A critical study of Ānandajñāna’s Tarkasaṅgraha
by Satyan Sharma | 2022 | 96,182 words
This page relates ‘Conclusion of Advaita Vedanta Darshana in Tarkasangraha’ of the study on the Tarkasangraha by Anandajnana (also, Anandagiri), a Sanskrit text from the 12th century which, supporting Advaita Vedanta, refutes the Vaisheshika branch—both schools of orthodox Hindu philosophy. This essay advocates for detachment from logic, aligning with the Advaita Vedantic path to liberation.
Go directly to: Footnotes.
Appendix C - Conclusion of Advaita Vedānta Darśana in Tarkasaṅgraha
This appendix is based on the concluding portion of the tṛtīya pariccheda of Tarkasaṅgaha, where Ānandajñāna wraps up the text and his siddhānta regarding Advaita Vedānta.
1. Anirvācyatva
Ānandajñāna defines anirvācyatva as; that which is not the substratum of sadasattva (both existence and nonexistence together), while not being the substratum of sattva (existence) and asattva (nonexistence).[1] To put it simply, anything which cannot be put into any of the three categories of existent, nonexistent and existentnonexistent is anirvācya.
2. The Anirvācya
This term anirvacanīya has been used for the āropya (superimposed).[2] What is superimposed? All the duality, which is divided into bhāva (existence) and abhāva (nonexistence).[3] Hence, all this duality, which is divided by a layperson into the two categories of bhāva and abhāva, is not real, but only something superimposed on the real. This superimposition is the adhyāropa.
3. The cause and substratum of the āropya
The cause of this duality is the anādi (beginningless) and anirvācya Avidyā, while the substratum of it is Brahman.[1231] The only problem in taking Brahman to be the substratum of Avidyā is that Brahman is considered to be sarvajña (omniscient).[4]
Ānandajñāna presents a solution to this; it is only by ajñāna that sarvajñtva of Brahman can be established, because Brahman being asaṅga (unattached) to anything, it cannot become sarvajña, without ajñāna, because to be sarvajña Brahman needs to be in contact (saṅga) with each and every object.[5] Also, the object of ajñāna is Brahman, which is established by experience of 'I do not know myself, I do not know what you have said'.[6]
4. One or multiple Ajñānas
Ānandajñāna says that only one avidyā/ajñāna is the reason for the superimposition of all kinds.[7] He calls the ajñāna as vicitraśaktimat (possessing various powers), which can cause the appearance of objects of many kinds in Brahman, due to which there is no reason to think about infinite number of ajñānas as the causes for that.[8] Even for the one single jīva, there is no need for multiple ajñānas, because śruti of 'tat tvam asi' (that you are) declares the oneness of jīva and Brahman.[9]
5. Multiple ākāras of Ajñāna
Instead of multiple ajñānas, Ānandajñāna puts forward the idea that one single ajñāna possesses multiple ākāras, and the śruti passages talking of multiple ajñānas actually intend to point to multiple ākāras of one single ajñāna.[10] At the end of svapna (dream), the ākāra of ajñāna which produces it, ends, whereas the one which produces jāgrat (waking state) does not end.[11]
6. The end of Mūlājñāna
The śruti sentences like 'tarati śokam ātmavit' (the knower of the Self goes beyond sorrow), are the evidence for the nivṛtti of ajñāna through jñāna, even if there is no dṛṣṭānta for that.[12] Ānandajñāna also says that the Mūlājñāna, possessing mutliple ākāras, doesn't exist by itself, and hence its end is dependent on tattvajñāna.[13] This single ajñāna is enough to account for mukta, amukta, etc. multiple kinds of beings. In case of the one who has attained the tattvajñāna still has some experience of duality, Ānandajñāna says that it is because of very small amount of avidyā.[14]
7. The fundamental absence of bandha and mukti
One Brahman, due to its relation with the anādi, anirvācya and anavacchinna (limitless) avidyā, appears to be bound.[15] The same Brahman, due to the direct experience of reality caused by sayings (of Upaniṣads and Guru), becomes as if liberated.[16] Ānandajñāna further says that fundamentally, there is no bandha (bondage) or mukti (liberation).[17]
8. The role of pratyabhijñā
