Perspectives

[Charles Wikner]

Chandran, Nanda (NBC) <Nanda.Chandran at NBC.COM> wrote:

> I would like to know
> how Ramanuja and Madhva interpret statments like 'Tat vam asi' and 'Aham
> Brahmasmi' in their respective schools, which refute non-dualism. Can
> the knowledgable clarify?

While advaita analyses "tattvamasi" as three words (tat tvam asi), dvaita
treats "tattvam" as a vyadhikara.na-tatpuru.sa-samaasa (i.e. "tat" is in
some case relationship to "tvam"), giving "tasmin/tasya/tasmaat tvam asi",
which translates as "Thou art in/of/from That".  This is quite correct and
valid grammatical analysis, and good logic too -- but like all logic, it is
dependent on the premises (dvaita in this case).  I suspect that you will
find that dvaitins prize logic very highly -- but logic is of little value
to an advaitin (except at the vyaavahaarika level perhaps): what he prizes
is reason.

Regards,
Charles.