Remembering Sri Adi Shankaracharya, who re-established geo-cultural unity of Bharat through ‘four mathas’
May 22, 2025
  • Read Ecopy
  • Circulation
  • Advertise
  • Careers
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
Organiser
  • ‌
  • Bharat
    • Assam
    • Bihar
    • Chhattisgarh
    • Jharkhand
    • Maharashtra
    • View All States
  • World
    • Asia
    • Europe
    • North America
    • South America
    • Africa
    • Australia
    • Global Commons
  • Editorial
  • International
  • Opinion
  • Op Sindoor
  • More
    • Analysis
    • Sports
    • Defence
    • RSS in News
    • Politics
    • Business
    • Economy
    • Culture
    • Special Report
    • Sci & Tech
    • Entertainment
    • G20
    • Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav
    • Vocal4Local
    • Web Stories
    • Education
    • Employment
    • Books
    • Interviews
    • Travel
    • Law
    • Health
    • Obituary
    • Podcast
MAGAZINE
  • ‌
  • Bharat
    • Assam
    • Bihar
    • Chhattisgarh
    • Jharkhand
    • Maharashtra
    • View All States
  • World
    • Asia
    • Europe
    • North America
    • South America
    • Africa
    • Australia
    • Global Commons
  • Editorial
  • International
  • Opinion
  • Op Sindoor
  • More
    • Analysis
    • Sports
    • Defence
    • RSS in News
    • Politics
    • Business
    • Economy
    • Culture
    • Special Report
    • Sci & Tech
    • Entertainment
    • G20
    • Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav
    • Vocal4Local
    • Web Stories
    • Education
    • Employment
    • Books
    • Interviews
    • Travel
    • Law
    • Health
    • Obituary
    • Podcast
Organiser
  • Home
  • Bharat
  • World
  • Operation Sindoor
  • Editorial
  • Analysis
  • Opinion
  • Culture
  • Defence
  • International Edition
  • RSS in News
  • Magazine
  • Read Ecopy
Organiser Weekly is Hiring!
Home Bharat

Remembering Sri Adi Shankaracharya, who re-established geo-cultural unity of Bharat through ‘four mathas’

Adi Shankaracharya has an unparalleled status in the tradition of Advaita Vedanta. He travelled all over India to help restore the study of the Vedas.

by WEB DESK
Apr 25, 2023, 02:30 pm IST
in Bharat
Adi Shankaracharya teachings and  tradition form the basis of Smartism and have influenced Sant Mat lineages

Adi Shankaracharya teachings and tradition form the basis of Smartism and have influenced Sant Mat lineages

FacebookTwitterWhatsAppTelegramEmail

Adi Shankaracharya was not merely one person—in his persona, we find an expression of Bharat. Shankaracharya is best remembered for his remarkable spiritual and intellectual genius for his reinterpretations of Hindu scriptures and his scholarly thoughts on the Vedic canon, whether Brahma Sutras or principal Upanishads or Bhagavad Gita. His philosophical teachings have deeply influenced various sects of Hindu Dharma and also contributed to the development of the Akhand Bharat.

The significance of Shankaracharya (eighth-ninth century CE) in Indian history and spirituality can hardly be overstated. Living in the ninth century, what Shankaracharya brought about was truly monumental.

He founded four mathas or monasteries namely Sringeri Sharada Peetham, Dvaraka Pitha, Jyotirmatha Peetham and Govardhana Matha with the larger and long-lasting aim of establishing a geographical unity of India. Sri Adi Shankara Bhagavatpada consolidated his work by establishing in four directions, four Mathas called Amnaya Mathas to sustain and foster the sacred tradition of Sanatana Dharma. Keeping in mind that the Maths should serve as places of spiritual wisdom and peace for all seekers of the Truth, Sri Shankara chose spots bountiful with natural splendour and serenity. Sri Shankara chose Puri in the East and Dwaraka in the West, both being located on the shores of the sea. The Acharya also chose Badrinath in the North and Sringeri in the South for the natural aura that these places had, owing to the towering scenic mountains in both places.

Sri Shankara assigned one Veda for each of the Mathas, signifying that each Matha would play a significant role in taking efforts to sustain and propagate that particular Veda. Thus Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharvana Veda were assigned to Puri, Sringeri, Dwaraka and Badrinath Mutts respectively. Sri Shankara also nominated his four chief disciples, one to each of these Mathas. He assigned Sureshwara to Sringeri, Padmapada to Dwaraka, Hastamalaka to Puri and Totaka to Badri. The way all these Mathas function to this day shows the vigour of the movement started by Shankara for the propagation of Advaita Vedanta and Sanatana Dharma as a whole.

Regardless of which of the last two we consider to be the chief southern seat (both of them have been occupied by individuals of staggering spiritual stature, worthy of being in the lineage of the great teacher), it is clear that the vision Shankaracharya had for Bharat is particularly significant to us in two ways- this entire region, marked by these seats in which he installed a direct disciple each, constituted for him a single whole; and the essence of this whole was its spirituality. In line with this, he is also credited with organising the renunciates of the region into the dashanami order, which continues to this day.

Adi Shankaracharya has an unparalleled status in the tradition of Advaita Vedanta. He travelled all over India to help restore the study of the Vedas. His teachings and tradition form the basis of Smartism and have influenced Sant Mat lineages.

