Adi Sankaracharya (Sankara Bhagavatpada)
Adi Sankaracharya (also Sankara Bhagavatpada) was a zealous preacher of Hinduism. He was born in Malabar in about 788 A.D.
After completing his education, Sankaracharya he became a Sanyasi and then he began the task of preaching Hinduism among the masses.
Like Kumarila Bhatta, he fought and preached against Buddhism and Jainism with such a great vigor that the follower of both these sects began to hold him in great awe. He was a great scholar and philosopher. He wrote many commentaries on Bhagavad Gita, Upanishads and other ancient literature.
He told his audience that all gods and goddesses are the different forms of one and the same God.
‘All things are emanated from Him or a part of Him and must merge in Him.?
For the propagation of Hinduism he established four ‘Mathas? in the four directions:
Jagannath Puri (in the East),
Dwarka Puri (in the West),
Badrinath (in the North) and
Sringeri (in the South).
Because of his dauntless efforts Hinduism made a rapid progress and Buddhism suffered a great set-back. At last at the young age of 32, he died at Kedarnath in Kashmir (820 A.D.).
