[Advaita-l] Application of pUrvamImAMsA nyAya to advaita vedanta - English summary

[Raghav Kumar]

Namaste

SrI Anand ji wrote:

Extending this to cognitions that we gain from
different sources, the later cognition is more powerful than an earlier
one, which stands negated by the later cognition. This is exactly the
argument of AnandabodhAchArya, an advaitin, in his PramANamAla. From
perception, there arises a cognition of the reality of the world. However,
through the study of the upaniShads, the cognition of nonduality arises,
which sublates the earlier cognition. This is an application of the
apaccheda nyAya of the mImAMsakas.

My question: The earlier pramA is not always negated by the later one.
For example, if a person who is entering a desert for the first time,
is told by an Apta,  that he is liable to see the optical illusion
called a mirage in the desert. ( in other words, through sabda pramANa
in the from of Apta-vAkya).  Later, he may see the mirage-water but
dismisses this new cognition derived from pratyaxa as bhrama; the
earlier cognition (sabda-janita pramA) alone prevails.  In the
inter-play between pramANa-s, it does not seem always true that the
later pramA alone always prevails ; what is the criterion to decide
where the apaccheda nyAya applies ? Is it only in the context of vedic
mantra exegesis ? Even there we do find mantropaniShads expounding
j~nAnaM followed again by karma kANda as in the case of
IshAvAsyopaniShat?

Om

Raghav
Om
Raghav

On 11/10/11, Anand Hudli <anandhudli at hotmail.com> wrote:
> The apaccheda nyAya of pUrvamImAMsA is used in situations where two events
> occur, not simultaneously but in sequence. In the JyotiShToma Yajna, the
> priests (Ritviks) are supposed to go around the sacrificial hall in a line
> where each holds the waist cloth of the Ritvik in front. If the sAmaveda
> priest, the udgAtA lets go the waist cloth of the priest in front, the
> prAyashcitta is that the sacrifice must be completed with no fee given to
> any priest. Furthermore, the sacrifice must be repeated. However, if the
> pratihartA priest lets go the waist cloth of the one in front, as the
> prAyashcitta the entire wealth of the sacrificer must be given to the
> priests. Now, a question arises: if the two priests let go the waist cloth
> of the one in front A) simultaneously or B) one after the other, what is
> the prAyashcitta? For A) the answer is: either prAyashcitta can be
> performed. For B) the answer is: the prAyashcitta related to the later
> event is to be performed, not the one related to the earlier event.  This
> is called the apaccheda nyAya wherein the second event is more powerful
> than the earlier one. Extending this to cognitions that we gain from
> different sources, the later cognition is more powerful than an earlier
> one, which stands negated by the later cognition. This is exactly the
> argument of AnandabodhAchArya, an advaitin, in his PramANamAla. From
> perception, there arises a cognition of the reality of the world. However,
> through the study of the upaniShads, the cognition of nonduality arises,
> which sublates the earlier cognition. This is an application of the
> apaccheda nyAya of the mImAMsakas.
>
> Anand
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