Śāstras — an impediment to progress?

Rajath Vasudevamurthy

rajath.v7@gmail.com

Svadeśī Indology Conference

Indian Institute of Technology, Madras
July 2016

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rajath Śāstras SIC July 2016 1 / 15
Outline

1 Motivation

2 Śāstras (Insiders’ view)

3 Pollock’s views

4 Conclusion

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rajath Śāstras SIC July 2016 2 / 15
Motivation

Decline in contribution of India

Literature after Kālidāsa
Vyākaraṇa after Pāṇini, Kātyāyana and Patanjali
Vedānta after Ādi Śankarācārya, and
Āyurveda after Caraka, Suśruta and Vāgbhaṭa
Overdoing of detail and intricacy (in art, music and sculpture) rather
than focusing on simplicity and originality1
Exceptions - mathematics & astronomy, architecture.
Explanations/Reasons
Invasions
Overemphasis of nirvāṇa for all in Buddhism2
Change in mindset3 .
Śāstras – impediment to progress & creativity4
1
[Swami Vivekananda:C→A:The work before us]
2
[Swami Vivekananda:C→A:Sages of India]
3
[Sanyal:2008:Where is the Indian Renaissance?]
4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
[Pollock:1985:On Śāstras] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rajath Śāstras SIC July 2016 3 / 15
Śāstras (Insiders’ view)
Epistemology/Pramāṇaśāstra

1 ू pratyakṣa Direct perception (5 senses)

2 ु
अनमान anumāna One-step inference
3 उपमान upamāna Example
4 अथापि arthāpatti Two-step inference
5 ु
अनपलि anupalabdhi Non-perception
6 श śabda Reference

अनिधगत anadhigata in its absence, one cannot even suspect ignorance of

the c⇒g object. Eg: a blind person & color/form.
अबािधत abādhita that one pramāṇa can neither verify nor negate the
“knowledge” acquired by another pramāṇa.
अथ वत ् arthavat that every pramāṇa has some utility.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rajath Śāstras SIC July 2016 4 / 15
Śāstras (Insiders’ view)

ु
अनब-चत ु य Anubandha-catuṣṭaya
1 ूयोजन prayojana Utility
2 िवषय viṣaya Subject matter
3 स sambandha Relationship between the above
4 अिधकारी adhikārī Qualifications

ु
“ूयोजनमनिँय न मोऽिप ूवतत”े 5
(prayojanamanuddiśya na mando’pi pravartate)
“अिवाविषयािण ूादीिन ूमाणािन शाािण च”6
(avidyāvadviṣayāṇi pratyakṣādīni pramāṇāni śāstrāṇi ca)

5
अासभाम,् Introduction to Brahmasūtrabhāṣyam by Śaṅkarācārya
6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
See 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rajath Śāstras SIC July 2016 5 / 15
Śāstras (Insiders’ view)

Śruti-Smṛti demarkation
1 Śruti/Vedas – eternal truths discovered by Ṛṣis (mantra-dṛṣṭās)
2 Smṛtis – authored by sages; secondary authority;

separation of the eternal principles from time-space dependent social

norms
enables “Hinduism” to constantly adapt to changing circumstances
unique to “Hinduism”; continues to be a living tradition

•“. . . This we ought to remember always, but unfortunately for India, at the
present time we have forgotten it. A petty village custom seems now the real
authority and not the teaching of the Upaniṣads. A petty idea current in a
wayside village in Bengal seems to have the authority of the Vedas, and even
something better.. . . ”7
7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Swami Vivekananda:C→A:The Vedanta in all its phases
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rajath Śāstras SIC July 2016 6 / 15
Śāstras (Insiders’ view)

Parā & Aparā Vidyā

“कि ु भगवो िवाते सविमदं िवातं भवतीित”
“े िवे वेिदते . . . परा च ैवापरा च” [मु डकोपिनषद ्]

1 परािवा Parāvidyā “Higher” knowledge

– akṣara, the eternal, invariable principle obtaining as the Self of
everything;
– by which one gains total freedom.
2 अपरािवा Aparāvidyā “Lower” knowledge
– four Vedas, Vedāṅgas, itihāsa, purāṇa etc., all sciences
– means of livelihood, service to society and one’s development.

