anvaya-vyatireka

[Vidyasankar Sundaresan]

Sankara (in Upadesasahasri) and his discipe, Suresvara (in
Naishkarmyasiddhi) use a technique of anvaya-vyatireka to establish the
identity taught in the sentence, tat tvam asi. Naiyyayikas and
Vaiyakaranikas also use this technique, the former to establish a vyApti
between hetu and sAdhya, the latter in the context of word meanings. The
early Advaita usage seems similar to the grammarian usage, but there
also seem to be some unique features to it. In later Advaita, starting
as early as Padmapada, another disciple of Sankara, and Sarvajnatman
(supposedly Suresvara's disciple, but this can be disputed), the
anvaya-vyatireka method is ignored, and the jahad-ajahal-lakshaNA method
is developed.

I would be very grateful if somebody can point me to literature in the
Advaita usage of these terms. Mayeda's translation of the Upadesasahasri
(SUNY, 1992) has a brief description (pp. 50-56), and I'm aware of
studies by Cardona, Staal, Scharfe and van Buitenen, that are given in
his references. I am more interested in seeing detailed studies on the
usage of this method Sankara and Suresvara, as also studies on the
presence or otherwise of anvaya-vyatireka in significant post-Sankaran
authors, e.g. Vacaspati Misra, Prakasatman, Vimuktatman, Citsukha,
Sriharsha etc. As far as I'm aware, the Pancadasi of Bharatitirtha &
Vidyaranya seems to be the only later work that uses this method, but
then, these two authors represent, in many senses, a renewal of the
Advaita tradition in the early 14th century. There is also a conscious
attempt in this work at reconciling the diverging views of the bhAmatI
and vivaraNa sub-schools. What about the intervening six centuries or
more?

Vidyasankar

______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com