Greater Advaita Vedānta: The Case of Niścaldās

Abstract

Niścaldās (circa 1791–1863) was a Dādūpanthī monk and the author of the Vicārsāgar (The Ocean of Inquiry), a vernacular compendium of Advaita Vedānta. Though not widely known today, the work was quite popular in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries: it was translated into over eight languages and was once referred to by Svāmī Vivekānanda as having “more influence in India than any [book] that has been written in any language within the last three centuries.” This article offers an introduction to the life and works of Niścaldās and highlights the preexistent popularity of Advaita Vedānta in early modern North India. It also explores reasons for the relative neglect of The Ocean of Inquiry by scholars, arguing that this neglect is symptomatic of a much wider neglect of sources that could shed valuable light on the history of Advaita Vedānta. The article suggests that the tradition’s rise to prominence cannot be fully understood without reference to what might be termed “Greater Advaita Vedānta,” or Advaita Vedānta as expressed not only in a received canon of Sanskrit philosophical works, but also in narratives and dramas, “syncretic” works blending Vedānta with other traditions, and vernacular works such as The Ocean of Inquiry.