Tarka et al

subhanu saxena subhanu at HOTMAIL.COM
Fri Feb 18 19:01:17 CST 2000


In response to Ravi's question on the role of logic in establishing
mithyAtwa, advaita as represented by Shankara's school is fairly clear on
this one, as witnessed in the following vArtikA of Sureshwara discussing the
nature of avidya:

atah pramANato'shakyA'vidyA'syeti vIxitum
kIdrshI vA kuto vA'sau anubhUtyekarUpatah

In fact, one can never know ignorance as belonging to any one, neither
determine its nature nor conceive how it can possibly be at all, for it is
essentially of the nature of intuitive experience itself.

Sambandha vArtikA 184

That avidyA is perceived from the vyavahAra standpoint is a fact of common
experience to us all.  We do not need to dwell much in proving its
existence/non existence, since from the paramArtha standpoint it never
existed in the firstplace (vivekaprakAshabhAve tadabhAvAt from G Bh 13.2).
Our practices and deliberation on brahmavidya are to remove this
mithhyAgyAna (false knowledge:note mithyA here just means
false/incorrect)known as avidyA.

This does not deny the place of logic in our sampradAya.  The greatness of
our sampradAya is that, once the tool of logic has been used not in conflict
with Sruti (vedAnta vAkyamImAmsA tadavirodhitarkopakaraNA, from BSB 1.1),and
in accordance with sArvatrika anubhava, then it is to be transcended.

Regards

Subhanu
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