Shiva Advaita

Shiva Advaita (Devanagari:शिवाद्वैत, Tamil: சிவாத்துவிதம், Śivāttuvidam, Kannada: ಶಿವಾದ್ವೈತ, Śivādvaita) refers to Śrīkaṇṭha Śivācārya's (11th-15th century CE^[1][2][3][4]) Southern India Shaivite commentary on the Brahma Sutras, which considers Shiva supreme,^[2] and to Appayya's 16th century CE^[5] commentary on Śrīkaṇṭha Śivācārya's stance.^[6]

Śrīkaṇṭha Śivācārya

Origins

Śrīkaṇṭha Śivācārya (also known as Nīlakaṇṭha Śivācārya) composed the Srikanta Bhashyam,^[7] a commentary on the Brahma Sutras, which became known as Śivādvaita.^[8] The time frame of Śrīkaṇṭha's work is not exactly known, but it is argued to fall somewhere between the 7th and 15th centuries,^[1][2][3][4] with the 14th to 15th century being more likely, according to Duquette.^[9] Traditional dating by emic scholars places it in the 7th century.^[a] Sri Appayya Dikshita (16th century CE^[5]) contributed further to Shiva Advaita by expounding Śrīkaṇṭha's philosophy in his Sivarka Mani Dipika.^[8]

Tenets

The theory of Śivadvaita resembles very closely Ramanuja's Viśiṣṭādvaita non-dualism doctrine,^[b] but differs in who is considered Supreme. While Ramanuja considers Vishnu to be supreme, Śrīkaṇṭha considers Shiva supreme.^[8][1][8] While Śrīkaṇṭha does not deny Nirguna Brahman, which is central to Advaita,^[9], he affirms the supremacy of Saguna Brahman, typical of qualified non-dualism. However, Appayya affirms a form of pure non-dualism, and recasts Śrīkaṇṭha's work in an effort to establish Shiva Advaita in his Śivādvaitanirṇaya.^[9]

Notes

1. Kasivasi Senthinatha Iyer says that it appeared before all the Bhashyams like Shankara, Ramanuja, and Madhva.^[10]
2. Compared to the Smārta tradition of Advaita, which regards Shiva as a manifestation of saguṇa Brahman ultimately dissolving into the impersonal nirguṇa Brahman, Srikanta’s Shiva Advaita is more sectarian and theistic, emphasizing Shiva as the unique and supreme Parabrahman.