Jonathan Duquette Defending God in Sixteenth-Century India

Annotation

This book is the first in-depth study of the Saiva oeuvre of the celebrated polymath Appaya Diksita (1520-1593). Jonathan Duquette documents the rise to prominence and scholarly reception of Sivadvaita Vedanta, a Sanskrit-language school of philosophical theology which Appaya single-handedly established, thus securing his reputation as a legendary advocate of Saiva religion in early modern India. Based to a large extent on hithertounstudied primary sources in Sanskrit, Duquette offers new insights on Appaya's early polemical works and main source of AsivA dvaita exegesis, AsrA kaa a ha's BrahmamA mA msA bhA a ya; identifies Appaya's key intellectual influences and opponents in his reconstruction of AsrA kaa a ha's theology; and highlights some of the key arguments andstrategies he used to make his ambitious project a success. Centred on his magnum opus of AsivA dvaita VedA nta, the AsivA rkamanidA pikA , this book demonstrates that Appaya's Asaiva oeuvre was mainly directed against ViA ia tA dvaita VedA nta, the dominant Vaia a ava school of philosophical theology in his time and place. A far-reaching study of the challenges of Indian theism, this book opens up new possibilities for ourunderstanding of religious debates and polemics in early modern India as seen through the lenses of one of its most important intellectuals.