Adi Shankaracharya established Indian identity, says Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said Adi Shankaracharya established Indian identity and ensured that the banner of Sanatana Dharma fluttered high in all directions.

Addressing a gathering after launching Shankaracharya’s ‘Granthavali’ in Gujarati, Shah expressed confidence that the complete works of the 8th-century scholar of Advaita Vedanta, published in 15 volumes, will help youth from Gujarat delve into them and leave an impact on their lives and work.

“You will find the solutions to all the questions that existed in society of that time in these texts,” Shah said.

Referring to Shankaracharya, he said very few people can accomplish so much in such a short lifetime. Shankaracharya travelled extensively across the country on foot, and in a way, he played the role of a walking university, said Shah.

“He didn’t just travel on foot; he established India’s identity, built four monasteries in the four directions, established centres of knowledge, and ensured that the banner of Sanatana Dharma fluttered high in all four directions,” Shah said.

Shah said the monasteries established by Adi Shankaracharya did not merely become religious centres. Under their auspices, he divided the Vedas among them, creating a permanent place for their preservation and propagation, he said.

The Union Minister said that, in his lifetime, Adi Shankaracharya addressed doubts that had arisen around Sanatan Dharma amid the rise of various philosophical schools, including Buddhism, Jainism, Kapalika, and Tantric traditions.

The scholar provided logical answers to all the questions and doubts, Shah said. “Adi Shankaracharya not only gave ideas, but also offered India a synthesis of ideas. He not only imparted knowledge, but also gave it a form; he not only presented the idea of liberation, but also paved the way to it,” Shah said.

The volumes have been published by Sastu Sahitya Mudranalay Trust and edited by Gautam Patel.