Uddyotakara’s Philosophical Theism
The article introduces the author’s translation from the Sansktit original of the section dealing with justification of theism in the Nyāya-vārttika by Uddyotakara who worked in the 7th centuryA.D. As all significant topics in the traditional Indian philosophy, the issue of the existence and attributes of Īçvara (the Divinity) have been elaborated in centuries-old discussions whose participants were perfecting themselves in their arguments and detecting gaps in arguments of their opponents. Therefore the main positions of the main opponents of Indian theism (firstly, the Buddhists) are generalized in the beginning of the article to be continued with exposition of the theists’ answers and detection of the personal contributions of Uddyotakara into the doctrine of īçvaravāda. These contributions were constituted in the first place by the definition of Īçvara as the inherently active and intelligent principle of the world and in much more approaching to the doctrine of creation as compared with other Indian notorious theists.