ABSTRACT
This chapter highlights selections on language, method and symbolism from his writings in the field of the Hindu philosophy of oneness, to reflect on Madhava Vidyaranya Muni's highly developed philosophical mind. Vidyaranya's treatise on music, Sangita Sara, now lost, is said to have been the earliest text of the Vijayanagara empire. Vidyaranya wrote important philosophical and legal works in Sanskrit, some of which are available in translation. In any case, there is evidence that Madhava Vidyaranya wrote a number of books on philosophy, though some attributed to him are contested by scholars. Vidyaranya is known for four major philosophical writing in Sanskrit: Panchadashi, Jivanmukti-viveka, Anubhuti-prakashika and Vivarana-prameya-sangraha. It is especially in this last treatise that Vidyaranya rigorously argues for the view that philosophy is a logico-linguistic enterprise. Vidyaranya's biography of Shankara is a traditional telling, drawing on previous narratives, detailing the legendary accomplishments of the great reformer and philosopher-saint, carrying them forward with poetic flair.
