Liberating Knowledge: Sankara's Impact on Indian Philosophy and Religion

Authors

  • Ram Awatar Ojha Satish Chandra College, Ballia (U. P.)-277001
  • Susmi Sabu Dept of Sanskrit at Kumbalathu Sanku Pillai Memorial Devaswom Board College, Sasthamcotta
  • Sudanshu Shekhar Mishra Raghuvir Mahavidyalaya, Bhikaripur kala, Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh

Keywords:

Open Knowledge, Open Science, Vedas, Upanishads, Prasthanathraya, Sankara, Culture, Religion, India,

Abstract

Sankara is among the most renowned and influential philosophers globally and the foremost authority on Advaita Vedanta. He is highly respected within the Vedantic tradition and monastic orders and continues to shape nearly all contemporary lineages. His work played a pivotal role in shaping Indian philosophical and religious thought by systematizing, interpreting, and popularising ancient wisdom. Through his efforts to spread the teachings of Vedic texts, he transformed them into accessible Open Knowledge. By blending scholarly rigor with an inclusive approach, he ensured the authenticity, accessibility, and universality of Indian philosophical and spiritual traditions, transcending distinctions of caste, creed, time, and space. His dedication to democratising, standardizing, and sharing knowledge aligns with the modern ideal of free and open access to knowledge for the betterment of humanity.

Author Biographies

  • Susmi Sabu, Dept of Sanskrit at Kumbalathu Sanku Pillai Memorial Devaswom Board College, Sasthamcotta
    Susmi Sabu is faculty of the Dept  of Sanskrit at Kumbalathu Sanku Pillai Memorial Devaswom Board College, Sasthamcotta.  She had MA in Vedanta, M.Phil and B.Ed. Degrees and was awarded  PhD for her study on Patanjala Yogasutra from University of Kerala. She is teaching Vedanta for teh last two decades  and her areas of research interest include Advaita Vedanta and Yogasutra.   She has a few published research papers on Vedanta to her credit. She had presented papers at national and international conferences including teh recent one hosted by the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
  • Sudanshu Shekhar Mishra, Raghuvir Mahavidyalaya, Bhikaripur kala, Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh
    Sudanshu Shekhar Mishra is presently with Raghuvir Mahavidyalaya, Bhikaripur kala, Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh. He did his Bachelor of Technology in Electronics and Communication Engineering from Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, Jalandar, Punjab, PG in Library and Information Science and PG Diploma in Computer Application from Rajarshi Tandon University, Prayagraj. Has Qualified UGC NEt and is pursuing research in Information Science

References

Bader, Jonathan (1990). Meditation in Saakara's Vedanta, New Delhi: Aditya Prakashan.

Bader, Jonathan (2000). Conquest of the Four Quarters: Traditional Accounts of the Life of Sankara, New Delhi: Aditya Prakashan.

Cenkner, William (1983). A Tradition of Teachers: Sankara and the Jagadgurus Today, Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers.

Comans, Michael (1990). The Self in Deep Sleep According to Advaita and Visishtadvaita. Journal of Indian Philosophy, 18(1): 1-28.

Dalal, Neil (2016). Contemplative Grammars: Sankara's Distinction of Upasana and Nididhyasana. Journal of Indian Philosophy, 44(1): 179-206.

Dasgupta, Surendranath (1975). A History of Indian Philosophy. Vol. I. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1975.

Deutsch, Eliot (1966). Advaita Vedanta: A Philosophical Reconstruction, Honolulu: East-West Center Press.

Doherty, Martha (2005). A Contemporary Debate Among Advaita Vedantins on the Nature of Avidya', Journal of Indian Philosophy, 33(2).

Halbfass, Wilhelm (1991). Tradition and Reflection, Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.

Indich, William (1980). Consciousness in Advaita Vedanta, Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass.

Isayeva, Natalia (1992). Shankara and Indian Philosophy, Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.

Kunjanni Raja K (1969). Indian Theories of Meaning, Chennai: Adyar Library and Research Centre.

Lipner, Julius (1997).Sankara on satyam jñanam anantam Brahma, in Relativism, Suffering and Beyond. Delhi: Oxford University Press, pp. 301-318.

Mahadevan, T M P. Sankara. New Delhi: National Book Trust, 1968.

Mayeda, Sengaku (1965). The Authenticity of the Bhagavad Gita Bhasya Ascribed to Sankara. Wiener Zeitschrift für die Kunde Süd-Asiens, 9: 155-197.

Mayeda, Sengaku (1992). A Thousand Teachings: The Upadesa Sahasri of Sankara, Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.

Murty, Satchidananda K (1959). Revelation and Reason in Advaita Vedanta, Waltair. New York: Columbia University Press.

Nakamura, Hajime (1983). A History of Early Vedanta Philosophy. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers.

Potter, Karl H, Ed. (1981). Encyclopaedia of Indian Philosophies Vol 3: Advaita Vedanta up to Sankara and His Pupils, Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass.

Prema Nandakumar ( 2013). Adi Sankara: Finite to the Infinite. Veliyanad, Chinmaya International foundation.

Radhakrishnan, S (1940). Indian Philosophy.. Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1940.

Rambachan, Anantanand (2006). The Advaita Worldview: God, World, and Humanity, Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.

Ram-Prasad, Chakravarthi (2001). Knowledge and Liberation in Classical Indian Thought, New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Rangacharya, S B (2002). Sankaracharya. New Delhi, Sahithya Akademi.

Satprakashananda, Swami (1974). Methods of Knowledge According to Advaita Vedanta. Calcutta: Advaita Ashrama, 1974.

Suthren Hirst, Jacqueline (2005). Sankara's Advaita Vedanta: A Way of Teaching, New York: Routledge Curzon. doi:10.4324/9780203001929

Timalsina, Sthaneshwar (2009). Consciousness in Indian Philosophy: The Advaita Doctrine of Awareness Only. , London: Routledge.

Published

2025-12-01