[Advaita-l] Sri Appayya Dikshita on Shiva - Vishnu abheda

[V Subrahmanian]

Namaste.

Here is a verse of Sri Appayya Dikshitar truly
instructive, informative and inspiring:

// viShNurvA shankaro vA shruti-shikhara-girAmastu tAtparya-bhUmiH
na-asmAkam tatrva vAdaH prasarati kimapi spaShTam-advaita-bhAjAm |
kintu-Isha-dveSha-gADhAnala-kalita-hRRidAm durmatInAm duruktIH
bhanktum yatno mama-ayam nahi bhavatu tato viShNu-vidveSha-shankAm ||

The meaning of the above beautiful verse is:

'I have not the slightest objection, to anyone coming to any
conclusion, that the spirit of the Vedas and the Vedantas, declare
either Vishnu or Shiva as the First God. I am a follower of the
Advaita doctrine. I have no difference between Shiva and VishNu.
But if in order to establish Vishnu as the main God, if somebody
starts abusing Shiva or hates him, I cannot bear it. There are as
many proofs or pramanas in the Vedas, Vedantas, Puranas and Agamas
to establish that Shiva is a mighty God, as there are to prove that
Vishnu is a powerful one. However, I am propagating my religion and
indulging in debate and disputation, only to persuade everyone not
to hate Shiva. Let no one have the slightest doubt that I either
hate or wish to denigrate Lord Vishnu simply because I praise the
grace and greatness of Lord Shiva.'

The sublime devotion of Dikshita to Lord Vishnu is fully seen from
his great work 'Varadaraja stava' where he has sung in ecstatic
poetry about Lord Varadaraja of Kanchipuram. Vaishnavas declare
that Vishnu is the supreme being and that Shiva has a lower status,
being a mere jiva. Sri Dikshita however proves in his 'Ratna-traya-
parIkShA' that Shiva, Vishnu, Ambika, all the three are the same,
viz., the supreme reality, and proves it with the pramanas taken
from the puranas, vedas and agamas. //

The above is quoted from the book: 'Sri Appayya Dikshita' (p.66,67)
by Dr.N.Ramesan, IAS.

Sri Dikshita has gone to the extent of establishing that the
Ramayana and the Mahabharata have Lord Shiva for their main theme.
He takes out several instances from these very works and shows how
Lord Shiva was held as the Supreme by Lord Rama and Lord Krishna.

Pranams
subbu