Sri Appayya Dikshita was one of the most outstanding scholar, philosopher, poet, and a ritualist to have walked on the sacred land of Bharat. He lived in 16th century CE and has the unique distinction as being a great Acharya of both Advaita Vedanta and Shivadvaita. He is in fact counted among the three great Dravida Acharyas of Advaita Sampradaya along with Adi Shankaracharya Bhagavadpada and and earlier teacher who is only known from quotations of other authors. Appayya Dikshita is also considered as belonging to the venerable trio of Shivadvaita along with Srikanta Sivacharya and Haradattacharya.
Appayya Dikshitar was born in Adayapalam, near Ami in the North Arcot district, in 1554 A.D. His father’s name was Rangarajudhwari. Appayya had the name Vinayaka Subramanya when Namakarana ceremony took place. Acharya Dikshitar or Acchan Dikshitar was the younger brother of Appayya. Appayya studied the the Shastras under Guru Rama Kavi and completed the fourteen Vidyas while he was quite young. He was also known as great performer of Vaidika Yajnas including Yajnas such as Soma and Vajapeya.
Appaya Dikshita was a scholar-par-excellence and he travelled widely, entering into philosophical disputations and controversies in many centers of learning. The greatness of his scholarship can be known from the fact that he authored more than a hundred and four works, very profound and in-depth works, representative of all branches of knowledge in the Sanskrit language and literature including Vedanta, Shivadvaita, Mimamsa, Vyakarana, Kavya, Alankara, and devotional poetry.
Some of his prominant works on Vedanta include Siddhanta Lesa Sangraha, Nyaya Rakshamani, and Kalpataruparimala. Important Shivadvaita works include Sikharani Mala and a commentary on it titled Shiva Tattva Viveka, Sri Sivarka Mani Dipika, and Anandalahari Chandrika. Vidhirasayana and a commentary on it titled Sukhopayojini, Upakrama Parakrama, and Purvottara Mimamsa Vada Nakshtra Mala are among his notable works on Mimamsa. His work Chatur Mata Sara Sangraha
captures in four sections, the four schools of Vedanta – the Dvaita, the Visishtadvaita, the Sivadvaita, and the Advaita.
This Symposium seeks to explore the multifaceted writings of Sri Appayya Dikshita and highlight the width and depth of his scholarship, as well as bring out unique aspects of his works.
SCHEDULE
| Time | Speaker | Title of Talk |
| 9.00-9.10 AM | Nithin Sridhar Director & Chief Curator, Indica Moksha |
Opening Remarks |
| 9.10-10.00 AM | Veda Brahmasri Mahamahopadhyaya Mani Dravid Shastrigal Renowned scholar of Advaita Vedanta, Mimamsa, Vyakarana, and Nyaya Shastras. Professor, Mimamsa Department, Madras Sanskrit College, Chennai |
Inaugural Address अप्पय्यदीक्षितानां शिवभक्तिः- Appayya Dīkṣita’s Sublime Devotion To Bhagavān Śiva |
| 10.00-10.30 AM | Dr K.S. Maheswaran Namboothiri Assistant Professor, Vedanta Department, Madras Sanskrit College, Chennai |
अप्पय्यदीक्षितेन्द्रै: कृतो मीमांसाशास्त्रपरिष्कार:- An examination of Appayya Dīkṣita‘s works on Mīmāṃsā |
