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The most prominent thinker of the Advaita Vedanta school is Adi Shankaracharaya, but he wasn't the founder of Advaita; Adi Shankaracharaya's guru Govinda and Govinda's guru Gaudapada were also Advaitins. As I discuss in this question, Gaudapada is famous for his commentary on the Mandukya Upanishad. But I'm interested in Gaudapada himself.

As you can see here, according to Advaitin tradition Gaudapada was the student of the sage Shuka, son of the sage Vyasa, and then the Advaita Sampradaya is traced back through Shuka's ancestors: Vyasa, Parashara, Shakti, Vashishta, Brahma, and ultimately Vishnu. My question is, what is the story of how Gaudapada met the sage Shuka?

I've found one possible story which is from a seventeenth-century work called the Patanjali Charitam. In this account Gaudapada starts out as a student of Patanjali, the ancient grammarian and author of the Yoga Sutras. But Gaudapada displeases Patanjali, who curses him to turn into a Brahmarakshasa or cannibalistic demon. The only way for Gaudapada to be free from the curse is for someone to correctly answer a Sanskrit grammar question. After many years of roaming the forest as a Brahmrakshasa, Gaudapada finally comes across Govinda, a boy who correctly answers the question. Gaudapada then proceeds to teach the boy all about Sanskrit grammar, and this finally frees Gaudapada from the curse. After he returns to his human form, Gaudapada goes to Badarikashrama, where he meets the sage Shuka and becomes his disciple. Then years later, Govinda goes to Badarikashrama and finds out that Gaudapada is now an Advaita Acharya, so he decides to become his disciple (taken from this forum post):

After Gaudapada taught the boy, he was released from the curse. He then went northward searching for a guru. Having heard that Sukadeva was identified with the entire universe, he felt a desire to become his sishya and learn from him. After a long search he met Suka at Badari and was initiated by him into Advaita Darshana....

After searching in various places, [Govinda] finally went to Badari and met his old guru who had taught him grammar. He learnt that Gaudapada had become a sannyasi. He too took sannyasa from him. From then on, he was called Govinda Bhagavadpada.

So are there any older works that confirm the story given in the Patanjali Charitam? Are there any alternate accounts of how Gaudapada and Shuka met? I'd like to try to find the oldest known story of their meeting.

