[Advaita-l] Discussions on anubhava and Tarka

[srikanta at nie.ac.in]

I am following the discussions on Anubhava and tarka.Tarka is useful in
analysing different points of view.where as anubhava is experience as we
understand.there are different types of Tarka.There is Pracina Nyaya or
tarka and the navya nyaya.the founder of Nyaya syatem is Gowthama.after
him the tarka or Nyaya has undergone many developments and
transformations.vaiseshika philosopy founded by Kanada is the first before
Gowthama,although there is parallelsim between them.Gangesha Upadhyaya is
the developer of Navya nyaya.Buddhism has also contributed to tarka by the
various scholars like Asanga,Vasubhandu,Nagarjuna,Dinnaga,Dharmakirti and
others.unlike these schools,Vedantha depends on the sruthi adharita tarka
as Shankara says.Tattva is Bodhaka where as tarka is shodhaka.There is
'regress"in Tarka.A tarkika can be defeated by another stronger
Tarkika.shankara says in his Bhasya that Sankhyans are called 'pradhana
mallas"in the usage of tarka.Anubhava also cannot bring AtmaJnana,because
Anubhava can differ from person to person.anubhava as we call empirical
experience can only show the objects.It cannot bring atmajnana.That is the
reason the atmajnana is not within the realm of empirical
experience.shankara says it is outside the purview of empirical
experience.It is "akhandakara vrtti".The Upanishads convey it by negative
statements as "Neti,Neti",Neha nanasti kincana,and others.the Upanishad
says"Yena atmaiva vrnute tena eva labhyah"(One who yearns for it by his
heart he only he obtains it).
                                                    N.Srikanta.