top of page

Statue of Oneness (Ekatmata ki Murti)

Very Important Topic for Gk section of NID Entrance Exam 2024, NIFT, and other entrance exams.


Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister recently unveiled the Ekatmata ki Murti (Statue of Oneness) on the Mandhata hillock at Omkareshwar in Madhya Pradesh.

Ekatmata ki Murti (Statue of Oneness):

  • The 108-foot-tall statue portrays the 8th-century Indian philosopher and theologian- Adi Guru Shankaracharya, who consolidated the doctrine of Advaita Vedanta.

  • The unveiling is part of the ambitious Ekatma Dham project of the State government of Madhya Pradesh. The government wants to develop it along the lines of the Mahakal Lok corridor as a major destination for spiritual-religious tourism.

Adi Shankaracharya and Advaita Vedanta:

  • Jagadguru Adi Shankaracharya (788–820 CE) was born in Kaladi in Kerala and died in Kedarnath at the young age of 32.

  • He is credited with establishing the Advaita Vedanta School of Hindu philosophy, which integrates diverse thoughts and Hindu practices into a philosophy based on the Vedic dictum of ‘One Truth, Many Expositions’.

  • He emphasized the importance of pramanas or methods of reasoning, tempered by anubhava or intuitive experience, which empower the seeker to gain the spiritual knowledge adumbrated by sacred texts.

  • He declared that any human being, merely by virtue of their personhood could attain the Supreme Consciousness through a study of the scriptures, the Puranas and the epics, meditation (japa), fasting (upavasa) and worship (puja).

  • He revived Hinduism and also established the organizational structure for its survival and regeneration, through the 4 ashrams/mathas he established in Sringeri, Dwaraka, Puri and Joshimatha.

Works:

  • He composed 72 devotional and meditative hymns like Soundarya Lahari, Sivananda Lahari, Nirvana Shalkam, Maneesha Panchakam.

  • He also wrote 18 commentaries on the major scriptural texts including the Brahma Sutras, the Bhagavad Gita and 12 major Upanishads.

  • He also authored 23 books on the fundamentals of the Advaita Vedanta philosophy which expound the principles of the non-dual Brahman. These include Viveka Chudamani, Atma Bodha, Vaakya Vritti, Upadesa Sahasri, among others.

  • His bhashyas are all written in prose, not verse, with lucidity and sharpness, and employ the Upanishadic question-and-answer format that the West calls ‘Socratic’.

Source: The Hindu & NextIAS

Recent Posts

See All

Comments


bottom of page