[Advaita-l] Pa~nchapAdikAchArya

[S Jayanarayanan]

Sometime ago (August 2005) there was a discussion in this list on
svAmI sachchidAnandendra sarasvatI's (SSS) contention that the author
of the Pa~nchapAdikA wrote his commentary with a "malicious and
mischievous intent".

I have been reading the jIvanmuktiviveka of svAmI VidyAraNya (SV),
and find that SV has given great respect to the author of the
PanchapAdikA, who is quoted as an authority on VedAnta. This should
suffice in arguing that the author of the Pa~nchapAdikA could not
possibly have written the text with anything but the best of
intentions (else it would be tantamount to casting a slur on SV
himself). The author of the Pa~nchapAdikA may well have been a
disciple of Sankara, even PadmapAda as tradition holds.

Quotes from "Jivan Mukti Viveka" of Swami Vidyaranya, translated by
Swami Moksadananda:

1) Page 99:

nanu GYAnasya kaMchitkAlaM prArabdhena karmaNA
pratibandhenaanivartakatve.api pratibandhakshaye
lingadehanivartakatvaM bhavishhyatiiti chet.h .

"Objection: It may be that the knowledge, although neutralized by the
impending prArabdha karma for sometime, will be effective in
dissolving the subtle body when the impediment is exhausted."

na, pa~nchapAdikAchAryeNa 'yato GYAnamaGYAnasyaiva nivartakam.h'
ityupapAditatvAt.h .

"Reply: We say no, because the author of the Panchapadika...has
established logically that 'Knowledge is the remover of ignorance
only'."


2) Page 101:

aGYAnasahabhAvaniyatAnAmabrahmatvAdInAmaGYAnashabdena
pa~nchapAdikAchAryairvivakshitatvAt.h . anyathAnubhavavirodhaH .

"...the theory of Panchapadika that 'knowledge only destroys
ignorance' is not contradicted by the concomitants - such as the
notion of non-self and the like - of ignorance, are implied by the
word ignorance; otherwise it will contradict experience."


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