Works of Sri Appaiya dIkshithar

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Works of Sri appaiya dIkshithar

 

(i) Sri Appayya Dikshita's 104 works :

 

Sri Appayya Dikshita is known to have had written 104 works. The

author's greatness is to be gauged not by the number of works he has

written, but by the depth and profundity of his thought. It will be

clear to anyone who has had even a glimpse of the genius of Sri

Appayya Dikshita in his works of Vedanta and mimamsa.

 

All the 104 works of Appayya Dikshita are now not current. Only

about 60 of them are well-known. The other 44 are only known by

their names. A brief resume of the known works of Sri Appayya

Dikshita is attempted below:

 

(ii) Vedantic Works:

 

1. Siddhanta Lesa Sangraha :

This work is a very elaborate and original treatise written by Sri

Appayya Dikshita wherein he has gathered and brought together in one

place, all different dialectical thinking belonging to the advaitic

cult. Traditional scholars and students of Vedanta have a rule that

they would start reading the Bhashya only after they finish the

Siddanta Lesa Sangraha. In view of this, this work is very much

current among scholars and students.

 

2. Nyaya Rakshamani :

This is an elaborate and independent commentary, on the first pada

of the Brahmasutras, which deals with the science of `self' and

the `universe'. This is also a very well-known treatise of Sri

Appayya Dikshita on the advaitic philosophy and is one of the

standard works with which his name is generally associated. The book

contains a great many original arguments both for the purvapaksha

and the siddhanta under each adhikarana.

 

3. Kalpataruparimala :

Bhagavadpada Adi Sri Sankaracharya wrote a classic commentary on the

Brahmasutras of Badarayans. For this commentary or Bhashya of Sri

Sankara, a great advaitic teacher, by name Sri Vachaspati Misra

wrote another commentary called Bhamati. For this work Bhamati,

another subsequent advaitic teacher by name Amalananda wrote an

abstruse and difficult commentary called kalpataru. The kalpataru is

an extremely difficult piece of work, which would require extensive

scholarship to understand. For this work kalpataru, Sri Appayya

Dikshita wrote an extensive and easily understandable detailed

commentary called the Parimala.

 

4 and 5. Madhva Tantra Mukha Mardana and its commentary Madhva Mata

Vidhvamsana :

Both these works were written in condemnation of the dvaita doctrine

of the Madhvas. These two works are now generally prevalent both in

the North and in the South. In some of the advaitic seminars these

two works are generally given as a test of one's dialectical skill.

 

6. Purvottara Mimamsa Vada Nakshtra Mala or Nakshatra Vadavali :

This work contains a mighty dissertation of some of the problems in

Mimamsa Vedanta Sastras. The questions and answers given here are

intended to explain and make clear the basic truths of the two

Mimasa Sastras. These have never been clearly written anywhere else.

But Sri Appayya Dikshita states that the tenets contained in them

have been accepted as the basis for the truths of the Bhashya.

 

7, 8, 9 and 10. Chatur Mata Sara Sangraha :

This is also called as Adhikarana Sara Sangraha and Adhikarana Mala.

This work contains, in epitome in four sections, the four schools of

Vedanta – the Dvaita, the Visishtadvaita, the Sivadvaita, and the

Advaita. The work is in the form of a running commentary in prose

and verse on the Brahmasutras of Badarayana, treated topically under

the several adhikaranas. In this work Sri Appayya Dikshita

interprets each school of vedanta according to the most ardent

expounder of the school. In some places, the work is also called as

Adhikaharana Sara Sangraha. Each of the sections of the Chaturmata

Sara Sangraha is known by an individualistic name also.

 

The three systems of philosophical thinking that are mentioned in

this work are as follows:

 

(i) The 1st is the Madhvamata. This is propagated by a commentary on

the Brahmasutras from the stand point of Dvaita Siddhanta. This is

also known as Nyaya Muktavali.

 

(ii) The second is the Visistadvaita of Sri Ramanuja. This is

propagated by a commentary on the Brahmasutras from the stand point

of Visistadvaita. This work is known by Naya Mayukha Malika.

