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As is well known, the Adi Shankara had extensively toured to spread Hinduism in India.

Right from the start what actually was his motivation to undertake his (seemingly self inspired) life mission to spread the philosophy of Advaita through the Vedas?

Did he proclaim to the world with any messages before he set out on his epic journeys or during his first encounters?

What he did is well known. However I like to read or hear about self declarations of his own intent before his Maha Prasthanam.

He expressed much on Bhakthi and a philosophy so new at that time and I wonder if there was an autobiographical note stating his purpose.. a record that may or may not have come down to us.. To come to think of it for one so fiercely objective in enquiry, mundane subjective personal narratives might have appeared rather irrelevant.

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  • I saw a TV presentation in which, he being critical of religious condition and practices of his times, wished to reform and propagate his view of a desirable monism with proper interpretations.
    – Narasimham
    Mar 17 '20 at 18:39
  • The different schools of thought had fixed the period of Sri Sankara differently. Some say it is around 700 AD and some other say it was around 500 BC. The authorship of many texts, which was attributed to Sri Sankara, was also disputed. Some scholars say that it was Sri Sankaracharya of Kamakoti peetham of 800 AD, who was also called as "Abhinava Sankara", authored those texts. Hence, what actually Sri Adi Sankara said on Bhakti , is also disputable, if the time period of around 500 BC is accepted. @Narasimham
    – Srimannarayana K V
    Mar 18 '20 at 0:11
  • Even Sri Ramana Maharshi, when queried about efficacy about Bhakti or Mantra Japa or something else, he supported and encouraged those aspirants, to continue those lines only. It does not make him a devotee or mantra sastra promoter or something else. Basically, he was an advaitin, but he did not want to drag the aspirants, beyond their capabilities and allowed them to continue what they were doing. After getting maturity, those aspirants will learn by themselves, the necessity of Self Enquiry. Any accomplished Guru will do this. Sri Sankara might have did the same. @Narasimham
    – Srimannarayana K V
    Mar 18 '20 at 0:15
  • What you said, he did not himself say... (or if said, has not reached us). From a modern critical viewpoint it would have been better guidance to a seeker if Shankara himself said that " Finally it is the individual who is the final arbiter.in the matter of "Sivoham" assertion."
    – Narasimham
    Mar 18 '20 at 14:01
  • Please don't rely upon TV shows. Not many scholars,who present the case, have knowledge in Spirituality
    – Srimannarayana K V
    Mar 18 '20 at 14:42

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