Digvijaya (conquest)
| Part of a series on | |
| Hindu philosophy | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Orthodox | |
|
|
|
| Heterodox | |
|
|
|
In India, a digvijaya was originally a military conquest of the "four quarters." In medieaval times, it came to refer to the religious conquest of India by the reputed founders of the major Hindu renunciate traditions, namely Madhva, Sankara, Chaitanya, and Vallabha.[1]
Military conquest[]
Digvijaya as a military conquest is often mentioned in Indian history. It was followed by rituals confirming the divine grace and royal authority of the conqueror.[2]
Religious conquest[]
According to Sax, the religious digvijaya-litarature may have been a response to the demise of royal digvijaya, due to the Muslim conquest of most of India.[3]
Madhva Digvijayam[]
| Sumadhva Vijaya | |
|---|---|
| Information | |
| Religion | Hinduism |
| Author | Narayana Panditacharya |
| Language | Sanskrit |
| Period | 13th century |
| Chapters | 16 cantos |
| Part of a series on |
| Dvaita |
|---|
 |
| Hinduism portal |
Sumadhva Vijaya (also referred as Sri Madhva Vijaya or simply as Madhva Vijaya) ("The story of the victory of Madhva"), is a biographical work of the great Dvaita philosopher Sri Madhvacharya. It is authored by Sri Narayana Panditacharya, who was the son of Sri Trivikrama Panditacharya, one of the direct disciples of Madhvacharya. Sri Trivikrama Panditacharya was a famous advaita exponent of his time and converted himself to the Madhva faith after disputation with Sri Madhvacharya himself for 7–8 days in Kasargod of Kerala. He is also the author of the famous "Vayu Stuti" which is recited by all devote Madhvas, daily, till date.
Sumadhva Vijaya is a Sanskrit work and is composed of 16 sargas or cantos. It starts with a description of the first two Avatars of Vayu, namely Hanuman and Bhima. It then proceeds to describe the life of Sri Madhva, who is considered the third avatar. Sumadhva Vijaya contains detailed descriptions of various incidents of Sri Madhva's life and is the only authentic source of information about Madhvacharya that exists. Sri Narayana Panditacharya was a contemporary of Sri Madhva which greatly adds to the authenticity of the work. The work contains many personal and intimate details of Sri Madhvacharya's daily routine.[4]
Sumadhva Vijaya is a Maha Kavya and its style meets all the requirements of a Maha Kavya of Sanskrit Literature. Sumadhva Vijaya has several commentaries written on it which greatly helps the understanding of the Maha Kavya. Sri Narayana Panditacarya himself has written a commentary on his Maha Kavya Madhva Vijaya. This commentary is called Bhava Prakashika. This is a very useful commentary because the poet himself gives the Kannada and Tulu names of several persons who are a part of Sri Madhvacharya's Biography and the places which Sri Madhvacarya has visited. In the Kavya these names are Sanskritised. The next oldest commentary on Sumadhva Vijaya is by Sri Vedanga Tirtha, one of the saints of the Sode Mutt. This commentary is called Padartha Dipika. Another commentary which is also in vogue is the "Padartha Dipikodbodhika" of Sri Vishwapati Tirtha of Pejavara Mutt. "Mandopakarini" of Sri Chalari Sheshacharya is also quite popular. All the commentaries are in print. Sumadhva Vijaya has also been recited by many artists, such as Sri Vidhyabooshana.
Shankara Digvijayam[]
Shankara Vijayams (IAST Śaṃkaravijayaṃ) are traditional hagiographies of the Advaita philosopher Adi Shankara, describing his 'conquest of the four quarters'. In these hagiographies, Shankara is deified as a ruler-renunciate, bringing harmony to the four quarters.[5][6] The genre may have been modelled on the digvijayas of Madhva, since the oldest Shankara-hagiography post-dates Madhva (1238-1317).[3] The Shankara-digvijayams mimick the royal digvijayams, as his 'conquest of the four quarters' and the establishment of his kingdom is followed by his coronation with this ascent of the Throne of Omniscience (sarvajña-pīṭha), akin to the rajasuya rites.[7][8]
The main Shankaravijayams are:
- Anandagirīya Shankaravijayam (of Anandagiri, not extant)
- Anantanadagiri Shankaravijayam (extant from 15th century, but controversial in nature)
- Cidvilāsīya Shankaravijayam (of Chidvilasa, c. between 15th century and 17th century
- Keralīya Shankaravijayam (extant in Kerala, c. 17th century)
- Madhavīya Shankara (Dig)vijayam (of Madhava). Usually attributed to Madhava-Vidyaranya, and dated to the 14th century. The attribution and dating is disputed; the author was a Madhavi, and the correct date seems to be the 17th or even 18th century.[9][10][note 1]
See also[]
Notes[]
- ^ Isayeva refers to W.R. Antarkar (1972), Sanksepa Sankara Jaya of Madhavacarya or Sankara Digvijaya of Sri Vidyaranyamuni. Goodding refers to Jonathan Bader (2000), Conquest of the four quarters : traditional accounts of the life of Śaṅkara, p.55-56, n.75
References[]
- ^ Raveh 2016.
- ^ Simmons 2019, p. 229.
- ^ a b Clark 2006, p. 157.
- ^ Dvaadasha Stotra
- ^ Nowicka 2016, p. 147.
- ^ Bader 2001, p. vii.
- ^ Nowicka 2016, p. 148.
- ^ Clark 2006, p. 158.
- ^ Isayeva1993, p. 70-71.
- ^ Goodding 2013, p. 90.
Sources[]
- Bader, Jonathan (2001), Conquest of the Four Quarters. TYraditional Accounts of the Life of Shankara, Australian National University
- Clark, Matthew (2006), The Daśanāmī-Saṃnyāsīs: The Integration of Ascetic Lineages into an Order, BRILL
- Goodding, Robert A. (2013), "A Theologian in a South Indian Kingdom: The Histoical Context of the Jivanmuktiviveka of Vidyaranya", in Lindquist, Steven E. (ed.), Religion and Identity in South Asia and Beyond: Essays in Honor of Patrick Olivelle, Anthem Press
- Isayeva, Natalia (1993). Shankara and Indian Philosophy. Albany: State University of New York Press (SUNY). ISBN 0-7914-1282-2.
- Nowicka, Olga (2016), "Conquering the World, Subduing the Minds: Śaṅkara's digvijaya in the Local Context", Cracow Indological Studies vol. XVIII (2016) 10.12797/CIS.18.2016.18.07
- Raveh, Daniel (2016), Sūtras, Stories and Yoga Philosophy: Narrative and Transfiguration, Routledge
- Simmons, Caleb (2019), Devotional Sovereignty: Kingship and Religion in India, Oxford University Press
External links[]
- Madhva
- Discourse on Sumadhva Vijaya (Kannada) by Vidwan Vyasanakere Prabhanjanacharya.
- Biographical links to Madhvacharya and other dvaita resources
- Madhva and other Dvaita saints text resource
- Complete Biography of Sriman Madhvacharya
- [1]
- Madhwa Vijaya Audio
- Shankara
- The Sankaravijaya Literature— a detailed discussion of the various Shankara Vijayams
- Hinduism