[Advaita-l] Conference on that Date of Adi Sankaracharya in October, 2002

[Bhaskar YR]

The hidden agenda behind the date controversy is an 'attempt' to dislodge 
the Sringeri Math tradition as being not an original lineage but a sishya 
math of another institution down south. 

praNAms
Hare Krishna

That is really a very cheap & childish tactics whoever employed it..is it 
not??  When the question, whether shankara (bhAshyakAra) himself 
established the four math-s, is itself an open issue for discussion, it is 
really hilarious to see the fight for supremacy in shankara's 'original' 
lineage.  Prof. S.K. Ramachandra Rao in his book 'Shankara & Adhyasa 
Bhashya' makes some important observation with regard to 'original' 
lineage of shankara's advaita tradition.  Here it is :

// quote //

The natural suggestion is that shankara, far from being the great 
celebrity that he is now, was almost unknown during his days and for a 
couple of centuries later.  He must have been a quiet scholar, shunning 
pulicity and engaged in study and writing throughout his brief life.  His 
reinterpretation of the vedantic tradition was doubtless of great import; 
but it had to wait to be discovered long after he passed away. 
...............

A cult must have subsequently grown up around the image of the Acharya as 
the one responsible for the intellectual resuscitation of the correct 
vedantic tradition.  Monastic institutions owing allegiance to him 
probably were founded several centuries later, in order to propagate his 
teachings.  It is instructive to note that in the sringeri pontifical 
list, sureshwara, the immediate disciple-successor of shankara in this 
pontificate (as also claimed by Dvaraka and Kanchi Kamakoti pontificates), 
is made to live and continue on the pontifical seat for about 800 years!! 
This would probably mean that the actual founding of the pontificate was 
800 years later.

// unquote //

Disclaimer :  I am not endorsing the views of Prof. SKR here, as I have 
least interest in this historical events.  This is just for the 
information of forum prabhuji-s.

Hari Hari Hari Bol!!!
bhaskar