Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
:अद्वैत कालानल); (), is a Sanskrit work on Dvaita philosophy written by
Narayanacharya
Narayanacharya ( IAST:Nārāyaṇācārya; c. 1600 – c. 1660), was an Indian scholar and philosopher of Dvaita Vedānta tradition. He was the disciple of Vedavyasa Tirtha of Uttaradi Math and is the most celebrated name in the annals of the ...
. It is a refutation work for the theological controversies provoked by
Appayya Dikshita
Appayya Dikshita (IAST ', often "Dikshitar"), 1520–1593 CE, was a performer of yajñas as well as an expositor and practitioner of the Advaita Vedanta school of Hindu philosophy but with a focus on Shiva or Shiva Advaita.
Life
Appayya ...
Indologist
Indology, also known as South Asian studies, is the academic study of the history and cultures, languages, and literature of the Indian subcontinent, and as such is a subset of Asian studies.
The term ''Indology'' (in German, ''Indologie'') is ...
Advaita
''Advaita Vedanta'' (; sa, अद्वैत वेदान्त, ) is a Hindu sādhanā, a path of spiritual discipline and experience, and the oldest extant tradition of the orthodox Hindu school Vedānta. The term ''Advaita'' (l ...
metaphysics such as its disrupt of
Pramana
''Pramana'' (Sanskrit: प्रमाण, ) literally means "proof" and "means of knowledge".Appayya against the trustworthiness of and acceptability of
Madhva
Madhvacharya (; ; CE 1199-1278 or CE 1238–1317), sometimes anglicised as Madhva Acharya, and also known as Purna Prajna () and Ānanda Tīrtha, was an Indian philosopher, theologian and the chief proponent of the ''Dvaita'' (dualism) schoo ...
's interpretation of the Sutras such as, (i) his indifference to and misrepresentation of the principles of Vedic interpretation and Mīmāṃsā exegesis; (ii) his fondness for untraceable Srutis and
Smriti
''Smriti'' ( sa, स्मृति, IAST: '), literally "that which is remembered" are a body of Hindu texts usually attributed to an author, traditionally written down, in contrast to Śrutis (the Vedic literature) considered authorless, that ...
s in support of his peculiar interpretations; and (iii) his glaring metrical flaws and lapses from correct grammar and usage of words. Nārāyaṇā refutes these charges with the solid array of facts and figures, indicating the correctness of Madhva's interpretations and their loyalty to genuine traditions of Vedic interpretations. The authenticity of the metrical forms and soundness of the grammatical forms impugned by the critic are upheld.
The next two chapters are devoted to the justification of Purvapaksha of the opening Adhikarana of Brahma Sutras as developed by Madhva and his commentators against the refutations attempted by the critic. The last chapter deals with the criticisms on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th Adhikaranas of
Brahma Sutras
The ''Brahma Sūtras'' ( sa, ब्रह्मसूत्राणि) is a Sanskrit text, attributed to the sage bādarāyaṇa or sage Vyāsa, estimated to have been completed in its surviving form in approx. 400–450 CE,, Quote: "...we c ...
and is wound up with a general review of criticisms on the rest of the Brahma Sutra Bhashya.
Sharma says, it may be said that Narayanacharya has successfully repelled the criticisms of Appayya and shown them to be quite shallow and sentimental and based on irrelevant considerations. He has tried to put up an unexpurgated case for the soundness and acceptability of
Madhva
Madhvacharya (; ; CE 1199-1278 or CE 1238–1317), sometimes anglicised as Madhva Acharya, and also known as Purna Prajna () and Ānanda Tīrtha, was an Indian philosopher, theologian and the chief proponent of the ''Dvaita'' (dualism) schoo ...
's interpretations of the Sutras. His intimate knowledge of several branches of learning and familiarity with the literature of
Advaita
''Advaita Vedanta'' (; sa, अद्वैत वेदान्त, ) is a Hindu sādhanā, a path of spiritual discipline and experience, and the oldest extant tradition of the orthodox Hindu school Vedānta. The term ''Advaita'' (l ...
and mutual differences of views among its exponents enable him to corner the critic at inconvenient angles and show that the criticisms leveled against
Madhva
Madhvacharya (; ; CE 1199-1278 or CE 1238–1317), sometimes anglicised as Madhva Acharya, and also known as Purna Prajna () and Ānanda Tīrtha, was an Indian philosopher, theologian and the chief proponent of the ''Dvaita'' (dualism) schoo ...
's interpretations have no more than a "nuisance value" and are powerless to cause any permanent damage to their structure.
Legacy
Indologist
Indology, also known as South Asian studies, is the academic study of the history and cultures, languages, and literature of the Indian subcontinent, and as such is a subset of Asian studies.
The term ''Indology'' (in German, ''Indologie'') is ...
B. N. K. Sharma
Bhavani Narayanrao Krishnamurti Sharma (9 June 1909 – 2 July 2005), commonly known as B. N. K. Sharma or B. N. Krishnamurti Sharma, was an Indian writer, scholar, professor, and Indologist. Sharma was a professor and Head of the Department of ...
writes, "The ''Advaitakālānala'' is a scathing criticism of the ''Madhvamatamukhamardana'' of Appayya. The carping criticisms and bitter personal attacks of the Dikshita are vigorously returned by Narayana. He loses no opportunity to pay the critic in his coin and with compound interest. The tone of the work is thus retaliatory and bitingly sarcastic". American
historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the st ...
Anthony Grafton
Anthony Thomas Grafton (born May 21, 1950) is an American historian of early modern Europe and the Henry Putnam University Professor of History at Princeton University, where he is also the Director the Program in European Cultural Studies. He i ...
and
classicist
Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...
Glenn W. Most
Glenn Warren Most (born June 12, 1952 in Miami) is an Americans, American classicist and comparative literature, comparatist originating from the US, but also working in Germany and Italy.
Most studied classics at Harvard from 1968 on and receiv ...
considered the work ''Advaitakālānala'' along with the Abhinava-Gada of Satyanatha Tirtha as a new mace which broke the heads of non-dualists like
Appayya Dikshita
Appayya Dikshita (IAST ', often "Dikshitar"), 1520–1593 CE, was a performer of yajñas as well as an expositor and practitioner of the Advaita Vedanta school of Hindu philosophy but with a focus on Shiva or Shiva Advaita.
Life
Appayya ...