Shiva Advaita

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Wikipedia

Śrīkaṇṭha Śivācārya

Shiva Advaita (Devanagari:शिवाद्वैत, Tamil: சிவாத்வைதம், Śivādvaitam, Kannada: ಶಿವಾದ್ವೈತ, Śivādvaita), also known as Śiva Viśiṣṭādvaita or Shaivite qualified nondualism,[1][2] refers to Śrīkaṇṭha Śivācārya's (dated 11th-15th century CE[3][4][2][5][6][7]) Southern India Shaivite commentary on the Brahma Sutras, which considers Shiva supreme,[5] and to Appayya's 16th century CE[8] commentary on Śrīkaṇṭha Śivācārya's stance.[9]

Origins

Śrīkaṇṭha Śivācārya (also known as Nīlakaṇṭha Śivācārya) composed the Srikanta Bhashyam,[10] a commentary on the Brahma Sutras, which became known as Śivādvaita.[11] The time frame of Śrīkaṇṭha's work is not exactly known, but it is argued to fall somewhere between the 11th and 11 century,[3][4][2][5][6][7] with the 14th to 15th century being more likely, according to Duquette.[12][a] Sri Appayya Dikshita (16th century CE[8]) contributed further to Shiva Advaita by expounding Śrīkaṇṭha's philosophy in his Sivarka Mani Dipika.[11]

Tenets

The theory of Śivadvaita resembles very closely Ramanuja's Viśiṣṭādvaita non-dualism doctrine,[b] but differs in who is considered Supreme. While Ramanuja considers Vishnu to be supreme, Śrīkaṇṭha considers Shiva supreme.[11][2][11] While Śrīkaṇṭha does not deny Nirguna Brahman, which is central to Advaita,[12], he affirms the supremacy of Saguna Brahman, typical of qualified non-dualism. However, Appayya affirms a form of pure non-dualism, and recasts Śrīkaṇṭha's work in an effort to establish Shiva Advaita in his Śivādvaitanirṇaya.[12]

Notes

  1. ↑ Kasivasi Senthinatha Iyer places it in the 7th century, arguing that it appeared before all the Bhashyams like Shankara, Ramanuja, and Madhva.[13]
  2. ↑ Compared to the Smārta tradition of Advaita, which regards Shiva as a manifestation of saguṇa Brahman ultimately dissolving into the impersonal nirguṇa Brahman, Srikanta’s Shiva Advaita is more sectarian and theistic, emphasizing Shiva as the unique and supreme Parabrahman.

References

  1. ↑ Chaudhuri 1962, p. 2.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Subramuniyaswami 2003, p. 1223.
  3. 1 2 Radhakrishna 1960, pp. 66.
  4. 1 2 Chaudhuri 1962, p. 7.
  5. 1 2 3 Johnson 2009.
  6. 1 2 Dalal 2014.
  7. 1 2 Duquette 2016, p. 68, note 2.
  8. 1 2 Duquette 2016, p. 67.
  9. ↑ Duquette 2016, p. 68, note 1.
  10. ↑ Kantha 1897.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Ramesan 1972, p. 67.
  12. 1 2 3 Duquette 2016.
  13. ↑ தமிழில் காசிவாசி செந்திநாதையர் (2005). பிரமசூத்திர சிவாத்துவித சைவபாடியம்.

Sources

Further reading