Apaursheyatva of shruti

[Guest guest]

Dear VaishNavas,

 

There was a discussion sometime ago about apaursheyatva

("un-authoredness")

nature of the shruti.

 

My "understanding" of that discussion is that shruti is accepted by

vaidikas (or vedantins) as independent source of pure knowledge

not "authored" by anyone including God Himself, because otherwise

there would be an endless circularity of "logic" as follows:

 

- Existence of God is valid because shruti says so, and

- Shruti is an authoritative source of pure knowledge because God

"authored" it

 

If we adopt same line of "reasoning", one might ask the following

question:

 

1.What is the pramaana that shruti is pure factual and authoritative

knowledge?

 

Attempting to answer the question could result in a paradox:

 

a. If the pramaana for the validity of the shruti is contained in the

shruti itself, then there would be a self-circularity . (in other

words,

shruti would have to be accepted as authority because shruti itself

says so)

 

b. If the pramaana for the validity of the shruti is *not* contained in

the shruti, then the pramaana would not be authoritative.

 

c. If the pramaana for the validity of the shruti is contained in smrti

text like the Bhagavad Gita authored by God Himself, then we have the

 

mutual circularity mentioned in previous discussions.

 

[ I have vague memory of some kind of "paradox" like the above,

mentioned in

mathematical set theory: It goes something as below:

 

Let "S" be the universal set whose members are sets that do not contain

 

themselves as members.

Then can "S" contain itself as a member ?

- if "S" does contain itself as member, then "S" contradicts its

definition.

- on the otherhand, if "S" does not contain itself as a member, then

there is contradiction too !

]

 

 

Where is the fallacy ?

Is the question (1) itself invalid & absurd ? (since the authority of

the shruti is a basic axiom and shruti's authenticity must be accepted

without requiring pramaanam.)

 

 

Obviously, mundane reasoning by a condition soul in impure consciousnes

would not help understand reality. So i request vaishNavas to kindly

bear

with my mental concoctions ?

 

- Ram