Sambodhi 2002 Vol 25

Author(s): Jitendra B Shah, N M Kansara
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 52

Vol. XXV, 2002 MADHYAMIKAS THEORY OF ERROR...
47 Jayanta Bhatta in Nyāyamañjarī, explains asatkhyāti as : 'in the illusory cognition of a shell as a silver neither the shell nor the piece of silver is real. The silver is unreal, since it is sublated at the disappearance of the illusion. The shell is not real, since, it is but one factor of the sublating cognition, others being the silver and the connection between the silver and the shell. Unlike the Vijñānavādins who hold that in error, the internal, appears to be the external, the Śūnyavādins, maintain that there is no such thing as internal or external, it is all void. In the “Shell-Silver illusion" neither the shell nor the silver is real, it is just an apprehension of the unreal as real.' (Nyāyamañjari p. 164).
Syādvādaratnākara states that the Madhyamika uphold the asatkhyātivāda, that error consists in the manifestation of the non-existent object. The cognition of silver in the shell is erroneous because it manifests the non-existent silver. The thing that appears as silver cannot be consciousness, as it does not manifest itself as 'I am silver' but as 'This is Silver', as an external entity. It cannot also be real thing, as no purpose is served thereby, and because it is cancelled as a real thing by the cancelling cognition, This is not Silver'. Therefore, non-existent thing is manifested there and hence the theory of error is called asatkhyāti-c7e1 TG4 रजतमिति प्रतिभासमानं वस्तुज्ञानं अर्थो वा भवेत्। न तावज्ज्ञानम्, अन्तर्मुखाकारतयाऽहं रजतमिति अहंकारसामानाधिकरण्येनाप्रतिभासनत्वात्; इदं रजतमिति बहिर्मुखाकारतया प्रथमानत्वाच्च; नापि अर्थः; तत्साध्यार्थक्रियाकारित्वाभावात्; नेदं रजतमिति बाधकप्रत्ययेन वितथज्ञानविषयीकृतस्य वस्तुनोऽर्थतया 07241alta; T 3TH Ja Ja ufiitafuta hraifa: 1 (Riçaratriitit, p. 125)
It is very clear from this account that as per asatkhyāti, the silver which is perceived in the 'Shell-silver illusion' is really non-existent. It is neither the silver which was perceived in a different place previously, nor is it a momentary silver exclusively limited to the moment of illusion. It is non-existent (asat) which is falsely perceived as existent (sat) i. e., silver. The silver in the 'Shell-silver' illusion being-absolutely unreal nowhere exists. It neither exists in the present situation nor even any-where else. The totally non-existent is apprehended as existent. Error arises in taking something totally non-existent as existent.
It is important to note that, this asatkhyāti exposes the unreality of silver as against its apparent reality. But not only that, it al;so maintains that, whatever is perceived as the 'silver' is also mere non-being or non-existent. That means. the 'shell', which is ordinarily accepted to be real as against the silver is also rejected as really not existing. Asatkhyāti stands for complete void or Sünya. Both