9058009471

299 REYIEWS

Ihal any scholar in India or abroad who desires to deeply undersland the vicws regarding pramSna, knowledge, etc. held by Jayanta Bhatta, DharmakTrti and Kumania (the Nyfiya, the Buddhist philosophy and the Mim&rhsil), will be very much benefitted by referring to this book by Dr. Nagin Shah.

We look forward to the next publications witłj the same clarity of thought in this series, Dr. Nagin Shah truły deserves warm congratulations for this learned attempt.

L. V Joshi

AI)I ŚANKARACARYA (I2th Centenary Commemoration YoJume), edited by GAUTAM PATEL and published by Direclorate of Information, Govemment of Gujarat, Gandhinagar, 1992, pp. xii + 233, price not mentioned.

• #

Adi Sańkaracirya was one of the very rare philosophical geniuses in India, who carried the torch of religion and philosophy all over the country, and saved pcople from the demoralising intellectual rot that had set in in the early medieval period. With his brilliant exposition of the Brahmasutras of BadarSyana, the GitS and the Upanisads, he provided the mctaphysical framework to Hinduism. But he was not a dry metaphysician. His devotional poems or stotras like ⁴Bhaja Govindam⁹ are still chanted all over the country with grcal fcrvour, and have provided tremendous solące to devolees yeaming for the gltmpse of the godhead.

Both thesc facets of Sańkarac5rya’s lilcrary activity have been sufllciently highlighted in this valuablc collcction containing fifty articles, and analysing the great Acarya’s lile and work. The opening article by Nani Palkhiwala describes SahkaracSrya as ⁴lhc builder of the empire of the spirit' and righlly so. Palkhiwala explains how Adi Sańkaracarya synthesized and purified different philosophies and idcals of his limę, a master of Jńana, Karma and Bhakti Yogas. Philosophy was the dedication of his lile, and he gave the message of detachmenl from life, abandoning the thought of reward as a preparation for etemal lile. Gautam Patel in his article on ‘Sannyasa and Sańkara' points out how the AcźLrya combined and synthesized the concepts of the Smrtis and the Gita and gave a new dimension to the concept of SannySsa, which is not actionless, but is a positive entity. E. A. Solomon gives a brilliant analysis of Sańkarficfirya*s Bhfisya on the Brhadaranayakoponisad, and explains the meaning of ‘Upanisad' as destroying samsara, and not merely as ⁴a secret doctrine*. The Acfirya’s interpretation of ⁴&nanda' is also remarkable. T.N. Dharmadhikari discusses the Acarya^łs views on Karma-kSnda and KarmanisthS. Karmakśnda stands for Vcdic sacrifices undertaken for fultllling the desire for worldly prosperity, while KarmanisthS stands for Karmayoga, viz.