Upadesasahasri

Upadesasahasri (Upadeśasāhasri), which literally means "a thousand teachings", is an 8th-century CE Sanskrit text of Adi Shankara. This work is part of Prakaraṇa grantha, and is considered Shankara's most important authentic non-commentarial work.

Upadesasahasri is divided into two parts – one is in metric verse and another is in prose. There are nineteen chapters (prakarana) in the verse (or Metrical Part (Padyabandha). The manuscript of this work indicates that the two parts (prose and verse) were regarded as independent works and studied or commented upon separately. Manuscript also suggests the possibility that any single chapter could be studied differently – apart from the rest. This means one could/can start reading this work anywhere.

The text states in verse 1.1 that it is a description of the "method and means" of Self-knowledge and moksha.

In Chapter 1, it states that teacher is the pilot as the student walks in the journey of knowledge, he is the raft as the student rows. The text describes the need, role and characteristics of a teacher, as follows,

The teacher is one who is endowed with the power of furnishing arguments pro and con, of understanding questions [of the student], and remembers them. The teacher possesses tranquility, self-control, compassion and a desire to help others, who is versed in the Śruti texts (Vedas, Upanishads), and unattached to pleasures here and hereafter, knows the subject and established in that knowledge. He is never a transgressor of the rules of conduct, devoid of weaknesses such as ostentation, pride, deceit, cunning, jugglery, jealousy, falsehood, egotism and attachment. The teacher's sole aim is to help others and a desire to impart the knowledge.

When the teacher find from signs that knowledge has not been grasped or has been wrongly grasped by the student, he should remove the causes of non-comprehension in the student. This includes the student's past and present knowledge, want of previous knowledge of what constitutes subjects of discrimination and rules of reasoning, behavior such as unrestrained conduct and speech, courting popularity, vanity of his parentage, ethical flaws that are means contrary to those causes. The teacher must enjoin means in the student that are enjoined by the Śruti and Smrti, such as avoidance of anger, Yamas consisting of Ahimsa and others, also the rules of conduct that are not inconsistent with knowledge. He [teacher] should also thoroughly impress upon the student qualities like humility, which are the means to knowledge.

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