The Ātman or Self is taken to be stable (also implying unchangeability) on the basis of pratyabhijña (recognition via direct perception).[18] The only problem with this is that there is no room for karmatva (actionness) and kartṛtva (doerness) in Ātman, due to which there would be absence of saṃskāra, leading to the impossibility of pratyabhijñā.[19] Ānandajñāna attempts to provide a solution for this. He says that the vṛtti of 'aham' (I) arises either in buddhi or avidyā, and this vṛtti possesses ābhāsa, and is homogeneous to sattvaguṇa.[20] Being close to Ātman, and due to the absence of any other kartṛ, the kartṛtva is falsely identified with Ātman.[21] Being of the same ākāra as Ātman, in the absence of another karman, the karmatva gets similarly identified with Ātman.[22] [1251] The objection that karmatva and kartṛtva cannot reside together in one substratum, is refuted by Ānandajñāna by calling both as pratibhāsas alone, due to which there is already the absence of them based on logic, and to point out a logical fault of virodha (opposition) in it, holds no value.[23] The said vṛtti of the form of pratyabhijñā, while being annihilated, puts a saṃskāra in its substratum antaḥkaraṇa, and then gets annihilated, and then the caitanya (reflected form of ātman) in the antaḥkaraṇa connected with the said saṃskāra, produces a similar vṛtti of the form of "so'ham" (that I am) in the same Ātman.[24]
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
sattvānadhikaraṇatve sati asattvānadhikaraṇatve sati sadasattvānadhikaraṇatvaṃ anirvācyatvam -Tarkasaṅgraha (Ānandajñāna) (Pariccheda 3), p. 136
[2]:
pāriśeṣyādanirvācyamāropyamupagamyatām -Tarkasaṅgraha (Ānandajñāna) (Pariccheda 3), p. 135
[3]:
bhāvābhāvavibhāgabhāgi sakalamapi dvaitaṃ... -Tarkasaṅgraha (Ānandajñāna) (Pariccheda 3), p. 133 [1231]..advitīye bhāvābhāvavibhāgavinirmukte nirvikāracaitanyaikatāne paripūrṇe pratyagātmani anādyanirvācyāvidyayā samāropitaṃ -Tarkasaṅgraha (Ānandajñāna) (Pariccheda 3), p. 133
[4]:
brahmaṇyapi na sambhavati ajñānaṃ tasya sarvajñatvāt -Tarkasaṅgraha (Ānandajñāna) (Pariccheda 3), p. 137
[5]:
tasya asaṅgasya na ajñānaṃ antareṇa aśeṣārthasaṅgatiḥ iti sarvajñatvasiddhyarthameva ajñānaṃ abhyupagantavyam -Tarkasaṅgraha (Ānandajñāna) (Pariccheda 3), p. 137
[6]:
ajñānaviṣayatvamapi tasyaiva prāgbhūtasya (pratyagbhūtasya) brahmaṇo'bhyupagantavyaṃ māṃ na jānāmi tvaduktaṃ arthaṃ na jānāmi iti ch bhāsamāne viṣaye tasya anubhavasiddhatvāt -Tarkasaṅgraha (Ānandajñāna) (Pariccheda 3), p. 138
[7]:
brahmaṇyeva cidātmani ekājñānavaśāt aśeṣakalpanāsiddheḥ... -Tarkasaṅgraha (Ānandajñāna) (Pariccheda 3), p. 138
[8]:
na ca ekasminneva cidātmani anantājñānābhyupagame nibandhanaṃ asti tadajñānāt ekasmādeva vicitraśaktimato nānāvidhārthapratibhāsasambhavāt -Tarkasaṅgraha (Ānandajñāna) (Pariccheda 3), p. 138
[9]:
na ca ekasya jīvasya anekāni ajñānāni abhyupagamyante tattvamasi iti aikātmyopadeśāt jīvasyaiva brahmānirasyā(brahmātiriktasyā)bhāvāt -Tarkasaṅgraha (Ānandajñāna) (Pariccheda 3), p. 138
[10]:
ātmājnānasya ekasyaiva ākārabhedābhiprāyatvāt na ajñānabhedaviṣayakatvam -Tarkasaṅgraha (Ānandajñāna) (Pariccheda 3), p. 139
[11]:
prabodhe svapnakalpakājñākāre nivṛtte'pi jāgradvyavahāro na nivartate taddhetvajñānākārasya anivṛttatvāt -Tarkasaṅgraha (Ānandajñāna) (Pariccheda 3), p. 139
[12]:
dṛṣṭāntāpekṣāṃ antareṇa tarati śokamātmavit ityādi śāstraprāmāṇyādeva jñānāt ajñānanivṛttyadhyavasāyāt -Tarkasaṅgraha (Ānandajñāna) (Pariccheda 3), p. 139
[13]:
mūlājñānasya anekākāravataḥ svarūpeṇa abhāvāt tattvajñānāyattāyāśca tannivṛtteḥ uktatvāt -Tarkasaṅgraha (Ānandajñāna) (Pariccheda 3), p. 139
[14]:
viduṣo'pyavidyāleśavaśāt dvaitapratibhānābhyupagamāt -Tarkasaṅgraha (Ānandajñāna) (Pariccheda 3), p. 140
[15]:
tasmāt ekameva brahma caitanyaikatānaṃ anādyanirvācyānavacchinnāvidyāsambandhāt baddhamiva pratibhāsate -Tarkasaṅgraha (Ānandajñāna) (Pariccheda 3), p. 140
[16]:
tadeva ca vākyīyatattvasākṣātkārāt ekākino muktamiva bhavati -Tarkasaṅgraha (Ānandajñāna) (Pariccheda 3), pp. 140-141
[17]:
vastutastu na tatra bandho muktiḥ vā asti... -Tarkasaṅgraha (Ānandajñāna) (Pariccheda 3), p. 141
[18]:
[19]:
[20]:
ātmani ahaṃ iti buddheḥ avidyāyāḥ vā vṛttiḥ sābhāsā sattvaguṇānuguṇyena samudbhavati -Tarkasaṅgraha (Ānandajñāna) (Pariccheda 3), p. 141
[21]:
tasyāṃ ca ātmanaḥ sannidhau samutpannāyāṃ kartrantarābhāvāt ātmano mithyaiva kartṛtvaṃ upacaryate -Tarkasaṅgraha (Ānandajñāna) (Pariccheda 3), p. 141
[22]:
tasyāśca ātmaikākāratayā karmāntarābhāvāt tasyaiva karmatvamapi kalpyate -Tarkasaṅgraha (Ānandajñāna) (Pariccheda 3), p. [1251]