[Advaita-l] Shankara and DrishTi-SrishTi vAda - eka jeeva vaada

[Anand Hudli]

>* 1. What is perceived is Created ( both jnAnAdhyAsa and arthAdhyAsa ) *>*
and *
> > > >* 2. Perception itself is Creation( only jnAnAdhyAsa ). *>

> Unfortunately it is not clear from Sidhantaleshasamgraha if both these
> views were prevalent prior to  the time of Sri Vidyaranya Swami (
> fourteenth century ). But the reference to Sidhantamuktavali in respect of
> the latter view leads to the conclusion that perhaps Sri PrakAshAnanda (
> sixteenth century ) was the originator of this view. Is this correct??. If
> true then it would not be correct to claim that the postulate of Sri
> PrakAshAnanda and that school of thought  is what is intended or endorsed
> by Swami Vidyaranya or for that matter by the AchAryas of
> the vivaraNa school. Kindly clarify.
>

PrakAshAnanda only logically developed what was already available to him
through previous AchAryas. One such important work is the इष्टसिद्धि of
VimuktAtman, whose views are referred to by even Ramanuja in his
MahApUrvapakSha section of his shrIbhAShya. This implies the इष्टसिद्धि was
an influential work, even much before VidyAraNya.  The इष्टसिद्धि, in a
section called "दृग्दृश्ययोर्भेदनिरासः", refutes the notion of difference
between the seer and seen. PrakAshAnanda makes use of this effectively to
deny any separate existence of the creation from the seer. Besides,
VidyAraNya has also accepted the दृष्टिरेव सृष्टिः principle in his
commentary on the nRsiMha-uttaratApanIya upanishad and the brihadAraNyaka
vArtikasAra (दर्शनं सृष्टिरुच्यते), which I quoted earlier. I would like to
write more, when I find time.

Anand