Events Platfrom: Moksha

Prakarana Granthas are authoritative texts that elucidate complex concepts in an accessible manner, providing clarity on technical terms and terminologies used in the Shastras. They also serve an important pedagogical function, namely facilitating a graded teaching of Shastras wherein a student is first taught these texts before taking them to a study of more advanced texts. Thus, they serve as invaluable companions for students embarking on deeper study of the Shastras.

The Vedanta tradition encompasses a profound journey of self-discovery, involving the renunciation of ego-driven desires, mastery over the mind and eventual transcendence of all notions of duality. It is essentially a path of Knowledge or Jnanayoga which involves deep inquiry into the Upanishadic teachings accompanied by contemplation and meditation on those teachings which would cultimate in realization of the Absolute Truth (Tattva-Jnana).  Known as Sravana (listening to Vedantic teachings from Guru), Manana (intellectual enquiry), Niddhidhyasana (contemplation on truth), these constitutes the three stages of Vedanta Sadhana (or Jnanayoga) which cultimates in Atma-Jnana or Self Knowledge.

This being the case, a systematic study of Vedanta Shastras plays a central role in Vedanta Sadhana.

To facilitate this, Adi Shankara Bhagavadpadacharya, the great master in his utmost compassion had authored a large number of works for communicating Vedantic knowledge to everyone. He authored the Prashthana Trayi Bhashyas for the intellectually leaning panditas. He composed a large number of Stotras for the devotionally oriented seekers. And finally, he composed numerous Prakarana Granthas both as introductory texts introducing the subject of Vedanta and as texts imparting directly the essential teachings of Advaita helpful for the Mumukshus in their quest for liberation.

Following Bhagavadpadacharya, many other Advaita Acharyas have composed a larger number of Prakarana Granthas as well. The purpose of these Vedanta Prakarana Granthas are three fold:

1. Introduce the student to the essential teachings of Vedanta in a simple manner, thereby providing a comprehensive overview of the entire system.
2. Introduce the student to all the Shastriya concepts and terminologies, and other preliminaries necessary for a student.
3. Facilitate the beginner student to gradually become competent to take up study of advanced Vedanta texts such as Prasthanatrayi Bhashya.

Some of the prominent Vedanta Prakarana Granthas by Bhagavadpadacharya and his lineage of acharyas in the Advaita Sampradaya include:

Vivekachudamani
Upadesha-Sahasri
Atma-Bodha
Aparokshanubhuti
Vakya-Vritti
Panchikarana
Dasha Sloki
Tattva bodhaa
Nirvana Shatkam
Panchadashi
Vedanta Sara
Vedanta Paribhasha
Advaita Makaranda
Dṛg-Dṛśya-Viveka

The symposium seeks to highlight some of the distinguishing features of Vedanta Prakarana Granthas as well as shed light on its important teachings.

Schedule

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.

SCHEDULE

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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