Question regarding Gaudapada Karika

[Shrisha Rao]

On Tue, 27 Jun 2000, Raghavendra Hebbalalu wrote:

> sarvebhyo namaH,
>        I am studying the mANDUkya and gaudapada-kArikA
> with the shAnkarabhAShya. In the introduction to the
> translation (not in the BhaShya itself), there is a
> mention of some opinions of other Acharyas, who
> considered the Agama PrakaraNa to be shruti. shrii
> shankara does not think so.

Actually, there is explicit reference to some Agama-prakaraNa verses as
Shruti in Sri Shankara's VSN-bhAshhya and Viveka-chUDAmaNi, but modern
scholarship is disinclined to view these as authentic.  However, it is of
note that the consideration of these verses as Shruti is itself held to be
the cause for these texts not being considered Shankara's, hence there is
a vicious circularity in the matter (the texts are not his because their
author considers the A-p to be Shruti, and Shankara does not consider the
A-p to be Shruti because the texts are not his).

Other Advaitins have however held the A-p to be Shruti; to cite a few
examples from memory, (i) Appayya-Dikshita in the `parimaLa' under
II-1-33; (ii) Upanishad Brahma Yogin in his comm. on the mANDUkya; (iii)
Vidyaranya in the jIvan-mukti-viveka; (iv) sAyaNa in his comm. on the
taittirIya-AraNyaka.  There are no unequivocal denials of Shruti status
for the A-p prior to the 17th or 18th cent.; most earlier authorities such
as Shankara under II-1-9 (touted as the trump card for the non-Shruti
theory) can be parsed whichever way one finds convenient.  Unfortunately,
the persons who were primary to this debate (T.M.P. Mahadevan, B.N.K.
Sharma in particular) have reduced it to a special case of Dvaita-Advaita
polemic, instead of considering it a separate textual problem in its own
right.  It is notable, in this regard, that the nyAyAmR^ita-advaitasiddhi
polemical tradition which is canonical in this matter does not enter into
this debate, and both sides have independently considered the A-p verses
as Shruti and adduced them in their own favor.

Regards,

Shrisha Rao

> Raghavendra.

--
bhava shankara deshikame sharaNam

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