शंकराचार्य a See below.
शंकराचार्य m. bm.N. of various teachers and authors, (
esp. ) of a celebrated teacher of the
वेदान्त philosophy and reviver of
Brāhmanism (he is thought to have lived between A.D. 788 and 820, but according to tradition he flourished 200
B.C. , and was a native of
केरल or
Malabar; all accounts describe him as having led an erratic controversial life; his learning and sanctity were in such repute that he was held to have been an incarnation of
शिव, and to have worked various miracles; he is said to have died at the age of thirty-two, and to have had four principal disciples, called
पद्म-पाद,
हस्तामलक,
सुरेश्वर or
मन्दन, and
त्रोटक; another of his disciples,
आनन्द-गिरि, wrote a history of his controversial exploits, called
शंकर-विजयq.v. ; tradition makes him the founder of one of the principal
शैव sects, the
दश-नामि-दण्डिन्s or ‘Ten-named Mendicants’
[RTL. 87] ; he is the reputed author of a large number of original works, such as the
आत्म-बोध,
आनन्द-लहरी,
ज्ञान-बोधिनी,
मणि-रत्न-माला, &c.; and commentaries on the
उपनिषद्s, and on the
ब्रह्म-मीमांसा or
वेदान्त-सूत्र,
भगवद्गीता, and
महा-भारत, &c.),
[IW. 46] ;
[RTL. 53]