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Keshav Srinivasan
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    I am unfamiliar with the myths surrounding Gaudapada's life. There are many myths regarding Sankara's also. In the Dig-Vijayas of Sankara there are conflicting accounts and references to books no longer available - and even they conflict. There is an account of Sankara and his disciples meeting with Vyasa, He appeared to them and held a debate with Sankara. Not surprised there is a myth that Gaudapada met with Shuka but the references are I am sure lost in the haze of time. – Swami Vishwananda Apr 23 '15 at 05:53
  • @SwamiVishwananda Well, Gaudapada being the student of Shuka is a much more important matter than Adi Shankaracharya meeting Vyasa, because it establishes the roots of the Advaita Sampradayam as going all the way back to Vishnu. Even if you're not familiar with the story of how Gaudapada met Shuka, do you have any information regarding the earliest source which traces the Advaita Sampradayam beyond Gaudapada? – Keshav Srinivasan Apr 23 '15 at 14:33
  • @SwamiVishwananda By the way, I just posted a question about a passage that's apparently quoted in one of Adi Shankaracharya's commentaries: http://hinduism.stackexchange.com/q/7199/36 – Keshav Srinivasan May 07 '15 at 20:31
  • @KeshavSrinivasan are you satisfied with this story ? – Rakesh Joshi Feb 25 '17 at 18:55
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    @SwamiVishwananda if Shuka did not meet Gaudapada then what is the lineage of sankara vedanta ? why they include Shukas name in that ? – Rakesh Joshi Feb 25 '17 at 18:55
  • @RakeshJoshi No, I'm not. I think it's completely far-fetched. I don't think Gaudapada ever met Shuka. I think Gaudapada was originally a Yogachara Buddhist who founded a new interpretation of Vedanta, and later generations attributed a connection to Shuka for him. – Keshav Srinivasan Feb 25 '17 at 19:07
  • @KeshavSrinivasan then why other vedantins are silent on this false claims of lineage tracing to shuka, vyasa and Sakti muni ? – Rakesh Joshi Feb 25 '17 at 19:10
  • @RakeshJoshi I'm not sure whether other Vedantins have commented on these claims or not. – Keshav Srinivasan Feb 25 '17 at 19:12
  • @KeshavSrinivasan yes in group chat also i didnt find this issue being discussed. When foundation itself is a false claim then how it can be genuine lineage ?? It has become so easy in hinduism to claim false lineages and create fake gurus or even deities :( – Rakesh Joshi Feb 25 '17 at 19:13
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    @RakeshJoshi Many many sannaysins, including myself, chant a hymn every morning reciting the lineage of major teachers to thank them and honor them. Sankara is about half way - there are many names pre-Sankara chanted before Sankara is reached. You should really read more sources, including academic. – Swami Vishwananda Feb 26 '17 at 02:38
  • @SwamiVishwananda What is the lineage you recite? Isn't it Vishnu, then Brahma, then Vasista, then Shakti, then Parashara, then Vyasa, then Shuka, then Gaudapada, then Govindacharya, then Adi Shankaracharya? – Keshav Srinivasan Feb 26 '17 at 02:56
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    @SwamiVishwananda नारायणं पद्मभुवं वशिष्ठं शक्तिं च तत्पुत्रं पराशरं च व्यासं शुकं गौडपादं महान्तं गोविन्दयोगीन्द्रं अथास्य शिष्यम् । श्री शंकराचार्यं अथास्य पद्मपादं च हस्तामलकं च शिष्यम् तं तोटकं वार्त्तिककारमन्यान् अस्मद् गुरून् सन्ततमानतोऽस्मि ॥ ” — अद्वैत गुरु परंपरा स्तोत्रम् “ nārāyanam padmabhuvam vasiṣtham śaktim ca tat-putram parāśaram ca vyāsam śukam gauḍapāda mahāntam govinda yogīndram athāsya śiṣyam śri śankarācāryam athāsya padmapādam ca hastāmalakam ca śiṣyam tam totakam vārtikakāramanyān asmad gurūn santatamānato’smi ” — Advaita-Guru-Paramparā-Stotram – Rakesh Joshi Feb 26 '17 at 07:29
  • @KeshavSrinivasan None of the sadhus I know think that Gaudapada was a direct disciple of Shuka - and neither do I. Any writing that says he was is hyperbole done by an overenthusiastic devotee or someone trying to pass themselves off as an expert. They lived about a 1,000 years apart! Rakesh you are correct on the hymn cited. It cites the 'major' teachers. It is not meant to cite each and every one nor does the order imply that the name preceding was the guru of the following. If every teacher was listed how long would it take to recite! There is nothing less common than common sense... – Swami Vishwananda Feb 28 '17 at 14:14
  • @SwamiVishwananda Can you tell me any of the Acharyas that occur between Shuka and Gaudapada in the Guru Parampara? For instance, can you tell me Gaudapada's guru or Shuka's disciple? – Keshav Srinivasan Mar 01 '17 at 09:32
  • @KeshavSrinivasan No I cannot. Lost in the mists of time...just as Gaudapada's commentary on Advaita is the oldest we have even though there are references to other older commentaries that never survived time. Paper, papyrus, parchments, wood, all decay. My copy of the Gita that I got over 40 years ago is starting to seriously yellow and fall apart. Time is the great equalizer. It may not have been thought important for many centuries to keep that type of record, or to think about keeping the commentaries, there was no mass printing. – Swami Vishwananda Mar 11 '17 at 05:02
  • @RakeshJoshi btw the Guru Stotram is in the Bhashya of Shankara to the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad – Swami Vishwananda Mar 11 '17 at 05:06
  • @SwamiVishwananda "even though there are references to other older commentaries that never survived time" What commentaries are those? I know that there were pre-Shankara Vedantic commentators like Upavarsha, Baudhayana, Tanka, Dramidacharya, etc., but are there any pre-Shankara commentators prior to Gaudapada whose commentaries are known to have been from the viewpoint of Advaita? – Keshav Srinivasan Mar 11 '17 at 05:06
  • @SwamiVishwananda Where in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Bhashya is the Guru Stotram? It's not in the beginning, which is where I'd expect it to be. – Keshav Srinivasan Mar 11 '17 at 05:11
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    @SwamiVishwananda bodhayana was not advaitin but vishistha advaitin i suppose – Rakesh Joshi Mar 11 '17 at 06:59
  • @RakeshJoshi Manu Smriti 1.110-113 – Swami Vishwananda Mar 12 '17 at 15:38
  • @KeshavSrinivasan Sorry I got a little confused, as I recite three and they get a little blended together over time. My comment refers to the first line of Sankara's Introduction to the Brih. Upan. after that the recitation is the Advaita Guru Stotram. I believe that was composed by Sankara's disciple Ananda Giri – Swami Vishwananda Mar 12 '17 at 15:43
  • If this question is true then it will answer me a question about Shuka's Moksha. – Surya Jul 22 '17 at 01:26
  • @keshav, there is a set of Sutras attributed to Gaudapadacharya called the Sri Vidya Ratna Sutras. The Srividya sect also is an Advaithic one with great emphasis on Maya. Sri Shankara was also a SriVidya upasaka (many temples where he established SriChakra including Thirupathi). I am of the view that they are not Yogachara Buddhists but ones who have also incorporated the Shakti view in their works. – Vishwanath N May 05 '18 at 07:20
  • Another work of 17-18th century: Aatmabodhendra Saraswati in his commentary to Sadasiva Brahmendra's Jagadguru Ratnamalastava (10th verse) gives similar information : https://archive.org/details/JagatGuruRatnamalaStavaBySadashivaBrahmendraSarasvatiSringeri/page/n35 – Pandya Feb 16 '19 at 14:51
  • @RakeshJoshi be careful before you use the words fake gurus and false lineage claims. On what basis do you use those words? –  Jul 07 '19 at 14:56
  • @RakeshJoshi we believe Gaudapadacharya met Shuka muni in bodily form and was his direct Shishya. –  Jul 07 '19 at 14:57
  • @KeshavSrinivasan I don't know why you think it's only a mythical hyperbolic account that Shri Gaudapadacharya met Shuka muni. Why do you think it can't be real. All orthodox Advaithis believe it's real. And no according to us Gaudapadacharya was not a Buddhist who discovered some new interpretation, we hold that he was initiated by Shuka muni himself into Vedantic path. Rest all theories are guess works. –  Jul 07 '19 at 15:00
  • @Swami Vishwananda what if they lived 1000 years apart. So what? Do you really believe Vyasa is a chiranjeevi or even that is a myth? Krishna lifting mountain is also myth? Hanuman meeting Bheema is myth? If all of that is real what's so unique about this? –  Jul 07 '19 at 15:04
  • @VARUN.NRAO In general I am skeptical of claims of supernatural events, especially in the Kali Yuga, unless I have good reason to believe them. So until I have good reason to believe that Gaudapada was a shishya of Shuka, I remain skeptical. – Keshav Srinivasan Jul 07 '19 at 15:06
  • @VARUN.NRAO Let us continue this discussion in chat. – Keshav Srinivasan Jul 07 '19 at 15:52

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