[Advaita-l] DSV of Sri Madhusudana Saraswati

[H S Chandramouli]

On Sun, Apr 26, 2020 at 8:36 AM Raghav Kumar Dwivedula via Advaita-l <
advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:

> There was an interesting article by Smt. S.Revathy (professor, Madras
> Sanskrit College) on Vedanta paribhAShA. She says that the very condition
> of an object being anadhigata is a sufficient criterion for a valid
> cognition. In other words, the condition of abAdhitatvam as a criterion for
> valid knowledge is superfluous.
>
> Wherever the origination of the object is coeval with perception, it is
> termed jnAtaikasattAka and that puts all such cognitions such as cognition
> of shell in silver (here the object is jnAtaikasattAka), such cognitions
> are not valid knowledge at all, according to VP.
>
> She quotes Shri Madhusudana Saraswati from to substantiate this from his
> work Advaita Ratna rakshaNa.
>
> Incidentally the fact that the requirement that the object is to be
> ajnaatasattaaka (unknown prior to its cognition) - an implicit necessity
> for the condition of anadhigatatvam (unknown prior to its cognition -
> implying that the object exists but is unknown) to be satisfied, places the
> vedAnta paribhAShA epistemology clearly within the ambit of sRShTi dRShTi
> prakriyas.
>
> Om
>
> Raghav

Namaste Raghav Ji,

In anticipation of your approval, I have changed the title of the thread as
above.

Reg  << Incidentally the fact that the requirement that the object is to be
ajnaatasattaaka (unknown prior to its cognition) - an implicit necessity
for the condition of anadhigatatvam (unknown prior to its cognition -
implying that the object exists but is unknown) to be satisfied, places the
vedAnta paribhAShA epistemology clearly within the ambit of sRShTi dRShTi
prakriyas >>,

The following is from  दृष्टिसृष्टिविचारः – आद्वैतसिद्धिः
dRRiShTisRRiShTivichAraH – AdvaitasiddhiH

प्रथमः परिच्छेदः   prathamaH parichChedaH.

<< न च इदं रूप्यमिति ज्ञानकाले शुक्तित्वादेरभावेनाध्यासस्य
तदज्ञानकार्यत्वादिप्रक्रियाविरोध इति वाच्यम् । ‘इदं रूप्य'मिति ज्ञानकाले
शुक्तित्वस्याभावेऽपि तदज्ञानस्थित्यविरोधात् । नहि सत्ताकाल इव
सत्ताविरहकालेऽपि अज्ञानं विरुध्यते । >>

<< na cha idaM rUpyamiti j~nAnakAle shuktitvAderabhAvenAdhyAsasya
tadaj~nAnakAryatvAdiprakriyAvirodha iti vAchyam | ‘idaM rUpya'miti
j~nAnakAle shuktitvasyAbhAve.api tadaj~nAnasthityavirodhAt | nahi sattAkAla
iva sattAvirahakAle.api aj~nAnaM virudhyate |>>

Meaning (not literal translation)

<< Objection  ::  At the time of delusion of the nature “This is silver”,
there is no knowledge of the adhisthana, since in the view of
dRRiShTisRRiShTi there is nonexistence of object prior to its knowledge;in
the absence of the object its ignorance also cannot exist; therefore the
causal effect ascribed to the ignorance of the adhisthana  nacre leading to
the declared adhyAsa cannot take place; resulting in the illogicity of the
postulate of ignorance of the adhisthana leading to adhyAsa.

Response  ::  At the time of the delusion “This is silver”, even though
adhisthana of the nature of nacre is admitted to be nonexistent, it does
not conflict with the existence of its ignorance (अज्ञान), because in DSV
both an object (capable of existence) as well as its ignorance (अज्ञान) are
admitted to be the vishaya (content or subject matter) of its knowledge >>.

Reg the observation by Sri Subrahmanian Ji

<< All
knowledge/perception activity is  akin to dream perception  >>,

Rajju sarpa also is within the ambit of DSV as per the following from
Advaita Siddhi

<< शुक्तिरूप्यस्वप्नादिवत् दृष्टिसृष्ट्यन्यथानुपपत्त्यापि जगतो
मिथ्यात्वसिद्धिः । >>

<<  shuktirUpyasvapnAdivat dRRiShTisRRiShTyanyathAnupapattyApi jagato
mithyAtvasiddhiH | >>

Meaning  << Even though dRRiShTisRRiShTi  cannot take place except as being
similar to nacre-silver and dream creation, still jagat mithyatva can be
established through it >>.

There are any number of statements in this chapter of Advaita Siddhi which
clearly admit of all the three levels of
sattA;pAramArthika/vyAvahArika/prAtibhAsika; in this prakriya of DS in
accordance with the definition adopted by Sri MS for DS.
Regards