 

(iii) and (iv) : The next two philosophical systems with which Sri

Appayya Dikshita deals with are Sivadvaita and Advaita. Sri Appayya

Dikshita refers to Srikantha mata in his `Nayamani mala " and Advaita

in his Nayamanjari in the adhikarana.

 

11 and 12. Ramanuja Sringa Bhanga and Tatva Mudra Vidravanam :

These two works are written in condemnation of the philosophy of the

Ramanuja and the Madhvas. It does not appear as if these two works

have upto now been printed.

From the sixth verse in Sri Dikshita Nava Rathna Malika it is seen

that Sri Appayya Dikshita did not write the condemnation of Sri

Ramanuja's philosophy. The Tatvamudra or the practice of branding

oneself is common to both the followers of Madhva and Ramanuja's

cults of thought.

Though these two works have been included in the old list of works

compiled by Sri Appayya Dikshita still, the authenticity about the

authorship is not free from doubt.

 

The other vedantic works which are generally attributed to Sri

Appayya Dikshita are the following :

 

13. Ramanuja Tatparya Sangraha

14. Commentary in item (13)

15. Sri Vidya tatva vivaranam

16. Adhikaranamala

17. Adhikarana Saravali

18. Tatva muktavali

19. Nyaya ratnamala

20. Commentary on item (19)

21.Mata sarartha sangraha

22. Siddhanta ratnakara

23. Manimalika

24. Nyayamuktavali vyakhya

25. Adhikarana panchika

 

 

(iii) Sivadvaita Works:

 

26 and 27. Sikharini Mala and its Commentary Siva Tatva Viveka:

These and the other saivite works of Sri Appayya Dikshita were all

intended to propagate Sivadvaita doctrine. They were mainly written

to highlight the great qualities of Lord Siva. They were written at

a time when polemical warfare between the Vaishnavas and the

Saivites in the Vijayanagar days, was rampant and these works were

intended to support the saivite doctrine.

The Sikharinimala is a work in Sanskrit containing 60 verses in

Sikharini vritta. The work seeks to propagate the greatness of

Sivabhakti and also enlightens us about the supreme power of Lord

Siva.

The Siva Tatva Viveka is an elaborate attempt to establish that Siva

is the Lord of the Universe. For the Saiva cult no book has done

more service than the Siva Tatva Viveka. Even from a purely

intellectual point of view, the book will not fail to receive the

admiration of all impartial scholars.

 

28, 29, 30 and 31. Ramayana tatparya sangraha, Bharata tatparya

sangraha and their commentaries :

These works called Ramayana tatparya Sangraha, Bharata tatparya

sangraha and the two commentaries on the same by Sri Appayya

Dikshita are, as their names indicate, works on the two great

classics and profess to expound their inner meanings.

These two works and their commentaries are based on the assumption

that in both the great epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata, it is only

the greatness of Lord Siva that is being propagated.

The Vaishnavas consider the Ramayana as a supreme work extolling

this greatness of Prapatti or Surrender. In this work, the above

view point is refuted. Sri Appayya Dikshita tries to establish that

Vibhishana who is generally held to be the symbol for surrender or

Saranagati to the Lord does so only on account of his desire to

regain his kingdom and not on account of any desire for salvation.

In the same manner, Sri Appayya Dikshita also proves with a great

deal of authority that in the Mahabharata also Bhagavan Sri Vyasa

tries to prove that Sri Lord Siva only is the supreme reality. He

also explains that in both the Bhagavat Gita and the Anugita also,

it is only the greatness and supremacy of Lord Siva that is

explained in detail.

 

32 and 33. Brahma Tarkastava and its commentary :

In these two works suitable replies have been given to the arguments

advanced by those who were condemning Lord Siva and his worship. Sri

Appayya Dikshita and a number of interesting technical debating

points and on the basis of a dialectical analysis of the evidence of

the Puranas that Lord Siva is supreme and is the Parabrahma. He also

shows in these works the difference between Lord Vishnu and Lord

Siva.

 

34. Sivadhyana Paddhati :

In this work, a description as to how Puja to Lord Siva should be

performed mentally has been described in very great detail. The

original work alone, without any commentary has been published a

long time ago in Grantha characters.

 

35. Siva Puja Vidhi :

As the title indicates, this work deals with the technique of

worship of Lord Siva. This is a fairly well-known work and has been

published in print.

