[Advaita-l] Application of pUrvamImAMsA nyAya to advaita vedanta - English summary

[Anand Hudli]

Raghav Kumar <raghavkumar00 at gmail.com> wrote:
> Namaste
>
> SrI Anand ji wrote:
>
> Extending this to cognitions that we gain from
> different sources, the later cognition is more powerful than an earlier
> one, which stands negated by the later cognition. This is exactly the
> argument of AnandabodhAchArya, an advaitin, in his PramANamAla. From
> perception, there arises a cognition of the reality of the world. However,
> through the study of the upaniShads, the cognition of nonduality arises,
> which sublates the earlier cognition. This is an application of the
> apaccheda nyAya of the mImAMsakas.
>
> My question: The earlier pramA is not always negated by the later one.
> For example, if a person who is entering a desert for the first time,
> is told by an Apta,  that he is liable to see the optical illusion
> called a mirage in the desert. ( in other words, through sabda pramANa
> in the from of Apta-vAkya).  Later, he may see the mirage-water but
> dismisses this new cognition derived from pratyaxa as bhrama; the
> earlier cognition (sabda-janita pramA) alone prevails.  In the
> inter-play between pramANa-s, it does not seem always true that the
> later pramA alone always prevails ; what is the criterion to decide
> where the apaccheda nyAya applies ? Is it only in the context of vedic
> mantra exegesis ? Even there we do find mantropaniShads expounding
> j~nAnaM followed again by karma kANda as in the case of
> IshAvAsyopaniShat?
>
> Om
>

One of the conditions for applying the apaccheda nyAya is
"anyonya-nirapekShatA" of the two cognitions, i.e. mutual independence of
the two cognitions. In the example stated above, the first cognition is
really referring to the second cognition and negating it. When the second
cognition  arises, it is "dead on arrival". It is a case of "upakrama
nyAya", another maxim provided by mImAMsA (more on this later). In the case
of the apaccheda nyAya example, the two cognitions arise from two mutually
independent  and mutually non-interfering sources, perception and the
Veda.

Anand