All about Adi Sankara - 1

Hagiographies

There are several hagiographical materials on the life and works of Sankaracarya. Earliest among them are,

1.      Pracina Sankara Vijaya – Mukha Sankara

2.      Brhat Sankara Vijaya – Citsukhacarya

These two works are mentioned in the Dindima and Advaitasamrajyalakshmi the two commentaries on Madhaviya Sankara Vijaya.

Some of the well known Sankara Vijaya-s which are available on print are

1.      Anandagiri’s Sankara Vijaya

2.      Madhaviya Sankara Vijaya

3.      Vyasacala’s Sankara Vijaya

4.      Keraliya Sankara Vijaya

5.      Cidvilasa’s Sankara Vijaya

6.      Sadananda Yati’s Sankara dig Vijaya Sara

Anandagiri’s Sankara Vijaya

            Manuscript found in Maharaja Serfoji Sarasvati Mahal Library, Tanjore; Goverment Oriental Manuscript Library, Chennai; Mysore Oriental Research Library, Mysore; Trivandrum Oriental Research Institute and Library, Trivandrum; Rama Taraka Mutt, Varanasi.

            Anandagiri is believed to the direct disciple of Sankaracarya himself. In Advaita Samrajyalakshmi, Acyuta Pandita writes, ‘Anandagiri’s Sankaravijaya is the work of a pet disciple of Sankaracarya’. He also calls Anandagiri’s Vijaya as Brhat Sankara Vijaya.

            Quote:

            ‘Sankarasya bhagavato bhasyakarasyayam SankaraH Anandagiryabhih tasya tat priya sisyasya vakyasaraH’ – Advaitasamrajyalakshmi, comm. on Madhaviya Sankara Vijaya sl.103/16^th Sarga.

            However, this claim is unlikely since academic research reveals that Anandagiri [13^th CE] is the well known tika-kara who wrote commentaries on almost all the works of Sankaracarya.    Anandagiri’s Sankara vijaya contains 74 prakarana-s. A printed version – Calcutta edition is found. There are some marked deviations from the original manuscript.

            Orientalists rely on Anandagiri’s Sankara Vijaya as a reliable account among the hagiographies available on Sankaracarya. H.H.Wison remarks ‘Anandagiri’s work bears internal indisputable evidence of being the composition of a period not far from that at which he (Sankara) may be supposed to have flourished’.

Madhaviya Sankara Vijaya

            Vidyaranya Muni [14^th CE] is traditionally considered as the author of this work. The identity of Vidyaranya with Madhavacarya itself is controversial though. The Madhaviya Sankara Vijaya bears two commentaries

1.      Dindima – Dhanapati Suri [18^th CE]

2.      Advaitasamrajyalakshmi – Acyuta Pandita [19^th CE]

Madhaviya Sankara vijaya is the most popular hagiography that is widely read especially in the southern India. Maharaja Serfoji’s Sarasvati Mahal Library – J.L collection bears the caption ‘Samksepa Sankara Vijaya’.

Orientalists do not consider thus work as Sankara’s authentic life account for it contains more of fancy rhetorics in poetical accents than historical details. Monier Williams remarks Madhaviya Sankara Vijaya as ‘a fanciful account of controversial exploits of Sankaracarya’. Burnell indicates, ‘IIn southern India, the Madhavyia Sankara Vijaya is attributed to Vidyaranya Svami or Saya but it is certainly not worthy of him’.

One Dadhica Pandita Sivadatta Sarma in his preface to the third edition of Sri Harsa’s Naishadiya Carita remarks that ‘Madhaviya Sankara Vijaya does not seem to be a true account of Sankara’s life’. He also comments that the author of Madhaviya Sankara Vijaya is not Saya’s or Madhavacarya, the crest jewel among Pandits. It is some one else by name Nava Kalidasa’. It is also to be noted that many of the verses in this work are copied from the Vyasacala’s Sankara Vijaya – refer Sri Veturi Prabhakara Sastri – Andra Patrika [1921].