Shastra - as a pramana?

[sadananda]

Vidya, thanks for the response.

>Regarding Sadananda's comments on the apaurusheyatvam of Sruti :-
>
>As I see it, advaita vedAnta can have two functions, one that is pure
>philosophizing (advaita) independent of source texts, and one that is
>textual exegesis (vedAnta). As textual exegesis, advaita vedaanta has also
>functioned as religion. Now, in a religious tradition, one has to follow
>certain norms that define the source texts. It is convenient to follow
>those laid down by the mImAmsA sUtras, whose primary function was textual
>exegesis.

With this and the analysis Vidya has provided I have no disagreements.  As
a science, I can appreciate vedas and all other knowledge as apourusheya,
and again Advaita not as religion but as a fact.

But pramana as a different connotation.  Eyes are pramanas for seeing - say
colors - ears for sound  etc implies that no other means avaible other
those particualar indriyas.  Vedanta as the only pramana implies is
that there is no other means available for knowing. Discussion on Sutra 3 -
shaastrayonitwaat - has been done to establish that the Veadanta is the
only pramana.    My arguments presented in the earlier note said that I
donot need vedanta to prove my existence, my reality as single, and that it
is non-negetable and hence the finality of the advaitic state.  To
establish that I am sat and chit I do not need any pramana and I am ananda
is by analysis of experiences.

As I pointedout that for Dwaitins, I see the need to establish Vedanta as
Pramana, provide a santity as Apourusheyatwam. Otherwise they have no basis
to prove that Lord Narayana is the supreme God Head!  But I donot see the
need for that advaitins, other than politically (same as religiously!) it
is good!

Apourusheyatvam for the vedas per sec obviously is a  belief, you can call
it as an axim if you like.  Belief need not be questioned and to be argued
or debated.

My comment is only that Apourusheyatwam is not necessory to establish
Advaita as the truth.

Well- end of my comments.

Hari Om!
Sadananda
>From ADVAITA-L at TAMU.EDU Wed May 21 09:48:08 1997
Message-Id: <WED.21.MAY.1997.094808.0500.ADVAITAL at TAMU.EDU>
Date: Wed, 21 May 1997 09:48:08 -0500
Reply-To: "Advaita (non-duality) with reverence" <ADVAITA-L at TAMU.EDU>
To: "Advaita (non-duality) with reverence" <ADVAITA-L at TAMU.EDU>
From: "Ravisankar S. Mayavaram" <aum at UNIX.TAMU.EDU>
Subject: New Member
Comments: To: Advaita-l <advaita-l at tamu.edu>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sun, 18 May 1997 22:12:44 -0400 (EDT)
From: MANTRALAURA at delphi.com
To: aum at unix.tamu.edu
Subject: Re: ADVAITA-L: MANTRALAURA at DELPHI.COM requested to join

Namaste Ravi,
   My interest in Advaita Vedanta began over three
years ago when I started a correspondence course
in Sanskrit and Vedanta from Arsha Vidya Gurukulam.
My first personal contact with anyone came after an
accident right after I started the course.  Swami
Viditatmananda gave me a healing mantra, and with
the additional encouragement of others from the
Gurukulam (through phone calls, well-wishes in the
form of drawings from the children, and how-to-chant
tapes) I avoided sinking into a deep depression,
which normally accompanies severe pain.  When
I was well enough to travel, I visited the Gurukulam
and met Pujya Swami Dayananda Saraswati, as
well as Swami Tadatmananda (who now corresponds
via e-mail), and heard some talks by Swami
Pratyagbodhananda.  Swami Dayananda instilled
a basic understanding of Advaita Vedanta in me,
which I hold dear to my heart to this day.  Because
of my injuries, I have been slow to finish the three-
year course, but I feel that I'm back on track this
year and hope to continue.  However, because I
don't know anyone in my newly established
residence (since the accident) that also studies
Vedanta, I have found that turning to the Internet
has opened up some new friendships all over
the world - from Berkeley, CA, to Australia and
Malaysia - so that I can share what I have learned,
and am continuing to learn, from Swami Dayananda
and others at the Gurukulam.
   I hope this helps to give you a little background
on how I started studying.  BTW, I now live in North
Carolina in the Piedmont Valley near the Smoky
Mtns.  If you know anyone near here that is studying
Advaita Vedanta, please let me know.

dhanyavaadaH,
   Mantralaura