Origins of the "double-truth"

[Satya Upadhya]

This is a reply to Steve Farmer:

My views are principally based on the writings of D.P. Chattopadhyaya,
S.N.Dasgupta, Stcherbatsky, and others. I would suggest you read Dasgupta's
"Indian idealism", and "History of Indian Philosophy vol.1", and
Chattopadhyaya's "What is living and what is dead in Indian Philosophy" for
a detailed account on this matter.

Further, i find it strange that the Advaitists have been accused of
surreptiously borrowing ideas from the Budhists by other Vedantists (in
particular the Dvaitists, but also the Visistadvaitists and others) and by
other Indian philosophers.
For an extremely hostile attack on the Advaitists by the Dvaita Vedantists
(on the grounds of their borrowing ideas from the Budhists), kindly see
Encyclopaediea of Religion and Ethics vol.8, pg. 232-233. The views in the
Encylopaedia are primarily based on two Dvaita texts--"Madhvavijaya"(Mv),
and "Manimanjari"(Mm), both of which were written by Narayana, a son of
Trivikrama, who was a direct disciple of Madhva. I am giving a few extracts
from the Encyclopaedia here(copious references to the original texts are
given at the end of almost every sentence in the encyclopaedia; i am not
giving all the references):

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<i> In the Vana-parvana(Mm iii.11,661f.)it is related that Bhima attacked
certain Yaksas or Raksasas, belonging to the country beyond the Himalya, and
killed their leader,Manimat.Manimat had earlier offerred a filthy insult to
the Indian sage Agastya (the apostle of Southern India)....The narrative of
the events in the Kaliyuga, or present age of the world, commences in the
5th sarga of Mm. At first, the knowledge of the Vedas, as taught by Krsna
and Bhima(Mm v.1), reigns supereme. Then the Asuras conspired to spread
false doctrines. The demon Sakuni...points out that other heresies...had all
failed (9-15). Therefore Manimat, who alone had enough skill, must become
incarnate as a Brahman ascetic, and must destroy the Vedanta under cover of
explaining it (15ff.). Manimat is dispatched with instructions to abolish
the Vedas and Puranas, to ridicule the theory that Visnu has gunas, or
qualities, and to establish the identity of the soul with Brahman. [note
that, according to Dvaita, Brahman is endowed with all the auspicious
attributes ("saguna"), while according to Advaita, Brahmana is devoid of any
attributes ("nirguna")--Satya]

Here (29), the story digresses to tell how at that time the whole Earth was
under the sway of Budhism, and to describe the sway of Budhism, and to
describe the efforts of Sabara and Kumarila to refute it by the aid of the
Purva Mimansa.... The 6th sarga continues this, narrating the success of
Kumarila...
At this stage of affairs, Manimat is born as a widow's bastard (Mm v1.3, Mv
i.46). He is hence named Samkara (the Madhva books uniformly change the
great Samkara's[represented in the Encyclopaedia with a dot over the
S--Satya] name to Samkara [no dot over the S-Satya])The object is plain.
Samkara [with dot over the S] means "auspicious", but Samkara [with no dot]
"misbegotten" or "rubbish".
He is brought up in great poverty, and (as a slap at the monism subsequently
taught by him), it is related that in his boyhood he could count only one
thing at a time, never being able to see a second(Mm, v1.10).He is taken to
Saurastra, where...he quickly masters the sacred books. He then goes from
teacher to teacher, but is turned off by them for his heretical views. He
invents his doctrine, described as "sunya-marga" and "nirgunatva" and is
hailed by the demons as their savior (24).On their advice he joins the
Budhists and teaches Budhism under cover of Vedantism. He makes the Vedas
without meaning, and equates Brahman with nothingness ("sunyatva") (46).He
becomes a Sakta, and messenger of Bhairavi, who confers upon him a magic
spell (51).

The 7th sarga describes further disgraceful events in Sanmkara's life. He
seduces the wife of his Brahman host (1ff.). He makes converts by magic
arts. He falls sick and dies. His last words are instructions to his
disciples to uproot the learned Satyaprajna, the last of the great teachers
of the Vedic doctrine.

In the 8th sarga we have the doings of Samkara's followers. They persecute
their opponents, burning down monasteries, destroying cattle-pens, and by
magic arts killing women and children (2). They forcibly convert one of
their chief opponents, Prajnatirtha, and compel him and his disciples to
adopt the "Maya" system (5). These, however, still secretly adhere to the
true religion....

...The book[Mm] ends with a brief account of Madhva's work, specially
mentioning that he composed a commentary on the "Vedanta-sutra" utterly
destroying that made by the thief Manimat-Samkara. </i>

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If you were a little taken aback by the above, please know that i was
personally flabbergasted when i came across this.

-Satya


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