Definition of Pramaa

In the previous lesson, we were discussing about Pramaa. Towards the end of the previous lesson, we tried to know the definition of Pramaa as offered by Vedanta. The Vedantic science postulates that Pramaa is "that knowledge which has got as its subject, an object which has no Baadhaa (contradiction)".

The word Baadhaa generally means distress. However, here the meaning is different.If an object is destroyed along with its Upaadaana Kaarana, then such destruction is called Baadhaa.

We had discussed about Upaadaana Kaarana in the 17th lesson. For the sake of convenience, let us recapitulate it again.

Every Karya (result) has many Kaaranas (causes) in the background. For example, if a pot has to result, it requires various causes such as the potter, clay, wheel, the stick that is used to turn the wheel etc.. Even if one of these is not present, the pot can not result. Therefore, for the resultant pot, all these are causes. Among these, it is only the clay that enters the result and stays with it (with the Karya). That cause which enters in to the result is called Upaadaana Kaarana.

Assume that the pot breaks. What is destroyed then is the pot, not the clay. In other words, the result is destroyed, but its Upaadaana Kaarana (material cause) still remains. This phenomenon of the pot ceasing to exist is called Naasha (destruction). Baadhaa is quite different from Naasha.

A person mistakes a rope to be a snake. What happened here? The person knows that some long object is there. However, he does not clearly know what it is. Ignorance (of not knowing the real nature of that object) itself resulted in the form of snake. (We had discussed about this in the 15th and 18th lessons). Therefore, here, snake to result, the ignorance acted as the Upaadaana Kaarana.

When a torch was held near this object, the snake as well as its cause, namely ignorance about the object vanished simultaneously. What truly existed was perceived. Observe here that both the result and its cause vanished simultaneously. This process of vanishing of the Upaadaana Kaarana along with the effect (Karya) is called ‘Baadhaa’.

The knowledge of that object which does not have such Baadhaa is called as Pramaa.

To know if the knowledge obtained by us is Pramaa knowledge or not, we must first see if the object we perceive has Baadhaa (hindrance, contradiction) or not.
We saw a pot. The pot may undergo destruction. It can not be subjected to Baadhaa. That is, it can not be annulled. Therefore, its knowledge is Pramaa knowledge. We ‘saw’ silver in the sea shell. Subsequently, when the knowledge that it is only a seashell dawns, the silver undergoes ‘Baadhaa’. In other words, as soon as the reality is known, the silver as well as its cause, namely ignorance, will cease to exist. Therefore, such knowledge is not Pramaa. It is Apramaa.

A person remembered the pot that he had seen the day before. Here, the remembrance may have destruction, but it does not undergo Baadhaa. Therefore, according to the above definition, even Smriti (remembrance) is also Pramaa knowledge.

Even while inferring that there is fire on the mountain (by the sight of the smoke), the fire there does not become subjected to Baadhaa. Therefore, that knowledge is also Pramaa knowledge.

Some scholars thought it prudent not to include Smriti (remembrance) in Pramaa and thought that it should be considered as separate. They modified the definition of

Pramaa slightly as follows:
"That which is not hitherto known and that knowledge which is not subjected to Baadhaa, is called Pramaa".

Although the object that is perceived by remembering does not become subjected to Baadhaa, because the knowledge of that object was there already, it does not become Pramaa knowledge according to the above definition.

Objection: There seems to be some hitch in this definition. A person is continuously and looking at a pot. What happens here? As soon as he sees it, he will get the knowledge –‘this is a pot’. Any knowledge remains only for a moment, is it not? Thus, in the second moment, he will get a fresh knowledge – ‘this is a pot’. Similarly, he will get the same knowledge again, for the third time and so on. The knowledge - ‘this is a pot’ which comes in quick successions is called as Dhaaraavaahika Buddhi. (dhaaraa=stream). In this situation, the same knowledge that was acquired in the first instance is acquired in the subsequent instances too. Therefore, the knowledge gained in the second, third, forth etc., instances is something which was already known and therefore, according to your new definition, the knowledge of the pot is not Pramaa knowledge. Do you agree?

Reply: Hold a minute! Your question is based on the assumption that knowledge has momentary existence. Any object or phenomena takes birth only if there is a cause behind it. Also, it will undergo destruction only if there is a cause for destruction. There is no reason or cause for the knowledge (of the pot) to vanish. The knowledge of the pot comes in to being because the Chaitanya reflects in the Vritti (modification) of the Antahkarana (inner instrument). As long as there is no obstruction to that Vritti and till such time that another Vritti takes birth in the Antahkarana, the first Vritti remains unaffected and unaltered. Therefore, there is no such thing as stream of knowledge here.

Objection: In the opinion of Vedanta, is not the entire creation false? Therefore, the parts of the creation (in this context the pot), are also do not have real existence. That is, everything must undergo Baadhaa at one point of time or the other. Thus, the knowledge that the person got when he saw the pot is not Yathaartha Jnaana (true knowledge). In other words, in this world no person can have any knowledge of any object at any point of time. Do you agree?

Reply: All our discussions are taking place in the mundane level. The manifest creation will be subjected to Baadhaa (i.e., the knowledge that the world is unreal will dawn) only after Brahma Saakshaatkaara (realization of Brahman) takes place. Before this, i.e., while we are still in the mundane level, the expression ‘that which does not undergo Baadhaa’ actually means ‘that which, in the mundane level, does not undergo Baadhaa’. It does not apply to the Baadhaa that takes place after the Brahma Jnana is acquired.

By the above discussions, we understood two things very clearly.
1. That knowledge which has as its subject an object that is not subjected to Baadhaa is Pramaa knowledge.
2. That which is not hitherto known, and that knowledge which has as its subject an object which is not subjected to Baadhaa is Pramaa knowledge.

The difference between the two definitions is that, in the first definition Smriti (remembrance) too is considered as Pramaa, whereas in the second definition, Smriti is not considered as Pramaa.
That which is the instrument for such a Pramaa is called Pramaana.
(to be continued)

(to be continued)