श्रुतिस्मृतिपुराणानामालयं करुणालयम्|
नमामि भगवत्पादशंकरं लोकशङ्करम् ||
Śruti smṛti purāṇānāṃālayaṃ karuṇālayaṃ|
Namāmi Bhagavatpādaśaṅkaraṃ lokaśaṅkaraṃ||
I salute the compassionate abode of the Vedas, Smritis and Puranas known as Shankara Bhagavatpada, who makes the world auspicious.
Dating Adi Shankaracharya proves to be a daunting task.
1.The habit of using nom de plume by Rishis, Philosophers and Kings.We have many Agastya, Avvaiyaar,Viswamitras.
This makes it difficult to date them precisely as they have lived at different points of time.
Shankaracharya‘ Guru Govinda Bhagavadpada, one study claims lived during the period of Vikramaditya as there are two Vikramadityas,one of the
Maurya and another of the Chalukya dynasty.
The first one lived around 4th Century CE, while the latter in (Vikramaditya II )(733–746 CE)
2.The internal evidence of Shankaracharya’s works do not provide many a clue,exception being the one about Thirugnana Sambhandar, who, it is
agreed, is addressed by Shankaracharya as ‘Dravida Sisu’ in his Soundayalahari.
His references to Kumarila Bhatta and Mandana Misra are equally confusing to pin point the date.
Kumarilabhatta is dated approximately at roughly AD 700.
Mandana Misra at 800 AD;he was a student of Mandana Misra.
Thirugnana Sambhandar who is referred by Shankaracharya is dated 7th Century AD.
There is confusion here as , according to some reports, Appar, who was a contemporary of GnanaSambhandar, lived during the period of Raja Raja
Chozhan, who lived 985 and 1014 !
This is not correct as Raja Raja Chozhan found the ancient scripts of Appar, among many others with the help of Nambi Anadar Nambi.
Yet in his Magnum Opus, Ponniyin Selvan quotes Appar having met Kundavai, daughter of Raja Raja Chozhan.
3.Adi Shankaracharya scrupulously avoided any mention of his personal Life.
He always refers to himself as the Disciple of Govinda Bhagavadpaada, “Govindabhagavadpada Sishya’
4.That Shankaracharya is an Avatar of Shiva-this has obfuscated research with out bias.
With all these impediments there are two distinct views which seem credible.
- 788–820 CE: This is the mainstream scholarly opinion, placing Shankara in mid to late 8th century CE. These dates are based on records at the Śṛṅgeri Śāradā Pīṭha, which is the only matha to have maintained a relatively unbroken record of its Acharyas; starting with the third Acharya, one can with reasonable confidence date the others from the 8th century to the present. The Sringeri records state that Shankara was born in the 14th year of the reign of “VikramAditya”, but it is unclear as to which king this name refers. Though some researchers identify the name with Chandragupta II (4th century CE), modern scholarship accepts the VikramAditya as being from the Chalukya dynasty of Badami, most likely Vikramaditya II (733–746 CE), 8 t which would place him in the middle of the 8th century. Max Müller, Macdonnel, Pathok, Deussen and Radhakrishnan all accept the dates 788–820 CE. The date 788–820 is also among those considered acceptable by Swami Tapasyananda, though he raises a number of questions.
- 509–477 BCE: This dating, more than a millennium ahead of all others, is based on records of the heads of the Shankara Maṭhas at Dvaraka Pitha and Govardhana mathaand the fifth Peetham at Kanchi.However, the succession of acharyas at these two mathas were often disrupted by geopolitical realities and these records are not considered as reliable as the Sringeri chronology. Also, such an early date would be in conflict with much else in Indian chronology. According to these revisionist models, these are the actual dates, and it is other collateral dates, such as the date of Gautama Buddha (which serves as an anchor for modern academic history of India), that need to be moved back. However, such an early date is not consistent with the fact that Shankara quotes the Buddhist logician Dharmakirti, who finds mention in Xuanzang (7th century).[12] Also, his near-contemporary Kumārila Bhaṭṭa is usually dated c. 8th century CE. Most scholars feel that due to invasions and other discontinuities, the records of the Dwaraka and Govardhana mathas are not as reliable as those of Sringeri. Thus, while considerable debate exists, the pre-Christian Era dates are usually discounted, and the most likely period for Shankara is during the 8th century CE.
- 44–12 BCE: the commentator Anandagiri believed he was born at Chidambaram in 44 BCE and died in 12 BCE.
- 6th century CE: Telang placed him in this century. Sir R G Bandarkar believed he was born in 680 CE.
- 805–897: A D Venkiteswara not only places Shankara later than most, but also had the opinion that it would not have been possible for him to have achieved all the works apportioned to him, and has him live ninety two years.
On balance by relying on the records of Sringeri Sharada Peetham, where there no break in succession of the Acaharyas of Shankaracharya, the Date of
Shankaracharya may be taken at 8th Century CE.
*Anandagiri.
Trotakacharya (IAST Troṭakācārya) (c. 8th century CE) was a disciple of Ādi Śaṅkara, the Advaita philosopher. He was made the first Jagadguru (head) of the Jyotirmaṭha Pīthaṃ, the northern maṭha founded by Ādi Śaṅkara near Badrinath. He founded a maṭha by name Vadakke Matham in Thrissur, Kerala.
Inputs welcome.
Citation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adi_Shankara
History of the Tamils by PT.Srinivasa Ayyangar
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