Indian Logic Part 01

Author(s): Nagin J Shah
Publisher: Sanskrit Sanskriti Granthmala

Page 15

INDIAN LOGIC
not a real-eternal substance but a momentary quality of sky, defends the thesis that a universal is not something imaginary but a real-eternal entity. What is still important, it is in this part that Jayanta defends his fundamental ethico-theological conviction which in a way acts like a running thread throughout Nyāyamañjarī in general and its first part in particular. Now it might sound odd that the author's fundamental ethico-theological conviction should act like a running thread in a text devoted to logic, and so the point as applied to Jayanta's performance deserves a serious consideration. Fortunately, for this purpose interesting and important material is provided by the opening section of Nyāyamañjari where Jayanta discusses the question as to what is the precise utility of studying Nyāya philosophy. Let us see how.
Jayanta takes his stand on the medieval Brāhmaṇical theologian's contention that the following fourteen are what might be called 'vidyāstbānas (= means of learning): four Vedas, six Vėdāngas, Purāņas, Dharmaśāstras, Nyāya, Mīmāṁsā. The marked contrast between an ancient Vedic phase and a 'medievel Purānic phase is. a characteristic feature of Brāhmaṇical theology. Thus Vedic theology and the allied ritual constitute one world, Purānic theology and the allied ritual constitụte another world altogether. However, even in the medieval Purānic phase lip-loyalty was invariably paid to Vedas - so much so that a medieval Purānist Brahmanical theologian would proudly call himself a Vedicis (never a Purānist) in contrast to the anti-Vedic heretics like Buddhists. Jainas, etc. True, Vedic ritual went out of use only gradually but that it went out of use is indisputable. The catalogue of 14 vidyāsthānas is a typical product of the medieval Purānic phase of Brāhmanical theology. That is why it includes 4 Vedas and 6 Vedāngas all right but significantly adds to them Purānas and Dharmasastras, on the one hand, Nyāya and Mīmāṁsā on the other. This was so far as verbal proclamation went; in point of fact the study of Vedas was gradually neglected, the five Vedangas had become purely secular disciplines of grammar, phonetic, etymology prosody, astronomy (the sixth in the form of Vedic rituál met the fate of Vedas themselves, in the form of