He introduced the Pañcāyatana 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.

Shankaracharya’s teachings and philosophy not only paved an impact on the people of Hinduism but at such a young age he had learnt all the Vedas, six Vedangas which itself is commendable. We can’t forget that his teaching methods of Vedas have contributed to the development of modern Hindu thought.

The intellectual achievement of Shankaracharya is truly staggering. He composed a lucid commentary on the Brahma-sutras, or the Vedanta-sutras, in which he articulated the identity of the atman with Brahman and referred extensively to the Upanishads as he did so. In addition, he composed commentaries on the Upanishads and the Bhagavad-Gita. At the same time, he is also credited with the composition of the Saundaryalahari, the Srividya text par excellence, which reveals the greatest mysteries of the cosmos to the initiated, and reads like a beautiful prayer to the uninitiated.

Just as significant, however, is the persistence of Shankaracharya in the everyday lives of people. Large portions of the hymns recited every day by numerous people in India (and the diaspora) are believed to have been composed by Shankaracharya. It reflects how people have understood Shankaracharya and how Bharat instinctively understands her own spirituality.

The simplicity with which the Atma-Shataka (the sextet on the atman) denies all identification with parts of the body, religious observance, even punya and paap, and declares Shivo’ham—I am Shiva—and the ease with which people continue to sing it, tells us something deeply significant about the spiritual attitudes and understanding in the country. It is not that each person who sings it is in that state of consciousness, or rather, has removed all her misidentifications; it means more that each of them knows this to be the Truth, which is to be unveiled for herself. At the same time, many of these hymns are deeply devotional, reminding us that the Indian way is not unitary but rather knows all these to be approached to the same reality.

Topics: Brahma SutrasUpanishadsHindu DharmaJyotirmathGovardhanmathAkhand BharatSharadamathBhagavad GitaShringerimathBharatKamakoti MathAdi ShankaracharyaShankaracharyaHindu scriptures
Share1TweetSendShareSend
Subscribe Organiser YouTube Channel
Previous News

Bomb Blast near BJP Office in 2013: Bengaluru Court sentences two members of banned terrorist organisation Al-Ummah

Next News

India a “vibrant spot of development” despite global headwinds: PM Modi in Kerala

Related News

Conflict of Dharma and Mazhab: In the context of attacks against Hindus

“From Gita to Global Stage”: Anita Anand becomes Canada’s first Hindu Foreign Minister in historic cabinet shake-up

Representative Image

The West’s Enduring Love for Pakistan: A strategic hypocrisy unmasked

Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to the Adampur airbase on Tuesday, Image courtesy: X

Chants of ‘Vande Matram’, echo at ‘Adampur base’ as PM Modi fact checked Pakistan over lies on damage to airbases

India-UK FTA: Benchmark amidst global trade turbulence

Bharat: The uprising superpower; its glorious past and promising future

Load More

Comments

The comments posted here/below/in the given space are not on behalf of Organiser. The person posting the comment will be in sole ownership of its responsibility. According to the central government's IT rules, obscene or offensive statement made against a person, religion, community or nation is a punishable offense, and legal action would be taken against people who indulge in such activities.

Latest News

Field Marshal or Failed Marshal? Asim Munir honours himself despite failure of Operation Bunyan-ul-Marsoos by Pakistan

Pakistan: A nation of ‘Anti-humanity mentality’ and global terror hub

Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Deo Sai- left

“Union Government committed to end Maoism by March 31, 2026”: Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Deo Sai   

Telangana: KCR served notice over irregularities in Kaleshwaram Irrigation Project, Congress tightens noose

India, Afghanistan, and the Great Regional Reset: How New Delhi outplayed Islamabad

MEA Official Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal

India calls out Pakistan’s obsession with blaming others for internal failures: MEA

Operation Sindoor: India’s iron resolve crushes terror infrastructure

Media Bias and the Pahalgam Attack: A tale of selective outrage

Swadeshi Strength: Securing India’s future through self-reliance

Maoist supreme leader Nambala Kesav Rao alias Basavaraju killed in encounter in Narayanpur

Red Terror: ‘Nambala Keshav Rao alias Basavaraju’ gunned-down in encounter: Know all about the notorious Maoist leader

  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Cookie Policy
  • Refund and Cancellation
  • Delivery and Shipping

© Bharat Prakashan (Delhi) Limited.
Tech-enabled by Ananthapuri Technologies

  • Home
  • Search Organiser
  • Bharat
    • Assam
    • Bihar
    • Chhattisgarh
    • Jharkhand
    • Maharashtra
    • View All States
  • World
    • Asia
    • Africa
    • North America
    • South America
    • Europe
    • Australia
    • Global Commons
  • Editorial
  • Operation Sindoor
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Defence
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Business
  • RSS in News
  • Entertainment
  • More ..
    • Sci & Tech
    • Vocal4Local
    • Special Report
    • Education
    • Employment
    • Books
    • Interviews
    • Travel
    • Health
    • Politics
    • Law
    • Economy
    • Obituary
    • Podcast
  • Subscribe Magazine
  • Read Ecopy
  • Advertise
  • Circulation
  • Careers
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Policies & Terms
    • Privacy Policy
    • Cookie Policy
    • Refund and Cancellation
    • Terms of Use

© Bharat Prakashan (Delhi) Limited.
Tech-enabled by Ananthapuri Technologies