Shiva Advaita (

Devanagari Devanagari ( ; in script: , , ) is an Indic script used in the Indian subcontinent. It is a left-to-right abugida (a type of segmental Writing systems#Segmental systems: alphabets, writing system), based on the ancient ''Brāhmī script, Brā ...

:शिवाद्वैत, , ), also known as or

Shaivite Shaivism (, , ) is one of the major Hindu traditions, which worships Shiva as the supreme being. It is the second-largest Hindu sect after Vaishnavism, constituting about 385 million Hindus, found widely across South Asia (predominantly in ...

'' qualified nondualism'' is a

school of philosophy from

Southern India South India, also known as Southern India or Peninsular India, is the southern part of the Deccan Peninsula in India encompassing the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana as well as the union territories of ...

that was founded by Śrīkaṇṭha Śivācārya during the eighth century. Entry: "Shivadvaita" According to this doctrine, the

Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

and the

Brahman In Hinduism, ''Brahman'' (; IAST: ''Brahman'') connotes the highest universal principle, the ultimate reality of the universe.P. T. Raju (2006), ''Idealistic Thought of India'', Routledge, , page 426 and Conclusion chapter part XII In the ...

are the one and the same. Śrīkaṇṭha Śivācārya (also known as Nīlakaṇṭha Śivācārya) wrote a commentary on

Brahma Sutras The ''Brahma Sūtras'' (), also known as the Vedanta Sūtra (Sanskrit: वेदान्त सूत्र), Shariraka Sūtra, and Bhikshu-sūtra, are a Sanskrit text which criticizes the metaphysical dualism of the influential Samkhya philos ...

, which became known as ''Śiva Viśiṣṭādvaita''. The time-frame of Śrīkaṇṭha's work is not exactly known, but believed to be somewhere between 12th and 14th century. The theory of ''Śiva Viśiṣṭādvaita'' follows very closely Ramanuja's '' Viśiṣṭādvaita'' non-dualism doctrine, but differs in who is considered Supreme. Śrīkaṇṭha considers Shiva supreme. It is not known whether Śrīkaṇṭha Śivācārya's work was completed before or after Ramanuja's. Sri Appayya Dikshita contributed further to Shiva Advaita by expounding Śrīkaṇṭha's philosophy in his Sivarka mani dipika. Śrīkaṇṭha does not deny Nirguna Brahman, which is central to Advaita. In contrast to Śrīkaṇṭha, who considers his Brahma Sutra Bhasya '' Viśiṣṭādvaita'' (qualified non-dualism), which affirms the supremacy of

Saguna Brahman ''Saguna brahman'' ( 'The Absolute with qualities'; from Sanskrit ' 'with qualities', ''guṇa'' 'quality', and ''Brahman'' 'the Absolute') is a concept of ultimate reality in Hinduism, close to the concept of immanence, the manifested divine ...

, Appayya affirms a form of pure non-dualism and recasting Śrīkaṇṭha's work in an effort to establish Shiva Advaita in his ''Śivādvaitanirṇaya''.

References

Hindu philosophy Advaita Shaivism Schools and traditions in ancient Indian philosophy Advaita Shaivism {{Hindu-philo-stub