Adi Shankaracharaya Jayanti

Adi Shankaracharaya Jayanti in 2026 falls as per Gregorian calendar on 22th April Wednesday but as per Indian Calendar it falls on Panchmi tithi which coincides on 21st April and thus it will be celebrated on 21st April this year as  in Hindu calendar it falls on the Shisti Tithi in the Skulpaksh of Vaishak month which coincides with 21th April Tuesday as this year chutrithi titi and thrithi both fall on thrithi tithi and in this way Shankaracharya Jayanti will be celebrated on Panchami thithi that is 21st April and his devotees in particular and the other people in general celebrate his Jayanti with gaiety. Adi Shankaracharya is also known by the name of Jagat Guru Shankaracharya. 

Om 21st April, 2026 his 1238 birth anniversary was celebrated in the country. Adi Shankaracharya’s contribution in the propagation of Hindu / Sanatan Dharma cannot be exaggerated. He has in fact revolutionized the Hinduism at a time when this great and immortal religion was on decline .The credit for the revival and strengthening of Hindu religion goes to Shankaracharya. His Jayanti is a religious and pious festival for Hindus across the country and it is considered so by Hindus, because it is festival of the festivities of his birth day, he is believed to be the incarnation of Lord Shiva. On this auspicious day worship of Lord Shiva is performed with proper rituals and ways and along with it Satsangh is also arranged .It is believed that Adi Shankaracharya had mastered all Vedas  and the Aditya Vedanta philosophy and its importance and had taught it to all .He had taken to brought the basic principles of Upnishads ,holy Gita and Bharamsutras to all people .It is believed that this great saint and philosopher has toured various foreign countries for propagating Hinduism .He had established four Matths for the propagation of Hinduism and Vedic philosophy which includes in north Kashmir  ,in south Shringari ,in east Puri and in west Dawarka. 

It is believed that Adi Shankaracharya is the incarnation of Lord Shiva. According to belief 2500 years before when there was mental unrest among people. The spirituality had gone miles away and there was sin everywhere. Then gods and saints had sought help from Lord Shiva. .After this for awakening the world Lord Shiva took birth on earth. Lord Shiva then appeared in a small village Kaldy in the form of Adi Shankaraharya .He was born to the couple of Shiv Guru Nampudar and mother Vishasta Davi .It is said that Lord Shiva was pleased with the meditation of this couple and took birth from them .The life and works of Shankaracharya are inspiring and it helps people to move in the direction of divine. Some important things associated with the life of Shankaracharya teach us how to live a purposeful and contented life. It is in the fitness of things to know  about the life of Shankaracharya. Adi Shankaracharya was born in Kerala’s small village in the house of Numbudari Brahman. After few years of the birth of Shankaracharya, his father passed away .It is believed that in a few years he got mastery in Vedas in so a small age. Let us know about the important things of the life of Shankaracharya on his Jayanti which will be a great tribute to this great saint who had revolutionized Hinduism and helped this great religion to come out of its declining trend and it led to the revival of Hinduism. 

Sage Sri Shankaracharya, the great Indian philosopher and social reformer who lived during the 8th century, was born in a tiny village called Kalady in Ernakulm district of Kerala, located on the banks of famous river Periyar. .In a short span of time ,he became one of the greatest teachers of Vedas .The only weapon he had for this achievement was pure knowledge and spirituality .Shankara is considered as the incarnation of Lord Shiva. He was born to a devote Brahmin couple, Sri Sivaguruat the  and Aryamba, as a result of their ardent prayers for a child to Lord shiva at the famous Vadakkumnathta temple ,Trichur. Pleased ,with the prayers, God appeared in their dream and enquired what kind of a child they wanted – ,whether they wanted a short lived good son or a simpleton with long life. They chose the first option. A child was born to them in spring season at noon in the auspicious Abhijit Muhurat and under the constellation Ardhra. They named the boy Shankara. Young Shankara showed remarkable scholarship mastering the four Vedas by the age of eight which is no less than a miracle. From the very childhood he was attracted to spirituality and Sanyasam and wanted to lead a meaningful life free from worldly pleasures. One day Shankara’s mother fainted after walking three Kms for her daily bath in the river Periyar. Feeling helpless ,little Shankara prayed to Lord Krishna ,and moved by his prayers ,God appeared to him and blessed him by saying ,’’The river will flow where your little feat mark the ground. ’’The river took a new course towards the place marked by the little boy’s feet. Since then, the town came to be called Kalady. 

