Adi Shankaracharya
Adi Shankaracharya was an 8th-century Indian philosopher and theologian who consolidated the doctrine of Advaita Vedanta (non-dualism). His central teaching is that the perceived world is an illusion (Maya), the individual self (Jiva) is not ultimately real, and only one ultimate reality exists: Brahman, pure consciousness without attributes. He argued that spiritual liberation (Moksha) comes not from rituals or good deeds, but from direct discrimination between the real and the unreal.
Who was Adi Shankaracharya?
An Indian philosopher who revived Hinduism and systematized Advaita Vedanta, the school of non-dualism.
What is Advaita?
"Not two." The teaching that only one reality exists (Brahman) and the perception of a separate self and a separate world is an illusion.
What is Maya?
Cosmic illusion. The power of Brahman that makes the single, formless reality appear as a world of separate objects and beings.
What is the relationship between Brahman and Atman?
They are identical. Your true self (Atman) is the ultimate reality (Brahman). You are not a part of God; you are God (in essence).
What is the "snake on a rope" analogy?
In low light, you mistake a rope for a snake (superimposition). When light comes (knowledge), the snake disappears. The snake was never real.
What is Viveka?
Discrimination between the real (permanent, Brahman) and the unreal (temporary, the world). The first step to liberation.
What is the mechanism of illusion?
Adhyasa (superimposition) — we project the properties of the unreal (time, space, causality) onto the real (consciousness).
Does Shankara deny the world?
He denies the absolute reality of the world. The world is pragmatically real (Vyavaharika) but ultimately illusory (Paramarthika).
What is liberation (Moksha)?
Not acquiring something new, but recognizing that you have always been free. The removal of ignorance (Avidya).
What are his famous works?
Commentaries on the Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, and Brahmasutras, and the poem Bhaja Govindam.
