ABSTRACT
This chapter is dedicated to a text which has been mainly ignored or downplayed by modern scholarship, the Sarvasiddhantasangraha (SSS). It examines the ideological context in which Advaita doxography evolved. Since Sankara is such a prominent figure in the tradition, and even if the authorship of the SSS is uncertain, the chapter examines some elements of his biography which can help shed more light on the central place of debates and apologetics within his pedagogy and conception of religious life. It highlights the ideological context in which Advaita doxography evolved, focusing on a set of fundamentals essentially encapsulating Sankara’s teachings. The chapter draws on the two chapters of the SSS related to Mimamsa, to illustrate the style of the text. Advaita doxography, can be said to be ‘performative’ texts. They are meant to be performed in contemplation, once having previously heard and reflected upon the teachings found within scriptures.
