Shankaracharya ( sa, शङ्कराचार्य, , " Shankara-''

acharya In Indian religions and society, an ''acharya'' (Sanskrit: आचार्य, IAST: ; Pali: ''ācariya'') is a preceptor and expert instructor in matters such as religion, or any other subject. An acharya is a highly learned person with a ...

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

matha A ''matha'' (; sa, मठ, ), 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 ''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'' ( ...

tradition of

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...

. The title derives from

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 ...

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

Establishment of the tradition

According to a tradition developed in the 16th century,

set up four monasteries known as Mathas or Peethams, in the North, South, East and West of India, to be held 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. Another monastery Kanchi Kamkoti Peeth in south India also derives its establishment and tradition to Adi Shankara, however its heads are called "Acharya" or "Jagadguru" instead of "Shankaracharya". The table below gives an overview of the four main Shankaracharya Amnaya Mathas reputedly founded by Adi Shankara, and their details.

Etymology

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

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

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

* Kalady, Kerala - the holy birthplace of Jagadguru Adi Shankaracharya * Govardhan Peetham (East), Puri, Odisha * Dwarka Sharada Peetham (West), Dwarka, Gujarat * Jyotirmath Peetham (North), Jyotirmath, Badrikashram, Uttarakhand * Shri Sringeri Sharada Peetham (South), Sringeri, Karnataka * Shri 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"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Charya, Shankara Titles and occupations in Hinduism Religious leadership roles

Establishment of the tradition

Etymology

Further reading

See also

References

External links