 

36. Sivarchana Chandrika :

This work also deals with the worship of Lord Siva and there is a

commentary on it also. Tradition has it that this work was written

by Sri Appayya Dikshita in order to teach his royal patron King

Chinna Bomma of Vellore the greatness and the method of worhipping

of Lord Siva.

 

37. Sivakarnamruta :

This is a work written in prose with the idea of reestablishing the

superior greatness of Lord Siva.

This work comprises of two parts, viz., the arguments against the

thesis sought to be proved traditionally called the Purvapaksha and

the replies thereto traditionally called the Samadhana. The work has

been written in the manner of sastra vakyartha, which is very common

in the traditional method of theological disputation.

 

38. Sri Sivarka mani dipika :

Srikantacharya wrote a great commentary on the Brahma Sutras of

Badarayana, seeking to derive from it the sivadvaita doctrine. It is

generally believed that Srikanta lived after Sri Sankara and before

Sri Ramanuja. The present work of Sri Appayya Dikshita is an

elaborate commentary on the Srikanta bhashya.

The Srikanta doctrine is generally called also as the Saiva

visishtadvaita. There is a close resemblance between the advaita of

Sri Sankara and the Sivadvaita of Srikanta.

Sri Appayya Dikshita very graphically describes dvaita as the lowest

step, visishtadvaita as the middle step and sivadvaita and advaita

which are very close to each other as the highest steps. Sri Appayya

Dikshita calls himself again and again in this work as a follower of

the advaita doctrine, but the followers of sivadvaita also calim him

as one of their great Acharyas.

The Sivarka mani dipika displays the most thorough-going knowledge

of mimamsa, vyakarana, nyaya, rhetoric, and in fact of the whole

field of Sanskrit literature. What Vachaspati, Sudarsana and

Jayatirtha have done for the Bhashyas of Sankara, Ramanuja and

Madhva, Sri ppayya Dikshita has done for the Bhashyas of Srikanta.

In many places the book is more an original discussion than a

commentary. As an intellectual treat, there is not a more learned

and well reasoned and interesting work than the Sivarka mani dipika.

To the Siva bhakta, the book is a priceless treasure. The author

pronounces Srikanta to have been a practiser of the Dahara Vidya. He

detects this fact by a critical examination of Srikanta's references

to the different vidyas.

 

39. Sivadvaita Nirmaya :

This is a very small work in which the doctrine of Sivadvaita has

been easily explained.

 

40 and 41. Anandalahari Chandrika :

This work purports to explain the essence of Srikanta Bhashya in

easy terms. The Chandrika is the author's own commentary on his own

work.

Sri Appayya Dikshita makes clear in his work that Srikanta Bhashya

has been written in very close approximation to the trend of thought

of Sri Sankara in his Brahmasutra Bhashya that Srikanta propagated

his cult on the understanding that sagunopasana is only the first

step to nirgunopasana, and that it was the real intention of

Srikanta that the final truth lies only in Suddhadvaita. The great

dialectical skill of Sri Appayya Dikshita, is fully reflected in

this work, where he tries to narrow down the differences between the

apparently divergent schools of thought, and tries to show that the

advaita of Sri Sankara is the real eternal truth to which all others

try to approximate.

 

42. Bhasma Vada Vali :

From the title of the work it can perhaps be inferred that this is a

work on the greatness of wearing the Vibhuti which is quite common

among the Saivites.

 

43 and 44. Ratnatraya Pariksha and its commentary :

In this extremely short work containing only very few verses, which

Sri Appayya Dikshita calls as the three gems or ratna traya, Sri

Dikshita proves on the basis of the pramanas of the Puranas, that

Siva is really the Parabrahma, that it is the Sivasakti in the

female form that is known as Parvati, and that it is the same sakti

which is known as Narayana in the male form, and that on account of

these, Hari, Hara and Ambika, all the three have Brahmatva, and that

it is not necessary to fight among ourselves as to who is greater

and who is smaller, since all the three are derived only from the

same eternal source.

