Anandabodha

By Small Harshananda

One of the well-known polemical writers of Advaita metaphysics, Ānanda-bodha (11th cent. A.D.) (also called Ananda- bodhācārya and Anandabodha Bhattārakā-cārya) a disciple of Vimuktātman of the Istisiddhi fame (10th cent. A. D.) has four works to his credit:

1. Nyāyamakaranda
2. Nyāyadīpāvalī
3. Pramānamālā
4. Sabda- nirnaya Vyākhyā

The first of these is the most celebrated and has been commented upon by Citsukha (13th cent. A. D.).

The special features of these works are:

• Refutation of the Sāñkhyan theory of multiplicity of selves and the apparent difference of objective entities
• The theory that everything other than Brahman is mithyā (false) since it is dṛśya (perceived)
• A new definition of mithyātva (falsity) viz., sadbhin-natvam mithyātvam (falsity is being different from the real)
• Avidyā is positive in the sense
• Cessation of avidyā is an entity of a fifth category different from sat (real), asat (unreal), sad-asat (real-unreal) and anirvacanīya (indefinable).

References

• The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore

Contributors to this article

Krishna Maheshwari, Deval Sancheti

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