2023-06-22 12:07:32 by ambuda-bot
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INTRODUCTION
Sri Madhusudana Sarasvati is one of the classical writers on
the Advaita Vedanta. His best known work is the Advaita-Siddhi.
Together with the commentary on it by Sri Brahmananda
Sarasvati, called Laghucandrika but better known by its popular
name Brahmanandī, it is considered the highwater mark of
Advaita dialectics.
Not much is known about the details of the life of this
great saint scholar. But the little that is known is full of
interest. Sri P. C. Diwanji of the Bombay Civil Service (judi.
cial) places the date of his birth as 1540 A.D. He tells us also
that the name of Madhusudana Sarasvati is mentioned in the
Ain-E-Akbari as the second among the wise men of the Hindus,
the first being that of his guru, Madhava Sarasvati. And Sri
Rajendranath Ghosh, in the very elaborate introduction to the
Bengali translation of the Advaita-Siddhi places the date of his
birth between 1525 and 1530. In view of the fact that when he
left for Navadveepa as a very young man determined to enter
the monastic order under the guidance of Sri Chaitanya Maha-
prabhu (1485-1532) the latter was presumably still alive, it may
be necessary to advance the date of birth to 1520. It is agreed
by all that he lived for a hundred and seven years.
He was born in a village near Kotalipära in the Faridpur
District of East Bengal, now Bangladesh, in a family of erudite
scholars, probably followers of the vaishnava faith. The father's
name was Pramodana Purandarâcārya. The young man, the
third of four sons, was named Kamalanayana.
Receiving his early education from his father and making
very rapid progress with it, Kamalanayana resolved, even as a
very young man, to dedicate his life to the pursuit of truth and
to renounce the worldly life, to enable him to concentrate on his
aim, without the distraction of having to maintain a family.
His father approved his resolve, blessed him and advised him
i
¡
INTRODUCTION
Sri Madhusudana Sarasvati is one of the classical writers on
the Advaita Vedanta. His best known work is the Advaita-Siddhi.
Together with the commentary on it by Sri Brahmananda
Sarasvati, called Laghucandrika but better known by its popular
name Brahmanandī, it is considered the highwater mark of
Advaita dialectics.
Not much is known about the details of the life of this
great saint scholar. But the little that is known is full of
interest. Sri P. C. Diwanji of the Bombay Civil Service (judi.
cial) places the date of his birth as 1540 A.D. He tells us also
that the name of Madhusudana Sarasvati is mentioned in the
Ain-E-Akbari as the second among the wise men of the Hindus,
the first being that of his guru, Madhava Sarasvati. And Sri
Rajendranath Ghosh, in the very elaborate introduction to the
Bengali translation of the Advaita-Siddhi places the date of his
birth between 1525 and 1530. In view of the fact that when he
left for Navadveepa as a very young man determined to enter
the monastic order under the guidance of Sri Chaitanya Maha-
prabhu (1485-1532) the latter was presumably still alive, it may
be necessary to advance the date of birth to 1520. It is agreed
by all that he lived for a hundred and seven years.
He was born in a village near Kotalipära in the Faridpur
District of East Bengal, now Bangladesh, in a family of erudite
scholars, probably followers of the vaishnava faith. The father's
name was Pramodana Purandarâcārya. The young man, the
third of four sons, was named Kamalanayana.
Receiving his early education from his father and making
very rapid progress with it, Kamalanayana resolved, even as a
very young man, to dedicate his life to the pursuit of truth and
to renounce the worldly life, to enable him to concentrate on his
aim, without the distraction of having to maintain a family.
His father approved his resolve, blessed him and advised him