[Advaita-l] Fwd: Prtyakṣa annulled by Shruti, Smrti and Sutra

[Anand Hudli]

>Therefore pratyaksha is not annulled by other pramanams,including shaastras, since shaastras also in some sense de>pend on pratyaksha pramaana only since one has to hear the shaastras. . What is annulled here is the reality assume>d to the pratyaksha pramaana from the point of absolute truth

It is stated in nyAya texts that pramA is right knowledge
(yathArtha-jnAna or yathArtha-anubhavaH, yathA rajate "idaM rajatam"
iti pratyakShaM pramA - tarkasaMgraha), pramAtR is one who
cognizes/apprehends, prameya is the object that is cognized (yo arthaH
tattvataH pratIyate tat prameyam), while pramANa is "means to right
knowledge" (pramAtA yenArthaM pramiNoti, tat - nyAyasUtrabhAShya of
vAtsyAyana) . So pratyakSha (Sense Perception) is one such pramANa,
the others commonly accepted being anumAna (Inference) and shabda
(Verbal Testimony). advaita also adds three more to the list- upamAna
(comparison or similarity), arthApatti (postulation), and anupalabdhi
(non-cognition). These are, of course, explained in the
vedAnta-paribhAShA.

Of these pramANas, their validity (prAmANya) is of two kinds, as per
the vedAnta paribhAShA. vyAvahArika-tattva-Avedakatva is the
capability to make known vyAvahArika reality.
pAramArthika-tattva-Avedakatva is the capability to make known the
Absolute reality, Brahman. The first kind belongs to all pramANas,
whereas the second kind belongs only to statements (shruti texts) that
teach the unity of jIva and Brahman, for example, sadeva somyedamagra
AsIt, tattvamasi, etc.

While dealing with the topic of jiva-brahma-aikya, it is clear that
pratyakSha loses its pramANa status. pratyakSha is incapable of
revealing Brahman. It is in this sense it is said that pratyakSha
pramANa itself is annulled or sublated, as opposed to the sublation of
pratyakSha-revealed-objects , which can happen even in vyAvahArika
life (the sunrise-sunset example). It is also correct to say that in
the turIya avasthA (Brahman realization), not just pratyakSha but all
the pramANas, shruti included, lose their status. The entire quadruple
 PramAtR-prameya-pramANa-pramA does not exist anymore.

Anand