Govinda Bhagavatpada (

IAST The International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration (IAST) is a transliteration scheme that allows the lossless romanisation of Indic scripts as employed by Sanskrit and related Indic languages. It is based on a scheme that emerged during ...

) was the

Guru Guru ( sa, गुरु, IAST: ''guru;'' Pali'': garu'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: traditionally, the guru is a reverentia ...

of the

Adi Shankara Adi Shankara ("first Shankara," to distinguish him from other Shankaras)(8th cent. CE), also called Adi Shankaracharya ( sa, आदि शङ्कर, आदि शङ्कराचार्य, Ādi Śaṅkarācāryaḥ, lit=First Shanka ...

. Little is known of his life and works, except that he is mentioned in all the traditional accounts ( Shankara Vijayams) as the teacher of

. He was the disciple of

Gaudapada Gauḍapāda (Sanskrit: गौडपाद; ), also referred as Gauḍapādācārya ("Gauḍapāda the Teacher"), was an early medieval era Hindu philosopher and scholar of the ''Advaita'' Vedanta school of Hindu philosophy. While details o ...

(

'). He is mentioned in the first verse of Adi Shankara's prakaraṇa grantha (''treatise'')

Viveka Chudamani The ''Vivekachudamani'' (; IAST: ) is an introductory treatise within the Advaita Vedanta tradition of Hinduism, traditionally attributed to Adi Shankara of the eighth century, though this attribution has been questioned and mostly rejected b ...

. He is named after

in the Guru Parampara (''lineage'') of Sringeri Sharada Peetham. He is considered to be an incarnation of

Shesha Shesha (Sanskrit: शेष; ) , also known as Sheshanaga (Sanskrit: शेषनाग; ) or Adishesha (), is a serpentine demigod (Naga) and Nagaraja (King of all serpents), as well as a primordial being of creation in Hinduism. In the Puran ...

Meeting Adi Shankara

:''See Life of Adi Shankara for the biography of Adi Shankara'' As per the Madhavīya Shankaravijaya, after leaving

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

, Adi Shankara reached the banks of the river Narmada where he met Govinda Bhagavatpada at

Omkareshwar Omkareshwar ( IAST: ''Ōṃkārēśvar'') is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva, located in Mandhata, nearby Khandwa city in Khandwa district of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is one of the 12 revered Jyotirlinga shrines of Shiva. ce ...

. The Madhavīya Shankaravijaya states that Adi Shankara once calmed a flood from the

River A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...

Narmada by placing his kamanḍalu (''water pot'') in the path of the raging water, thus saving his

Govinda Bhagavatpada who was immersed in

Samādhi ''Samadhi'' (Pali and sa, समाधि), in Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism and yogic schools, is a state of meditation, meditative consciousness. In Buddhism, it is the last of the eight elements of the Noble Eightfold Path. In the Ash ...

in a cave nearby. The cave is still maintained in Omkareshwar below the famous Shiva temple. Govinda Bhagavatpada is said to have asked Adi Shankara who he was. Adi Shankara then replied with a verse (which are known as Atma Shatkam or

Nirvana Shatkam The ''Atmashatakam'' (, ), also known as ''Nirvanashatkam '' (निर्वाणषट्कम्, ), is a non-dualistic (advaita) composition consisting of 6 verses or ślokas, attributed to the Hindu exegete Adi Shankara summarizing the basic ...

) composed extempore, that brought out clearly the

Advaita ''Advaita Vedanta'' (; sa, अद्वैत वेदान्त, ) is a Hindu sādhanā, a path of spiritual discipline and experience, and the oldest extant tradition of the orthodox Hindu school Vedānta. The term ''Advaita'' (lit ...

philosophy in regard to the Self. Shankara was then initiated as Govinda Bhagavatapada's disciple, thus formally entering ''

sanyasa ''Sannyasa'' (Sanskrit: संन्यास; IAST: ), sometimes spelled Sanyasa (सन्न्यास) or Sanyasi (for the person), is life of renunciation and the fourth stage within the Hindu system of four life stages known as '' As ...

''. Adi Shankara was then commissioned by his Guru to write a ''

Bhashya Bhashya () is a "commentary" or "exposition" of any primary or secondary text in ancient or medieval Indian literature. Common in Sanskrit literature, ''Bhashya'' is also found in other Indian languages. Bhashya are found in various fields, ranging ...

'' (commentary) on the

Brahma Sutra The ''Brahma Sūtras'' ( sa, ब्रह्मसूत्राणि) is a Sanskrit text, attributed to the sage bādarāyaṇa or sage Vyāsa, estimated to have been completed in its surviving form in approx. 400–450 CE,, Quote: "...we can ...

and spread the Advaita philosophy far and wide. ''

Gaudapadacharya Gauḍapāda (Sanskrit: गौडपाद; ), also referred as Gauḍapādācārya ("Gauḍapāda the Teacher"), was an early medieval era Hindu philosopher and scholar of the ''Advaita'' Vedanta school of Hindu philosophy. While details o ...

'' was the guru of Govinda Bhagavatpada.

References

{{reflist Hindu philosophers and theologians Advaitin philosophers Ancient Indian philosophers Ancient Indian writers Hindu reformers Idealists Indian Hindu monks Indian Hindu missionaries Indian Hindu spiritual teachers Medieval Hindu religious leaders