Advaita Vedanta really took shape when Adi Shankara, often hailed as the movement’s great systematizer, wove together threads from the Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita and Brahma Sutras into a cohesive non-dual philosophy. Shankara lived around 788–820 CE, traveling the length and breadth of the subcontinent—engaging in spirited debates, establishing four monastic centers and penning commentaries that remain foundational today.

Yet the roots of non-duality stretch much further back. The Upanishads, composed between 800 and 400 BCE, contain the first inklings of “Brahman is real, the world is unreal” (Brahma Satyam, Jagat Mithyā). By the 6th–7th century CE, Gaudapada’s Mandukya Kārikā laid down key arguments, setting the stage for Shankara’s full-blown doctrine. Think of Gaudapada as laying the groundwork and Shankara as the architect who added all the finishing touches.

Today, Advaita Vedanta still resonates in modern mindfulness circles. Apps like Calm and Headspace echo its emphasis on the ever-present witness, and recent documentaries on streaming platforms highlight how non-dual insights can cut through life’s noise—much like Shankara’s sharp refutations once did. In an era of constant digital chatter, the teaching that “Atman and Brahman are one” invites a radical pause, challenging the sense of separation that drives so much of contemporary stress.

In essence, although Advaita springs from ancient wisdom, its emergence as a formal school around the 8th century CE—under the keen guidance of Adi Shankara—continues to ripple through spiritual seekers today.