14 Facts About Gaudapada

Gaudapada was the author or compiler of the, known as Gaudapada Karika.

The first three chapters of Gaudapada's text have been influential in the Advaita Vedanta tradition.

Gaudapada is generally dated from estimates for Adi Shankara, whose teacher Govinda Bhagavatpada is presumed to be the direct disciple of Gaudapada.

But, it is certain that Gaudapada lived after the 4th century because he cites some Buddhist views of Nagarjuna and Asanga, the latter of whom various accounts place in 4th century India.

Gaudapada's text, adds Nakamura, was treasured but not considered a Sruti by Advaita scholars, while Ramanuja and Madhvacharya of non-Advaita schools considered its first chapter to be a Sruti.

Related searches

We construct realities, states Gaudapada, and imagine Jivatman to be various things such as praana, loka (world), deva (gods), bhoktr (enjoyer), bhojya (enjoyables), sukshma (subtle), sthula (gross), murta (material), amurta (nonmaterial) and so on.

Gaudapada opens this chapter by criticizing Upasan and states that this assumes, that the Brahman-Atman is unborn in the beginning and in the end, but is presently born(as jiva).

In reality, states Gaudapada, there is no creation of souls from Brahman as they are identical.

Influence of Buddhist doctrines on Gaudapada has been a vexed question, though "most recent writers seem to be willing to admit Buddhist influence, " yet note that Gaudapada was a Vedantin and not a Buddhist.

Gaudapada took over the Yogachara teaching of vijnapti-matra, "representation-only, " which states that the empirical reality that we experience is a fabrication of the mind, experienced by consciousness-an-sich, and the four-cornered negation, which negates any positive predicates of 'the Absolute'.

Gaudapada "wove [both doctrines] into the philosophy of Mandukaya Upanisad, which was further developed by Shankara".

Further, state both Murti and King, no Vedanta scholars who followed Gaudapada ever quoted from Chapter Four, they only quote from the first three.

Swami Nikhilananda denies Buddhist influence, arguing that Gaudapada used Buddhist terminology because Buddhism was prevalent at that time, but he was ultimately an Advaita Vedantin and he disagrees with Gautama Buddha in the second last verse of the Alatashanti Prakarana in the Karika.

Gaudapada is traditionally said to have been highly influential on Adi Shankara, one of the most important figures in Vedic philosophy.