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Secondary sourceDocumenttext c. 6th century CE; manuscript copy mid-19th century

Gaudapada Karika Manuscript Page

text c. 6th century CE; manuscript copy mid-19th century

A manuscript page of the Gaudapada Karika, the earlier text that influenced Shankara's Advaita philosophy.

Shows the earlier text that Shankara frequently cited in building his Advaita philosophy.

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Photograph of a manuscript page with several lines of dark brown-black Sanskrit text in a bold Devanagari-style hand on aged, yellowish-tan paper. Small label 'M-129' at top left and the number '3' at top right.
Manuscript page of the Gaudapada Karika (Mandukya Karika), Lalchand Research Library, Chandigarh.

About this source

What it is

This is a page from a manuscript of the Gaudapada Karika, also called the Mandukya Karika, written in Devanagari script. The text itself is generally dated to around the 6th century CE, though this particular manuscript copy was made in the mid-19th century. It is preserved at the Lalchand Research Library in Chandigarh, India.

Why it matters

The Gaudapada Karika was an influential text for the Vedanta school, and its first three chapters were often cited by Adi Shankara in developing his Advaita philosophy. This page shows the kind of source material Shankara worked from and commented on, linking him to a longer chain of Indian philosophical thought that came before him.

Look closer

  • Why might a philosopher like Shankara build his ideas on an older text rather than starting from scratch?
  • What signs of age or damage can you see on this manuscript page, and what do they tell us about how it survived?
  • Why did later traditions treat some chapters of this text as more important than others?

This document is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Adi Shankaracharya on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Title page of 'The Vedanta-Sutras with the Commentary by Sankarakarya, translated by George Thibaut, Part I', published at the Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1890, All rights reserved.Book

Primary source

Brahma Sutra Bhashya

Adi Shankara · c. early 8th century

Scan of a manuscript page in Devanagari Sanskrit script, written in dark brown ink on aged, yellowed paper. Dense lines of text fill the page, with a marginal note at the upper left and a thin vertical border line at the edges.Document

Secondary source

Manuscript of Shankara's Aitareya Upanishad Commentary

1593 CE (manuscript copy)

Painting of a seated robed sage in red with a forehead mark and beaded necklaces, teaching four disciples seated on animal skins by a forest pond with lotuses and two swans, a hut and mountains behind.Painting

Secondary source

Portrait of Adi Shankara with Disciples

Raja Ravi Varma

Kedarnath Temple, a stone shrine with a golden-yellow sloped roof and blue trim, set against snow-capped Himalayan peaks and green mountain slopes under cloudy skies. Visitors stand near the entrance and steps, with yellow flags strung nearby.Artifact

Secondary source

Kedarnath Temple

traditionally 8th century

A wide river flows through a valley under a pale sky. A sandy bank with patches of green plants lies on the left, and dense green trees and hills stand along the far shore. A concrete structure and a yellow railing appear at the bottom edge.Artifact

Secondary source

Sringeri Sharada Peetham

traditionally 8th century; developed 14th century onward

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