 

45. Siva Mahima Kalikastuti :

This is a work in 25 verses praising Lord Siva. By handling the

slesha or the technique of using words and phrases that can be

interpreted in two different manners, the author is able to expound

in this work some of the principles of mimamsa. Sri Dikshita himself

must have written a commentary or vyakhya on this, since the verse,

as they exist today, could not be fully understood without a

commentary, as the intricate details of the mimamsa sastra have all

been brought forward in this work by means of similes. Moreover, in

this work all the details of Ishti, pasu, etc. given in the

karmakanda, all details of yagas like the Soma yaga, and the upasana

of Lord Siva as given in the gnanakanda have been explained as per

the rules of mimamsa, with slesha alankara. Hence a commentary is

very essential to grasp the correct meaning of this.

This Stuti, in addition to explaining the Vedantic truths, is also

replete with the rules of purva-mimamsa. Vedanta is described as the

divine parijata tree here.The idea is that like the Parijata which

is the tree of Devas and which grows in the Nandanodyana and which

fulfils all desires, so does Vedanta which gives to a devotee all

the purusharthas. This Stuti can be compared to a bouquet made of

Parijata flowers. The fragrance that emanates is the Purva mimamsa

rules. Without a knowledge of them Vedanta cannot really be

understood. Hence this is said to contain the essence of both the

systems of thought.

 

46 and 47. Pancharatna Stuti and its commentary :

These are short devotional works.

 

The other Sivadvaita works generally attributed to Sri Appayya

Dikshita are :

 

 

48. Virasaivam.

49. Sivadhyana Paddhati vyakhyana.

50. Sivapurana tamasatva kandanam.

51. Saivakalpadruma.

 

 

(iv) Mimamsa works :

 

52 and 53. Vidhirasayana and Sukhopayojini :

This is a well-known and renowned work containing details of the

three great doctrines or " vidhis " which are well-known in the

Mimamsa Sastra.

Sukhopayojini is a commentary on the Vidhirasayana. Since these and

the other Mimamsa works of Sri Appayya Dikshita were well-known in

the northern parts of our country also during his own life time, one

scholar by name Khandadeva who belonged to the next generation and

who also propagated the Mimamsa doctrines speaks of Sri Appayya

Dikshita as " Mimamsaka Murdhanya " .

 

54. Upakrama Parakrama :

The upakrama and the upasamhara are two technical terms. In this

work, the prominence and importance of upakrama are brought out.

This work is an elaborate discussion of the upakrama nyaya of the

mimamsa as applied to the vedanta. This is common to both Purva

Mimamsa and Uttara Mimamsa.

 

55. Chitrapata :

This teaches the rules of Mimamsa.

 

56. Mayukhavali :

This is a commentary on the work Sastra dipika of Parthasarathi

Misra.

 

The following two works are also generally attributed to Sri Appayya

Dikshita.

 

57. Tantrika mimamsa.

58. Dharma mimamsa paribhasa.

 

(v) Vykarana works :

 

59. Paniniya tantravada nakshtra mala :

This work consists of 27 questions or prasnas on vyakarana or

grammar, along with the explanations for them.

 

(vi) Kavya vyakhyanas :

 

60. Yadavabhyudaya Vyakhyana:

This is a vyakhyana or commentary on the Mahakavya Yadavabhyudaya

written by Sri Vedanta Desika the great Vaishnavite teacher. Just

like the 15th Sarga of Kiratarjuniyam and the 21st Sarga of

Maghakavya, one Sarga of Yadavabhyudayam contains the sabda chitra.

The Yadavabhudaya is one of those works through which Sri Appayya

Dikshita reached the height of his glory.

 

(vii) Alankaras :

 

61. Kuvalayananda :

This is also a very well-known and a standard text on the alankara

sastra which teaches arthalankara. All the old treatises on the

subject have been analysed and re-edited by the author, and the

entire work was written in a very pleasing and clear manner with the

help of examples and introducing some new alankaras also. Students

of alankara generally read the Kuvalayananda as the first standard

work. This has two commentaries on it, one called the Chandrika and

the other called Rasika Ranjani.

 

62. Chitra Mimamsa :

This is an elaborate descriptive work with full examples of the

Lakshana of the more important Arthalankaras. Following this

pattern, Sri Jagannadha Pandita wrote his famous Rasagangadhara. The

Chitra Mimamsa has been written in the traditional sastraic manner.

