- He was born at Kaladi in Kerala and became a saint at the age of five.
- He was the disciple of Govindacharya.
- He is credited with the doctrine of Advaita Vedanta.
- In order to preach and protect the dharma, he founded Ashramas/mathas at Sringeri in Karnataka, Dwarak in Gujarat, Puri in Odisha and Badrinath in UP.
- He wrote commentaries on Brahmasutras. His popular works include- Vivekachudamani, Saundaryalahari, Bhajagovindam, Shivananda Lahari
- The followers of Shankaracharya are called as Smratas.
Meaning of Advaita Vedanta :
- This doctrine is based on the concept that the higher or true Self is identical to Brahman, the Absolute Reality.
- In Advaita Vedanta, Jnana yoga is the path of knowledge to Moksha, or liberation from the cycle of life, death and rebirth.
- This doctrine also believes that Moksha can be achieved in this life (Jivanmukthi) in contrast to other Indian philosophies that emphasize videhamukti, or Moksha after death.
Advaita influenced and was influenced by various traditions and texts of Hindu philosophies such as Samkhya, Yoga, Nyaya, other sub-schools of Vedanta, Vaishnavism, Shaivism, the Puranas, the Agamas.