Question

The greatest Philosopher and preacher of the Saiva Sect was ____.
A. Jnaneshwar
B. Shankaracharya
C. Ramanuj
D. Vallabhacharya

Answer 1

Hint: He consolidated Advaita Vedanta with the Upanishads’ basic concepts. He promoted Hinduism’s oldest definition describing the soul’s union with the supreme soul. He traveled the Indian subcontinent to spread his teachings.

Complete answer:
Adi Shankara was an Indian philosopher and theologian who preached Advaita Vedanta's doctrine. At a young age, he renounced material pleasures. Shankaracharya combined the philosophies of ancient ‘Advaita Vedanta,' as well as explaining the Upanishads' basic concepts.

Option A) Jnaneshwar: It is incorrect because Jnaneshwar was not the greatest Philosopher and preacher of the Saiva Sect. Sant Dnyaneshwar was a 13th-century Indian Marathi saint, poet, philosopher, and yogi of the Nath Vaishnava tradition. He was also known as Jnaneshwar, Jnanadeva, Dnyandev, or Mauli. He wrote Dnyaneshwari and Amrutanubhav during his brief 21-year life.

Option B) Shankaracharya: It is the correct option because Shankaracharya is the greatest Philosopher and preacher of the Saiva Sect. Adi Shankaracharya was an Indian philosopher and theologian who popularised Advaita Vedanta's doctrine. He promoted Hinduism's oldest definition, which describes the soul's (atman) union with the Supreme Soul.

Option C) Ramanuj: It is incorrect because Ramanuj was not the greatest Philosopher and preacher of the Saiva Sect. Ramanuja or Ramanujacharya was an Indian philosopher, Hindu theologian, social reformer, and one of the most influential representatives of Hinduism's Sri Vaishnavism tradition. The Bhakti movement was influenced by his philosophical foundations for devotionalism. Ramanuja is well-known as the founder of the Vishishtadvaita Vedānta subschool.

Option D) Vallabhacharya: This is incorrect because the greatest Philosopher and preacher of the Saiva Sect was Shankaracharya, not Vallabhacharya. Vallabhacharya, also known as Vallabha, was an Indian philosopher who founded the Shuddha Advaita philosophy and the Krishna-centered Pushti sect of Vaishnavism in the Braj region of India. He wrote the Anubhashya, Shodash Granth (a set of sixteen'stotras'), and other commentaries on the Bhagavata Purana.

Hence the correct answer is option B.

Note: Shankara traveled throughout the Indian subcontinent, speaking and debating with other intellectuals to spread his philosophy. In a period when the Mms school developed strict ritualism and mocked monasticism, he established the value of monastic life as permitted in the Upanishads and Brahma Sutra. Adi Shankara is credited with establishing the Dashanami monastic order and uniting the Shanmata worship tradition.