Alle radici dell’esegesi śaṅkariana: la lettura critica di Svāmī Saccidānandendra Sarasvatī della Pañcapādikā

This dissertation examines the doctrinal criticism developed by Svāmī Saccidānandendra Sarasvatī (1880–1975) against the Pañcapādikā, the earliest extant sub-commentary (ṭīkā) on Śaṅkara Bhagavatpāda’s Brahmasūtrabhāṣya, attributed to Padmapāda (8th c.). While traditional Advaita Vedānta literature and much of modern scholarship have tended to regard post-Śaṅkaran authors as faithful continuators of Śaṅkara’s thought, Saccidānandendra advanced a radically different assessment, maintaining that, except for Sureśvara, later advaitins introduced significant innovations—especially regarding the nature of ignorance (avidyā)—that marked a departure from Śaṅkara’s methodology and teaching. The first part of the dissertation provides the historical and doctrinal framework: it outlines Saccidānandendra’s philosophical profile, his understanding of the authentic advaita method (adhyāropāpavāda), and his contribution to the debate on mūlāvidyā; it also examines the Pañcapādikā, considering issues of authorship, structure, and doctrinal content, and finally introduces Saccidānandendra’s Pañcapādikāprasthāna, highlighting its aims and situating his criticisms within the wider Advaita tradition. The second part presents the first complete annotated Italian translation of the Pañcapādikāprasthāna, accompanied by philological and doctrinal notes that clarify difficult passages and contextualize them within the broader exegetical history of Advaita. By combining historical contextualization and doctrinal analysis, the dissertation seeks to clarify how the Pañcapādikā may reflect or diverge from Śaṅkara’s Advaita and to reassess the role of this early sub-commentary in the development of post-Śaṅkaran Vedānta. Keywords: Śaṅkara Bhagavatpāda; Padmapāda; Pañcapādikā; Svāmī Saccidānandendra Sarasvatī; Advaita Vedānta; mūlāvidyā; adhyāsa; adhyāropāpavāda; Vivaraṇa; Vedāntic exegesis; Indian philosophy.