Appayya Dīkṣita's Pluralistic Theology

Intro

Appayya Dīkṣita's Pluralistic Theology Intro The topic of my presentation is pluralistic theology of Appayya Dīkṣita, an influential Hindu intellectual from the 16th century South India. This foray into Appayya’s thought is a fragment of my broader research on polymathy in classical India and its role in the consolidation of Hinduism. Appayya Dīkṣita was a polymath, who wrote on diverse disciplines, ranging from Mīmāṃsā to poetics, and composed devotional poetry. Appayya was known as sarva-tantra-svatantra, independent and skillful expositor capable of defending any system of thought as if it was his own or refuting any system as if it was his rival. He wrote as an orthodox follower of Vedic laws, as a devotee of the god Śiva, sometimes as a devotee of Viṣṇu, and occasionally as a worshipper of other deities