1. The problem with this tweet is multi-layered. While Pratyaksha is indeed considered as 'Jyeshta Pramana'- the Eldest of all Pramanas in tradition and hence is central to Hindu Dharma, below tweet can be described at best as a misrepresentation of what Pratyaksha Pramana is.
2. Pratyaksha refers to knowledge that is gained from the Manas-Indriyas-mind & senses. Contrary to modern theories of perception, Hindu Darshanas posit that Indriyas themselves go to objects and make the perception happen. Hence,Pratyaksha is Pramana- valid source of knowledge.
3. What is described above is conventional definition of Pratyaksha & by its very definition, it is limited to perception and gaining knowledge about worldly objects. It cannot reveal what is Atindriya or beyond the five senses. For ex. the notion of Dharma, Swarga, Moksha.
4. Regarding issues which are Atindriyas, Shastra alone is the Pramana- valid means of knowledge. Among the six Pramanas, only Shastras reveal about existance of Svarga, Naraka, about Dharma, Adharma, Moksha etc. This knowledge cannot be gained from Pratyaksha, Anumana, etc.
5. This sidelining and downgrading of Shastras is the result of ignorance about its true nature & function, a point I have clarified in detail in this article- indictoday.com/long-reads/pla…
6. Therefore, while in realm of material objects which can be perceived by senses, Pratyaksha reigns supreme & cannot be contradicted even by Shastra (as Adi Shankaracharya notes), domain of Pratyaksha does not extend to Atindriya subjects where Shastra alone is valid pramana.
7. What the original poster calls 'Direct Perception of Truth' follows from Shastras and is called as 'Aparoksha Jnanam' in Vedanta. Shastras reveal knowledge which are of two types Paroksha & Aparoksha.
8. As long as we are bound by the limitations of mind-body complex we perceive knowledge only at intellectual level and hence called Indirect or Paroksha. But, when one transcends mind-body limitations, one can perceive truth directly, called Aparoksha Jnanam.
9. This Aparoksha Jnanam (when not being applied to Brahma-Jnanam) is also sometimes called Yoga-Pratyaksha, the ability to directly perceive Atindriya phenomenon gained as a result of Yogic Siddhis. However this is available only to few & this also follow from Shastra only.
10. The Rishis who perceived Vaidika Mantras perceived it directly in their deep meditations as a result of their Yogic accomplishments, a point which Govindaraja notes in his commentary on Manu 1.1.
11. Madhavacharya in his commentary on Parashara Smriti 1.1-2 cites Vyasa Bhashya on Patanjali Yogasutras and notes how such Atindriya Jnanam can be gained through perfection of Ekagra-Chitta and attainment of Samprajnata Samadhi.
12. Such Yoga-Pratyaksha is clearly distinct from the conventional Pratyaksha and hence cannot be used to argue for primacy of Pratyaksha over Shastra Pramana in the matters of Atindriya nature.
13. More importantly, since Yoga-Pratyaksha itself is a result of Siddhi gained from practice of Yoga which has been revealed through Yoga-Shastra, the primacy of Shastra can again be established.
14. Even more important point is the fact that Veda is Nitya and Apaurusheya, which was merely perceived by the Rishis. That is, Veda is self-existing, whereas Yoga-Pratyaksha merely enables one to access this self-existing Veda.
15. Further, Shastra itself provides both indirect & direct knowledge. Indirect knowledge gained from Shastras, when one works upon oneself through Yoga etc., then such indirect knowledge itself leads to direct knowledge. Therefore, Shastra is at root of Direct knowledge as well.
16.However one sees it, centrality of Shastras as a Pramana on issues related to Atindriya cannot be wished away.Whether that makes us Abrahamic or not is a different issue and not relevant to present discussion. The Pratyaksha simply has no scope on matters beyond mind & senses.
17. Also, Yoga-Pratyaksha is possible for perhaps one in a million or perhaps, one in a billion people. Therefore, such ability is an exception, rather than the rule.
18. In the case of rest of the billion people, they have to work under the constraints of body-mind complex and hence, their knowledge about Atindriya subjects must be gained from Shastras alone, not otherwise.