•Basics not found explicitly in source texts – role of practicing insider

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rajath Śāstras SIC July 2016 7 / 15
Śāstras (Insiders’ view)

Theory of creation – Satkāryavāda

No new object is ever ‘created’, and only that comes into existence
which is already in existence. Eg: pot in clay, tree in seed
Inviolable law governs the whole process of manifestation and
unmanifestation. Eg: waking and sleep.
sāṅkya and vedānta darśanas.
ु
“ॄा देवानां ूथमः सभूव िव कता भवन गोा।” [मु डकोपिनषद ्]
“यथा पूवम ् कयत”्
 अ [ऋवेद १०.१९०.३]
ु
“बीजािरवारो जगिददं ूािवकं पनः” [दिणामूतोऽम]्
Our word is projection, not creation [SV:C→A:Vedantism]

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rajath Śāstras SIC July 2016 8 / 15
Śāstras (Insiders’ view)

Production of Knowledge & Satkāryavāda

Origin of every branch of knowledge is looked upon as an aspect of
the divine. Example: Lord Dhanvantri for Āyurveda.
“त यजरेु व िशरः . . . अथवािरसः पं
ु ूिता।” [त ैिरीयोपिनषद ्]
”Education is the manifestation of the perfection already in man.”
[SV:What we believe in]
Aitareyopaniṣad says “ूानं ॄ” that “knowledge” which reveals
thoughts itself is brahman and the mundane knowledge (of physics,
chemistry etc.) are only objects of knowledge

•Āryabhaṭa – Earth is a sphere and that it goes round the Sun, rather
casually. Sāyaṇācārya – speed of light addressing the Sun.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rajath Śāstras SIC July 2016 9 / 15
Pollock’s views

Disregarding distinctions between Śāstras

•Taking the examples of
Upaniṣad,
Vyākaraṇa,
Arthaśāstra,
Kāmasūtra,
– argues that Indians have always given importance to theory over practice
– has come in the way of creativity and progress. [Pollock:1985:On Śāstras]

Reducing the transcendent idea of Satkāryavāda to material level

•Quoting Jayantabhaṭṭa ‘All our novelty is in rephrasing the older truths
of the ancients in modern terminology”
– śāstras actively discourage innovation and even discredit them.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rajath Śāstras SIC July 2016 10 / 15
Pollock’s views

Śāstra – practical discourse of power

“. . . all contradiction between the model of cultural knowledge and actual
cultural change is thereby at once transmuted and denied; creation is really
re-creation, as the future is, in a sense, the past. Second, the living, social,
historical, contingent tradition is naturalized, becoming as much a part of the
order of things as the laws of nature themselves . . . And finally, through such
denial of contradiction and reification of tradition, the sectional interests of
pre-modern India are universalized and valorized. The theoretical discourse of
śāstra becomes in essence a practical discourse of power. . . . ”

ु ये . . . ” [िवपु राण]
‘Knowledge is power’ v/s “. . . सा िवा या िवम ु
India has always been known as a land of diverse customs, traditions
etc. continuously evolving sectional interests were universalized
Whenever veda was challenged, defence of the vedic vision ensued.
Eg: Buddhism & Jainism v/s pūrvamīmāṃsakas and vedantins;
Bhakti movement during colonial times. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rajath Śāstras SIC July 2016 11 / 15
Pollock’s views

Generalizing that theory is superior to practice

“यदेव िवया ौया उपिनषदा करोित तदेव वीयवरं भवित।” [छाोयोपिनषद ्]

Above statement is a upāsana-vākya and hence practice of upāsana

with the above mentioned qualities is bound to be more efficacious.
Every situation demands an appropriate action to be taken. In
matters where pratyakṣa (direct perception) and anumāna (inference
& logic) have no access, śāstra is approached. य नाि यं ूा ...
“ायसी चेत क् मणे मता बिज
ु नादन। त कमिण घोरे मां िनयोजयिस के शव॥”
The reconciliation is that one must do action with the right attitude
(as karmayoga) to gain the preparedness for the pursuit of knowledge,
which is freedom. Hence, there is not choice between action and
knowledge, but right action will lead gradually to knowledge.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rajath Śāstras SIC July 2016 12 / 15
Conclusion

Problem of having to understand the decline (?) of Indian civilization

Explanations offered by various learned men and scholars, views of
Pollock chiefly presented and discussed.
Views expressed by Pollock over-generalize, carefully cherry picking
points to support his materialistic insinuations, not paying heed to the
breadth of topics that come under the purview of the broad term
śāstra.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rajath Śāstras SIC July 2016 13 / 15
Acknowledgements

The author acknowledges that the understanding out of which this paper
has been written is thanks to the
exposition of Vedānta by
Phaniraj Kumble Guruji,
Dr. Rama Phaniraj,
Swami Paramarthananda’ji,
Swami Paramasukhananda’ji
discussions with
Shri Gokulmuthu Narayanaswamy and
Dr. T. S. Mohan.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rajath Śāstras SIC July 2016 14 / 15
 Thank You
rajath.v7@gmail.com

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rajath Śāstras SIC July 2016 15 / 15