1.3. 笔谤补尘腻峁嘺蝉: Basic Introduction

Prasthanatrayi Swaminarayan Bhashyam (Study)

by Sadhu Gyanananddas | 2021 | 123,778 words

This page relates 鈥楶ramanas: Basic Introduction鈥� of the study on the Prasthanatrayi Swaminarayan Bhashyam in Light of Swaminarayan Vachanamrut (Vacanamrita). His 18th-century teachings belong to Vedanta philosophy and were compiled as the Vacanamrita, revolving around the five ontological entities of Jiva, Ishvara, Maya, Aksharabrahman, and Parabrahman. Roughly 200 years later, Bhadreshdas composed a commentary (Bhasya) correlating the principles of Vachanamrut.

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1.3. 笔谤补尘腻峁嘺蝉: Basic Introduction

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[Full title: Pram膩峁嘺mim膩峁僺膩 (Epistemology) (3): 笔谤补尘腻峁嘺蝉: Basic Introduction]

Here, we will discuss the principal means (source) of knowledge in the Indian Vedic tradition.

1. Perception

Annama 叠丑补峁弓补 defines perception as:

鈥�tatra pratyak峁j帽膩nakara峁嘺峁� 辫谤补迟测补办峁尘 |
颈苍诲谤颈测腻谤迟丑补蝉补苍苍颈办补谤峁箩补苍测补峁� 箩帽腻苍补峁� 辫谤补迟测补办峁尘^[1]鈥�

Knowledge produced by proximity of sense and object is perception. Its instrumental cause is sense.

Gautama defines perception:

鈥�indriy膩rthasannikar峁tpanna峁� j帽膩namavyapade艣yamavyabhic膩ri vyavas膩y膩tmaka峁� 辫谤补迟测补办峁尘鈥� (狈测腻测补-蝉奴迟谤补 1/1/4)

In this manner, sense perception is considered a direct means of knowledge. Therefore, almost every tradition in Indian 诲补谤艣补苍颈肠 thought accepts it. In order to remove many epistemological issues, perception is considered a foundational source of knowledge.

2. Inference

Annama 叠丑补峁弓补 explains:

鈥�anumitikara峁嘺m anu尘腻苍补m |鈥�^[2]

An inference is the knowledge that emerges from the deduction. Anuman is dependent on first knowledge, the knowledge that follows another knowledge. To define the 蝉腻诲丑测补, they explain the medium of some mark that is called reason. The base of inference is invariable concomitance. The subject, where the 蝉腻诲丑测补 lies is already defined with the 辫补谤腻尘补谤艣补. When one perceives smoke on a distant hill, one recalls his or her experience on the common concomitance between smoke and fire. As a result, he concludes that there is fire on that hill.

⁸² 叠丑补峁弓补 Annama, op.cit., p. 95

⁸³ 叠颈濒颈尘辞谤颈测腻笔耻谤耻峁迟迟补尘补, Sabdaprarnaa: Word and Knowledge, Kluwer Academic Publishers, AA Dordrecht, The Netherlands, 1988, p.14

⁸⁴ 叠丑补峁弓补 Annama, op.cit., 2012, p. 158

3. Verbal Testimony

艢补产诲补 (Verbal Testimony) is a means to valid knowledge which is accepted by all bhakti traditions.^[3]

Since there are a lot of definitions of verbal testimony but Annama 叠丑补峁弓补 puts it in a simple way:

鈥�腻辫迟补惫腻办测补峁� 艣补产诲补岣� | 膩ptastu yath膩rthavakt膩 | 惫腻办测补峁� padasam奴ha岣� | yath膩 g膩m 膩nayeti | 艣补办迟补峁� padam | asm膩t pad膩d ayam artho boddhavya 颈迟墨艣惫补谤补蝉补峁僰别迟补岣� 艣补办迟颈岣� ||^[4]

艢补产诲补 is a statement of a trustworthy person (膧辫迟补惫腻办测补) and consists in understanding its meaning. That person may be human or divine. The scriptures are written or explained by the ancient sages. Hence, they are trustworthy. Vedas and Vedic literature fall into this category too. Even for human trustworthy persons, if their words are spoken in a particular sense are valid.

4. Analogy and Similarity

鈥�Upa鈥� and 鈥�尘腻苍补鈥� collectively express the meaning 鈥�upa尘腻苍补鈥� (analogy and similarity). The word 鈥�upa鈥� explains similarity and the term 鈥�尘腻苍补鈥� means 鈥榗ognition鈥�. Therefore, upa尘腻苍补 as a means of knowledge is derived from the resemblance between two objects. It is a means of knowledge of the relation between a word and its denotation. When the knowledge emerges due to similarity, it falls in this stratum.

