Search:
Bhakti List Archives

Re: Post 3d) Classification of relas

From the Bhakti List Archives

Mani Varadarajan • June 16, 1999 


Sri Venkat wrote:
> 2. the absurdity of equating Vis'istAdvaita with 
> dogma based theology or irrational idealistic or 
> atheistic philosophies. 

I look forward to reading what Sri Venkat has to say,
but I must point out that even Visishtadvaita is based
on dogma, at least in part.  It is axiomatic, for example,
that the Veda is a preterpersonal (apaurusheya), flawless 
statement of reality.  Visishtadvaitins will declare this
in no uncertain terms. Since no Vedantin of any stripe 
tries to prove this in its entireity, nor can they, the 
belief in the Veda has to be accepted as a dogma.

Having accepted this axiom, along with certain exegetical
principles (mImAmsA), however, the rest of the philosophy 
can be said to be logically provable.

Second, in many ways Visishtadvaita is as idealistic as
Advaita. Certainly Visishtadvaita does not propound cosmic
illusionism; but Ramanuja's description of the nature of
the self and religious knowledge very much tends toward
the idealistic.

Mani