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Vada in Theory and Practice: Studies in Debates, Dialogues and Discussions in Indian Intellectual Discourses c11.s6: Theological and Religious Debates

Vāda in Theory and Practice: Studies in Debates, Dialogues and Discussions in Indian Intellectual Discourses c11.s6

Language
English

Theological and Religious Debates

c11.s6.1

The row of debate between *Nyāyāmṛtaṁ* and *Advaitasiddhi* led to a series of texts like *Taraṅgiṇī*, *Āmoda* and *Kaṇṭakoddhāra* from the side of Dvaita Vedānta, whereas texts like *Gurucandrikā*, *Laghucandrikā*, *Viṭṭhaleśī* and *Gauḍabrahmānandī* came out in their rebuttal from the adherents of Advaita Vedānta. The series of debates have continued during nineteenth, twentieth and twenty-first centuries with almost the same vigour and zeal even though their range and social appeal have considerably shrunk. The works of Jālihāla Śrīnivāsācārya and Ananthakrishna Shastri further took up the issues. The debates between Advaita and Viśiṣṭādvaita that were initiated by Vedāntadeśika's *Śatadūṣaṇī* and Anantakṛṣṇa Shastri's *Śatabhūṣaṇī* were given fresh stimulus by the advent of works by Bellamkoṇḍa Rāmārāyakavi and Parvate Raghunāthācārya who were converted to Advaita and stood up for its defence in the beginning of the twentieth century. The staunch proponents of Advaita like Karapatri Swami, Kāśīkananda Giri, Suri Ramachandra Shastri on one hand and the adherents of Dvaita like Satyadhyānatīrtha, Vidyāmānyatīrtha, Tāmraparṇi Śrīnivāsācārya joined the line of these serious debates. Works of Tryambaka Shastri from Maharashtra, Raju Shastri and Natesh Shastri from Tamil Nadu, Venkamatya and Kuṇigal Rāma Shastri from Karnataka extended the frontiers of debate between the Advaita and Dvaita schools of Vedānta.

c11.s6.2

Theological and sectarian debates assumed bitterness during this period. In *Radde-Hanūd* Mohammad Ismail Bokani criticized Hindu ways of life which was published from Mumbai in 1845. More editions of the work from several places were issued. Badridas Chaube wrote *Radde-Musalman* in reply. Maulana Ubedullah wrote *Tohaful-Hind* (Gift of India) in Urdu. Indra Mani gave a reply to it in his *Tohaful-Islam*. This series in the form of attacks and counter-attacks continued.⁵⁴ *Satyārthaprakāśa* of Swami Dayananda also became a precursor to such debates. There were texts on unscientific nature of various religious sects. Bachcharaj Singhi wrote *Jaina Śāstroṅ kī Asaṅgat Bāteṅ* (Inconsistencies in Jaina *Śāstras*).⁵⁵

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