Which of the following statements about the philosopher Shankara is/are true? 1. Shankara espoused a form of Vedanta called Advaita. 2. He elaborated on the philosophy of Gaudapada. 3. Shankara tried to demonstrate that the Upanishads and Brahmasutras contain a unified, systematic philosophy. 4. Shankara founded the Amanaya Mathas. Select the correct answer using the code given below.

Shankara was the primary exponent of Advaita (non-dualism), a doctrine rooted in Upanishadic philosophy. He significantly elaborated on the philosophy of Gaudapada, who was his paramaguru (teacher's teacher). Shankara wrote a commentary (Bhashya) on Gaudapada's Mandukya Karika to clarify points for readers and further the non-dualist argument [1]. A central goal of Shankara's work was to demonstrate that the Upanishads and the Brahmasutras contain a unified, systematic philosophy of Brahman. While Shankara is traditionally credited with establishing four major mathas (monasteries) at Sringeri, Puri, Dwarka, and Badrinath to preserve his teachings, these are historically referred to as the Amnaya Mathas (not 'Amanaya'). Statement 4 contains a spelling error or misnomer compared to standard historical terminology, making statements 1, 2, and 3 the most accurate set.

Sources

1. [1] History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 9: Cultural Development in South India > Advent of Adi Sankara > p. 131