Shankaracharya (700?-750?), also known as Shankara, was a Hindu philosopher. His most important works were his commentaries on the Hindu scriptures known as the Vedas (see Vedas ).
Shankaracharya was born in the southern Indian state of Kerala. He practiced self-denial and learned to give up worldly pleasures and comforts early in life. Shankaracharya devoted himself to study, philosophical discussion, and religious teaching. He became a wandering scholar, and his fame spread throughout India. During his journeying, Shankaracharya established four great monasteries at the four extremities of India: Badrinath in the north, Dwarka in the west, Shringeri in the south, and Puri in the east.
Shankaracharya’s philosophy formed the basis for much that is richest in Hindu belief. Shankaracharya believed that the only truth was the oneness of all creation with the divine universal force known as Brahman (see Brahman ). He perceived Brahman, the creative source of all things, as pure thought, formless, and without attributes. According to Shankaracharya, only by understanding that Brahman alone is real can each individual soul be united with Brahman after death. Because all things exist through and in Brahman, each soul returns after death to be part of Brahman. This idea became the foundation of Shankaracharya’s philosophy.
