Prasthanatrayi Swaminarayan Bhashyam (Study)
by Sadhu Gyanananddas | 2021 | 123,778 words
This page relates ‘Acceptance of Pramana in Various Darshana Traditions’ of the study on the Prasthanatrayi Swaminarayan Bhashyam in Light of Swaminarayan Vachanamrut (Vacanamrita). His 18th-century teachings belong to Vedanta philosophy and were compiled as the Vacanamrita, revolving around the five ontological entities of Jiva, Ishvara, Maya, Aksharabrahman, and Parabrahman. Roughly 200 years later, Bhadreshdas composed a commentary (Bhasya) correlating the principles of Vachanamrut.
1.2. Acceptance of Pramāṇa in Various Darśana Traditions
[Full title: Pramāṇamimāṃsā (Epistemology) (2): Acceptance of Pramāṇa in Various Darśana Traditions]
Bhadreśadāsa explains the significance of the pramāṇas in a significantly facilitated way:
akārstnyaṃ vaiparītyaṃ ca tathaiva saṃśayādikam |
apākṛtya vibodhane pramāṇamupakārakam || Svāminārāyaṇa Siddhāntasudhā Kārikā 230 ||“To eradicate imperfection, adversity, and doubt and to gain true knowledge these pramāṇas (means of knowledge) are significant.”
However, the actual number of pramāṇa varies from school to school. The Cārvākas accepted pratyakṣa (direct perception) as the only source of knowledge. The Buddhist and Vaiśeṣikas added one more, namely anumāna (inference). “The Sāṃkhya put a third viz; śabda (revelation-verbal authority). The Naiyāyikas added fourth viz, upamāna (analogy). The Prabhākara’s Mimamsakas acknowledged a fifth arthāpatti (implication), and the Bhaṭṭas a sixth one, anupalabdhī (non-apprehension). A theory of knowledge, or epistemology, therefore precedes ontology or the theory of reality or being. All the ācāryas of Bhaktī Vedanta Schools follow this time-honored method. Sankarācārya accepts all six sources of knowledge. Ramanujācārya takes three: perception, inference, and verbal testimony.
This increase in the number of pramāṇa is the result of freedom (vicārasvātantryam) so that different founders have different pramāṇa or means of knowledge to know the highest reality, self, world, their relation, the concept of final freedom and the means to reach it. “pratyakṣamanumānaṃ ca vedāścopamayā saha”[4] However, every branch believes that the supreme reality of Vedanta philosophy can be attained only through perfect pramāṇa.
As mentioned,—
“pramāṇamantareṇa nārthapratipattiḥ | nārthapratipattimantareṇa pravṛttisāmarthyaṃ | pramāṇena khalvayaṃ jñātārthamupalabhya tamīpsati va jihāsati vā | tasya ipsajihāsāprayuktasya samīhā pravṛttirityucyate |” (vātsyāyanabhāṣyam 1/1/1/)[2].
“Without the valid means, there is no knowledge of substances and without knowledge, there is no activity. After attaining the true knowledge of the substances, one tends to wish or to abandon it. The action which includes to wish or to abandon is called pravṛtti.”
“tathā hi prameyādīnāṃ tāvatpadārthānāṃ tattvajñānaṃ pramāṇatattvajñānādhīnam |” (nyāyavārtikatātparyaṭīkā 1/1/1/)[3]
“The knowledge of the knowable substances is depended on the valid means of knowledge.”
“naitāvatā vinā pramāṇena śaśaviṣāṇaṃ pratipadyemahi |” (śābarabhāṣyam 1/1/5/)[4]
“Without the valid means of knowledge we have to realize the horns of a rabbit (which does not exist).”
Footnotes and references:
[2]:
[4]:
Yudhiṣṭhira Mīmāṃsaka, Sabara-Bhāṣya, Trans. Ganganatha Jha, vol-1, oriental Institute, 1973, p.25