Upanishad Brahmayogin
Encyclopedia
Upanishad Brahmayogin is the cognomen of Rāmachandrendra Sarasvati (fl.
1800 CE), a sannyasin and Advaitin scholar of the upanishad
s. He is credited with having written commentaries on all 108 upanishads of the Muktika
canon. His works have been translated and published by the Adyar Library
.
He was born Śivarāma of Vādhūla gotra in Brahmapuram, a village on the river Palar
. This would date to the middle of the 18th century, based on tales of his association, as an older contemporary, with Tyagaraja
(1767-1847 CE).
He was initiated into Sannyasa
by Vasudevendra Sarasvati in Kanchipuram
, where he settled down, and eventually founded a matha
of his own, the Upanishad Brahmendra matham. His initiation name was Rāmachandrendra, but he came to be known for his scholarship by names such as Upanishad-brahma-yogi, Upanishad-brahmendra and Upanishad-brahman.
His commentaries on all 108 upanishads of the Muktika canon were the fulfilment of a wish of his father Śivakāmeśvara. Besides these, he was also the author of independent works such as the Paramādvaita-siddhānta-paribhāṣā and the Upeya-nāma-viveka. A prolific author, he annotated the colophon
s of each of his works with the number of grantha
s contained in it, presumably to prevent interpolation. On this basis, his works amount to over 45,000 granthas.
Floruit
Floruit , abbreviated fl. , is a Latin verb meaning "flourished", denoting the period of time during which something was active...
1800 CE), a sannyasin and Advaitin scholar of the upanishad
Upanishad
The Upanishads are philosophical texts considered to be an early source of Hindu religion. More than 200 are known, of which the first dozen or so, the oldest and most important, are variously referred to as the principal, main or old Upanishads...
s. He is credited with having written commentaries on all 108 upanishads of the Muktika
Muktika
The Muktikā refers to the canon of 108 upaniṣadas of the Advaita school enumerated in the Muktikopaniṣad, the 108th of which is the Muktikopaniṣad itself...
canon. His works have been translated and published by the Adyar Library
Adyar Library
The Adyar Library and Research Centre was founded in 1886 by theosophist Henry Steel Olcott. The library is at the Theosophical Society Adyar in Adyar, near Chennai.- History :...
.
He was born Śivarāma of Vādhūla gotra in Brahmapuram, a village on the river Palar
Palar River
Palar is a river of southern India. It rises in Nandi Hills, India in Kolar district of Karnataka state, and flows 93 km in Karnataka, 33 km in Andhra Pradesh and 222 km in Tamil Nadu before its confluence into the Bay of Bengal at Vayalur about 100 km south of Chennai...
. This would date to the middle of the 18th century, based on tales of his association, as an older contemporary, with Tyagaraja
Tyagaraja
Kakarla Tyagabrahmam , colloquially known as Tyāgarājar and Tyagayya was one of the greatest composers of Carnatic music or classical South Indian music. He, along with his contemporaries Muthuswami Dikshitar and Shyama Shastry, forms the Trinity of Carnatic music...
(1767-1847 CE).
He was initiated into Sannyasa
Sannyasa
Sannyasa is the order of life of the renouncer within the Hindu scheme of āśramas, or life stages. It is considered the topmost and final stage of the ashram systems and is traditionally taken by men or women at or beyond the age of fifty years old or by young monks who wish to renounce worldly...
by Vasudevendra Sarasvati in Kanchipuram
Kanchipuram
Kanchipuram, or Kanchi, is a temple city and a municipality in Kanchipuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is a temple town and the headquarters of Kanchipuram district...
, where he settled down, and eventually founded a matha
Matha
A matha ) is a term for monastic and similar religious establishments of Hinduism and Jainism. A matha is usually more formal, hierarchical, and rule-based than an ashram.-Advaita Mathas:...
of his own, the Upanishad Brahmendra matham. His initiation name was Rāmachandrendra, but he came to be known for his scholarship by names such as Upanishad-brahma-yogi, Upanishad-brahmendra and Upanishad-brahman.
His commentaries on all 108 upanishads of the Muktika canon were the fulfilment of a wish of his father Śivakāmeśvara. Besides these, he was also the author of independent works such as the Paramādvaita-siddhānta-paribhāṣā and the Upeya-nāma-viveka. A prolific author, he annotated the colophon
Colophon (publishing)
In publishing, a colophon is either:* A brief description of publication or production notes relevant to the edition, in modern books usually located at the reverse of the title page, but can also sometimes be located at the end of the book, or...
s of each of his works with the number of grantha
Grantha
Grantha script is an ancient script that was widely used between the 6th century and the 19th century CE to write classical Sanskrit and Manipravalam by Tamil speakers in Southern India, particularly in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, and is still in restricted use in traditional vedic schools...
s contained in it, presumably to prevent interpolation. On this basis, his works amount to over 45,000 granthas.