Date and Authorship of the Ātmabodha

Abstract

The article examines the authorship and dating of Ātmabodha, a popular philosophical poem that, in a popular and poetically imaginative manner, expounds on the main teachings of the Indian philosophical school of Advaita Vedānta. Although traditionally attributed to the renowned philosopher Śaṅkara (8th century), the article presents arguments for placing the work several centuries after Śaṅkara. In addition to the state–of–the–art stylometric method, the General Imposters Framework, which does not recognize Ātmabodha as Śaṅkara’s work, Ātmabodha also does not meet Hacker’s colophon criterion. The paper places particular emphasis on instances of post–Śaṅkarite doctrinal and terminological developments in Ātmabodha, specifically in the comprehension of the concept of ignorance, alongside the introduction of later terminology and concepts. The available evidence suggests a tentative dating of the work between the 11th and early 14th centuries.