Theistic Theodicy of the Indian Philosopher Udayana (10th Century)

Udayana, a prominent 10th-century Indian philosopher, belonged to the īśvara-vāda tradition, a theistic school of Indian thought centered on Īśvara , a personal Divine Absolute. This paper examines the significance of Udayana’s discourse on theodicy, particularly in light of contemporary debates, such as J. Sterba’s critique of theistic responses to the problem of evil: How can the existence of God be reconciled with the existence of evil? Udayana, in line with other Indian (and ancient) philosophers, posits that Īśvara coexists with primordial and eternal matter - atoms - whose combinations constitute the cycle of karma-samsāra , the realm where evil originates. While this cosmological compatibility of God with the source of evil might appear to render Indian theism more vulnerable to criticism than monotheism, Udayana argues that the all-powerful and all-perfect Īśvara constructs the world solely out of benevolence and is not responsible for evil, which stems from human karmic actions. According to Udayana, God is ontologically and morally irreconcilable with evil. Although Īśvara does not create primordial matter, He controls and directs all karmic processes ( adṛṣṭa - the unseen force of karma) with their inherent good and bad deeds, ultimately alleviating human suffering from evil at the end of each cosmic cycle. As a keen medieval polemicist, Udayana demonstrates a remarkable capacity to address contemporary challenges to theism.