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

[Anand Hudli]

As explained in the vedAnta-paribhAShA, the validity (prAmANya) of pramANas
is of two kinds. 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
pramANas other than the one which yields BrahmajnAna, 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. This
implies that Bheda shrutis belong to the category of
vyAvahArika-tattva-Avedaka pramANas, while the abheda-shrutis belong to the
category of pAramArthika-tattva-Avedaka pramANas. However, it is also clear
that advaitins do not state there is an atattvAvedaka pramANa in the Veda,
as alleged by VAdirAja. If they had indeed stated that a part of the Veda
is atattvAvedaka while another part is tattvAvedaka there would have been
shrutahAni surely, but they did not. advaitins do agree that every shruti
is tattvAvedaka, although the tattva that it conveys could be vyAvahArika
or pAramArthika. The topic of Bheda-shrutis vis a vis the abheda-shrutis is
discussed in detail in the advaitasiddhi. Suffice it to say that one
solution is to accept Bheda-shrutis, those vAkyas of the shruti that seem
to deal with duality, as describing vyAvahArika bheda, since there cannot
be be any bheda at the pAramArthika level. Bheda shrutis play a role
similar to the role played by arthavAdas in the context of a vidhi, vide
the mImAMsA sUtra - vidhinA tu ekavAkyatvAt stutyarthatvena vidhInAM syuH,
1.2.7. Just as arthavAda vAkyas are not independent pramANas but do help by
supporting and commending the enjoined act (vidhi), bheda-shrutis too serve
the purpose of supporting the abheda-shrutis. Taken independently, they are
not pramANas for revealing Brahman. Hence, there is no shrutahani.

Anand