Shankaracharya (, , " Shankara-''

acharya In Indian religions and society, an ''acharya'' (Sanskrit: आचार्य, IAST: ; Pali: ''ācariya'') is a religious teacher in Hinduism and Buddhism and a spiritual guide to Hindus and Buddhists. The designation has different meanings i ...

''") is a religious title used by the heads of amnaya monasteries called

matha A ''matha'' (; , ), also written as ''math'', ''muth'', ''mutth'', ''mutt'', or ''mut'', is a Sanskrit word that means 'institute or college', and it also refers to a monastery in Hinduism.

s in the Advaita Vedanta tradition of

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...

. The title derives from

Adi Shankara Adi Shankara (8th c. CE), also called Adi Shankaracharya (, ), was an Indian Vedanga, Vedic scholar, Hindu philosophy, philosopher and teacher (''acharya'') of Advaita Vedanta. Reliable information on Shankara's actual life is scant, and h ...

; teachers from the successive line of teachers retrospectively dated back to him are known as Shankaracharyas.

Etymology

The word Shankaracharya is composed of two parts, Shankara and Acharya. Acharya is a

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

word meaning "teacher", so Shankaracharya means "teacher of the way of Shankara".

Establishment of the tradition

, known as Adi Shankaracharya, set up four monasteries known as Mathas or Peethams, in the North, South, East and West of India, to be administered by realised men who would be known as Shankaracharyas. They would take on the role of teacher and could be consulted by anyone with sincere queries of a spiritual nature and they would guide the humanity in times of trouble and provide solace. Another monastery Kanchi Kamkoti Peetham in south India also derives its establishment and tradition to Adi Shankara. The table below gives an overview of the four main Shankaracharya Amnaya Mathas reputedly founded by Adi Shankara, and their details.

* Kalady, Kerala - Birthplace of Jagadguru Adi Shankaracharya * Govardhan Peetham (East), Puri, Odisha * Dwarka Sharada Peetham (West), Dwarka, Gujarat * Jyotirmaya Peetham (North), Joshimath, Uttarakhand * Sringeri Sharada Peetham (South), Sringeri, Karnataka * Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham, Kancheepuram, Tamil Nadu * Sri Jayendra Saraswathi, Shankaracharya of Kanchi * Swami Abhinava Vidya Tīrtha, Shankaracharya of Sringeri * Swami Bharati Tīrtha, Shankaracharya of Sringeri * Swami Bharatikrishna Tīrtha, scholar; mathematician; first Sankaracharya to visit the West * Swami Brahmananda Sarasvati, Srividya Siddh Sankaracharya of Jyotirmaya Pitha, Shankara Matha, Badrinath * Swami Shantanand Saraswati, Shankaracharya of Jyotirmaya Pitha * Swami Swarupananda Sarasvati, Shankaracharya of Jyotirmaya Pitha, Sankara Matha, Badrinath * Swami Candrasekhara Bharati, Shankaracharya of Sringeri * Swami Saccidananda Bharati, Shankaracharya of Sringeri * Swami Sacchidananda Bharati, Shankaracharya of Sringeri * Swami Sacchidananda Shivabhinava Nṛusimha Bharati, Shankaracharya of Sringeri * Swami Vidyaranya Tīrtha, Shankaracharya of Sringeri * Sri Sri Raghaveshwara Bharati, Jagadguru of Ramachandrapura Matha

References

External links

Advaita-Vedanta.org "Dasanami Sampradaya - The Monastic Tradition", an account of the four amnaya mathas, and the "Dashanamī parampāra"

"History of Jagadguru Sri Adi Shankara Bhagavatpada", "Biography of Jagadguru Sri Adi Shankaracharya"

Drig Drishya Viveka by Sri Adi Shankaracharya
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Anandmurti Gurumaa.

Brahma Jnanavali Mala of Adi Shankaracharya
{{DEFAULTSORT:Charya, Shankara Titles and occupations in Hinduism Religious leadership roles

Etymology

Establishment of the tradition

Further reading

See also

References

External links