Avita And Avita

Author(s): Eli Franco
Publisher: Eli Franco

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AVITA AND AVITA
Eli Franco, Hamburg
In his admirable study "Die Erkenntnislehre des klassischen SamkhyaSystems FRAUWALLNER has attempted to reconstruct the beginning of the Sastitantra of Vārşaganya? by combining the evidence from Jinendrabuddhi's Pramanasamuccayarika and Simhasüni's Nyayagamanusárini. In this connection he referred to two modes of reasoning called vita and a vita, which technical terms he rendered as "direkte (Begründung)" and "indirekte (Begründung)" respectively.' FRAUWALLNER must have known, of course, that the indirect proof usually appears in Samkhya and Nyaya texts (notably in the Yuktidipika and Nyāyavārttika) with the designation
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As usual I wish to express my indebtedness to Prof. K. PREISENDANZ. The arguments presented here were developed in the course of several very long breakfasts. Reprinted in Kleine Schriften, ed. G. Oberhammer and E. Steinkellner (GlasenappStiftung Band 22, Wiesbaden 1982), pp. 223-278. (Originally published in Wiener Zeitschrift für die Kunde Süd- und Ostasiens 2, 1958, pp. 84-139.] FRAUWALLNER has tacitly reconstructed the name of the author of the Sastitantra as Vrsagana; he took his clue probably from the fact that his followers are often called vårsaganah in the Yuktidipika. However, as Pulinbihari CHAKRAVARTI has pointed out, varsagana may also mean a follower of Vārsaganya (cf. also Astādhyayi 4.2.111), and CHAKRAVARTI's arguments in favour of Vārsaganya being the name of the Samkhya teacher referred to in the Yuktidipika scem more convincing to me. Cf. P. CHAKRAVARTI, Origin and Development of the Samkhya System of Thought, repr. Delhi 1975 (originally published Calcutta 1951), pp. 135-138. Cf. FRAUWALLNER, op. cit., pp. 228, 229. These two terms are also used by FRAUWALLNER as qualifying "inference" (Schlussfolgerung) and "proof (Nachweis); cf. ibid. p. 267. Most of the passages that deal with these terms have been collected by K KANO in a paper presented at The Third International Dharmakirti Conference (Hiroshima, 6.11.1997): "On anyathanupapatti and avila/avita." To these one may add Slokavårttika. Apohavada 166 and the commentaries there on (cf. below); Nyayavarrrikarātparyaparisuddhi of Udayanācārya. ed. A. Thakur (Nyayacaturgranthikā Vol. IV, Delhi 1996), p. 456.5 (... vitavitasadharanarvat): Abhayatilaka, Nyāyalankára, eds. A. Thakur and J.S. Jetly (Gaekwad's Oriental Series 169, Baroda 1981), p. 265.7 (ete trayo hetavo darśanantare 'pi prasiddha iti darśayari - Vita in); Vacaspatimisra II, Nyayatattväloka in K. PREISENDANZ, Studien zu Nyayasútra III/ mit dem Nyayatattvāloka Vacaspatimisras II (Alt- und Neu-Indische Studien 46, Stuttgart 1994), Vol.l.p. 128.10 (...ity avitahetoh ... variants: iti vitahetoh and ini na