[Advaita-l] Adwaita and God

[Sunil Bhattacharjya]

Dear Srikantaji,

1)
Agreed that Sankhya did not say "Neti Neti" like the Vedanta says and we also know that   Sankhya said that "Ishvara is asiddha", which rigorously speaking is different from "Neti Neti". Then will you kindly  explain what do you understand by the saying that "Ishvara is asiddha" ie. the existence of Ishvara cannot be proved. I was trying to be pedagogibal and  was sacrificing rigour to make the point understand that Sankhya does not deny the existence of God. However if you can give a rigorous explanation of "Ishvara is Asiddha';'  i shall be extremely grateful.
2)
PLease do not compare "Vaisheshika" with "Vedanta". You are speaking to the tune of the western  scholars who think that the six systems of "Darshanas" are competing philosophies. The six systems of "Darshanas" are at different levels of understanding. Sankhya is at a higher level of understanding than the Nyaya-Vaisheshika. Similarly the Purvamimansa and Uttaramimansa are at higher levels that the Sankhya. Nobody questions the highest level of Vedanta. My mail was trying to say that none of the six darshanas can be said to be atheistic though the position of Nyaya is not very clear. Let us not try to be faulit -finding by going away from the point under discussion.

Regards,

Sunil K. Bhattacharjya

--- On Sun, 10/31/10, srikanta at nie.ac.in <srikanta at nie.ac.in> wrote:



From: srikanta at nie.ac.in <srikanta at nie.ac.in>
Subject: [Advaita-l] Adwaita and God
To: advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org
Date: Sunday, October 31, 2010, 2:28 AM

Pranams!
Dear Sunil Bhattacharyaji,
All the above systems you have quoted say that there is another agency
which is in aid of that the Ultimate principle for the phenomenal world to
appear.Sankhya may call it prakrthi(incidentally from the
Bhagawadgita,Sankhya was called as the Jnanayoga,"Jnana yogena
sankhyanam,karmayogena yoginam)evidently it is the Mimamsa which was in
opposition to Jnanayoga.But,the "Neti,Neti"method is unique to Vedanta,and
not to Snkhya as you quoted.with discrimination,the prakrthi will depart
from the Purusha like an dancer who leaves the stage.The Vaisheshika has
the agency like "adrishta".Shankara in his Bhashyas,Particularly,while
analysing the various systems,points out that in whichever way we look,it
comes finally to this:the phenomenal world appears due to error in
cognition.(vide,Adhyasa Bhashya).hence,shankara brings in this
agency,called avidya,or Maya which is the cause of the Phenomenon.This
avidya or Maya is a tentative assumption.

"Sa ca Maya na vidyate",declares Acharya Gaudapada
Bhava Shankara Desika me sharanam.                  N.Srikanta.


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