Samkara's Advaita Vedanta

A Way of Teaching

Jacqueline G. Suthren Hirst, Jacqueline G Suthren Hirst

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2005
• eBook ISBN:
  9781134254415
• Topic: Philosophy
• Subtopic: Eastern Philosophy

Samkara (c.700 CE) has been regarded by many as the most authoritative Hindu thinker of all time. A great Indian Vedantin brahmin, Samkara was primarily a commentator on the sacred texts of the Vedas and a teacher in the Advaitin teaching line. This book serves as an introduction to Samkara's thought which takes this as a central theme. The author develops an innovative approach based on Samkara's ways of interpreting sacred texts and creatively examines the profound interrelationship between sacred text, content and method in Samkara's thought. The main focus of the book is on Samkara's teaching method. This method is, for Samkara, based on the Upanishads' own; it is to be employed by Advaitin teachers to draw pupils skilfully towards that realisation which is beyond all words. Consequently, this book will be of interest not only to students and scholars of Indian philosophy, but to all those interested in the relation between language and that which is held to transcend it.

1
THE TEACHER HIMSELF

In trying to discover

the teacher, we have three kinds of sources:

own writings; the traditional ‘lives’ or hagiographies of

; and the records of his own pupils. Only the last are (relatively) unproblematical and they were not concerned to give the kind of biographical data modern researchers might seek. They do, though, help us to understand the kind of impact

had on his closest pupils. From this, we can begin to build up a picture of

the teacher from those who presumably knew him best and, more importantly, could testify to the power of his teaching.We shall accordingly, and somewhat unusually, start with what they have to say. We shall then turn to the hagiographies and ask what weight can be placed on them in our search for

the teacher. Finally, we shall look at

’s own writings, discussing their authenticity, outlining their content and setting them in the context of a period of lively intellectual debate and rising devotionalism.

The views of Sa

kara’s pupils

‘

(c. ad 740) was the composer of a hymn in eight verses in praise of his teacher. Advaitin tradition makes him one of

’s four main pupils and author of the

(Drawing out the Essence of

).¹ The striking similarities between his thought and

’s suggest that he may well have been a direct pupil.² His hymn is eloquent in the teacher’s praise.

is said to be an ocean of compassion, the one who can save from the sea of rebirth, the best of teachers, a treasure-trove of truth. He is unequalled, even among the wise. By comparison with him,

disclaims his own ability. The hymn’s constant refrain echoes: ‘Be Thou my refuge, O mentor,

!’ (tr. Mahadevan, 1980, p. 176).

From

v.175, we catch a glimpse of

as pupil. The Sanskrit words of this verse have a double sense. At one level, the author is describing the format of the

. He composed it, he says, in the form of a conversation between a teacher and a pupil, like scripture (śrutivat).³ The Sanskrit also suggests that

was able to draw out the essence of scripture in conformity with scripture (śrutivat) through hearing conversations between the teacher and (his) pupil(s).⁴ In other words,

hints that it was his own experience of audiences with

that enabled him to understand the heart of the scriptural teaching and represent it in his current work. This can truly be described as śrutivat, like scripture and like (his own) hearing. The teaching context mediates true understanding, reflects both the content and form of

teaching and provides the model for the next generation of teachers and learners.

We now look at clues in the writings of two other authors usually identified as direct pupils of

: Padmapāda (c. ad 740) and Sureśvara (c. ad 760).⁵ Padmapāda’s major work was the Pañcapādikā, a sub-commentary on the first chapter of

’s Brahmasūtra commentary.⁶ It opens with four homage verses, the last to those who teach

’s works:

I bow my head before the teachers, renowned for their knowledge . . . of the

, those who drink the nectar flowing from the

-lotus, which owes its birth to the Mānasa-lake of his mouth – the loving disciples who, like bees, are eagerly lifting up their faces from all quarters.⁷

(Invocation verse 4, p. 6, tr. Venkataramiah, 1948)

Here Padmapada pays respect to the next generation ...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Series Editor’s Preface
• Preface
• Acknowledgement
• Abbreviations
• Introduction: Studying the Teacher
• 1. The Teacher Himself
• 2. The Need for the Teaching
• 3. The Source of the Teaching
• 4. The Methods of the Teaching
• 5. The Context of the Teaching: The World of Name and Form
• 6. The Context of the Teaching: The Lord
• 7. The Language of the Teaching
• 8. The End of the Teaching
• Glossary
• Notes
• Bibliography