Vada in Theory and Practice: Studies in Debates, Dialogues and Discussions in Indian Intellectual Discourses c6.s6.t1.6

c6.s6.t1.6

Vedāntadeśika wrote in Sanskrit, Tamil and Maṇipravāḷam (a mixture of Tamil amd Prākṛt) also. His *Śatadūṣaṇī* is a treatise in refutation of the Advaita system, which started a chain of critiques (*dūṣaṇa* texts). Vedāntadeśika's *Vāditrayakhaṇḍana* is also a work of similar nature. He became a legendary figure even in his lifetime and several stories are current about his extraordinary scholarship and eloquence. It is said that he was blessed by the Lord Hayagrīva for always being a champion in the *vādāhavas* (battles of debates)¹⁷¹ and was supposed to be an incarnation of the bell given to his parents by Lord Veṅkaṭeśa Himself.¹⁷² Many of his contemporaries like Varadarāja, his own son, and Yatirāja had composed a *Dhyānalokas* (verses for meditation) in his worship.¹⁷³ Rāmānuja, the propounder of Viśiṣṭādvaita, was his maternal uncle and *guru*.