shabdapramANa in VP- 3

[Guest guest]

shabdapramANa in VP- 3

 

The second kind of implication is now taken up.

 

2. Inclusive implication. In this the primary meaning is retained and an

additional meaning is implied. The classic example is, " The red runs " . The

meaning is, " The red horse runs " , where 'red' is retained and 'horse' is

added from the context. This is also common in practice. One example-A

hawker selling plantains is going along my street, pushing a cart containing

plantains. I call him by shouting, " Eh, plantain, come here " . What I mean is

that the plantain-seller should come along with his cart of plantains. So

the word 'plantain' is retained and 'plantain-seller' is added by

implication.

 

3. Quasi-implication. Here the primary meanings of the words of a sentence

are partly included and partly excluded. The classic example for this is the

sentence, " This is that Devadatta " . Here 'this' refers to the person in

front now and 'that' refers to the same person seen at some other time in

some other place. The identity of 'this' and 'that' is to be understood by

discarding the person's connection with the past time and place on the one

hand and the present time and place on the other. This implication is also

known by the name bhAgatyAgalakshaNa since one part of each of the items is

discarded.

 

This is the kind of implication that is applied for interpreting the

mahAvAkya " Tat tvam asi " . The manner in which this is done is explained

below.

 

The word *tat *stands for brahman as qualified by the functions of

creation, sustenance and dissolution, i.e., Ishvara or saguNa brahman.

nirguNa brahman is beyond the reach of words and so no word can denote it by

its primary meaning. A word can convey through its primary signification

only that sense which has one of the following characteristics—generic

attribute (jAti), quality, activity or relationship with some other word.

nirguNa brahman has none of these. The word *tvam *stands for the AtmA as

qualified by the mental states of waking, dream and deep sleep, i.e., jIva.

These two are of mutually opposed qualities, like the glow-worm and the sun,

like the servant and the king, like the well and the ocean and like the atom

and the earth (verse 244 of vivekacUDAmaNi). There can be no identity

between these two, which are the literal meanings (*vAchya-artha) *of the

words *tat *and *tvam. *The identity is only between their implied meanings

(*lakshya-artha). *The opposition between the literal meanings is due to the

*upAdhis,* since the literal meaning of *tat *is Brahman with the* upAdhi *or

limiting adjunct of *mAyA *and the literal meaning of *tvam *is AtmA with

the limiting adjunct of the five sheaths. When these limiting adjuncts,

which are not real, are effectively removed, there is neither Ishvara* *nor

jIva*. *The two terms *tat *and *tvam *(That and Thou) are to be understood

properly by their implied meanings in order to grasp the import of the

absolute identity between them. This is to be done neither by total

rejection of their literal meaning nor by total non-rejection, but by a

combination of both.

 

The meaning of the sentence *tat tvam asi *is obtained by using this

method. Just as in the sentence " This is that Devadatta " the identity is

stated by rejecting the contradictory qualities, so also in the sentence

" That thou art " the contradictory qualities are rejected. Thus it follows

that the jIva* *and Brahman are in essence one when the limiting adjuncts,

mAyA* *and the five sheaths, are rejected.

 

 

 

S.N.Sastri

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

I think that this should be part 4. Unfortunately, I don't know how to alter

the subject heading. Perhaps Ram-ji could do this before there are any

further responses.

 

Dennis

 

 

advaitin [advaitin ] On Behalf

Of S.N. Sastri

19 February 2008 05:51

advaitin

shabdapramANa in VP- 3

 

shabdapramANa in VP- 3

 

The second kind of implication is now taken up.

 

2. Inclusive implication. In this the primary meaning is retained and an

additional meaning is implied. The classic example is, " The red runs " . The

[Guest guest]

advaitin , " Dennis Waite " <dwaite wrote:

>

> I think that this should be part 4. Unfortunately, I don't know how

to alter

> the subject heading. Perhaps Ram-ji could do this before there are

any

> further responses.

>

> Dennis

>

> You are right. I am sorry for the mistake. I request all members to

treat this as No. 4.

Thanks, Dennis-ji, for pointing out the mistake.

S.N.Sastri