Adi Shankaracharya

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Here’s a timeline of Adi Shankaracharya’s life and legacy, based on traditional and historical sources.

(Note: Exact dates vary depending on sources — traditional accounts and modern historical estimates differ by several centuries.)

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Adi Shankaracharya: Timeline

Early Life

• Birth: ca. 788 CE (traditional date; some traditions place it around 509 BCE)
  
• Place: Kaladi, near Aluva, in present-day Kerala, India
• Parents: Sivaguru and Aryamba
• Childhood: Exceptional intellect and spiritual inclination from an early age.
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Age 8–12: Education and Sannyasa

• Around age 8: Took sannyasa (monastic vows) after convincing his mother.
• Became a disciple of Govinda Bhagavatpada, a student of Gaudapada, who was an early expositor of Advaita Vedanta.
• Studied scriptures (Upanishads, Brahma Sutras, Bhagavad Gita) and mastered Vedantic philosophy.

Age 12–16: Writing and Teaching

• Composed key philosophical works explaining Advaita Vedanta (non-dualism):
  
• Brahma Sutra Bhashya (commentary on the Brahma Sutras)
• Upanishad Bhashyas (commentaries on principal Upanishads)
• Bhagavad Gita Bhashya
• Independent works like Vivekachudamani, Upadesa Sahasri, Atma Bodha, Tattva Bodha, Nirvana Shatakam, etc.
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Age 16–32: Digvijaya (Philosophical Travels Across India)

• Traveled widely across India to debate scholars and reconcile sects under Advaita philosophy.
• Debated and won over many leading scholars, including Mandana Misra in Mithila (Bihar).
• Established four mathas (monastic centers) in different parts of India to preserve and spread Vedanta:
  
1. Sringeri Sharada Peetham (Karnataka – South India)
2. Dwarka Sharada Peetham (Gujarat – West India)
3. Jyotirmath (Joshimath) (Uttarakhand – North India)
4. Puri Govardhan Matha (Odisha – East India)
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Final Years and Mahasamadhi

• Continued teaching and unifying diverse schools of Hindu thought.
• Attained Mahasamadhi: ca. 820 CE at Kedarnath or Kanchipuram (accounts differ).
• Age at death: Around 32 years.

Legacy

• Revived and systematized Advaita Vedanta as a core Hindu philosophical system.
• Re-established Sanatana Dharma during a period of declining Vedic tradition.
• His hymns (stotras) and commentaries remain foundational to Hindu spiritual study.

Summary Table

Event	Approx. Year	Age	Location
Birth	788 CE	0	Kaladi, Kerala
Takes Sannyasa	~796 CE	8	Narmada River (Meets Guru Govinda Bhagavatpada)
Begins Writing Works	~800 CE	12	Various Ashrams
Starts Digvijaya	~804 CE	16	Across India
Establishes 4 Mathas	~812 CE	24	Sringeri, Dwarka, Puri, Joshimath
Mahasamadhi	~820 CE	32	Kedarnath or Kanchipuram

Would you like me to create a visual timeline chart (graphic or infographic style) for Shankaracharya’s life and legacy?