Guru Parampara of Dakshin Amnaya of Sankara School

Traditionally, the four Maths are supposed to have been founded by Sankara at the four regions of India at Sringeri in the south under Sureswara, at Dwarka in the west under Hasta-malaka, at Badari in the north under Totaka, and at Puri in the east under Padmapada. It is pointed out in the monograph of P. Rama Sastri on The Maths Founded by Sankara that this four-Math theory has been propounded first in Chidvilasa’s Sankara-vijaya, which, along with some other Sankara-vijayas, is, according to T. S. Narayana Sastri, a recent production and of little authority.

It finds no support in the other Vijayas of its kind and perhaps not even in the more ancient Sankara-vijayas. Of course, this view cannot be verified now, as the most ancient of these Sankara-vijayas
are not available now. Leaving aside the unavailable Sankara-vijayas, even most of the available ones, including those of Madhava, Anantanandagiri. Vyasachrlla and Govindanatha do not hold any
such restricted view as the four-Math theory. Madhava’s Sankara- vijaya, though a butt of criticism by a large number of people who dislike its popularity, seems to be non-partisan, and maintains
only that Sankara in his, last days, sent several of his disciples to preach the doctrine at ‘Sringeri and other centres’. Though it gives special importance to Sringeri by naming it, it admits the existence of many other centres. Whether these were all Maths with resident Sannyasins is anybody’s guess. Anantanandagiri, as also texts like Sivarahasya, mention Kanchi as one of the centres he founded— in fact, as the Math where he finally settled down and passed away, thus giving it special importance. Under the circumstances how the theory of four Maths came to have such popularity has to be explained. It cannot be merely because of the mention of it in Chidvilasa’s Sankara-vijaya.

On the other hand, that text must have merely recorded the popular notion existing at the time. The theory seems to have originated from the fact that the Orders of Dasanami Sannyasins recognise and accept affiliation with only these four Maths— the Orders known as Puns, Bharatis and Saraswathis with Sringeri Math; Giris, Aranyas and Vanas with Jyothi Math; Ashramas and Tirthas with Dwaraka Math; and Parvatas and Sagaras with Puri Math. No other Math is recognised by them.

Now, if there were more Maths of Sankara, why have the Dasanami Sannyasins limited their affiliation to these four Maths only? None of the protagonists of the different Sankara Mathis have answered this question. The affiliation, no doubt, is only a nominal one, and these Sannyasins neither take Sannyasa from these Maths nor follow any direction or control emanating from them. Still, the question of how they came to be thus affiliated has to be answered. The advocates of more than four-Maths have given no explanation. In fact, they have not at all taken into account the evidence of Dasanami Sannyasins, who have played a more active role in propagating the institution of Sannyasa and the Advaita philosophy than the Sankara Maths. From what time, whether it was from the time of Sankaracharya himself or in later times, the Dasanamis came into existence, cannot be ascertained now.

Even assuming they came later, and also that Sankara started more than four Maths, their affiliation with these four Maths above-mentioned establishes at least that, at the time these Sannyasin Orders took shape, only these four Maths were functioning effectively. The functioning of the Maths as well as their popularity must have depended largely on the eminence of the Heads at particular times. But this does not preclude the possibility of other genuine Maths, unnoticed and unrecognised by Sannyasins, functioning among non-Sannyasin communities.

Nothing more precise than this can be said about the question as to which are the Maths originally founded by Sankaracharya, or even whether he founded any Math at all. Different sects having varying traditions can stick to them with justification, provided they do not become too cocksure and dogmatic and deny a similar right to others who differ from them. [Sankar Digvijaya]