 

63. Vritti Vartika :

This work deals with the Vrittis which are described in the Alankara

Sastras as Abidha, Lakshana and Vyanjana. This is a small work.

 

(viii)Devotional Poetry :

 

64 and 65. The Varadarajastava and its commentary :

Sri Appayya Dikshita, though he was by conviction an advaitin had no

differences with regard to worship of Lord Siva or Lord Vishnu.

Moreover, he and his ancestors had all along lived in Kanchipuram

and hence they were highly devoted to Lord Varadaraja, the presiding

deity of that place.

It is said that Sri Acharya Dikshita had written a work called

Varadaraja Vasantotsava Varnana. Sri Appayya Dikshita in his

Varadarajastava describes the divine beauty of the Lord in 106

verses of exquisite beauty and charm. It is as if he has adorned the

beautiful form of the Lord with a garland as it were of 106 verses.

He has himself written a commentary on this. In it he explains in

great detail the Lakshanas of the various alankaras handled by him

in the main work.

For every great work of composition what is indispensable is not so

much the mere technical skill as the inner shining beauty called the

pratibha. This pratibha consists of five elements,namely,

Atisayokti, Vakrokti, Slesha, Pada Saushtava and Sabda Madhurya. A

kavya is said to be a great one only if it contains all these

elements. The varadarajastava is full of these and is forever

shining as an ornament of beauty to the Lord of Kanchipuram.

 

66. Atmarpanastuti :

Sri Appayya Dikshita who demonstrated his complete mastery over

descriptive verses in his Varadarajastava has in the Atmarpanastuti

dealt with equal facility with mystic poetry and makes the inner

self melt as it were by his exquisite poetry. In this work, we see

the profound maturity of the true devotion to the Supreme Lord. The

Atmarpana or surrender of oneself, is the very acme or end in the

various stages of devotion to the Lord. There cannot be a greater

stage in one's evolution than this. This work seeks moksha or

release as a final end. This reflects the inner mental state of a

great devotee, in whom the ego has become fully extinct. The state

of one who surrenders himself to the Lord is a stage of complete

detachment. What he wants is eternal happiness. What he aims at is

only release from the bondage of the never-ending cycle of births

and deaths.

The disjointed prattle of Sri Appayya Dikshita in a stage of

intoxication became this stutikavya which is generally known as

Unmatta Panchasati, because all the fifty verses in this work, were

composed at a stage when Sri Appayya Dikshita had no control over

his mental faculties. From this work the fact that Sri Appayya

Dikshita had completely identified himself with the ninth stage of

self-surrender or atma samarpana in bhakti yoga became very clear.

In this work, Sri Appayya Dikshita has totally surrendered himself

to Lord Siva with a deep prayer that he should be given complete

freedom from the cycle of births and deaths and be identified in the

advaitic state of oneness with Lord Siva.

Sri Sivananda Yogi, a biographer of Sri Appayya Dikshita has written

a commentary on this work.

 

67. Apitakuchambastava :

Once Sri Appayya Dikshita had gone to Tiruvannamalai for darshan of

Lord Arunachaleswara there. There he was laid with a severe fever.

At that stage he prayed to the Goddess of that place, Apitakuchamba

for relief from his suffering and this work composed in that context

is now known as Apitakuchambastava.

 

68. Manasollasa :

In this very small work, Sri Appayya Dikshita teaches to his own

mind complete detachment and vairagya. He instructs his mind that it

should pray to Lord Pasupati in a state of utter detachment, and see

some way by which the next janma could be avoided.

 

69. Nigrahastaka :

Sri Appayya Dikshita during his propagation of Saivism, had to incur

the enmity of a number of persons. Once when he was out traveling,

certain professional killers were engaged by his enemies to kill Sri

Appayya Dikshita. At that stage when his life was in danger, Sri

Appayya Dikshita prayed to the Lord in these eight verses to protect

him and to bring destruction to his enemies. His obstacles were then

removed and his enemies were also killed by the grace of the Lord.

