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CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Consciousness is a gift for humanity. The human being uses it to know the things around him to understand their nature. The nature of the object cannot be easily grasped nor defined in accuracy to its details. Reality, truth, actuality and other such terms are frequently used in philosophical speculations. These denote the object. They convey their sense, which is different from one another while using them. But the difference between them is overlooked so much so that one finds one or two of these terms is used to refer to the object making it impossible to have a correct picture of that object. Reality means what is present before us with its own form. The nyaya system would call it as tattva, which is defined as anaropitam rupam, that is, a form which does not have another object super-imposed upon it. For instance, shell and silver may both look alike when the shell is exposed to broad daylight. The shell appears like silver 1

because the brilliance of silver is super-imposed (aropita) on the shell, and shell therefore does not have its own form of appearance. It is the knowledge of the brilliance of silver, which is super-imposed on the shell. Thus the knowledge of the shell as having this form is not correct. Truth is of an unerring nature and holds good for all times and places. Actuality is conditioned by time and space. When such terms are used, the real nature of the object cannot be comprehended. These terms can be applied to describe the self, world, God and others. The result in this will not be necessary at all for obtaining correct knowledge. As the term, reality and others are evasive in their import while they are applied to understand the subject, one is required to use some standard of learning or measuring or ascertaining the limit which these objects could be subjected to so as to arrive at knowing the precise nature of the objects. Ancient Indians hold that the pramana are the means to be used here. pramanas are described as that with which an object whose nature is required to be known is 2

correctly assessed. Knowledge (sruti) is called 'pra' and knowledge that is of eminent kind is called prama. Eminence here lies in the ascertainment of the object as it is. That which leads most efficiently to its (objects) knowledge is called pramana'. An object of knowledge becomes then known through the pramana. The Pancaratra Agama admits three pramanas namely, perception, inference and verbal testimony.² The word pramana here stands for pratyaksa, anumana and sabda³. The Pancaratra Agama is theistic in character and so does not reveal any interest in epistemology. The Yajur veda is the most important pramana and the only one to treat topics on God, soul and others. Hence, texts like Ahirbudhnya Samhita treats verbal knowledge in chapter 11, 12, 13 which comprises of all important sastras and lay stress on the Vaisnavite character of many of the topics dealt with in them. 1. Ahirbudhnya-samhita vol. I ch.. XIII 5b-6b 2. 3 Vide the dictum "manadina meyasiddhih"- the knowable is established through pramana. Vide Lakshmitantra VIII.6a,b. pramanantarayasambadhyam bhavabhavasvalaksanam. istapraptyanista pariharayor alaukikamupayam yo grantho vedah !" - veda bhasya bhumika of Sayana krsnauakirvedantargatyah Taittiriya samhita bhasya bhumika p.2 3