Indian Antiquary Vol 58

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Charles E A W Oldham, S Krishnaswami Aiyangar, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarka
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 221

NOVEMBER, 1929]
BENGAL'S PHILOSOPHICAL LITERATURE IN SANSKRIT
205
Madhusudana was the author of a good many works mostly dealing with, and composed in support of, the Advaitavada of Sankara. In fact he was the last great scholar to espouse the cause of Advaitism. The Advaita-siddhi, a very learned but popular work composed to demonstrate the soundness of the doctrine of Advaitism in the face of adverse criticism directed against it by other schools of philosophy, is perhaps the most important production of Madhusudana. Coming, as he did, after Chitsukha and Sri Harsa, he had the advantage of being able to answer all hostile arguments put forward against his learned predecessors, and thus making his work fuller and up-to-date.
His other works were
(1) Advaita-ratna-raksana-(Nirnaya-sågara Press, 1917). This is a small monograph in support of Advaitism.
(2) Vedantakalpalatiká (Saraswati Bhavan series, Benares), a treatise on Vedanta philosophy.
(3) Gadharthadipika-a very learned and popular commentary on the Bhagavadgita. The most noteworthy fact with regard to this commentary is that it goes into the minutest detail and does not omit to give the significance of even the smallest indeclinable particles like cha, tu, vâ, eto.
(4) Siddhantavindu, a commentary on the Daśasloki of Sankaracharya.
(5) Prasthana-bheda (Vani Vilasa Press, Srirangam) is an elementary work, which sets forth the essence of all the vidyds, or subjects of study, and demonstrates the supremacy of the Vedanta.
(6) Bhaktirasayana (Ed. by Nityaswarupa Brahmacharin, Calcutta). This is an original work which discusses the philosophical aspect of devotion and seeks to show by quoting texts from orthodox works how bhakti is a means to the attainment of salvation.
After, or possibly contemporaneous with, Madhusudana flourished Brahmânanda Sarasvati, otherwise known as Gauda Brahmânanda. His commentary on the Advaitasiddhi of Madhusudana stands as an eloquent testimony to his deep erudition and versatile genius. He commented on another work of Madhusudana as well, namely the Siddhantavindu. He had written an independent treatise also. This was his Advaitasiddhantavidyotana (L. 1444).
The next name is probably that of Nandarâma Tarkavagisa Bhattacharya, who wrote his Atmaprakásaka (I.O., IV, 2400) on the nature of the supreme spirit. He must have flourished at the end of the seventeenth century, at the latest for a commentary on this work by Kasirama Vidyaváchaspati, a Vaidika Brahman of Bankura, who belonged to the beginning of the eighteenth century and is well-known as the commentator of the Smṛti-tattva of Raghunandana, has been found (I.O., IV, 2400; 'H.P.S., I, 24).
After Nandarama came Râmânanda Vachaspati or Râmânanda-Tîrtha, as he was called after his renunciation of the world. He lived in the court of king Kranacandra of Nadia. He wrote a fair number of works on a variety of subjects, namely, philosophy, Smrti, music and architecture. His works on Vedanta are:
(1) Advaitaprakása, (2) Commentary on Vedantasára, (3) Non-dualistic commentary on the Bhagavadgita, (4) Adhyatmavindu, a small work giving the essential points of Hindu, Buddhist and Jain philosophy and establishing the doctrines of Vedanta in co-ordination with Samkhya, (5) Adhyatma-sarvasva, (6) Jñânárani which deals with the essentials of the non-dualistic system of Vedanta, (7) Tattvasangraha which attempts to establish various gods and goddesses of the Hindu pantheon with the help of Vedanta and Samkhya (H.P.S., Report 1901-5, p. 10).
We may next mention the name of Kṛṣṇakânta Vidyavagisa, who flourished at the court of Raja Girisacandra, great-grandson of Maharaja Krsnacandra of Nadia (eighteenth century). He was a polymath, writing on Nyaya, Smrti, Vedants, Kavya and even Erotics. His work on Vedanta is a commentary on the Vedantasára. (Report 1900-1905, p. 9.)