[Advaita-l] definition and criteria of Truth

[V Subrahmanian]

Namaste Subhanu ji,

When Shri Guy is looking for the 'three lines of criteria of Truth' is it
possible this is what is meant :

In traditional Vedanta, it is said that the knowledge of Truth or of
anything for that matter has to be free from the three defects:

1. apratipatti (non-apprehension) /  avidyA / ajnAnam  / AvaraNam  /
covering / enveloping

2. vipratipatti  -  wrong-cognition otherwise called erroneous
perception/anyathaa grahaNam/ vipareeta grahaNam/mithyAjnAnam/vikShepa /
atasmin-tad-buddhiH  denoted by 'adhyAsa'  and

3. samshaya - doubtful cognition.

I am not readily able to trace the Bhashyam sentences where the Acharya
talks about the Truth as free from these three criteria in one place.  There
may be places where He says:  'samshayAdi rahitam' .  But, as you are well
aware, the Bhagavadgita 13.2 bhashya vaakyam which defines Avidya with its
three manifestations:

//tAmaso hi pratyayaH  AvaraNAtmakatvAt avidyaa viparItagrAhakaH,
samshayopashThapako vA, agrahaNaatmako vA.../

Is it possible that these are the three criteria that Truth is free of?
This could be seen as the 'vyatireka' definition of Truth.

Again,  that Taittiriya Bhashya vaakyam that all of us have been citing in
this thread, is followed by an analysis by the Acharya to establish that
Satyam is jnanam and anantam, that which is consciousness is free from
ephemerality and finitude and that which is infinite has to be none other
than consciousness and eternal.  Thus He has established there that Brahman
is at once satyam, jnanam and anantam.  This could be seen as the 'anvaya'
definition of Truth.

Is this kind of analysis that Shri Guy is looking for?

Your comments are welcome.

Regards,
subrahmanian.v