names and forms-has no independent existence.
The Atman alone has real existence. The world is only Vyavaharika or phenomenal.
Shankara was the exponent of the Kevala Advaita philosophy. His teachings can be summed up in the
following words: “Brahma Satyam Jagat Mithya, Jeevo Brahmaiva Na Aparahvii”13 Brahman alone is
real, this world is unreal; the Jiva is identical with Brahman. Brahma satyam ("Brahman is the Reality"):
In Vedanta, the word "Satyam" (Reality) is very clearly defined and it has a specific significance. It
means, "That which exists in all the three periods of time (past, present and future) without undergoing
any change; and also in all the three states of consciousness (waking state, dream state and deep-sleep
state)." This is therefore the absolute Reality — birthless, deathless and changeless — referred to in the
Upanishads as "Brahman." Jagan mithya (the world is an illusion): The world appears "real" only in the
"waking state;" but it is negated (it disappears) in the dream and deep-sleep states. Hence, it is not real,
according to the definition above. Therefore, the world is said to be mithya by the Acharya. However,
many scholars seem disagree to the word, "mithya," when it is used to refer to the perceptible world. For
this reason, perhaps, the Acharya, in his later works, like Brahmasutra Bhashya, calls it "vyavaharika
satta" (relative reality) or "pratibhasika satta" (apparent reality), as if to accommodate the m. Shankara
preached Vivarta Vada. Just as the snake is superimposed on the rope, this world and this body are
superimposed on Brahman or the Supreme Self. If you get knowledge of the rope, the illusion of the
snake will vanish. Even so, if you get knowledge of Brahman, the illusion of the body and the world will
vanish.
There is not one branch of knowledge which Shankara has left unexplored and which has not received the
touch, polish and finish of his superhuman intellect. The loftiness, calmness and firmness of his mind, the
impartiality with which he deals with various questions, his clearness of expression-all these make us
revere the philosopher more and more. We may say that his teachings will continue to live as long as the
sun shines.
Shankara's scholarly erudition and his masterly way of exposition of intricate philosophical problems
have won the admiration of all the philosophical schools of the world at the present moment. Shankara
was an intellectual genius, a profound philosopher, an able propagandist, a matchless preacher, a gifted
poet and a great religious reformer. Perhaps, never in the history of any literature, a stupendous writer like
him has been found. Even the Western scholars of the present day pay their homage and respects to him.
Of all the ancient systems, that of Shankaracharya will be found to be the most congenial and the easiest
of acceptance to the modern mind.15
Influence on Sanatana Dharma
There is no denying the fact that Adi Shankaracharya is one of the greatest stalwarts in the Hindu
Sanatana religion (Dharma). He had the enormous capacity to influence and organize the people and the
institutions. He has contributed immensely to the revival and purgation of the old Hindu tradition. He was
a unifying force to bring all the Hindus under one code of worship. “He has an unparalleled status in the
tradition of Advaita Vedanta. He travelled all over India to help restore the study of the Vedas.” 16 “His
teachings and tradition form the basis of Smartsm and have influenced Sant Mat lineages.”17
He introduced the Pancayatana form of worship, the simultaneous worship of five deities – Ganesha,
Surya, Vishnu, Shiva and Devi. Shankara explained that all deities were but different forms of the one
Brahman, the invisible Supreme Being.18 According to Alf Hiltebeitel, Columbian Professor of Religion,
History, and Human Sciences, “Shankara established the nondualist interpretation of the Upanishads as
the touchstone of a revived Smarta tradition: practically, Shankara fostered a rapprochement between
Advaita and Smarta orthodoxy, which by his time had not only continued to defend the
Varnasramadharma ix theory as defining the path of karman, but had developed the practice of
pancayatanapuja (five-shrine worship) as a solution to varied and conflicting devotional practices. Thus
one could worship any one of five deities, as one's Istadevata (deity of choice)”.19
Adi Shankaracharya is basically known for integrating the whole India through his concerted efforts by
building temples at the strategic points of India. Shankara is regarded as the founder of the Dasanami
Sampradaya of Hindu monasticism and Ṣaṇmata of Smarta tradition. He unified the theistic sects into a
common framework of Shanmata system.20 Advaita Vedanta is, at least in the west, primarily known as a
philosophical system. But it is also a tradition of renunciation. Philosophy and renunciation are closely
related. Most of the notable authors in the Advaita tradition were members of the sannyasa tradition, and
both sides of the tradition share the same values, attitudes and metaphysics. Shankara, himself considered
to be an incarnation of Shiva, established the Dashanami Sampradaya, organizing a section of the
Ekadandi monks under an umbrella grouping of ten names.“Several other Hindu monastic and Ekadandi
traditions remained outside the organization of the Dasanamis.”21 & 22 Any Hindu, irrespective of class,
caste, age or gender can seek sannyāsa as an Ekadandi monk under the Dasanāmi tradition. We may
conclude that he is not mere a philosopher but he was a great and unparallel religious leader of India.