Vacaspati Misra on Advaita Vedanta (An Old and Rare Book)

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This, thesis is an attempt to arrive at an impartial and objective appreciation of Vacaspati Misra's contribution to the school of the Advaita Vedanta. Gifted with multi-sided philosophical genius, Vācaspati Misra enriched, as every student of ancient Indian philosophy knows, different schools of philosophical thought with a number of original contributions, at once remark- able. The present thesis aims at an objective and critical study of the Advaitic outlook, as enlarged and evolved by this illustrious philosopher, and tries to evaluate and assess the chief significance of his remarkable contribution to this principal school of Indian thought, which has been aptly characterized as the finest flower of Indian genius.

The very character of the aim the thesis puts before itself, enchains the work with certain limitations, logical and hence unavoidable. The thesis does not try to fathom the deep philosophical genius of Vacaspati Miśra in its entirety. It only tries to understand Vacaspati Miśra the advaitin, as revealed to us by his contribution of this specific school of thought. Thus, it is not Vacaspati, the philosopher, but it is Vacaspati, the Vedantin, that the reader can legitimately hope to catch glimpses of here. Within the realm of Advaita Vedānta the contributions of our illustrious philosopher have been of varied character, significance and value. Considerations of space have obliged us to put ourselves within closer limitations, and focus our main attention to the principal ones among them. In other words, the thesis tries to arrive at an impartial evaluation of only those contributions of Vacaspati Misra in the domain of the Advaita Vedānta, which are traditionally held as major, and can be rationally held as such. This does not mean, however, that the thesis completely ignores the points of minor light. With different facets of a philosophical outlook so closely inter-linked, an exhaustive study of a major contribution necessarily includes an appreciative view of the minor ones. The above statement, therefore, is recorded, only with a view to acquaint the reader of the thesis with the general trend of the study, nothing more, nothing less. The main contribution of Vacaspati Misra, the advaitin, lies in the domain of the doctrine of Maya. The orthodox tradition, which unanimously upholds him as the originator of the famous Jivāśrita- avidyā doctrine, as well as the highly speculative Drşti-Srşti- vodka, justifies this in an unambiguous manner. And, the rational and impartial analysis of his entire advaitic outlook also sup- ports the assertion. The objective of the thesis therefore resolves down into a study of Vacaspati's contribution to the doctrine of Maya. In other words, what the thesis aims at is the dispassionate study of the traditional attribution of the two important doctrines, an impartial enquiry into its bonafides and an assessment of the truth, inherent in it.

A comprehensive study of a particular doctrinal contribution of a particular philosopher necessarily entails a systematic and thorough investigation of the conditions, preceeding and succeeding such a contribution. Without a detailed acquaintance with the ideological background, in response to which it makes its appearance, and an unpartial assessment of the influence, which it casts over the later evolution, a given doctrinal contribution of a given philosopher cannot be said to have been grasped in its total significance. Much more so is the case with the problem our thesis is concerned with. Coming at a very crucial juneture in the centuries-old career of a great advaitic doctrine, and surcharged with dynamic potentialities, Vacaspati's contribution necessarily requires a close study of the different phases in the evolution of Māyā-vāda. Consequentially, the subject-contents of the thesis fall into three main divisions. The first concerns itself with the pre-Vacasptai career of the doctrine of Maya. The second devotes itself to the doctrine of Maya, as developed by Vacaspati Miśra.