 

70. Hari Hara stuti :

In the great kshetra, Chidambaram, the temple to Sri Govindaraja,

the Vishnava Lord, which was closed for worship was thrown open

again for worship during the time of Ramaraya, the regent of

Vijayanagar, through the good offices of one vaishnavite teacher

Doddacharya. Sri Appayya Dikshita who had no distinction between

Siva and Vishnu, fully welcomed this. In honor of that great event

he wrote the Harihara Stuti. This contains ten verses. In each both

Siva and Vishnu are praised alternatively. It is well-known that in

Chidambaram one can have darshan of both the Lords at the same time.

 

71 and 72. Durga Chandra kala stuti and its commentary :

This durgastuti is like a mantra sastra designed to avert poverty,

fear from enemies, fear from death, several difficulties, several

unanticipated disasters etc., for devotees and is in fifteen verses.

The Devi mahatmya and the other anecdotes about the devi given in

Varahapurana, Harivamsa, Bhagavata etc., are given in condensed form

in this work. Traditionally the descendents of Sri Appayya Dikshita

do the japa of this work during their Sandhya worship.

 

73 and 74. Aditya Stotra ratna and its commentary :

In this work are described in great detail and also following the

injunctions of the smritis, stutis and puranas, the principles about

Aditya or Lord Sun, his chariot, or Ratha, the orbit or Rathachara,

his horses etc. In it are also described the laws of the

suryopasakas, the greatnesss of the rays of aditya, Lord Sun, the

greatness of Lord Siva who remains hidden as the inner principle of

the suryamandala and the good that will accrue as a result of

suryopasana. The phalastuti in the work mentions that by studying

the work constantly, one will be removed from all illness and will

obtain all greatness.

 

75. Sri Margabandhu pancha ratna :

This work is about Lord Marga Sahayesvara of Virinchipura who was

the family deity of Sri Appayya Dikshita and his family. In the

month of margali, traditionally in South India, in the early morning

people go round the streets with the noise of conches and doing

bhajan and kirtan.

 

76. Sri Margasahayalingastuti :

This is a very short work in praise of he family deity of Sri

Appayya Dikshita namely Lord Margasahayesvara of Virinchipura,

written in the Upajati vritta.

 

77. Gangadharastaka :

This is not available to us in full. This is in praise of the family

deity of Sri Appayya Dikshita.

 

 

The following works are also generally attributed to Sri Appayya

Dikshita.

 

 

78. Krishna dhyana paddhati

79. Paduka sahasra vyakhya

80. Anugrahashtaka

81.Krishna dhyana paddhati vyakhya

82. Arunachalesvara stuti

83.Jayollasanidhi

84. Margasahayastotra

85. Margabandhuchampu svakula daivata stuti rupa

86. Vishnu tatva rahasyam

87. Santistava

88. Stotraratnakara

89. Bhaktisatakam

 

 

(ix) Other miscellaneous :

In addition to the above works, the following fifteen works are also

ascribed to Sri Appayya Dikshita taking up the total to 104.

 

90. Balachandrika

91. Commentary on item 90

92. Nama sangraha mala (Abhidana kosa rupa)

93. Commentary on item 92

94. Sabdaprakasa-kosa rupa

95. Prakrita chandrika

96. Amarakosa vyakhya

97. Tinktha sesha sangraha

98. Panchasvara vritti

99. Prabodha chandrodaya tika

100. Vasumati chitrasena vilasa natakam

101. Hamsa sandesa tika

102. Lakshana ratnavali vykhya

103. Hari vamsa sara charita vyaakhyav

104. Dasakumara charita sangraha

 

 

The full exhaustive list of 104 works attributed to Sri Appayya

Dikshita is given above. As per this, he has written 25 works on

Vedantic topics, 26 works on Sivadvaita themes, 7 volumes on

mimamsa, one each on Kavya Vyakhyana, and Vyakarana vyakhyana, 3 on

Alamkaras, 26 works of a devotional nature and 15 works of a

miscellaneous character thus totaling 104. It is only further

research and careful comparison of various manuscripts and proper

editing of them, that can finally establish the authenticity of the

authorship of all the manuscripts of works by Sri Appayya Dikshita.

But that he wrote these works on these variety of themes seems

beyond doubt.

 

This information is courtesy of Srimad Appayya Deekshitendra

Grantavali Prakasana Samiti, Hyderabad.