Does any one know what Siva Visishtadvaita (Shrouta Shaiva Siddhanta) philosophy by Srikantha Acharya is all about?
I know what is advaita philosophies but not this one.
1 Answer
Śrīkaṇṭha's Vishishtadvaita darsana is like Ramanuja's system except that in this system Siva and not Narayana is the Supreme.
Śrīkaṇṭha is one of the important ācāryas who have written commentaries on the Brahmasūtras. He advocates a type of Śaivism as contained in the Vāyavīya-saṁhitā of the Śivapurāṇa.
According to him Brahman is Śiva (Saguṇa-Brahman). Prakṛti (nature) and jīvas (individual souls who are atomic in size) are his parts as it were. Evolution of the world takes place as per his will and supervision. Though, thus, he is the nimittakāraṇa or the efficient cause, he is, in a way, the upādānakāraṇa or the material cause also since prakṛti is his part.
Śrīkaṇṭha considers that the performance of Vedic sacrifices and the prescribed duties without any selfish motive, prepares a person for the realisation of Śiva.
Man (or the soul) is free to do good or bad as per his saṁskāras carried over from the previous lives. However, Śiva the merciful, is ever eager to help him to do good and get liberation.
The souls are the conscious knowers, both by way of the senses and by the manas (superior mind, which is a special property possessed by them, different from the ordinary mind which is a product of prakṛti). By following the path of jñānayoga, the threefold impurities of the mind (See MALA for details.) are removed and self-knowledge is fully manifested. It is almost like the knowledge of Brahman.
In the state of liberation, the soul has no body but enjoys bliss through the mind. If it wants, it can also create its own body and enjoy all happiness. It is never again brought under the control of karma.
Śrīkaṇṭha’s philosophy may be termed as Śivaviśiṣṭādvaita, because of its similarity to Rāmānuja’s system.
Appayya Dīkṣita (A. D. 1520-1592) has written an excellent commentary called Śivārkamaṇidīpikā on the bhāṣya of Śrīkaṇṭha.
It is not known when exactly Śrīkaṇṭha lived. Some scholars suggest that he lived in A. D. 1270 and was from Andhra Pradesh.
A Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism by Swami Harshananda
answered Jun 28, 2022 at 12:13