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Suresvaracharya was installed as Sankaracharya's first successor at the Sringeri Sarada Peetham. He was the most prolific writer among Sankaracharya's immediate disciples. His advaita writings include the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Bhashya Varttika, Taittiriya Upanishad Bhashya Varttika, Naishkarmyasiddhi, and minor works like Balakrida, Svarajya Siddhi, Kasimoksha Vicara, Pancikarana Varttika and Manasollasa, a commentary on Sankara's Dakshinamurti Stotram. Tradition also identifies Suresvaracharya with Mandana Misra, and with Visvarupa, a disciple of the great Purva Mimamsa philosopher, Kumarila Bhatta. Sankaracharya is said to have gone to Visvarupa's home in order to debate with him. The debate ended in Mandana Misra's defeat, and he then became Sankaracharya's disciple, under the name of Suresvara. Prior to this, Mandana Misra composed numerous other works on Purva Mimamsa, Vyakarana, Vedanta and other subjects. These works include Brahmasiddhi, Vibhrama-Viveka, Sphotasiddhi, Mimamsa-Anukramanika, Vidhi-Viveka and Bhavana-Viveka. According to tradition, Suresvaracharya composed the Taittiriya Upanishad Bhashya Varttika in honor of Sankara, his guru, who belonged to the Taittiriya Sakha of the Krishna Yajurveda. Since he himself belonged to the Kanva Sakha of the Sukla Yajurveda, he next wrote the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Bhashya Varttika, with an introduction known as Sambandha Varttika. The Naishkarmyasiddhi was composed before he wrote these two Upanishad Bhashya Varttikas. The Naishkarmyasiddhi has attracted the attention of many later commentators, including Jnanottama Misra Bhattopadhyaya, who wrote the Candrika, Citsukha, who wrote Bhava Tattva Prakasika, Jnanamrita, who wrote Vidyasurabhi and Ramadatta, the author of Sarartha. Suresvaracharya and Sankaracharya exemplify the traditional picture of Vriddha-sishya, Gurur-yuva! Suresvaracharya was much older than Sankaracharya when he became his disciple, and he is said to have lived to a ripe old age. An old adhishtana at Sringeri is traditionally identified as the site where his body was buried. |
