Śaṅkara Bhagavadpāda
śaṁkaraṁ śaṁkarācāryaṁ
keśavaṁ bādarāyaṇam —
sūtra-bhāṣya-kṛtau vande
bhagavantau punaḥ punaḥ —
Śaṅkara Bhagavadpāda also known as Ādi Śaṅkarāchārya, was born in Kālaḍi, in Kerala. His father was Śivaguru and mother Āryāmba. His date is yet to precisely determined. But it is known he took Sanyāsa very early in his life and became a follower of Govinda Yogi who was himself a desciple of Gauḍpāda. Soon Śaṅkara rose to eminence and mastered Indian philosophy and became the greatest exponent of Advaita Vedānta in which he showed the whole world is none other than Brahmam.
He undertook himself the task of prooving that the whole of the Vedas stood for Brahmam the Universal self. The external manifestations are only māyā, apparent cognitions. He was the most brilliant exponent of Ātma Vidyā. He wrote authentic commentaries on ten principal Upaniṣads. The essence of the Upaniṣad seems to stand for complex philosophical concepts, but Śaṅkara proved that they denote one unified system that is Advaita.
Bhagavān Vyāsa wrote his Brahma Sūtras in short aphorism style the Vedas and Śankara wrote a Masterly treatise on the Sūtras which is called Sārīraka Mimāmsa Bhāṣyam. Third he wrote his commentary on the Bhagavad Gītā. The Upaniṣads, Brahma Sūtras and Bagavad Gīta three texts are known as Prasthānatrays, the three texts. They established for the first time the Advaita Vedāntā. So he was called the establisher of Advaita Vedāntā.
Besides these commentaries he has composed two original texts called Viveka Cūḍāmaṇi, Upadesa Sāhasrī, Manīṣāpañcakam and perhaps some minor stotras. He has also written a commentary on two chapters of Āpsthambha Dharma Sūtra. It was Śankarā's firm conclusion that every human being is eligible for Mokṣa
R. Nagaswamy