Shiva Advaita (Devanagari:शिवाद्वैत, Kannada: ಶಿವಾದ್ವೈತ, Śivādvaita), also known as Śiva ViśiṣṭādvaitaorShaivite qualified nondualism is a Shaivite school of philosophy from Southern India that was founded by Śrīkaṇṭha Śivācārya during the eighth century.[1][2] According to this doctrine, the Shiva and the Brahman are the one and the same.[3]
Śrīkaṇṭha Śivācārya (also known as Nīlakaṇṭha Śivācārya) wrote a commentary on Brahma Sutras, which became known as Śiva Viśiṣṭādvaita.[4] The time-frame of Śrīkaṇṭha's work is not exactly known, but believed to be somewhere between 12th and 14th century.[5] The theory of Śiva Viśiṣṭādvaita follows very closely Ramanuja's Viśiṣṭādvaita non-dualism doctrine, but differs in who is considered Supreme. Śrīkaṇṭha considers Shiva supreme. It is not known whether Śrīkaṇṭha Śivācārya's work was completed before or after Ramanuja's.[4] Sri Appayya Dikshita contributed further to Shiva Advaita by expounding Śrīkaṇṭha's philosophy in his Sivarka mani dipika.[4] Śrīkaṇṭha does not deny Nirguna Brahman, which is central to Advaita.[5] In contrast to Śrīkaṇṭha, who considers his Brahma Sutra Bhasya Viśiṣṭādvaita (qualified non-dualism), which affirms the supremacy of Saguna Brahman, Appayya affirms a form of pure non-dualism and recasting Śrīkaṇṭha's work in an effort to establish Shiva Advaita in his Śivādvaitanirṇaya.[5]
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