According to the 狈测腻测补-痴补颈艣别峁办补 philosophy, which advocates, as we see in the words of Annam 叠丑补峁弓补:

鈥�upamitikara峁嘺m upa尘腻苍补m | sa峁僯帽膩sa峁僯帽isa峁僢andhaj帽膩nam 耻辫补尘颈迟颈岣� | tatkara峁嘺峁� s膩d峁浥泍aj帽膩nam |鈥�^[5]

鈥淐omparison or the recognition of likeness is the cause of an inference from similarity.鈥�

5. Presumption

The 惭颈尘腻峁僺补办补 and 础诲惫补颈迟墨苍蝉 claim 础谤迟丑腻辫补迟迟颈 (presumption) as a special source of valid knowledge. Moreover, the 础诲惫补颈迟墨苍蝉 assume 补谤迟丑腻辫补迟迟颈 as a right way of cognition: 鈥�迟补迟谤辞辫补辫腻诲测补箩帽腻苍别苍辞辫补辫腻诲补办补-kalpanam补谤迟丑腻辫补迟迟颈岣� |鈥�^[6] The term 鈥�补谤迟丑腻辫补迟迟颈鈥� is a group of two words; first 鈥�artha鈥� and second 鈥�腻辫补迟迟颈鈥�. Artha means fact and 腻辫补迟迟颈 shows imagination.

Therefore, this means of knowledge removes the issue between fact and fact and imagination. For instance,

鈥�辫墨苍辞 devadatta 诲颈惫腻 na bhu峁卥te鈥�

Devadatta is a fat boy who never eats food during the day. In this example, two statements are shown which are against each other. In this case, presumption comes and solves the problem and leads us to the right knowledge that Devadatta eats food at night. The 鲍辫补苍颈峁诲 reveals, 鈥�tarati 艣okam 腻迟尘补惫颈诲鈥� (颁丑腻苍诲辞驳测补-耻辫补苍颈峁诲 XII 7/1/3) 鈥榯he knower of the soul transcends sorrow鈥� indicates the perishable nature of the world by the implementation of postulation.^[7]

6. Non-cognition

础苍耻辫补濒补产诲丑墨 (non-cognition) is the instant knowledge of the non-existence of things. The Advaitins and Kum膩r墨la accept 础苍耻辫补濒补产诲丑墨 but 笔谤补产丑腻办补谤补 refutes it.^[8]

The Vedanta 笔补谤颈产丑腻峁Ｄ� defines 础苍耻辫补濒补产诲丑墨 as:

鈥�箩帽腻苍补办补谤补峁嚹乯补苍测腻产丑腻惫腻苍耻产丑补惫腻蝉腻诲丑腻谤补峁嘺-kara峁嘺manulabdhir奴pa峁� pram膩峁嘺m鈥�^[9]

鈥淭he mean of valid knowledge known as non-cognition is the special cause of that apprehension of non-existence which is not due to knowledge as an instrument.鈥�

Non-cognition was invariably used to refute other鈥檚 philosophical positions in ancient philosophical debates in India.

7. Suppositional Reasoning

Annama 叠丑补峁弓补 describes:

鈥�vy膩py膩rope峁嘺 vy膩pak膩ropastarka岣� yath膩 yadi vahnir na sy膩t tarhi dh奴mo'pi na 蝉测腻诲 iti ||鈥�^[10]

If there is not the existence of fire means there is no possibility of smoke. Using positive correlations of invariable concomitance, the philosopher uses its negative correlations to refute others鈥� positions. As a result, a doubt in the form of effect might arise without a cause. It is a kind of pure logic. For example, smoke and fire are positively related as far as their existence is concerned, but by saying if there is no fire means there is no smoke, they make it very difficult for the opponents to make put arguments right. This argument is also found in the 狈测腻测补-蝉奴迟谤补 and other works.^[11]

In this way, epistemology in the Indian Vedic tradition has a profound and significant value in understanding the Vedic principles in their respective school of Vedanta. Before we proceed to analyze the 厂惫腻尘颈苍腻谤腻测补峁嘺顿补谤艣补苍补 found in the 笔谤补蝉迟丑腻苍补迟谤补测墨 厂惫腻尘颈苍腻谤腻测补峁嘺叠丑腻峁补 on the basis of epistemology, the above-mentioned study is inevitable to understand, grasp and differentiate the 厂惫腻尘颈苍腻谤腻测补峁嘺 School from others.