He
seems to have devoted his whole attention to religious reform, and it is
very improbable that he should have ever directed his attention to the
local customs of Malabar. While attempting to revive the philosophy of
the ancient Rishis, it is not likely that he should have sanctioned the
customs of Malabar, which are at variance with the rules laid down in
the Smritis of those very Rishis; and as far as our knowledge goes, he
left no written regulations regarding to the castes of Malabar.
II. The statements contained in Kerala Utpatti are opposed to the
account of Sankara's life given in almost all the Sankara Vijayams
(Biographies of Sankara) examined up to this time--viz., Vidyaranya's
Sankara Vijayam, Chitsukhachary's Sankara Vijayavilasam, Brihat Sankara
Vijayam, &c. According to the account contained in these works, Sankara
left Malabar in his eighth year, and returned to his native village when
his mother was on her death-bed, and on that occasion he remained there
only for a few days. It is difficult to see at what period of his
lifetime he was engaged in making regulations for the castes of Malabar.
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