Reconciliation of Advaita Metaphysics in Shivadvaita

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The search for Reality is the essential element of philosophical quest in ancient India which constitutes the final goal of each individual in this univesre. Though the paths may vary, each effort has its own claim on its rightness and absoluteness. However it is undeniable that the highest concern in this premise is represented as 'Advaita' or non-duality cognizable in the transcendental functioning of knowledge. The discerning reader may hardly fail to note its traces of innate understanding that can have indispensable functional efficacy on the spontaneity of the final realization. The Advaita Vedanta schema of facilitating the absolute unity in the Reality without any difference advocated by the great Sri Sankara as against the manifoldness of the universe is interestingly countered through arguments favouring the reality of the world in ' 'Sivadvaita' and accepting a 'bi-unity' - Siva and Sakti constitutes the foundational presentation of discussion in the work. Accordingly, all the plurality under the travail of maya or avidya gets exhaustedin the Absolute by true knowledge as disclosed in the Agamas and the Advaita becomes Sivam(auspicious) and Santam (tranquility). The Sivadvaita following the agamic tradition in countenance to Advaitic Upaniṣadic tradition is a transformation of the Saiva doctrine into Advaita. Instead of Brahman of Advaita, Siva and Sakti in Bi-unity forms the Absolute here. The book reviews the Advaitic theoretisations by Sri Bhojadeva, the King of Ujjain in Tattvaprakasa that forms the essential ground of discussion in Sivadvaita by the great exponent Sri Srikantacarya. The book clearly states the views of Srikantacarya and reviews his arguments. Further there is an elaboration on the efforts of Sri Appayya Diksita, a pure Advaitic thinker of Sankara Vedanta fame. What is more significant is the recognition of different levels of avidya in Sivadvaita as against the Advaita Vedanta. The book substantiates the interesting pursuits of the manifold concerns on Advaita.

Dr.N.Usha Devi holds Ph.D Degree in Indian Philosophy from the University of Calicut. She is a Ist Rank holder and Gold Medalist in B.A. and M.A. in Sanskrit Special (Advaita Vedanta) from the University of Kerala. She had her M.A.Degree in Philosophy also. She is teaching in Sree Sankara College, Kalady for the last thirty years. She is a U.G.C. Post-Doctoral Research Awardee. A Research Guide in Sanskrit of Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala. She is guiding 8 research scholars. Two scholars have already been awarded Ph.D.degree.

She had presented more than 50 papers in National as well as international forums. She had written articles in JICPR and many other Research Journals, three of which are indexed in the Philosophers' Index, USA. Being the Editor of the Research Journal 'Sadvidya' published from the Department of Sanskrit, Sree Sankara College, Kalady since 2006, the 10th volume of the same is already released. She had to her credit two published books - 'The Contribution of Sri Brahmananda Svami Sivayogi to Indian Philosophy' and 'Advaita Vedanta- A Logic cognitive Approach'. She is actively engaged in Research related to Sanskrit and Indian Philosophy.

The ancient philosophical tradition of India shows a common concern on the spiritual quest of interest but with varied methodological pursuits. There are claims on all these pursuits to be the right ones. It can be found that there are emergent substantiations that have either independent framework or corroborative getting entangled in the diverse exigencies of later intellectual exercises. But one certainly cannot underestimate the most prolific manifestations of the ancient perspectives or their cynical deconstructions in time resulting in the survival of these over years without deviating from their basic tenets and finding new lines of forming the relevant philosophical culture of integration. Consequently, it is interesting to note that the philosophical tasks which have been formulated in ancient India became fixed in the minds of the generations of people.

From a conceptual analysis of the contemporary philosophical situation in India it can be said that many of the traditions though visibly varied, accept the concept of 'Advaita' or non-duality on Reality that presents the Absolute as *Ekamevadvitiyam'. Coflicting statements are debated in the form of the Reality is one without a second as dealt within Advaita Vedanta as against the consideration of Reality a biunity in the form of Siva and Sakti in Sivadvaita. The Advaita being trans differential, all plurality and whatever that pluralises it get exhausted in It. All the limited things under the travail of maya or avidya gets exposed as Advaita or non-difference only by true knowledge. This Advaita has been described as auspicious (Sivam) and extreme traquility (Santam). It is self-effulgent and selfluminous Consciousness, as well as Bliss.

ATONEMENT is the classical word that pertains to the reconciliation of some changed views on the original thoughts in philosophical literature. The analysis of history of Indian Philosophy, in particular, the Saivism, in modern thinking has such atonement into Advaita Vedanta that tradition had unequivocally accepted as the sole philosophical domain. Saivism, supposedly having its claim on origin from the Vedic concept of Rudra marks a deviation to the Advaita Vedantic theoretics that accepts only an unmanifest entity as the absolute instead of a manifest being revealing its Absoluteness. The main differentiated thought can be corroborated as a form of expression of the infinitude as conjugates of Siva and Sakti. But although there has been a mutually enriching relationship between the two only Siva has the credit of masquerading Sakti and thereby holding His absoluteness as unity to which the great mystics or yogins can have direct access. It is onething the Saivism does help in looking into the deeper realm of Reality. But there are some penchant speculative understandings on the philosophical discipline of Saivism that has its culmination in Kashmir Saivism through the conerted efforts of later Savaites bringing into reconciliation with Advaita metaphysics. This remakable approach will remain incomplete without the mention of the great Saivite philosopher Sri Srikanthacarya and the Advaita Vedanta thinker, Sri Appayya Diksita. Their conceptualizations are well supported by the theoretisations of Sri Bhojadeva which forms the basic tenent of the new orientation of the doctrines of Saivism. What the new orientation signals of is the ascertainability of the unthinkable, communicating the unknowable in expressed form. A new dimension to language has been given by such an Advaitic interpretation therein declaring the nature of merely thinkable ascertained through the Mahavakyas of the Upanisads. The commentory on Bhojadeva's work was profusely commented on by the famous Advaita philosopher of modern times Sri Appayya Diksita. This has completely metamorphosed the Saivism into Sivadvaita. The characteristic feature of this system is that instead of Brahman for the Advaita it is Siva as unmanifest and having Sakti non-differentiated from Him that is considered as the absolute.