Advaita-Chandran

[DEVARAKONDA VENKATA NARAYANA SARMA]

I have one question to ask. Can spiritual truth be realised by logic? Or is it
a matter of experience only.

To start the discussion I am presenting my point of view.

If spiritual truth falls under the perview of logic there should be
many, many people who should have realised it by this time.

zRti clearly puts it out of the realm of mind.

"yatO vAcO nivartantE aprApya manasA saha"
"yan manasA na manutE" etc.

Again it is not the advaitins that say that all doubts will be cleared
after you experience the truth but the zRti.

"bhidyatE hRdayagranthiz chidyantE sarvasamzayAH".

This shows that even with the best efforts of our logic doubts persist
till one realises the spiritual truth.

Though zankara has in one place in mAnDukyOpanishad bhAshya ( in the
coommentary on the first kArikA of Advaita PrakaraNa ) says that
logic is capable of establishing advaitic truth (which is in his opinion
spiritual truth), in his sAdhana pancakaM expresses the inadequacy of
logic unaided by zruti to establish spiritual truth.

"dustarkAn parityajyatAM zRtimatas tarkOnusandhIyatAm"

As a matter of fact if spiritual truth can be established by logic
there  will not be much use in accepting zRti as a pramANa. Thus
it appears the existence of a spiritual truth is vouchsafed by zRti.
zRti exhorts that one has to know it himself to become immortal and
there is know other way.

"tam EvaM vidvAn amRta iha bhavati. nAnyaH panthA ayanAya vidyatE."

regards,

sarma.