Maņdana Miśra

Maṇḍana Miśra (c. 8th century CE), also was a Hindu philosopher, who wrote on the Mīmāmsā and Advaita systems of thought. He was a follower of the Karma Mimamsa school of philosophy and a staunch defender of the holistic sphota doctrine of language. He was a contemporary of Adi Shankara, and is said to have become a disciple of Adi Sankara. Maṇḍana Miśra's wife was Ubhaya Bharati. He is often identified with Sureśvara.

Maṇḍana Miśra was born to a Brahmin family of Bihar, and lived in the ancient [Maheshi] located in Bihar during the time of Adi Sankara.The location of [Maheshi(महेशि) is at district of saharsa in bihar.Maṇḍana Miśra reportedly lived in the present day Mandleshwar and debated with Shankarachaarya at the Gupteshwar Mahadev Temple. The said town supposedly derives its name after him.

Maṇḍana Miśra is known to be a student of a mimamsa scholar Kumarila Bhatta, but who also wrote a work on Advaita, the Brahma-siddhi. Maṇḍana Miśra is best known as the author of the Brahmasiddhi. Being a follower of the Karma Mimamsa school, he was a ritualist and performed all of the ritualistic duties prescribed by the Vedas. In certain Hindu traditions, Maṇḍana Miśra is considered to be an incarnation of Brahma.

Sureśvara has also been credited as the founder of a pre-Shankara branch of Advaita Vedanta.

A strong tradition in Hinduism being that he started life as a Mīmāmsaka, but changed his name and became a sannyāsin and an Advaitin after Maṇḍana Miśra and his wife were defeated by Shankara in a debate.

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