Age of Sri Adi Sankaracharya

Age of Sri Adi Sankaracharya

Fixing the time of Sri Sankara:

Of the numerous compositions with the title 'Sankara Vijaya’ and describing the exploits of Sri Sankara, the Brihat Sankara Vijaya of Chitsukhacharya is the most famous and authoritative.` The author Chitsukhacharya was associated with Sankara from the age of 5, in his studies at school and when he (Sankara) became a Sanyasi (or monk! in his 10th Year, followed his example. receiving the initiation at his hands and always kept him company thereafter throughout his wanderings and exploits all over the country, survived Sri Sankara for several years and composed his great work 'The Brihat Sankara Vijaya’ to immortalise the achivements of his friend and preceptor. The date of the birth of Sri Sankara is specified in this authoritative treatise, This date tallies with the date assigned to the birth of Sri Adi Sankaracharya in the lists of the Acharyas of the various religious establishments known as Sankara Pithas established by Sri Adi Sankara at Dwarka, Kanchi, Puri etc, These lists of the heads of the religious establishments are complete and continuous from the time of the founder Sri Adi Sankara to the present day. These lists are therefore traditional documents of unquestioned authenticity and authority. The date of the birth of Sri Sankara according to these authorities is given by the verse.

"తిష్యే ప్రయాత్య నలసేవధి బాణనేత్రే |
యే నందనే దినమణా వుదగధ్వభాజి |
రాధే దితే రుడువినిర్గతమంగలగ్నే |
స్యాహూతవాన్ శివగురుః సచ శంకరేతి ||

Meaning:···-· Anala=3. Sevadhi = 9, Bana = 5, Netra= 2, which comes to 2593rd year of Kali (or 509 B. C.) 

On Sunday, Vaisakha Sukla Panchami in the constellation and Lagna of Dhanus in the year Nandana, a son was born to Sivaguru and he was named ‘Sankara’ by his father in 2593 Kali (which corresponds to 3102-2593=509B.C)

Referring to the extraordinary meeting of Sankara with Kumarila Bhatta (the great expounder of the Karma Kanda of the Vedas) on his funeral pyre, the Jina Vijaya declares: -- "There-upon when 15 years had elapsed from his birth, (in 2608 Kali or 494 B.C,,) Sankara met Bhattacharya (`Kumarila Bhatta) for the first and last time."

Referring to the date of Sankaracharya's Niryana, the Jina Vijaya states:

ఋషి ర్బాణ స్తధా భూమి ర్మర్త్యాక్షౌ వామమేళనాత్|

ఏకత్వేన లభేతాంకం తామ్రాక్షా తత్ర వత్సరః|

"When we calculate the figures Rishi = 7. Bana = 5, Bhumi = 1 and Martyakshau = 2, in the reverse order and reckon the total number of years in the Yudhishtira Saka(of the Jains), we arrive at the year Tamraksha (Raktakshi) as the year of Sankara’s death."

Hence Sankara's Niryana works out to 2157+468 = 2625 Kali or 3102-2625=477 B.C.; (or 2634 B.C. - 2157 =) 477B.C.

(Note I: The Jains and Buddhists use a Yudhishtira era which commences 468 years after Kali i. e. in (3102 B.C.-468=) 2634 B. C.)

The Jinavijaya is a composition by a Jaina. It contains among other things a brief account of the life of Kumarila Bhatta whom the Jains (who condemn the Vedic rituals) held as their bitterest opponent. There in we find a reference to the meeting of Sankara with Kumarila just before the death of the latter. 

There could be no partiality in the writer in favour of his opponents. 

Chronology of the Peetadhipaties of Kanchi KamaKoti Peetha, commencing from Adi Sankara (509 B. C)

The Sankaracharya matha was established in Kanchipura by Sri Sankara himself.this pitha produced great scholars and the most distinguished teachers of Vedanta philosophy and authors of well-known treatises on Advaita-Vedanta. 

The Chronology of the Kamakoti Pitha is of the utmost importance as it gives accurate dates for a number of events in the history of India. Therefore, the information that is recorded by them  is of immense importance and  there can be no doubt of  accuracy of the chronology of the pithadhipaties as a whole. 

The Punya Sloka Manjari gives only the cyclic year(60 years cycle), the (lunar) month, Paksha and tithi, sometimes even the time of the day, decease of the gurus. But here and there, the Kali or Saka year is given, and with the help of these, we can get a complete chronology.

The chronological table of Kamakoti clearly gives the following dates among many:

1. Establishment of Peetha 482 B.C.

2. Sri Sankaracharya, First Acharya, occupied peetha for 6 years, demise: Raktakshi year, Vaisakha month, Sukla-Paksha, 11th day, 476 B.C.

Nepalaraja Vamsavali:

In the Suryavamsi dynasty of Nepal the 18th king was Vrishadeva Varma. He reigned from 2554 Kali to 2615 Kali or 547 B.C., to 486 BC. (Vide “Chronology of Nepal History"  by Sri Kota Venkatachalam Garu)

It is stated in the Nepalaraja Vamsavli that; "Adi Sankaracharya came from the South and destroyed the Buddha faith." Kali 2614 or 487 B.C. (Vide The Ind. Ant. Vol. XIII p. 411 ff)

Temple of Sankaracharya in Kashmir:

"Gopaditya the 70th king in the list of Kashmir kings (417-357 B.C.) founded Agraharas and built the temples of Jyestheswara and Sankaracharya" (A short history of Kashmir By P. Gwasha Lal, B.A., Ed. 1932; p. 27).

“Sankaraoharya"-—"This shrine is situated in the city of Srinagar. Sankaracharya is an ancient temple crowning the Takht-i-Sulaiman hill and standing 1000 ft. above the valley. The temple and the hill on which it stands take their name from Sankaracharya, the great South Indian Teacher of Monism who came to Kashmir from Travancore. This temple was built by king Gopaditya who reigned in Kashmir from 368 to 308 B.C. It was repaired later by the liberal minded Muslim king Zainul Abdin." (Vide The Hindu dated 17——7·—1949 p. 15, 2nd column and Kali Saka Vijnanam by K. Venkatachalam part III, p. 66). The real time of Gopaditya is 417-357 B.C. `Therefore it is evident that Sri Adi Sankaracharya lived before Gopaditya’s time i. e. Between 509-477 B.C. (This is elaborately discussed in Nepala Raja Vamsavali by its author Sri K. Venkatachalam Garu)

Esoteric Buddhism: Mr. A. P. Sinnett in his "Esoteric Buddhism" (VIII Ed· 1903, Ist Ed. being printed in 1883-—pp. 182, 183) assigns the year 503 B.C. or thereabouts for Sankaracharya. This tallies with the date 509 B.C., given in Brihat Sankara Vijaya and Jina Vijaya.

It is clear from the above evidence that Sri Adi Shankaracharya was born in 509 B.C., and passed away in 477 B.C.

“One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we've been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We're no longer interested in finding out the truth. The bamboozle has captured us. It is simply too painful to acknowledge -- even to ourselves -- that we've been so credulous. (So the old bamboozles tend to persist as the new bamboozles rise.)”