Works of Sri Adi Shankaracharya

Sri Adi Shankaracharya is arguably the most important philosopher in the history of Advaita Vedanta. It is Shankaracharya’s interpretation of the source texts of Vedanta that lays the foundation for classical Advaita. He taught the universality of the Vedic religion and successfully rid it of the contradictions of its partisan adherents of different schools. He also synthesized the triple way of karma, bhakti and jnana assigning to each its proper and necessary place in the unitary method of achieving liberation from the ills of samsara.

All these stemmed from the philosophy of Advaita which he taught as the central truth of the Upanishads, the Bramhasutras and the Bhagavat Gita known as the Prasthanatraya of Indian  philosophy. He explained this at length lucidly and cogently in a language characterized as prasannagambhira in his commentaries on all three of them. That they have been surviving in the thoughts and utterances of men during the centuries that have elapsed since He wrote and that they have secured understanding appreciation even from people of alien faiths in lands far removed from ours is eloquent vindication of their truth and vitality.

A large number of (short) Advaita treatises, called Prakarana Granthas, are also attributed to Sankara. These works are often used to teach beginners. A large number of Stotras (hymns) are also attributed to Sankara. These range from the famous Bhaja Govindam hymn to the Dakshinamurti Stotram.

Apart from the aforementioned major works, Sri Adi Shankaracharya is also said to have written numerous other texts, like the Yogasutra Vivarana Bhashya and a commentary on the Adhyatma Patala of the Apastamba Dharmasutra,and commentaries on the Vishnu Sahasranama and Lalita Trishati. A Sankhya work called Jayamangala and a Nyaya work called Sthirasiddhi are also attributed to him.