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Its first great consolidator was Shankara ( 788- 820 CE). Continuing the line of thought of some of the Upanishadic teachers, and also that of his own teacher Gaudapada , Shankara expounded the doctrine of Advaita — a nondualistic reality. According to Advaitins, by analysing the three states of experience — waking, dreaming and deep sleep — Shankara exposed the relative nature of the world and established the supreme truth of the Advaita: the non-dual reality of Brahman in which atman (the individual soul) and brahman (the ultimate reality expressed in the trimurti) are identified absolutely. The three states of consciousness, in fact, are subsumed into a fourth transcendental state known in the Upanishads as 'turiya.' The manifold nature of the phenomenal world and their ultimate unity is symbolized by Aum, the most sacred of Hindu mantras.
It must be noted that many of these ideas have been amply and in fact thoroughly explained in Upanishads dating back to 1000 BCE (or 1600 BCE by some estimates), such as in the Brihadaranyaka in a dialogue between Prajapati and Indra that discusses the stages of the Self and the states of consciousness; however, it was Adi (meaning First) Shankaracharya who initially gave the movement a name and went about actually spreading its teachings, systematizing his conceptions of nondualism and how to practice religion according to such ideas into coherent works like the Viveka-Chudamani (Crest-Jewel of Discrimination). He is much like Patanjali who, while not creating the idea of Raja YogaIt is said that the original propounder of classical Yoga was Hiranyagarbha Himself. It is Patanjali Maharishi who formulated this science into a definite system under the name of Ashtanga Yoga or Raja Yoga. This forms one of the Shad-Darsananas or Classi, known more generally in the Hindu systems of philosophy as YogaYoga meaning union or yoking in Sanskrit, is the primary focus of Hinduism's diverse religious activities. Yoga is a science of the body, the mind, the consciousness and the soul. Yoga is a teaching of wisdom and knowledge which has been transmitted to ma, is credited with its spread.
Adi Shankaracharya's importance to not only Advaita thought, but Hinduism as it was subsequently practiced and understood, even by those who would not consider themselves Advaitist, cannot be stressed enough. His main works are the Brahma Bhashyas , which are commentaries on the Brahma Sutras, a commentary on the Bhagavad Gita in nondualist strains, and his own treatise on Advaita, the Viveka Choodamani / Viveka Chudamani . In addition, he is well known for propounding a system of bhakti, or selfless devotion, within an Advaitic system of philosophy, in a number of bhajanA Bhajan is a Hindu devotional song, often but not necessarily of ancient origin. Bhajans are associated with the Bhakti movement. Bhajans are deeply rooted in the Indian tradition. Bhajans are simple songs in soulful language expressing the many-splendors, or devotional songs, the most famous being Bhaja Govindamby Sri Shankaracharya Adi Shankaracharya Adi Shankaracharya is widely known for his teachings on Vedanta. Shankaracharya was born in the village of Kaladi, in South India, about 2500 years ago to his Brahmin parents, Sivaguru and Aryamba. He traveled thro, Soundaryalahari and Sivanandalahari