[Advaita-l] anumAna pramANa in bhAvarUpa ajnAna

[Sudhanshu Shekhar]

*anumAna pramANa in bhAvarUpa ajnAna*


ajnAna is sAkshi-bhAsya and hence pramANa does not operate for perception
of ajnAna. We aver our ignorance spontaneously without any requirement of
pramANa. However, the adjectives of ajnAna such as bhAvarUpa-tva,
jnAna-nivartyatva, anAditva etc are not sAkshi-bhAsya. Accordingly, pramANa
is required to know the adjectives of ajnAna.


One such adjective of ajnAna is bhAvarUpatva. It can be known through
anumAna pramANa which is presented as under: -


विवादगोचरापन्नं प्रमाणज्ञानं,
स्वप्रागभावव्यतिरिक्त-स्वविषयावरण-स्वनिवर्त्य-स्वदेशगत-वस्त्वन्तरपूर्वकम्,
अप्रकाशितार्थप्रकाशकत्वात्, अन्धकारे प्रथमोत्पन्नप्रदीपप्रभावत्।


Here:

the paksha is pramANa-jnAna (P);

the hetu is aprakAshita-artha-prakAshakatva (H);

the drishTanta is first-rays-of-lamp-lit in darkness (D); and

the sAdhya is pre-existing object which is different from prAg-abhAva of
pramANa-jnAna, cover-or of object of pramANa-jnAna, removable by
pramANa-jnAna and situates in the same place where pramANa-jnAna situates
(S).


pramANa is ajnAta-jnApakam i.e. it makes known something which was hitherto
unknown. It does not make a known object known. It makes an unknown object
known.


It is like D which illuminates a pot kept in a dark room. The pot was
covered in darkness, it was unillumined (aprakAshita). And the D
illuminates it. Thus, D possesses H.


D also possesses S. Darkness is the pre-existing vastvantara:

(i) which is different from the prAgabhAva of D;
(ii) which is cover-or of object of D;
(iii) which is removable by D;
(iv) which is located at the same place where D situates.


P by definition has H.


We have thus a vyApti between H and S. We have a perfect drishTAnta in D.
Therefore, by the force of anumAna, S will be in P resulting in to
bhAvarUpa ajnAna.


Here, the sAdhya was carefully chosen to depict the features of ajnAna
acceptable in advaita. These features are: -

(i) ajnAna is different from the prAk-abhAva of pramANa-jnAna.
(ii) ajnAna is the cover-or of the object of pramANa-jnAna.
(iii) ajnAna is removable by pramANa-jnAna.
(iv) ajnAna is located in the same place where pramANa-jnAna is located
(ajnAna has shuddha chaitanya as locus and pramANa-jnAna, being
vritti-pratibimbita, also has locus is shuddha chaitanya).


Another beautiful anumAna is employed for proving the bhAvarUpatva of
ajnAna.


चैत्रप्रमा, चैत्रगतप्रमाप्रागभावातिरिक्तानादिनिवर्तिका,
प्रमात्वान्मैत्रप्रमावत् ;


Here, paksha is Chaitra-pramA;
Hetu is pramAtva;
SAdhya is Chaitragata-pramA-prAk-abhAva-atirikta-anAdi-nivartakatva;
DrishTAnta is Maitra-pramA.


PramA removes ajnAna. Now, this ajnAna cannot be merely pramA-prAk-abhAva.
So, the object of the instant anumAna is to show that Chaitra-pramA removes
ajnAna which is NOT Chaitragata-pramA-prAk-abhAva and is anAdi. The
DrishTAnta taken is of Maitra-pramA. Maitra-pramA also removes ajnAna which
is different from different from the pramA-prAk-abhAva of Chaitra and is
also anAdi. Thus, sAdhya is there in DrishTAnta. Hetu is obviously there in
DrishTAnta as Maitra-pramA will have pramA-tva. Now, since Chaitra-pramA
has pramAtva i.e. hetu, by the force of anumAna, Chaitra-pramA will also be
remover of an ajnAna which is anAdi and which is different from
pramA-prAk-abhAva of Chaitra.

SwAmI Tapovanam in His Hymns to GangA utilises this second pramANa and
writes beautifully:

सैषा चैत्रप्रमितिरुदिता तत्प्रमाप्रागभावोदृक्तानादिप्रणशनकरी मैत्रमावत्
प्रमात्वात्।
त्वदबाह्यस्य प्रियतनु!
महविद्ययाऽज्ञानसिद्धिर्यद्वद्वीणावदनमफलाऽश्रोत्रवच्छ्रोत्रमूले।।

This second anumAna pramANa is so great, so thrilling just like the anumAna
employed in VedAnta ParibhAshA -  अयं पट एतत्तन्तुनिष्ठात्यन्ताभावप्रतियोगी
पटत्वात् , पटान्तरवत् इत्याद्यनुमानं मिथ्यात्वे प्रमाणम्।

Subramanian ji, please share your views.

Regards.
Sudhanshu Shekhar.