Events Centers: Center For Moksha Studies

Sri Sureshwaracharya was a renowned scholar and philosopher who played a pivotal role in the flourishing of Sanatana Vaidika Dharma. He was one of the most prominent disciples of Adi Shankara Bhagavadpadacharya who entrusted him with the responsibility of spreading Sanatana Dharma and Vedanta as the first Peethadhipati of Sringeri Sharadha Peetham.

The details of Sureshwaracharya’s life remain largely obscure, but Advaita Vedānta tradition holds that before accepting Adi Shankaracharya as his master, Sureshwaracharya was called Mandana Mishra, a prominent Mimamsaka scholar. His life took a transformative turn after being defeated in a debate by Shankaracharya, prompting Mishra to renounce his worldly life and embark on a spiritual path as a sannyasin (renunciate). Whether this Mandana Mishra who became Sureshwaracharya was the same as the author of Brahmasiddhi or not is an unsettled debate among scholars.

Sri Sureshwaracharya made profound and lasting contributions to Indian philosophy, particularly Advaita Vedanta. Building on Shankaracharya’s foundational teachings, Sureshwaracharya clarified and consolidated his master’s work, resolving potential misinterpretations and establishing a unified understanding. We see this particularly in his metrical commentaries or Varttikas on Shankaracharya’s Taittiriya and Brihadaranyaka Upanishadic Bhashyas. The Varttikas are seminal works that are philosophically brilliant and reinforces the very foundation of Advaita Vedanta by meticulously and critically examining Sankaracharya’s work, and which has made him popular as ‘the Varttikakara’ in the Advaita Tradition.

He has also contributed to Dharmashastra tradition by authoring an important commentary titled ‘Balakrida’ on Yajnavalkya Smriti.

Complete list of his work include:

1. Varttika on Taittriya Upanishad Bhashyam
2. Varttika on Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Bhashyam
3. Sambandha-Varttika: A commentary on Shankaracharya’s introduction to the Brhadaranyaka Upaniṣad
4. Mansollasa: A commentary on Shanakracharya’s Dakṣiṇamurti Stotram
5. Panchikarana Vartikam: A commentary on Shanakracharya’s short work Panchikarana
6. Naishkarmya Siddhi: An Independant treatise on Vedanta
7. Balakrida: A commentary on Yajnavalkya Smriti.

The Symposium seeks to highlight the philosophical brilliance and the immense contribution of the great master Sri Sureshwaracharya through shedding light on some salient aspects of his writings.

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India has been a home to a large number of diverse religious, philosophical and spiritual traditions. Hinduism and Buddhism as they stand today are two major religious traditions that emerged in this geography and which share a deep cultural, religious, and spiritual history.

At the core of this religious and spiritual pluralism is the dynamic Indian tradition of Vada or Philosophical Dialogue.

The term Vada is derived from the root ‘vad’ or ‘to speak’ and it has a variety of meanings including dialogue, discourse, thesis, argument, doctrine, discussion, controversy, and dispute, among others. The Indian tradition of Vada can easily be traced back to Vedic literature with the earliest word used to denote philosophical discussion being ‘Brahmodya’ and one of the most graphic examples of this kind of dialogue was the Vada between Yajnavalkya and Gargi.

Highlighting the diversity and pluralism inherent in the Vada tradition, Radhavallabh Tripathi in his ground-breaking book ‘Vada in Theory & Practice’ observes “Vada subsists on diversity. No Vada is possible if there is only one point of view. Also, Vada does not happen in singularity, it always is a prerequisite to the other and mostly promotes the presence of many others. India’s history of ideas and debates presents a multilinear view. The tradition of Vada envisages pluralism.”

One of the best exemplar of this dynamic and pluralistic nature of the Indian Vada Tradition is the Hindu-Budhhist Philosophical Dialogue that happened in the first millenium CE. Tripathi describes it as the “one of the finest examples of intellectual refinement through Vada. As both the sides sharpened their weapons for attacking their adversaries, they enriched and sharpened their own systems of thought and tools of analysis.”

The Hindu schools that participated in this philosophical dialogue were the Darshanas of Nyaya-Vaisheshika, Samkhya-Yoga, Mimamsa, and Vedanta, which are collectively known as Astika Darshanas as they accept Veda as the authoritative source of knowledge. The Buddhist schools that participated in the dialogue were the philosophical schools such as Sarvastivada, Sautranika, Vaibhashika, Madhyamaka, and Vijnanavada.

We wish to shed light on this important aspect of Indian philosophical and intellectual history through a series of Symposiums and talks focussing on Hindu-Buddhist Dialogue.

Towards this end, the present Symposium seeks to highlight the Hindu Darshanas’ philosophical engagement with Buddhist schools and prominent Buddhist doctrines such as Anatta (non-self), Sunyata (emptiness), and Vijnanavada.

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Sri Bellamkonda Ramaraya Kavi was a renowned Sanskrit poet, scholar, yogi, and a staunch philosopher who propagated Advaita Siddhanta. Born in 1875 at Pamidi Padu, Narasaraopet Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, he lived only for 39 years before passing away in 1914. During the short time he lived, he composed as many of 149 Classic Works in Sanskrit of which unfortunately only 45 have survived.

Ramaraya Kavi was a strong proponent of Advaita Siddhanta as enunciated by Adi Shankaracharya. His philosophical interpretations and dialectics of logical disputation of Advaita system of thought earned him the name Apara Adi Shankara meaning an incarnation of Adi Shankaracharya. He was also a Yogi from a young age and is supposed to have been initated into Yoga by Bhagavan Hayagreeva himself.

He wrote a number on works on Vedanta which include both those that explain and elaborate upon the core concepts of Advaita Siddhanta and those that refute other philosophies, most notably the refutation of works of Vishishtadvaita authors such as Sri Ramanujacharya and Sri Vedanta Desika. His most notable works include: Sankaraasankara Bhasya Vimarsaha, Vedanta Sangraha, Bhashyarka Prakasha, Advaitanyamatakhandanam, Advaitavijayah, Advaitamrtam, among others.

Though mainly a philosopher, Ramaraya Kavi was also a wonderful poet. He was a born-poet and being highly proficient both in kavyas and sastras, he could be called, in the words of Rajasekhara, an ubhayakavi. In praise of the Lord Hayagreeva, Ramaraya Kavi has written stuties such as Srimad Hayavadana Satakam, Hayagreeva Ashtottara Satanamavali, Sri Hayagreeva Sahasranamavali, Hayagreeva Navaratnastuti which are said to be rare and very difficult compositions in Sanskrit.

This Symposium seeks to highlight Ramaraya Kavi’s contributions to Advaita Siddhanta.

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