| 10.30-11.00 AM | Vidwan Karthik Sharma K Assistant Professor in Chinmaya Vishwa Vidyapeeth, Kochi |
पूर्वोत्तरमीमांसयोः ऐकशास्त्र्ये परिमलस्थाः युक्तयः-Arguments from Parimala to establish the single domainship of Pūrva and Uttara Mīmāṃsā |
| 11.00-11.30 AM | Dr. Jammalamadaka Suryanarayana Senior Project Manager at Sidhhanta Knowledge Foundation, Chennai and Adjunct Faculty, MIT Institute for Indic Knowledge Studies – Pune. |
Jīva and Īśvara: Exploring vedantic principles in Siddhāntaleśasaṃgraha |
| 11.30 AM-12.00 NOON | Vidwan V Subramanian Retired employee of Reserve Bank of India. Traditional scholar of Advaita Vedanta. |
Śrīrāmāyaṇa-tātparya-sārasaṅgraha-stotram of Śrī Appayya Dīkṣiteṃdra (Kannaḍa talk) |
| 12.00-12.30 PM | Dr. Srinivas Jammalamadaka Director, School of Shastric Learning, Kavikulaguru Kalidas Sanskrit University, Ramtek |
Appayya Dīkṣita’s views on eligibility for Karmānuṣṭhāna related to Brahmavidyā |
| 12.30-1.00 PM | Dr. Kuppa Bilwesa Sarma Assistant Professor, Department of Prachina Vyakarana, Sampurnanand Sanskrit University, Varanasi |
अप्पय्यदीक्षितोक्ताः व्याकरणविशेषाः- Some highlights from Appayya Dīkṣita‘s treatment of Vyākaraṇa |
| LUNCH BREAK 01:00PM to 02:00PM | ||
| 2.00-2.30 PM | Dr M Gokulakrishna Aiyar Ayurvedic Physician & Student of Samskrta Sahitya |
Śrīmad Appayya Dīkṣiteṃdra as an upāsaka: Glimpses from his Śivārcanācandrikā |
| 2.30-3.00 PM | Vidwan Kuvalaya Datta Traditional Scholar of Samaveda & Advaita Vedanta. Teacher of Advaita Vedanta, Datta Peetham, Mysuru. |
शिवाद्वैतानुसारेण अथातो ब्रह्मजिज्ञासा इति सूत्रव्याख्यानं- Interpretation of ‘athāto brahmajijñāsā‘ as per Śivādvaita |
| 3.00-3.30 PM | Vidwan V Krishna Sharma Traditional Scholar of Samaveda & Advaita Vedanta. Teacher of Samaveda, Datta Peetham, Mysuru. |
सिद्धान्तलेशसंग्रहानुसारेण चिच्चातुर्विध्यप्रक्रिया- Appayya Dīkṣita‘s enunciation on 4 types of consciousness |
| 3.30-4.00 PM | Dr. Ganesh Ishwar Bhat HOD and Professor in Advaita Vedanta Department, Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan in Rajiv Gandhi Campus, Sringeri. |
अप्पय्यदीक्षितदिशा आनन्दमयाधिकरणसूत्रार्थचिन्तनम् – Interpretation of Ānandamayādhikaraṇa Sūtras according to Appayya Dīkṣita |
| 4.00-4.30 PM | Vidwan K Giridhara Sarma Electronics Engineer. Traditional Scholar of Mimamsa & Vedanta. |
Ratnatrayaparīkṣā: Appayya Dīkṣita‘s accommodative engagement with different philosophies. |
| 4.30-5.00 PM | Dr. Tulasi Kumar Joshi Assistant Professor, Department of Sanskrit, Vasanta College for Women, Rajghat, Varanasi. |
सिद्धान्तलेशसङ्ग्रहे ब्रह्मलक्षणविचारः- Definition of Brahma as per Siddhānta-leśa-saṃgraha |
| 5.00-5.45 PM | Prof. Penna Madhusudan Professor of Sanskrit, Dean, Kavikulaguru Kalidas Sanskrit University, Ramtek, Maharashtra |
Valedictory Address Appayya Dīkṣita: The Philosopher and Commentator Par Excellence |
| 5.45-5.55 PM | Dr. Nagaraj Paturi Senior Director & Chief Curator, INDICA |
Summary And Closing Remarks |
| 5.55-6.00 PM | Nithin Sridhar Director & Chief Curator, Indica Moksha |
Conclusion And Vote Of Thanks |
