As one peeps into the annals of history the date of Sage Sankara may be taken most correctly as that of the 9th century. Some claims are made that he lived two thousand years ago, but there is absolutely no proof for this claim.
In a deeper investigation, one finds that they do not go back further than the 12th century A.D. and that all so-called evidence for Sage Sankara having lived two centuries before Christ is either were conjectures or orthodox fabrication.
About Sage Sankara's death, you may dismiss the legend that he did not die, at the age of 32 but disappeared into a cave. This is another orthodox story that is quite unfounded. Sage Sankara did really die in the Himalayas at that age.
Thirdly you ask how he could have written so many books during such a short term of existence. The truth is that he wrote very few books. Those actually written by him were Commentaries on Brahma Sutras and the Upanishads and on the Gita. All other books ascribed to him were not written down by his own hand. They are merely collections of notes recorded by his disciples from his sayings, talks, and discussions.
Fourthly Sage Sankara's own Guru was named Govinda and he lived near Indore. When Sage Sankara wrote his commentary on the Manduka Upanishad his guru was so pleased with it that he took his chela to the Himalayas to visit his own Guru who was named Sage Goudapada. Only when the latter agreed that the commentary was perfect did Govinda release Chela to start his own mission of teaching.
Sage Sankara wrote his commentary on Manduka Upanishad first, then as this revealed that he thoroughly understood the subject, his gurus requested him to write the commentary on Badarayana's Brahma Sutras, which was a popular theological work universally studied throughout India. That is why his commentary is written from a lower dualistic point, for those who cannot rise higher, save that here and there Sage Sankara occasionally has strewn a few truly Advaitic sentences.
Biographical anecdotes about his persecution of Jains and Buddhists or of his challenges to self-immolation for the loser of a debate are all foolish tales invented after his lifetime either by his own followers who took him to be a religious propagator (and not a philosopher) or by his opponents like Visishta Advaitins and Dvaitins.
The orthodox Advaitin pundits relate boastfully pseudo-historic stories of how Sage Sankara's school put down, persecuted end exterminated the Buddhists, as though this was something to be proud of. This is because those orthodox pundits are mere followers of religion, never having understood the philosophy of Sage Sankara. However, these stories are either exaggerations or false fairy tales.
Sage Sankara pokes fun at ascetics and points out that all their austerities do not cause desires to go in his “Altar Flowers" Page 205, v.2 P.207 v.4.
Sage Sankara gave religion and scholasticism and yoga no less than philosophy and his Advaitic wisdom, to the world. He was great enough to be able to do so. His commentary on Manduka is pure philosophy, but many of his other books are presented from a religious standpoint to help those who cannot rise up to philosophy.
Advaitic orthodoxy is the home of mysticism and deification. The Advaitic wisdom of Sage Sankara is based on rational truth.
Sage Sankara had only four fully trained disciples, although he advised some kings. His doctrines spread after his lifetime. Sage Sankara’s books were dictated to secretaries as he traveled. So, few, therefore, were capable of understanding his philosophy.
Sage Sankara always traveled. He never lived in a monastery. He simply told others "Build one here" and then left because he was busy spreading his doctrines.
All the gurus belong to a religion but none of them are Gnanis or have grasped the Advaitic Gnana-truth. They are religionists.
Instead of debating where Sage Sankara is born or dies. Seekers of truth are thirsting for the treasure of his Advaitic wisdom. This is all that matters.
Sage Sankara says you must first know what is before you. If you cannot know that, what else can you know or understand? If you give up the external world in your inquiry, you cannot get the whole truth.
Nearly all thinkers and gurus of the East and West hold views of Maya that are entirely incorrect and untenable. They do not know Sage Sankara’s Upanishad Bashyas, but only the Brahma Sutra Bashyas.
Sage Sankara wrote his Manduka Upanishad commentary on the island called Omkaresvar, the border of Indore State, where the Cauvery and Narmadha rivers meet. On this island, there is also a tomb of Sage Sankara’s Govinda
The followers of Sage Sankara nowadays have constituted a religious sect. Thus, all movements ultimately degenerate.
Sage Sankara varied his practical advice and doctrinal teaching according to the people he was amongst. He never told them to give up their particular religion or beliefs or metaphysics completely; he only told them to give up the worst features of abuse: at the same time, he showed just one step forward toward the truth.
Sage Sankara was extremely precise and careful in his choice of words. He was no fool in writing.
Sage Sankara did more than write books or initiate Sanyasins: He brought India into unity as a nation. He told men: Worship what you wish, remain in your particular religion, but remember also you are part of a larger whole.
Few scholars have caught the spirit, they are merely fond of his words. For his spirit is that of an appeal to reason, with scripture dragged in as second and lesser support afterward.
So many years have passed since Sage Sankara appeared, yet it is very hard to find his true teachings understood anywhere in India today. Why? Because so few could rise to his level. Hence Ramanuja, Madva, and others came to supply the common demand.
The story in Sage Sankara's life of going to Benares and occupying the body of another man and then having sexual intercourse with his wife is a cock and bull story hiding the real fact. He had the scientific spirit and when told by Saraswathi the woman that he was talking emptily about sex, being a Sanyasi, he at once went to learn the truth by having actual intercourse himself and thus learning by experiment and observation.
Sage Sankara has used the phrase "the jungle of words." This is his acknowledgment of the need for Semantics.
Sundaralahari: is a poem that has been attributed to Sage Sankara but judging by the style and contents I do not believe this.
Sage Sankara stressed the great importance of freeing our use of words from all ambiguity.
Sage Sankara's work has two aspects: the dualistic, which is applied to practical life, and the non-dualistic which is applied to Adyathmic or spiritualistic.
Sage Sankara gave religious, ritual, or dogmatic instruction to the populace but pure philosophy only to the few who could rise to it. Hence the interpretation of his writings by commentators is often confusing because they mix up the two viewpoints. Thus, they may assert that ritual is a means of realizing Brahman, which is absurd.
Sage Sankara is the greatest Sage in India's history because (a) he sought to unify the country by placing his institutions and teaching from North to South and East to West, impressing oneness as a nation on all the people. This oneness is not to be restricted by you to religion for it includes its practical application to life such as politics and sociology, and (b) he accepted and encouraged all the prevailing religions but merely purified them of their immoralities. It is false to say he attacked or persecuted Buddhism. This was an interpretation by pundit followers who came afterward and never understood his message. Sage Sankara has never said that a certain caste or community or that Sanyasa only could attain Brahman; he always taught universality.
Updesha Sahasri which is attributed by some to Sage Sankara may not have been written by him as there is no proof either way. It is of doubtful authenticity.
In Brahma Sutras Sage Sankara says that Brahman is the cause of the world, whereas in Manduka Upanishad Sage Sakara denies it. This is because he says that at the lower stage of understanding, the former teaching must be given, for people will get frightened as they cannot understand how the world can be without a cause, but to those in a higher stage, the truth of non-causality can be revealed.
Sage Sankara himself has warned us not to use ambiguous words and to practice semantic analysis in his book "Definition of one's own Self." Page 199, v.24 of "Sankara's Selected Works”
Bhagavan Buddha found religion in such a putrid state, with so many vile animal sacrifices, that he attacked religion.
Sage Sankara did not seek to destroy religion like Bhagavan Buddha but said "Keep religion for ignorant people, but reform it." Sage Sankara did this because he saw that the masses had to have some form of religion as they were not ripe intellectually for truth.:~Santthosh Kumaar
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