The ''Siddhitraya'' () is a Sanskrit treatise written in the 10th century by the
Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
philosopher
Yamunacharya
Yamunacharya (IAST: Yamunāchārya), also known as Alavandar and Yamunaithuraivan, was a Vishistadvaita philosopher based in Srirangam, Tamil Nadu, India. He is best-known for being a preceptor of Ramanuja, one of the leaders of the Sri Vai ...
. Regarded to be the largest and the most prominent work of Yamunacharya, the ''Siddhitraya'' was an important foundational text for the philosophy of Vishishtadvaita. It offers refutations of the philosophical positions of Advaita and other Hindu schools.
The work consists of three sections, expounding the author's positions on the "three demonstrations": the concepts of ''ātmasiddhi'' (demonstration of individual self), ''īśvarasiddhi'' (demonstration of God), and ''saṁvitsiddhi'' (demonstration of reality in the empirical world). All three sections of the work are regarded to be incomplete.
Content
Ātmasiddhi
The ''ātmasiddhi'' is the largest of the three sections of the text and consists of passages both in the form of verse and prose. In the invocatory verse, emphasis is placed on ''
bhakti
''Bhakti'' ( sa, भक्ति) literally means "attachment, participation, fondness for, homage, faith, love, devotion, worship, purity".See Monier-Williams, ''Sanskrit Dictionary'', 1899. It was originally used in Hinduism, referring to d ...
'' (devotion) to the Supreme Being ( Vishnu), who is described to be the sovereign of the universe, time, and all souls, and is said to always be associated with Sri, his consort. The author sets forth to discuss the real nature of '' Ātman'', the concept of Self. He argues that the ''Ātman'' enjoys an independent existence from the body, and is also distinct from the senses, the mind, and the intellect. The ''Ātman'' is also described to be eternal, self-luminous, as well as possessing a form of consciousness that is omnipresent. The author describes the varying positions regarding the ''Ātman'' and the Supreme Being, concerning their form, their nature of existence, mutual relationship, the liberation of the ''Ātman'' and the means of liberation. He offers refutations of the positions of philosophers such as Bhartrhari, Adi Shankara, and Bhaskara, citing fallacies and scriptural statements.
Īśvarasiddhi
The ''īśvarasiddhi'' attempts to establish the existence of the Supreme Being, who is described to be the sovereign of the universe. Yamunacharya contends the views of the Mimamsa school of philosophy and offers arguments against its position, which opposes the existence of a Supreme Being as well the omniscience and omnipotence of the concept. He also offers an appraisal of the views of the
Nyaya
(Sanskrit: न्याय, ''nyā-yá''), literally meaning "justice", "rules", "method" or "judgment",Brahman'' (Ultimate Reality), ''maya'' (illusion), and ''avidya'' (ignorance) in its interpretation of the '' Upanishads''. Some sections of the treatise also refute the Buddhist conception of ''saṁvit'' (consciousness)''.''{{Cite book , last1=Black , first1=Brian , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SPSKDwAAQBAJ&dq=Sa%E1%B9%83vitsiddhi&pg=PT90 , title=In Dialogue with Classical Indian Traditions: Encounter, Transformation and Interpretation , last2=Ram-Prasad , first2=Chakravarthi , date=4 March 2019 , publisher=Routledge , isbn=978-1-351-01111-2 , pages=90 , language=en
Chatuh Shloki
The ''Chatuh Shloki'' () is a Sanskrit hymn by the Hindu philosopher Yamunacharya
Yamunacharya (IAST: Yamunāchārya), also known as Alavandar and Yamunaithuraivan, was a Vishistadvaita philosopher based in Srirangam, Tamil Nadu, India. ...