Philosophical treatise

SREMANNYAYASUDHASARA &151; Essence of Nyayasudha Parts I & II (Original Kannada work of Sri Visvesa Tirtha Swamiji of Pejavar Mutt, Udupi): Translated into English by Sri Gururaja Acharya of Chennai; Sri Krishna Sri Raghavendra Mutt, T.Nagar, Chennai- 600017. Rs. 150.

BESIDES HIS first commentary on the Brahmasutras in which he presented the ground work of his philosophical system and constructive interpretations of the sutras, with a few asides indicating his disapproval of the views of the earlier commentators, Sri Madhwacharya reserved his elaborate analysis, criticism and evaluation of the works of earlier schools in Vedanta and their logico-philosophical concepts and bases in his metrical masterpiece - Anuvyakhyana as a companion volume to his Sutrabhashya for full clarification of the issues raised by the Sutras and their implicit criticism of rival theories.

It is on this unique work of Madhwa that Jayatirtha wrote his Nyayasudha, a mammoth work of 24,000 granthas (units of 32 syllables). Jayatirtha comes in the pontifical line of successors of Madhwa from outside Tulunadu, the latter represented by the Ashtamathas of Udupi of which Pejavar Mutt is one.

The philosophical world has reason to be thankful to Jayatirtha for his insightful synopsis of the entire range of Upanishadic philosophy at a glance.

The concept of Svatantra and Paratantra tattva in reality is the keynote of Dwaita Vedanta in which one of the three eternal verities of God or Brahman represents the apex of the triangle with the world of matter and souls of finite reality representing the base. Dabbling in philosophy without realising the truth, says Jayatirtha, is like a man wasting his time counting the sands on the banks of Ganga without bathing in its holy waters.

All this has been fully brought out by the revered Swamiji in his Kannada work. Its benefits have now been extended to a far wider circle of truth-seekers, irrespective of regional and linguistic barrier, in English by no less a person than the former heir- apparent of the Pejavar Mutt who for some reason had abdicated his position. He is an adept in Nyaya Shastra and has a good knowledge of English acquired by his own effort. He has returned to his motherland and has paid his Guru Dakshina to his teacher and master through this translation. We earnestly hope that his return will lead to a renaissance in the history of Dvaita School.However he seems to be not well informed in stating that no authentic translation of Nyayasudha has so far been attempted in any vernacular or foreign language. There are already in the market a Kannada translation in 10 volumes by Pandit Jalihal Keshavacharya and an English translation of it by Dr. Keshav Mutalik apart from the reviewer's own abridged English rendering in three volumes from the academic point of view of advanced research.

In spite of careful proof reading there is a good number of typographical errors of both Sanskrit and English words and a couple of inadequately worded statements which need to be rectified. It would have been better to use the internationally accepted diacritical marks for transliterated Sanskrit words instead of the cumbersome ITRANS method.

B.N.K. SHARMA

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