Dear DB,

Please give us the bibliographical information about your article.

Best,

Dean

From: Dipak Bhattacharya <dbhattacharya200498@yahoo.com>
To: patrick mccartney <psdmccartney@gmail.com>; "indology@list.indology.info" <indology@list.indology.info>
Sent: Saturday, March 30, 2013 11:25 AM
Subject: Re: [INDOLOGY] Silent witness

30 3 13
Re: Sākṣi-caitanya
Dear Colleague,
I hesitated to comment so far for self-evident reasons. I shall be glad if the following could be of any use to those who are interested.
The concept of sākṣi-caitanya, lit. ‘witness consciousness’ frequently occurs in traditional Indian philosophical parlance, particularly in the mixed Vedānta-Sāṅkhya circles. As far as I know there has been no extensive treatment of the matter in English. But Jhalakikar’s Nyāyakośa (BORI 1928) treats it in sufficient detail under ’Sākṣī’. His discussion is in Sanskrit.
In the 16th-17th cent. the sākṣī was understood as pure consciousness with ‘upādhi’ on the universal plane, while in the individual plane it was consciousness endowed with mind. This interpretation will be found in the Vedāntaparibhāṣā. For obvious reasons the Sāṅkhya-Yoga concepts are different.
Long ago (1984) I hesitatingly noted that the idea of ‘witness-god’ had been apprehended in the ritual-cosmogonic hymns of the Atharvaveda, particularly in the concept of Vena and some other concepts of unsystematized philosophy.  Edgerton did not have any such idea. And my idea did not create much impression among the scholars concerned, excepting mildly in India. The matter, along with many accompanying concepts, was mostly received by reviewers (Karel Werner JRAS April 87, Mylius JIP ) as too obscure.
I hope this will not be taken as shameless self-promotion, the fear that kept me in check so long. The story is one of defeat
Best
DB
                                                                                                           


From: patrick mccartney <psdmccartney@gmail.com>
To: indology@list.indology.info
Sent: Friday, 29 March 2013 12:28 PM
Subject: [INDOLOGY] Silent witness

Dear List,
I am seeking clarification of the term from yoga /vedanta  known as the silent witness.
In several modern yoga textbooks I  have so far found only a poor  transliteration as sakshi dreer.
Could someone please confirm whether it is actually sAkSin + indriya, or something else.
I would also appreciate knowing in what texts it is mentioned.
Thanks
Patrick McCartney

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