RAS question
Shankaracharya propounded which philosophy?
Correct answer: (D) Advaita (Non-dualism).
Shankaracharya propounded Advaita Vedanta, the non-dualist philosophy that treats Brahman as the only ultimate reality.
Explanation
Adi Shankaracharya, placed in the 8th century CE, is linked with Advaita Vedanta or non-dualism. NCERT, Our Pasts-II, Chapter 6: Devotional Paths to the Divine describes Shankara as an advocate of Advaita, the oneness of the individual soul and the Supreme God, with Brahman as the only or ultimate reality. This is why the answer is Advaita, not any later Vedanta school associated with another teacher. In the standard exam framing, Brahman alone is real, the world is Maya, and Shankaracharya established four mathas at Sringeri, Puri, Dwarka and Joshimath. For RAS, the key is to connect the philosopher, the school and the doctrinal keyword: Shankaracharya equals Advaita or non-dualism.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Vishishtadvaita is linked in the question data to Ramanuja, so it does not identify Shankaracharya's philosophy.
- (B) Dvaita, or dualism, is linked in the question data to Madhvacharya, whereas Shankaracharya is associated with non-dualist Advaita.
- (C) Shuddhadvaita is linked in the question data to Vallabhacharya, not to Shankaracharya.
Concept
This tests the Ancient and Medieval History theme of religious-philosophical movements, especially Vedanta schools and their teachers. It recurs in RAS because one-line founder-school pairings are easy to ask and often separate closely related bhakti and Vedanta traditions.