Sabda,verbal testimony likewise cannot be the pramANa for nirvisesha
brahman.Verbal testimony here means sruthi texts quoted by the
advaitin to prove his point. Verbal testimony consists of words and
sentences. Words have two parts, prakrthi, root and prathyaya,
termination which, having different meanings join to denote only a
savisesha object.n\ (All named things,abhidheya, are savisesha only
as a nirvisesha vasthu cannot be denoted by words or sentences
without giving it a definition in which case it becomes savisesha.)
Therefore nirvisesha brahman cannot be proved by sabda.
Ramanuja dismisses prathyaksham also as a means of knowledge of
nirvisesha vasthu. All perception reveals only an object which is
savisesha.Advaitin may say that this is so only in
savikalpakaprathyaksham, determinate perception, but in
nirvikalpaprakathyaksham, indeterminate perception show only the
object as nirvisesha. Ramanuja disagrees and says that even that can
show only object with visesha. The opposite has never been
experienced. Any perception is only of the nature 'idham ittham, this
is such and such.' When a cow is perceived it is perceived with its
form, dewlap etc. to differntiate it from othe objects like horse.No
perception is experienced otherwise.
Then, advaitin may question, what is the meaning of the term
nirvikalpaka prathyaksham? Ramnuja answers thus:
Nirvikalpakaprathyaksham occurs when there is the first perception of
the object ,say, cow. When another cow is seen the knowledge of jati,
class is known with a knowledge that any object belonging to the 'Go'
jati will look like this and then the form of a cow ,having
triangular face, dewlap etc. are known to belong to the class of
cows. Even though the form is perceived at first it is not known to
be common to all objects of that class and hence it is called
nirvikalpaka, indeterminate perception. With the perception of the
jati and viseshas like triangular face, dewlap etc it becomes
savisesha. Hence only the subsequent perceptions are savisesha and
the first one is nirvisesha.Therefore attributelessness can never be
the object of perception.
Ramnuja here proceeds to show that even the bhedhAbhedhavAdha of
Bhaskara is untenable.The latter professes that the jati and other
attributes are both separate and not separate. When the cow is seen
as belonging to the class of cows, the jati is not viewed as separate
from the vyakthi,cow, but is different when the cow is seen as an
object by itself. Ramanuja refutes this saying 'sarvathra
viseshaNviseshyabhAva prathipatthou thayoh athyanthabhEhdhah
prtheethyaiva suvyakthah.' The viseshaNaviseshyabhAva, the relation
of attribute and substance makes it clear that there is absolute
difference between the two, which is explicit from their perception
itself. When an object is perceived as ' idham ittham,' this is such
and such, the idham aspect denotes the object and the ittham aspect
exhibits its attributes. So the two are undoubtedly different and
cannot BE claimed to be identical..
the followers of BhAskara may argue that in which case there will not
be any difference between the attributes denoting possession like
dhandee, one with a staff, kundalee, one wearing kundala and those
denoting jati etc. Ramanuja replies that the attributes adhering
through possession have a separate existence whereas the dewlap etc.
do not exist separately from the entity, cow.
Hence nirvisesha cannot be proved by perception, inference or verbal
testimony. Trying to prove nirvisesha through proving that all
viseshas are not perceived, is like the statement that one's mother
is a barren woman.
.
.
------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~-->
Yahoo! Groups gets a make over. See the new email design.
http://us.click.yahoo.com/XISQkA/lOaOAA/yQLSAA/XUWolB/TM
--------------------------------------------------------------------~->
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Oppiliappan/
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
Oppiliappan-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
|
Home Page
http://www.ibiblio.org/sripedia |
oppiliappan-subscribe@yahoogroups.com To subscribe to the list |