Digvijaya (conquest)

Digvijaya, (Sanskrit: दिग्विजय; Dig:"Direction" and Vijaya:"Victory"), in India was originally a Sanskrit term that meant conquest of the "four quarters", in a military or a moral context. In medieval times, it came to refer to the religious conquest by reputed founders of the major Hindu renunciate traditions, namely Madhva, Sankara, Chaitanya, and Vallabha.[1]

For the list of people with the proper name "Digvijay", see Digvijay.

Military and moral conquest

Digvijaya as a military conquest is often mentioned in Indian history and mythology, for example, the digvijaya of Bharata Chakravartin. It was followed by rituals confirming the divine grace and imperial authority of the conqueror.[2] With his conquest, the Chakravartin unified India as a "moral empire" governed by a higher order. [3] The Buddhist Digha Nikaya (Chapter 26.6-7), also talks about a wheel-turning monarch (Cakravartin), who propagates Dharma in the four corners under his rulership.

Religious conquest

According to Sax, the religious connotation to the term digvijaya may have emerged as a response to the decline of the royal digvijaya, consequent to the Muslim conquest of most of India.[4]

Madhva Digvijayam

Sumadhva Vijaya, ("The story of the victory of Madhva,") also referred as Sri Madhva Vijaya, (or simply as Madhva Vijaya), is a 14th century hagiographical work of the Dvaita philosopher Sri Madhvacharya. It was composed by Sri Narayana Panditacharya, who was the son of Sri Trivikrama Panditacharya, a direct disciple of Madhvacharya and a famous Advaita exponent before his conversion to the Madhva faith.

Sumadhva Vijaya is a Mahakavya, ('great poem'), a specific Sanskrit literary genre, containing sixteen "sargas" or cantos. It starts with a description of the first two Avatars of Vayu, namely Hanuman and Bhima. It then proceeds to describe the life of Sri Madhva, who is considered the third avatar, giving detailed descriptions of various incidents of Sri Madhva's life.[5]

Several commentaries have been written on it, including one written by Sri Narayana Panditacharya, called Bhava Prakashika. The next oldest commentary on Sumadhva Vijaya is by Sri Vedanga Tirtha, called Padartha Dipika. Another relevant commentary is the Padartha Dipikodbodhika by Sri Vishwapati Tirtha of Pejawara Matha. "Mandopakarini" of Sri Chalari Sheshacharya is also quite popular

Shankara Vijayams

Shankara Vijayams (IAST Śaṃkaravijayaṃ) are traditional hagiographies of the Advaita Vedanta exegete Adi Shankara, describing his 'conquest of the four quarters'. In these hagiographies, Shankara is deified as a ruler-renunciate, bringing harmony to the four quarters.[6][7] The genre may have been modelled on the digvijayas of Madhva, since the oldest Shankara-hagiography post-dates Madhva (1238-1317).[4] The Shankara-digvijayams mimick the royal digvijayams, as his 'conquest of the four quarters' and the establishment of his kingdom is followed by his coronation with this ascent of the Throne of Omniscience (sarvajña-pīṭha), akin to the rajasuya rites.[8][9]

The main Shankaravijayams are:

  • Anandagirīya Shankaravijayam (of Anandagiri, not extant)
  • Anantanadagiri Shankaravijayam (extant from 15th century, but controversial in nature)
  • Cidvilāsīya Shankaravijayam (of Chidvilasa, c. between 15th century and 17th century
  • Keralīya Shankaravijayam (extant in Kerala, c. 17th century)
  • Madhavīya Shankara (Dig)vijayam (of Madhava). Usually attributed to Madhava-Vidyaranya, and dated to the 14th century. The attribution and dating is disputed; the author was a Madhavi, and the correct date seems to be the 17th or even 18th century.[10][11][note 1]

See also

Notes
  1. Isayeva refers to W.R. Antarkar (1972), Sanksepa Sankara Jaya of Madhavacarya or Sankara Digvijaya of Sri Vidyaranyamuni. Goodding refers to Jonathan Bader (2000), Conquest of the four quarters : traditional accounts of the life of Śaṅkara, p.55-56, n.75

References
  1. Raveh 2016.
  2. Simmons 2019, p. 229.
  3. John E. Cort, Open Boundaries: Jain Communities and Cultures in Indian History, p.98
  4. Clark 2006, p. 157.
  5. "Dvaadasha Stotra". Archived from the original on 2020-08-09. Retrieved 2022-02-03.
  6. Nowicka 2016, p. 147.
  7. Bader 2001, p. vii.
  8. Nowicka 2016, p. 148.
  9. Clark 2006, p. 158.
  10. Isayeva1993, p. 70-71.
  11. Goodding 2013, p. 90.

Sources
  • Bader, Jonathan (2001), Conquest of the Four Quarters. TYraditional Accounts of the Life of Shankara, Australian National University
  • Clark, Matthew (2006), The Daśanāmī-Saṃnyāsīs: The Integration of Ascetic Lineages into an Order, BRILL
  • Goodding, Robert A. (2013), "A Theologian in a South Indian Kingdom: The Historical Context of the Jivanmuktiviveka of Vidyaranya", in Lindquist, Steven E. (ed.), Religion and Identity in South Asia and Beyond: Essays in Honor of Patrick Olivelle, Anthem Press
  • Isayeva, Natalia (1993). Shankara and Indian Philosophy. Albany: State University of New York Press (SUNY). ISBN 0-7914-1282-2.
  • Nowicka, Olga (2016), "Conquering the World, Subduing the Minds: Śaṅkara's digvijaya in the Local Context", Cracow Indological Studies, 18 (18): 145–166, doi:10.12797/CIS.18.2016.18.07
  • Raveh, Daniel (2016), Sūtras, Stories and Yoga Philosophy: Narrative and Transfiguration, Routledge
  • Simmons, Caleb (2019), Devotional Sovereignty: Kingship and Religion in India, Oxford University Press
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