Sankaracarya and Dharmakirti

Summary

This article argues that Śaṅkarācārya, the Advaitin philosopher, lived after the Buddhist logician Dharmakīrti. The author focuses on Śaṅkara’s commentary on the Brahma-sūtras II.2.28, where he uses the expression “sahopalamabhanīyamād abhedaḥ viṣaya-vijñānayor” (the identity of the subject and object is established because they are necessarily apprehended together). He notes that this phrase closely resembles a kārikā of Dharmakīrti: “sahopalambha-niyamanād abhedo nīlataddhiyoh / bhedaś ca bhrānta-vijñānair dṛṣṭenānto avidyayā,” which discusses the co-perception of blue objects and awareness. Vācaspati Miśra, in his Bhāmatī commentary, explicitly quotes Dharmakīrti’s kārikā when explaining Śaṅkara’s passage. The author argues that Śaṅkara’s borrowing of Dharmakīrti’s phrasing indicates that he was familiar with Dharmakīrti’s work, and thus could not predate him. He challenges scholars who try to assign Śaṅkara to an earlier century, emphasising the need to consider cross-references in philosophical texts. The article also corrects misinterpretations regarding the phrase “Simhaladvīpa” in connection with Āryadeva, emphasising careful philological analysis.