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More from @nkgrock

20 Jul
1. Are there historical elements in the Veda? If yes, how to reconcile this with Veda being Nitya and Apaurusheya?
2. My response: According to Mimamsa, Veda contains five kinds of statements: 1. Vidhi/Injunction 2. Nishedha/Prohibition 3. Mantra 4. Namadheya/names of rituals etc 5. Arthavada or sentences which amplify the message of Vidhi or Nishedha by praising them or denouncing them.
3. There are different types of Arthavada, one of them is 'Bhutarthavada'-which means a statement about an occurrence that happened in the past. Ex: ‘Indra raised his thunderbolt to strike at Vṛtra’. It has to be accepted as it is as there is no way to either verify or disprove.
Read 11 tweets
11 Apr
1. Upholding the authenticity of Gita or rejecting the authenticity of a text like Manusmriti based on how many Hindus have or do not have the text in their homes is an Abrahamic attitude. Why is it so?
2. It is among the Christians (perhaps more so among Protestants?) that the study of Bible (specifically new testament) by each and every person of the community is considered a fundamental religious action as well as an act that keeps the community together.
3. This is not so in Hindu tradition. The function of Shastra is that they act as 'Shabda Pramana'- a source of knowledge in form of words that reveal knowledge about a particular subject. This knowledge is usually such that it cannot be known from other sources like perception.
Read 17 tweets
9 Mar
1. This High court judgment is problematic at so many levels, and clearly illustrates how divorced are our legal system from religion, culture, & philosophy, in short divorced from Dharma of this country.
opindia.com/2021/03/gujara… #menstruation
2. First, it presumes that the scientific paradigm alone is authentic knowledge and the rest- the religio-cultural knowledge- are branded as superstitions & myths. This itself is problematic as it cancels the rich religious & cultural knowledge traditions of India.
3. Second, judgment falsely equates distinct notions of menstruation prevalent in different religions into a homogenous category of 'ritual impurity' as if all religions perceive purity-impurity in same way. I have shown in my book #MenstruationAcrossCultures how this is not so.
Read 7 tweets
16 Nov 20
Sati is perhaps the biggest humbug used to beat Hinduism. Very conveniently employed in different modes to discredit Hindu practices.

If they want to compare a Hindu practice with something and say look it is as evil as that, there is Sati. 1/n
If they want to show how Hinduism is progressive and undergoes reform by getting rid of evil religious practices, there is Sati. 2/n
And finally they want to show how Hindu society is full of evil practices but these are not essential Hindu practices so they must be discarded, then there is Sati. 3/n
Read 7 tweets
11 Sep 20
1. It's been two years since I finished writing 'The #Sabarimala Confusion- #Menstruation Across Cultures: A Historical Perspective'. It has been one of the most satisfying projects to me personally. #BookBoost Image
2. What started as a series of articles under the title 'Hindu views on Menstruation' in 2016 grew into a full-fledged book by 2018 having 350+ pages with references alone forming 50+ pages. The book published by @Vitastapublish is currently in 2nd reprint. #BookBoost
3. The book examines the notions and practices associated with #menstruation in cultures and religions across the world. Two themes of special focus in the book are: Impurity and Sacrality. #Women #Sabarimala #BookBoost
Read 6 tweets
4 Aug 20
1. A few years back I had taken a vow I would not visit #Ayodhya until there is a grand temple housing Ram Lalla. For me to step into Ayodhya which did not give Ram Lalla His rightful place was a painful reminder of collective failure of Hindu civilization. #AyodhyaBhoomipoojan
2. Some time ago, I had written that the only reason Hindus have been unable to build a temple in Ayodhya was that Hindus have removed Bhagavan Rama from their hearts. #Ayodhya #AyodhyaBhoomipoojan
3. On the eve of #AyodhyaBhoomipoojan in #Ayodhya, I am very happy that I will be able to visit Ayodhya and have Darshan of Bhagavan Rama in this life itself. This is a historic moment for Hindu civilizational in its struggle reclaim its civilizational space and the lost glory.
Read 5 tweets

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