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{{Short description|Hindu philosopher}}
{{for-text|the form of Shiva|[[Uma–Maheshvara]]|the temple|[[Umamaheshwaram]]}}
'''Uma-maheshvara''' ([[IAST]]: Umāmaheśvara), also known as '''Abhinava-Kālidāsa''' ("the new [[Kalidasa]]"), was a [[Sanskrit]]-language philosopher and grammarian from present-day southern India. He is variously dated to c. 1465 CE or c. 1750 CE.

== Biography ==

Uma-maheshvara was born in a family belonging to the [[Vellalar|Vellala]] social group.<ref>{{cite book |editor=David Pingree |editor-link=David Pingree |title=Census of the Exact Sciences in Sanskrit Series A |volume=3 |publisher=American Philosophical Society |year=1976 |page=13 |url=https://archive.org/details/PingreeCESS/Pingree_CESS_A1_1970/ }}</ref> He was a disciple of Akshaya-suri (or Akkaya-suri) of Mokshagundam family.<ref name="EIP5">{{cite book |editor1=Harold G. Coward |editor2=K. Kunjunni Raja |editor2-link=K. Kunchunniraja |title=The Philosophy of the Grammarians |series=Encyclopedia of Indian Philosophies |volume=5 |year=1990 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |page=371 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2CEj6wRqeRAC }}</ref><ref name="PS">{{cite book |author=P. Sriramamurti |title=Contribution of Andhra to Sanskrit Literature |year=1972 |publisher=Andhra University |pages=154–155 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GagPAAAAMAAJ }}</ref>

According to the ''Rajashekhara-charita'' (or ''Shabharanjana-shataka'') of his disciple Kavi-kunjara, Uma-maheshvara "put an end to the machinations" of Durjaya, the court poet of the [[Vijayanagara Empire|Vijayanagara]] king Raja-shekhara. P. Sriramamurti of [[Andhra University]] tentatively identifies the ruler as prince Raja-shekhara (the son of [[Mallikarjuna Raya|Deva Raya III]]), and on this basis, dates Uma-maheshvara to c. 1465 CE.<ref name="PS"/> However, Harold G. Coward and K. Kunchunniraja date him to c. 1750 CE.<ref name="EIP5"/>

== Works ==

Uma-maheshvara wrote the following works on the [[Advaita Vedanta]] philosophy:<ref name="PS"/>

* ''Advaita-kamadhenu''
* ''Tattva-chandrika'' or ''Nirguna-brahma-mimamsa''
* ''Virodha-varudhini''
* ''Vedanta-siddhanta-sara''
* ''Santana-dipika''

Uma-maheshvara defended [[Adi Shankara]]'s Advaita Vedanta against [[Ramanuja]]'s [[Vishishtadvaita]].<ref>{{cite journal |author=K. S. R. Datta |title=A New Star in the Advaitic Galaxy |journal=Triveni: Journal of Indian Renaissance |volume=48 |year=1979 |page=47 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RzM6AAAAIAAJ }}</ref> In ''Virodha-varudhini'' (or ''Virodha-varuthini''), he proposed to show 100 self-contradictions in the works of [[Ramanuja]] and other Vishishtadvaita works such as ''[[Satadushani]]'', but fell ill after discussing 27 contradictions. Ramanuja's followers Rangacharya (''Ku-drishti-dhvanta-martanda'') and Shrinivasa-dikshita (''Virodha-varuthini-pramathini'') wrote refutations of Uma-maheshvara's criticisms.<ref name="SD">{{cite book |author=Surendranath Dasgupta |title=A History of Indian Philosophy |volume=3 |year=1991 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |isbn=9788120804142 |pages=395–396 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jI2PUAa8B8oC }}</ref>

Other works attributed to him include:

* ''Paniniya-vada-nakshtra-mala'' (IAST: ''Pāṇinīya-vāda-nakṣatra-mālā''), a work on grammar<ref name="EIP5"/>
* ''Shrngara-shekhara Bhana'' (IAST: ''Śṛṅgāra-śekhara Bhana''), a Sanskrit play<ref>{{cite journal |author=V. Raghavan |title=Sanskrit: Unceasing flow of studies |journal=Indian Literature |volume=13 |issue=4 |year=1970 |pages=76–85 |publisher=Sahitya Akademi |jstor=24157165 }}</ref>
* ''Tapta-mudra-vidravana''<ref name="SD"/>
* ''Prasanga-Ratnakara''<ref name="SD"/>
* ''Ramayana-tika''<ref name="SD"/>

P. Sriramamurti identifies him with the Abhinava-Kalidasa (or Nava-Kalidasa) who wrote ''Bhagavata-champu'', a work on the life of [[Krishna]].<ref name="PS"/>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Medieval Sanskrit grammarians]]
[[Category:Advaitin philosophers]]
[[Category:Sanskrit writers]]
[[Category:Year of birth unknown]]
[[Category:Year of death unknown]]

Umamaheshvara - Revision history

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