'Anvaya' and 'Vyatireka'

[Guest guest]

Namaste

 

These two words 'anvaya' and 'vyatireka' occur very often

in Vedanta. According to my understanding 'anvaya' is

concordance and 'vyatireka' is discordance. In vedanta, the

example of the beads strung to form a necklace is used to

explain these two words. The fact that without the string

which holds together the beads, there is no necklace of

beads is 'anvaya'. The fact that, however, the string is

separate from the beads is 'vyatireka'.

 

I have located three places in Shrimad Bhagavatam where

these words occur.

 

Very first time 'anvaya' occurs in the very first shloka

itself. Shrila Prabhupada translates the words ‘anvaya’

and the implied word ‘vyatireka’ here as ‘directly and

indirectly. I am not happy with this translation.

 

The second time it occurs more specifically in the last of

the four verses called the Four-Verse-Bhagavatam: (II– 9 –

35):

 

EtAvadeva jijnAsyam tattva-jijnAsunAtmanaH /

anvaya-vyatirekAbhyAm yat syAt sarvatra sarvadA//

 

(Tr. By Swami Tapasyananda): What the seeker after Truth

has to grasp is that Substance which persists always

through all its transformations into its various effects or

forms, but suffers no diminution in the process as also

when all these effects or forms are eliminated in the

causal condition. The Supreme Spirit is the ultimate

Substance.

 

Later, the words occur almost in the same context, in

Prahlada’s teaching to his contemporaries. See

http://www.escribe.com/culture/advaitin/m674.html

 

I would like help on the different interpretations of the

words ‘anvaya’ and ‘vyatireka’ of the other schools and

their differences with the advaita school in this respect.

Thanks.

 

PraNAms to all advaitins

profvk

 

 

Prof. V. Krishnamurthy

 

New on my website, particularly for beginners in Hindu philosophy:

Empire of the Mind:

http://www.geocities.com/profvk/HNG/ManversusMind.html

 

Free will and Divine will - a dialogue:

http://www.geocities.com/profvk/HNG/FWDW.html

[Guest guest]

Prof. VK

 

These two are technical words in the Indian tarka shaastra. I think I

have some discussion related to this and could be found in the

compilation of my Vedanta discussions book that you have.

 

Also, the first chapter of Pancadasi - uses these 'anvaya and vyatireka'

to differentiate that which is permanent and that which is superimposed.

One is the other is, is anvaya; and one is not the other is not, is

vyatireka. - I am there and the world is there, is anvaya and vyatireka

test fails since I am there even when the world is not there. Ring is

gold is, and ring is not the gold still is - and by this analysis one

can deduce that which is dependent and that which is independent in the

apparent dvaita- thus to discriminate that which is the eternal from

ephemeral.

 

I think there is subtler subclassification into kevala anvaya and kevala

vytireka and the combination of the two which is what is used in the

above. Vedanta paribhaashha should have some discussion on this.

 

By the by, Sorry I missed your talk at the Durga temple - felt

constrained to come all the way from Baltimore and return.

 

 

Hari OM!

Sadananda

 

 

--- "V. Krishnamurthy" <profvk wrote:

> Namaste

>

> These two words 'anvaya' and 'vyatireka' occur very often

> in Vedanta. According to my understanding 'anvaya' is

> concordance and 'vyatireka' is discordance. In vedanta, the

> example of the beads strung to form a necklace is used to

> explain these two words. The fact that without the string

> which holds together the beads, there is no necklace of

> beads is 'anvaya'. The fact that, however, the string is

> separate from the beads is 'vyatireka'.