Contribution of Śri Śaṅkara to the Religio-Philosophic Thought

According to Lakṣmaṇa Sūrin’s Bhagavatpādābhyudaya the unique contributions of Śaṅkara to the religio-philosophic thought may be summed up as follows:

1) Śaṅkara co-ordinate the spiritual insights and realisation of the vedic scriptures. Thus explaining the philosophy of vedantic non-dualism (Advaita). It was founded for the first time on the triple basis (prasthanatraya) of the Upaniṣads the Brahma-Sūtras and the Gīta, answering to spiritual tradition (śṛuti) rational investigation of truth or ultimate reality (Yukti) and its actual verification or realisation in life (svānubhūti). Thus rescued philosophy from vain speculation, and religion from mere dogmatic belives, and gave to both of them a rational, scientific and universal basis. By bringing these together, re-inforce each other, he helped the evolution of a philosophic religion, and spiritual science open to investigation and at ones rational, comprehensive and universaly realiable by every competent person, even as in the case of physical sciences.

2) He gave practical scientific foundation to phlisophy by showing that Absolute spiritual reality as the self (Ātman), is the pure subject and the basis of all our knowledge of experience.

3) He pointed out the māya is the power of Brahman. It is based on the experience and the it is relative (varies). When we identify with Brahman, māya is not experienced. It is the result of diversified experience through time, space of causation. Māya is operative on in this universe. The product of māya are impossible to comprehend relativistic nature.

4) He showed that our experience based personaliy arices due to mixing up through ‘adhyāsa’ of pure self (subject) and the not self (psychophysical organism). Hence all our knowledge and activities are relativistic in nature and have relative validity.

5) He established that the empirical self (Jīva) in the individuals, is the manifestation of supreme self (Ātman). This self is identical with Brahman in the absolute Spiritual Reality. This identity is realizable when māya stops to be māya and is identified with Brahman.

6) Brahman and Īśvara (God head) are one and the infinite spiritual reality, when viewed from the nisprapañca and satprapañca. The supreme Brahman is Īśvara when viewed as associated with universe. Īśvara associated with the individual is Jīva. Thus Brahman, Ātman, Māya, Īśvara, Jīva, Jagat are all identified though they appears functionaly different and inactive the drama of the universe game.

7) Śaṅkara recognised that all human desires and goals (puruṣarthas), secular achievements (Abhyudaya) as well as religio–spiritual fulfilment (niśreyasa) including gaining Heaven or mukti are possible to every individual according to their competence. For this purpose there are varied means and methods and spiritual paths (yogās) suitable to each person.

In this way Śaṅkara produces harmony in all aspects of the teachings of the Upaniṣads combining them with our life, knowledge and activities, and the gave them graded values and validity. Śaṅkara introduced a new method by which he stated māya as the principle of relativity and holding up ‘Pāramārthika’ and ‘Vyavahārika ‘views of reality. His other discovery is that the Jīva is none other than the supreme self (Ātman–Brahman) whch is reflected in every being. Thus infinite potentialities and perfection of supreme self are lying hidden in men. So everyone can manifest the Brahman within by unfolding the potentiality and realizing the truth.