[Advaita-l] Veda as source of dharma

[D.V.N.Sarma డి.వి.ఎన్.శర్మ]

Sureswara in his purvasrama is disciple of  Kumarila and hence we cannot
expect
any thing beyond the purvamimamsa view point from him as far as the
authority of the
veda is considered.

That is why I started the discussion with Apastamba who has clearly
started with instruction of people who know dharma as the first choice and
mentions
Vedas as a second choice or source.

I do not think any useful purpose is served by this see-saw discussion.
I am opting out.

regards,
Sarma.







On Mon, Oct 10, 2011 at 11:01 PM, subhanu saxena <subhanu at hotmail.com>wrote:

>
> Sri DVN
> Sharma Wrote:
>
>
>
> It
> appears that Veda was not always considered to be the only and primary
>
> source
> of dharma.
>
>
>
> Namaste
>
>
>
> I would
> like to bring to the list members attention an important section of
> Suresvara’s
> vartikas in BUBV 4.4. 1149-1154 where he gives primacy to Sruti over Smriti
> and
> conduct:
>
>
>
>
>
> na cha
> vaidekamūlatva-virahātsyāt pramāṇatā ।
>
> āchārasya smriter vāpi bauddhādyācharavat dhruvam ॥ [BUBV.4.4.1149]
>
>
>
> An  authoritative
> means of knowledge is not possible in the absence of a vedic basis, even if
> it
> be the conduct of the learned, or sanctioned by Smriti-indeed like the
> conduct
> of a Buddhist
>
>
>
> dharmasya vedamūlatvād avedasya na dharmatā ।
>
> ityevam nyāyavad vākyam āhur veda-pramāṇakāḥ ॥ [BUBV 4.4.1150]
>
>
>
> Dharma has its root in veda, whatever is not vedic does
> not have the character of dharma. So say those that hold veda as authority,
> in
> the form of a rule.
>
>
>
> vedashāstrānapekṣatvam smritishāstrasya chenmatam ।
>
> nir-granthi-shāstra-tulyatvam smrtīnām vaḥ prasajyate ॥ [BUBV 4.4.1151]
>
>
>
> If smriti’s are held to  not depend on the Vedas, then they will be
> similar with the scriptures of the Jainas (nirgranthas)
>
>
>
> nāpi smriti-vyapekṣāsti shruteḥ svātantriya-kāraṇāt ।
>
> smrityarthasyānuvādo’yam pāratantriye’sati shruteḥ ॥ [BUBV 4.4.1152]
>
>
> In addition, sruti does not depend on Smriti, as it is
> independent. Therefore, when there is not such dependence of the Sruti,
> this
> should be taken as a matter repeated from a smriti
>
>
>
> svatantriyer mitho’pekṣā nāpi syāt paratantrayoḥ।
>
> pāratantriyānna chāpekṣā svatantrasya svataḥ kvachit ॥[BUBV 4.4.1153]
>
>
>
> Again, independent works have no mutual dependence, and also
> mutual dependence is not observed on two works dependent on some other
> work. An
> independent work can never have dependence on anything dependent.
>
>
>
> Bit of a mouthful the verse above. Simply put an
> independent work can never be dependent on a work that itself is dependent
> on
> another work
>
>
>
> smrityartham na  srutistasmād anuvakīha kutrachit ।
>
> smritistvanuvadatyeva srutyartham paratantrataḥ ॥ [BUBV 4.4.1154]
>
>
>
> Sruti nowhere states any matter that is already stated in
> smriti. It is smriti that restates that which is in sruti, hence its
> dependence
> on sruti
>
>
>
> Hopefully the above clarifies the position of Shankara’s
> tradition on this point. Now whilst Apastamba and Gautama and other writers
> of
> dharma shastra lived much earlier than Suresvara and may been seen has
> having
> primacy, Suresvara and Shankara themselves belong to an ancient unbroken
> line
> of tradition that must have early on reflected on and put into perspective
> sruti smriti and conduct.
>
>
>
> Regards
>
> Subhanu
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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