Category: Shankara Vijaya

” I have come to the conclusion that the work is no independent composition of one single author but is merely a collection of stanzas from four or even more earlier works, added to some nucleus if any that may have once existed, the nature and extent of which can not be ascertained today. I feel that it is unworthy of a genius like Vidyaranya. My findings are:

Out of the Total number of about 1848 verses, comprising the 16 chapters of this work, I.e. Madhaviya, about 1100 stanzas are found to be common to 4 other works, as follows:

1. Vyasacala Sankaravijaya … 475 stanzas

2. Tirumala Dikshita’s

Sankarabhyudaya …. 475 stanzas

3. Rajachudamani Dikshita’s

Sankarabhyudaya …. 125 stanzas

4. Ramabhadra Dikshita’s

Patanjali Carita …. 11 stanzas

Total 1086 stanzas

In most of the cases, verbatim stanzas in succession are found common. In a few cases, only some lines are common while in still fewer cases, substance is the same but stanzas have been composed afresh…”

– Sankshepa-Sankara-jaya of Madhavacarya, Dr.W.R.Antarkar, Post-graduate and Research Department Series No.45, Bhandarkar OrientalResearch Institute, Pune (2004)

The Madhaviya Sankara-digvijaya is not included in the canonical works of Sri Vidyaranya. This book was published with Sri Vidyaranya’s name in the Anandashram edition, Series no.22, Poona, only in 1891.

The author of this recent work is decidedly not Vidyaranya for the following reasons :-

1. The epithet Navakalidasa (Canto I, 9 & 10), assumed by the author, is not found in any of Vidyaranya’s works.

2. Navakalidasa Madhava, author of Bhagavatacampu, and Navakalidasa Madhava, author of Sankaradigvijaya, have been identified as one and the same person by scholars.

3. Many verses have been quoted in this work from the biographies written by Vyasacala, Tirumala Dikshita and Rajacudamani Dikshita – all posterior to Vidyaranya.

4. References to Sankaracarya’s meeting Udayana, Dandin, Mayura, Abinavagupta and Sriharsha, (made in this work), is historically wrong.

5. Vidyaranya’s style is generally simple, and his verses are in Anushtup metre (Pancadasi- all 1571 verses and Anubhuti- prakasa — all 2809 verses) are only in Anushtup.

6. Style of Sankaradigvijaya is akin to that of Bhagavata Campu.

7. Sankaradigvijaya is not noted in any recognised list of Vidyaranya’s works.

8.Guruvamsa Kavya and Madhaviya Sankaravijaya, the two most authoritative texts of the Sringeri matha give different versions of incidents of the life of Sankaracarya.

9. During the Tatanka Pratishta case, the Court asked the two parties to furnish evidence in support of their claim. Only the Kanchi Matha (defendant) placed ancient works like Sivarahasyam, Anandagiriyam Markandeya Samhita etc. as evidence. The plaintiffs did not produce any Sankaravijaya including Madhaviya before the Court. Hence, few eminent scholars opine that this work could have been prepared and produced after 1844, by using the name of Sri Vidyaranya muni.

Sri Sankara Digvijayam : मध्यार्जुनं (Madhyarjunam – Tiruvidaimarudur, Tanjore District, Tamilnadu)

Madhyarjunam, popularly known as Tiruvidaimarudur, stands on the southern bank of the sacred Kaveri, near Kumbhakona kshetra, in Tamilnadu.

The large temple in this place enshrines the Sivalinga called Sri Mahalinga, so called not only because of the size but also because of the situation of this shrine in the midst of several sacred Ksetras around being auxilliaries to it.

It was at this temple that Sri Sankaracharya got an assurance from Lord Siva that the philosophy of Advaita was the real truth. According to the information in the biographical works it was from Madhyarjunam that Sri Bhagavatpada, followed by His numerous disciples, proceeed to Ramesvaram.

The Dindima commentary on Madhaviya Sankaravijaya on verse No.1. of the 15th canto (page 529 of the 1915 edition and page 509 of the 1932 edition- Anandasram Press, Poona) contains the following information :-

” अथानन्तरं पद्मपाद – हस्तामलक – समित्पाणि- चिद्विलास – ज्ञानकन्दविष्णुगुप्त – शुद्धकीर्ति-भानुमरीचि – कृष्णदर्शन – बुद्धिवृद्धि – विरिञ्चिपाद – शुद्धाननन्तगिरिप्रमुखैः सहस्रैः शिष्यवरैर्युतः सुधन्वना राज्ञा चानुयातः सर्वा दिशो विजिगीषुः स एव उदारधीः श्रीशंकराचार्यः प्रथमं सेतुं प्रतस्थे । अत्र प्राचीनानुरोधेन मध्यार्जुनं प्राप्य ततः सर्वाः ककुभो विजिगीषुः प्रथमं सेतुं प्रति प्रतस्थ इति व्याख्येयम् । तथाहि श्रीशंकरचार्यो मध्यार्जुनं नाम शिवविभूतिस्थलविशेषं प्राप ।

” मध्यार्जु नेशानमदृष्टव विद्यादिभिः पूजितपादपद्मम् । बुद्धोपचारैरभजत् परेशं निष्पापतां प्राप फलैकपात्रम् || “

” तत्र किल भगवान् श्रीशंकराचार्यः सदाशिवमेवमब्रवीत् – ‘स्वामिन्, मध्यार्जुनेश ! सर्वोपनिषदर्थोऽसि । तस्मान्निगमादितात्पर्यगोचरो द्वैतमद्वैतं वेति संशयस्य सर्वेषां पश्यतां निवृत्तिं कुरु । ” इति

प्रार्थितो मध्यार्जुनेशो लिङ्गाप्रात्सावयवरूपेण निष्क्रम्य मेघवद्गम्भीरया गिरा दक्षिणहस्तमुद्यम्य, ‘सत्यमद्वैतं, सत्यमद्वैतं सत्यमद्वैतं ‘ – इति त्रिरुक्त्वा लिङ्गान्तेऽन्तर्दधे पश्यतां नराणां महदद्भुतमासीत् । तद्भक्ताच तद्देशस्थिताः श्रीशंकरमेव सद्गुरुं कृत्वोमागणपतीशार्काच्युतार्चपराः प्रातः स्नानादिविशुद्धाः पञ्चयज्ञपरायणाः श्रुतिसंचोदिताचारणाः शुद्धाद्वैतपरायणा बभूवुः एवं तदेशस्थानद्वैतवादिनः कृत्वा प्रमथैः शंकर इव शिष्यसमेतो रामेश्वरं प्रति जगाम ” – इति ।

…

[This portion of the commentary (Dindima) found in Madhaviya Sankaravijaya is only a faithful reproduction of the same passage, found in the body of the text of the Anandagiri’s Sankaravijaya – Prakarana IV. p. (vide page 17, 18. Madras University Publication 1971 and Manuscripts – except for slight alterations of a few words here and there.]