अष्टवर्षेचतुर्वेदीद्वादशेसर्वशास्त्रवित्।
षोडशेकृतवान्भाष्यंद्वात्रिंशेमुनिरभ्यगात्॥
There descended on the sacred, deeply adorable soil of this holy land a personality extraordinary who by the sheer force of his matchless erudition, enlightened the whole world. He was none other than Acharya Adi Shankara, a very embodiment of Lord Shiva, tenth in the line of Guru traceable back to Sriman Narayana himself. He had dispelled all the dark forces that were hitting hard at the very foundation of Sanatana Dharma and flew the banner of Sanatana Dharma, thus establishing its invulnerability once for all. All this he accomplished solely by his all-too-rare spiritual wisdom, luster and strength, in short, his spiritual process.His holiness Adi Shankaracharya was born in Kaladi village of Kerala. His father’s name was Shivaguru and his mother’s name was Sati Aryamba. He was a Nambudaripad Brahmin by cast. His thread ceremony took place at the age of 5 years. Taking his mother’s blessings, he left home to take a life of Sanyasa, initiated by Shree Govindapadacharya at Omkareshwar. From the age of 5 to 8 years, Acharya Shankara learnt the Vedas, Vedanga, Dharma Shastra, Purana, Itihasa and Budhagama etc. He is revered as the reincarnation of Lord Shiva. He established four Mathas in four corners of Bharat. His works include Bhashyas on Upnishad, Gita and Brahmsutra, Prakaran Granthas and various stotras.
Acharya Shankara within a short span of sixteen years re-established Sanatana Dharma through Digvijaya Yatra. His holy body left in demise at the age of 32 years.