[Advaita-l] [advaitin] 48 files from the teaching of Sudhanshu Shekarji
Michael Chandra Cohen
michaelchandra108 at gmail.com
Thu Oct 2 10:38:19 EDT 2025
Namaste Sudhanshuji,
As mentioned elsewhere, here are some questions/ issues with Madhusudhana
Saraswati arranged according to your first five characteristics of
Drshti/Srshti Vada written in comparison to SDV among your 48 files. Quotes
are from Timalsina,. Seeing and Appearance in addition to my own notes.
1. The creation is simultaneous. Dṛṣṭi, i.e. vṛtti-upahita-caitanya
itself is sṛṣṭi. There is no concept of pañca-mahābhūta and pañcīkaraṇa etc.
What is this upahita? If it functions to conceal, what is the nature of its
concealment? Is it a material or like a cloud, or darkness, or error?
2. Pratyabhijñā is illusory. The Devadatta seen now is not the Devadatta
seen a moment ago. It is a new dṛṣṭi, it is a new Devadatta.
1.
“Another counter-argument made by Vyāsatīrtha on DS is that this
doctrine cannot establish recognition. Whether recognition is a valid
means of knowledge or is not within the domain of valid means continues to
be an issue in the ongoing debate in classical Indian philosophy. The
process of recognition depends upon two aspects: one is mental and the
other is sensory. When it is established that ‘this is that very Devadatta’
then there exists the possibility that one Devadatta is in memory and
another Devadatta is being directly perceived. Vyāsatīrtha points out that
there will never be such knowledge if knowledge differs in each moment.
Madhusūdana replies to this problem with an illustration of the recognition
of a flame, which is different in each moment. This reply definitely aligns
his argument closely with the Buddhist doctrine of momentariness. In this
sense, the charge of Vyāsatīrtha that DS appropriates the Sautrāntika
doctrine of momentariness seems to have some validity.”
2.
The consequence Vyāsatīrtha had shown in the svarūpalakṣaṇa of Brahman
was re-established in AS. Namely, when we say ‘this is silver’, there are
two parts: one part is ‘this’, and the other is ‘silver’. In the context of
error, the ‘this’ part is the foundation of the cognition as ‘silver’, and
it is the ‘silver’ that is falsely perceived, not ‘this’ part. This is the
common Nyāya theory of error accepted even by Bhāṭṭa-Mīmāṃsakas. Vanamālin
states that if the part ‘this’ is to be real, then there is also ‘the
property of being perceived’ (dṛśyatva). To accept any object as perceived
constitutes a fallacy, following DS.
3.
He further adds that, in the moment when there is a conception that ‘this
is silver,’ no shell exists, along the lines of DS (since only ‘that
which is known’ exists). It is therefore not possible to state that
superimposition is due to ignorance of that i.e., shellhood, for instance.
3. Bhāvarūpa avidyā is admitted.
You say somewhere, “the swarUpa lakshaNa of adhyAsa i.e. appearance of
non-difference of mithyA vastu with satya vastu, is not possible”
How can mithyA be a vastu when you hold silver is sublatable and that
whatever is seen exists?
4. There is only one jīva.
What is the nature of this jiva? Empirical, Brhaspati, Eshwara, Sakshi,
Pure Consciousness? Reconcile that jiva is anadi but has an end.
5. There is no ajñāta-sattā of objects.
“Sublatory knowledge is considered to be false. The problem arises: how can
one false knowledge be more reliable than another when the knowledge of x
sublates the knowledge of y? This problem raised by Vyāsatīrtha appears to
be the most difficult one for Madhusūdana to resolve. Although Madhusūdana
does not defend the taṭastha type of definition, pointing out that this is
for those who possess a lower aptitude for realization, he defends the
second, or svarūpa type of definition, wherein the appearance of a real
thing is in the false form. If pure ‘consciousness only’, free from
modification, is accepted as the doctrine of DS, there is no necessity for
defending this position. As Madhusūdana defends another version of DS, in
which all is only false appearance, then in this case, his defense of the
svarūpa definition fits.”
On Thu, Oct 2, 2025 at 4:06 AM Raghav Kumar Dwivedula via Advaita-l <
advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:
> Namaste Sudhanshu ji
> Thank you for sharing a helpful series of articles.
> On Thu, 2 Oct 2025 at 9:36 AM, Sudhanshu Shekhar via Advaita-l <
> advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:
>
> > Namaste Vikram ji and Michael ji.
> >
> > The write-ups are basically intended for my own clarity rather than
> being a
> > "teaching". These are written centred on my own self. So, I am really not
> > sure as to how much help it can be of others.
>
>
> > It does not matter either.
>
> …because you are a staunch adherent of DSV and you are the only jIva? :)
>
> Warm regards on Vijaya dashami
>
> Om
> Raghav
>
>
>
>
>
> >
> > Regards.
> > Sudhanshu Shekhar.
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