[Advaita-l] Vaadiraaja Teertha's Yuktimallika - Advaita Criticism - Slokas 1-511 to 1-524

[Venkatesh Murthy]

Namaste

I will post the serious issues and leave out silly arguments. It is like
Vadiraja has come to play International match and he is playing cricket
like Galli boys and giving us only Gaalis. But Gaalis cannot win a match.
Indian Cricket team played like Galli boys on Sunday and we know what
happened.

Another point is we have to remember Vaadiraaja is a poet also. He has
written Rukmineesha Vijaya and other beautiful poems. When arguing with him
we have to remember this. He is not like Vyaasa Raaya and Teekarayaru
Jayateertha in talking dry philosophy. If you are reading Vyasa Raya
arguments and Advaiti counter arguments you feel  like you are in a Court
and two lawyers wearing black dresses are arguing. It is dry arguments. But
Vaadiraaja makes the Poetry Kavya Rasa flow and if you want you can taste
it and then argue with him or you can directly argue also. It is like
adding some Masala to dry arguments and making it entertaining if you want
it.

Fast forwarding to 1 - 511 to see Vadiraja is going to attack Advaitis
theory of Tattvaavedaka and Attatvaavedaka Srutis. Advaitis say there are
Abheda Srutis and Bheda Srutis and Abheda Srutis are stronger and they are
Tattvaavedaka meaning they will give us true Jnaana but not the Bheda
Srutis meaning they are Attatvaavedaka. Maha Vakyas like Tattvamasi, Aham
Brahmasmi and so on are given more importance by Advaitis than some other
Vakyas like Jyotishtomena Svargakamo Yajeta. Both are in Veda only. Why
this discrimination? Vadiraja is asking.

तस्मान्नित्यैव वेदाख्यविद्या विद्यावतां मते ।

नित्यायां च कथं द्वैतमद्वैतं किल ते प्रियम् ॥ १-५११
Teekaakaara is asking -

नित्यायां वेदविद्यायां द्वैतं तत्त्वावेदकत्वातत्त्वावेदकत्त्वाख्यप्रकारत्वं
कथं?

You Advaiti like to see Abheda everywhere but why you are seeing Duality in
the Eternal Veda? You are dividing  the Eternal Veda Vidyaa into
Tattvaavedaka and Attatvaavedaka portions.
It is a funny situation here. Advaitis want to embrace Dvaita and Dvaitis
want to embrace Advaita. Advaitis are seeing Bheda in Veda Vidya and
Dvaitis want to see Abheda.

तत्स्वतस्त्वेन सर्वत्र प्रामाण्यं गृह्यते श्रुतौ ।

पुंदोषमूलदोषस्याभावात्तच्च न चाल्यते ॥ १-५१२
There is Saarvatrika Praamaanya meaning Validity Everywhere in Veda because
it has Svatah Praamaanya meaning Self Validity and it has no defects of
Purusha Dosha because it is Apaurusheya and not a work of Man. Veda is
solidly Unshakable.
Teekaakaara is saying here this is accepted by Advaitis also. त्वयापि
अङ्गीकारात्

अतत्त्वावेदकत्त्वोक्तिरतो वेदे न शोभते ।

अतत्त्वावेदकस्तस्य गुरुरेवेति मे मतिः ॥ १-५१३
Saying Veda is Atattvaavedaka will not look good. If someone is saying that
his Guru himself is Attattvaavedaka. He did not teach any Tattva.
He is cracking a joke at the Advaiti.

गृष्ट्योर्मिथो विरोधे हि हत्वैकामपराङ्मुखीम् ।

विरोधशान्तिं कः कुर्याद्विना म्लेच्छकुमारकान् ॥१-५२०

If two cows are fighting who will end that fighting by killing one cow?
Only Mleccha boys will end the fighting like this.

How to correctly end fighting of cows without killing one cow?

तृणपिण्याकदानेन कृत्वाऽर्थान्तरलालसाम् ।

ततः प्रच्यावदेकां क्रुद्धाऽप्यन्याध्वना व्रजेत् ॥ १-५२१

We have to give grass and eatables to one cow and make it desire something
and withdraw from fighting. The other cow even though angry will go away to
another place.

एवं श्रुत्योर्विरोधेऽपि या वागन्यार्थवर्तिनी ।

तां तदर्थपरां कृत्वा मोचयेत् कलहं तयोः ॥ १-५२२

Similarly when two Srutis are against each other also we have to give the
Sruti having contradictory meaning another meaning and make the quarrel of
the two Srutis go away.

अतत्त्वावेदिका त्वेका तत्त्वस्यावेदिकाऽपरा ।

इत्याद्युक्तिस्त्वमानत्त्वप्राप्त्याऽसुत्याजनं श्रुतेः ॥१-५२३

But if you say one Sruti is Atattvavedika and another Sruti Tattvaavedika
meaning it reveals Yathartha Tattva one Sruti will lose Praamaanya. It is
like killing Sruti.

सादृश्यैक्ये स्थानमत्योरैक्ये व्याप्त्यैक्यपूर्वके ।

सावकाशैक्यवाग् भेदवाक् तु स्वार्थपरायणा ।१-५२४

It is a bit difficult to translate but I will try - For Aikya Sruti we have
to give meaning of Sadrushya Aikya - two similar things treated like One,
Sthana and Mati Aikya - two things in similar place or two persons having
similar opinion treated like One, Vyapti Aikya - two things being together
like if one is there another is also there and if one is not there another
is not there and these two things treated as One. This Aikya Sruti is
Saavakaasha. But the Bheda Sruti is revealing its meaning directly. It is
Niravakaasha.

Response - The Meemaamsakas also say Sruti has Vidhi, Mantra and Arthavaada
portions. They don't give importance to Arthavaadas. But Advaita has
considered Adhikaari Bheda for studying Sruti. In the first Sutra of the
BSB itself Adi Sankara has given Mumukshutva and other qualifications for
Vedanta Study. If a person has desire for heaven he can do Jyotishtoma and
other Karmas. But if a person has Mumukshutva and strong desire for
Liberation he may not go into Karmas and Yajnas. This is not making Karma
Kaanda portion Atattvaavedaka. It is only applying to some persons
interested in Karmas. For Mumukshu the Tattvavedaka is the Upanisads and
not Karma Kaanda portion. What is wrong in this?




















-- 
Regards

-Venkatesh