Before this event, the village was called Sasalam. Shankara then installed Lord Krishna into the present temple and marked the occasion by reciting his famous Atchutha Ashtakam. Translated to English the word Kalady means footprint. His, teachings are based on the unity of the soul and Brahman, in which Brahman is viewed as without attributes. Shankara travelled across India and other parts of south Asia to propagate his philosophy through discourse and debates with other thinkers. He, was a major proponent of the Vedanta tenet that ‘’Lord Brahma and men are of one essence, and every individual should try to develop this vision of oneness. ’’He founded four Shankaracharya peethas (monasteries), called ‘’mathas ‘’ in four corners of India to uphold his spiritual teachings .These are –1-Sarada Peetham(Karnataka) 2—Kakika Peetham at Dwaraka (Gujrat)3—Jyotih Peetham, Badarikashrama (Uttrakhand) 4—Govardhana Peetham in Jagnath ,Puri(Orissa) .These Peethas are amongst the most revered pilgrim destinations in the country .After mastering Vedas by the age of 16,he started  his quest for truth .One day a miracle took place., .While Shankara was taking bath in the river ,his leg was caught in a crocodile’s jaws .Horrified ,he called his mother .who ran to the river bank only to see her beloved son being dragged into water .She helplessly watched the horrific scene unfold when her son said there was only one way to get the beast to release him from its jaws .She must allow him to enter the sannyasa ashram .As there was no alternative at that moment ,she agreed and the crocodile let Shankara free. Before taking leave his mother, Sankara assured her that he would be with her in her last days and would perform her last rites,a promise he fulfilled despite the problems he faced from his community. 

To fulfill his spiritual path,he searched for a preceptor. He met his guru, swami Govindapada Acharya, in a hermitage on the banks of river Narmada. .Under Govendapada Acharay ‘s guidance ,he mastered Yoga ,Vedanta and other systems and became a  knower of Bhraman .Shankara travelled all over India and  met the leaders of the different schools of thought. Later at Kashi he has a strange experience when he was going to have a bath in river Ganga ,an outcaste came from the opposite direction with four dogs and obstructed the way .Shankara ordered him out of the path .To his surprise ,the outcaste retorted ,Oh venerable Guru! You are a preacher of Advaita Vedanta, yet you make a great difference between man and man. How can this be consistent with your teaching of Advaitism? Is Advaita only a theory.? Shankara soon realized that the outcaste (Chandala) was none other than Lord Shiva ,who took this form to teach him a lesson. He immediately fell prostrate at Lord Shivas feet .Right then and there, Shankara composed five slokas,called the Manisha Panchaka. Every Sloka ends thus - "He who learnt to look on the phenomena in the light of Advaita is my true guru ,he be a Chandala or be he a Brahmin". 

The Hindu saint Shankaracharya is known for consolidating the doctrine of Advaita Vendata and revived it at a time when Hindu culture was on decline .It is said that the works of Shankaracharya and other Hindu hermits like Madhava and Ramnju were instrumental in revival of Hinduism. Adi Shankaracharya’s notable work includes several commentaries on Hindu scriptures including the Bhagavad Gita and 12 Upanishads. This Hindu hermit had composed nearly 72 devotional hymns like Sivananda Lahri, Nirvana Shatakam, Maneesha Panchakam and Soundaraya Lahri. To conclude it can be said that Adi Shankaracharya revolutionized and reformed Hinduism and his teachings and works will continue to inspire the coming generations of people. His teachings can be summed up in the following half verse which reads as - "Brahma Sataym, Jagan Mithya, Jivo Brahmavia Na Aparah - the Brahma the absolute. The best way to celebrate Shankaracharya Jayanti is to follow his teachings of Advita Vendanta philosophy. Therefore,  let us follow his teachings in our lives to make it meaningful, purposeful and achieve divinity.