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Oppiliappan List Archive: Message 00218 Nov 2003

 
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SrI:

Dear Swamy Desika BhakthAs and AbhimAnis :

Today , we will study  the  two Paasurams dealing with
Swamy  Desikan's  criticism of Adhvaitham .At the outset ,
let me request all who to read this posting to treat it as
a historical summary with no intention to hurt anybody's feelings .
This particular posting is aimed at the students of Philosophy .

Source Literature
*************
There are many outstanding books on Advaitha, Dhvaitha ,
VisishtAdhvaitha VedAnthams by eminent AchAryAs going back to
many  centuries . In most recent times , the following books on
the comparitive analysis and defense of Advaitha and VisishtAdhvaitha
Darsanams would be of immense use to the students of such darsanams :

1. SrI Madhusoodhana Saraswathi ( 1540-1647 C.E) : Advaitha Siddhi

2. Swamy  Desikan (1268-1369 C.E) : Satha DhUshaNi   & Other SrI Sookthis
    such as AdhikaraNa SaarAvaLi  , 11th chapter of Para Matha Bhangam

3. SrI AnanthakrishNa  Saasthri ( 1956) : Satha BhUshaNi

4. SrI UtthamUr Swamy ( 1959): ParamArTa BhUshaNam

5.SrI S.M.S. Chari 1961) : Advaita and VisishtAdhvaitha
   (A study based on Vedanata Desika"s Sata DhUshaNi ).

6. SrI S.M.S. Chari ( 1998): The Philosophy of the Vedantha SoothrAs

Before studying the two Paasurams of Swamy  Desikan on
Advaitham , let us summarize the key aspects of  Advaitham
as presented  by U.Ve. Dr.V.N.SeshAdhriyAcchAr
Swamy ( Dr.V.N.S Swamy ) and his elder brother ,
U.Ve. V.N.SrIrAma DesikAcchAr  Swamy along
the lines of AchArya RaamAnujA in SrI BhAshyam
(laghu and MahA SiddhAntham) and Swamy  Desikan in
Satha DhUshaNi, Tatthva Muktha KalAPam ,
SarvArTa Siddhi and Para Matha  Bhangam (11th Chapter:
Pracchanna Bhouddha BhangAdhikAram) .

Adhi Sankara's contributions
***********************
His contributions are many from PrakaraNa granthams
to moving sthOthrams and subhAshithams like Bhaja Govindham.
Adhi Sankara destroyed the faulty doctrines of Veda-Baahya
mathams like Bhuddhism and Jainism and established the authority of
Vedams and crushed the nihilistic theories of Bhuddhisam . We are
indebted to Adhi Sankara for these unique contributions .

Adviatham & Buddhism (Continued)
*****************************
Dr.V.Varadachary's observations on Adhvaitham developed
by Aadhi Sankara are : " Idealism of the Bhuddhists found
room in SankarA's system in which Brahman assumed
the place of Knowledge. Brahman is without attributes and is
the only Reality. The world of animates and inanimates (ChEthanams
and achEthanams ) has  only phenomenal existence and while dividing
existence thus in to absolute and phenomenal , SankarA paved the way for
living a virtous life leading finally to absolutism ". In view of
overlaps with Buddhistic doctrines in some key areas ,
some have described adhvaitham as Pracchanna Bhouddham.

Some disagreements
****************
VaishNavite Achaaryas have over centuries disagreed
with the basic premises of Advaitham in the follwing areas
as defined by Dr.S.M.S. Chari in his classical monograph
entitled "Advaitha and VisishtAdhvaitha " :

(1) The validity of PramANAs for Advaita VedAntham
(2) The nature and content of Perception (3) TheNature of
Consciousness (4) The nature of Jeevan (5) The Nature of Brahman:
SaguNa or NirguNa Brahman (6) The nature of Jagath (Universe)
(7) The doctrine of avidhya and (8) Sadhana and Mukthi .

As Dr.S.M.S. Chari points out , there have been criticisms
Advaitham by VisishtAdhvaitham and vice versa over
centuries and continues even today.

Darsanams wiht different view points
******************************
Professor P.N. SrInivAsAchAri's wise  assessment
has to be borne in mind, while we treat this subject
( the Two schools of VedAnthA ) in this series of
Postings on Para Matha Bhangam .

" Every VedAnthic System has a synthetic purpose as it claims be
a criticism of and fulfilment of previous systems. The conflicts between
two schools of thought do not in any way affect their value as a system of
philosophy . On the other hand , they enrich them in so far as they serve as
an impetus to further development of Philosophic thought " .

The Core Doctrines of Adhvaitham
***************************
Samkara Advaitha has the core doctrines:

" Brahma Satyam  Jagan Mithya , JivO Brahmaiva na Para: "

This core statement of Advaitham affirms (1) the nonduality of  Brahman /
the onenness of the individual Jeevan with the absolute Brahaman/
the nondifference between the Jevan and Brahaman
(2) the nonreality of the empirical world around us and
(3) Brahman alone is True.

The key concept in Advaitha VedAntha is avidhyA /MaayA ) .
It is used  to explain  the distinction between the attributeless (nirguNa )
Brahman and the One with attributes (SaguNa Brahman ) and to
explain the distinction between non-dual reality appearing as Jeevans
and as God ( Iswaran) .

We will study the two Paasurams dealing with the criticism of Adhvaitham
by  Swamy  Desikan in the next posting .

 Daasan , Oppiliappan KOil Varadachari Sadagopan

 SrImate SrI Lakshminrusimha PaadhukA sEvaka
 SrI  Aadhi VaNN SaThakOpa SrI NaarAyaNa YathIndhra
 MahA DesikAya Nama:


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