Shankara India (788 - 820) Timeline Yoga / Hindu : Advaita / Non-Dualist Poems by Shankara Books - Links

Shankara (or Sankara, often referred to reverently as Adi Shankara or Shankaracharya) is a central figure within Advaita Vedanta (nondualist Hinduism). The name Shankara is an epithet associated with the god Shiva -- "giver of joy." Adi Shankara was an important philosopher, sage, holy man, and poet who, more than any other figure, unified the nondualist teachings into an essential philosophical tradition within Hinduism.

Shankara was born in the Kerala region of India. His father died while he was still young, and he was raised by his mother. He showed early brilliance in his study of the Vedas and other sacred texts and by the age of 8 he left home to seek a guru and receive initiation into sannyasa, wishing to renounce the world and live a monastic life.

The young monk grew into a gifted scholar and holy man. He traveled extensively, engaging in philosophical debates, spreading the essential truths of the nondual nature of reality.

Shankara is also remembered for reorganizing monastic structures within Hinduism, and many monastic lineages trace their roots back to Adi Shankaracharya as their founder.

Poems by Shankara

• Endless is my Wealth
• In Praise of the Goddess
• Nirvana Shatakam
• The Shattering of Illusion (Moha Mudgaram from The Crest Jewel of Discrimination)
• You are my true self, O Lord

Recommended Books: Shankara

The Longing in Between: Sacred Poetry from Around the World (A Poetry Chaikhana Anthology)	A Treasury of Sanskrit Poetry	Shankara's Crest Jewel of Discrimination	Upadesa Sahasri: A Thousand Teachings	Shankara and Indian Philosophy
Ramana, Shankara and the Forty Verses: The Essential Teachings of Advaita	Saundarya Lahari of Sri Sankaracarya

Related Links

Sankara
http://www.sivanandadlshq.org/saints/sankara.htm
An on-line biography of Shankara by Swami Sivananda.

Works of Sankaracharya, Advaita Vedanta and Hindu Sacred Scriptures
http://www.sankaracharya.org/
Biography and works of Shankara online. Other excellent resources on the Upanishads, other Vedanta texts, and links to other sites.

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