Abhidha

Author(s): Tapasvi Nandi, Jitendra B Shah
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 39

[30] known and which is not required to be substantiated, and (ii) a fact, which is unknown, expecting to be substantiated. This unknown fact is always established with the help of a known fact with which it is invariably related. Their invariable concomitance is realized from means of valid knowledge i. e. pramānas which are three, such as, (i) 'loka' or worldly context, (ii) veda or revealed literature, and (iii) direct experience i. e. adyātma.
Mahimā observes : (pp. 49 ibid) : "vākyārthas tu vācyasya arthasya amsaparikalpanāyām, amśānām vidhyanuvāda-bhāvena-avasthiter, vidheyāmśasya siddha-asiddha-tayā upapādana-anapekșa-sāpekṣatvena dvividho boddhavyaḥ.
Mahimā had suggested that the meaning derived from a pada is without parts i. e. nir-amśa. But the sentence-sense is having 'amśa' or parts. Some part is 'vidheya' and some is ‘anuvādya'. i. e. some part is 'newly enjoined i. e. it is predicated, and some is 'anuvādya' i. e. which is the 'subject' part and hence already known. The vidheya-amśa is also either 'siddha' or 'sādhya'. The former does not stand in need of being substantiated, the latter needs substantiation. Thus vākyārtha is two-fold, when the vidheya-amsa is 'a- siddha', it takes the form of sādhya-sādhana-bhāva, the 'anuvāda' portion turning into a 'sadhana'. This sādhya-sādhana-bhāva is decided through invariable concomitance i. e. avinābhāva-sam-bandha. And this depends on means of knowledge which are three-fold : "asiddhau sādhya-sādhana-bhāvarūpah, anūdyamānasya amsasya sādhana-dhurā-adhirohāt.” (pp. 49, ibid)
(pp. 52, ibid) sādhya-sādhana-bhāvasca anayoḥ avinābhāvāvasāya-krto' vagantavyaḥ. sa ca pramāņa-mūlah. tat ca trividham - yad āhuḥ -
'loko vedastathā'dhyātmam. pramānam trividham smrtam” iti.
Mahimā holds that 'loka' pramāna depends only on wellknown worldly matters – "tatra loka-prasiddhārtha-visayo lokah. (pp. 52, ibid). “śāstra-mătraprasidhārtha-visayo vedah. (pp. 53 ibid) i.e. veda-pramāṇa is that the subject of which is known in śāstra only i. e. in various disciplines. Mahimā adds that by mentioning 'veda', other sources such as itihāsa, purāņa, dharmaśāstra etc. are also to be understood, as they all rest on veda : vedagrahaņam itihāsa-purāņa-dharma śāstrādi-upalaksanam, tesām tan-mūla