Dvaita pratyaksha: Like an ATM guard.

• Author : Vidwan Undaru Srinivasa Acharya
• Translation: Hariprasad Nellitheertha

The nyAyAmruta of srI vyAsarAja is like digesting iron groundnuts. Still, at a few places in the book, one can notice strands of humour intertwined with deep philosophical concepts. One such instance is in the first paricchEda titled ‘dvaita pratyakshasya advaita shrutibAdhakatva khaNDaNa’. srI vyAsarAja asserts that the shruti does not advocate advaita but dvaita only! He defends the claim through multiple assertions in the following way.

कथं यामिकग्रुहे चोर इव श्रुतिश्तत्र तिश्ठेत्?

kathaM yAmikagruhE chOra iva shrutishtatra tishThEth?

‘Listen O advaitis! At every instance where you attempt to conclude by stating that the shruti propagates advaita, pratyaksha precedes shruti and reveals dvaita’. This being the case, how then can shruti establish advaita? Pratyaksha is present and attentive in clarifying dvaita. It is therefore not possible to prove advaita there. Thus has been stated in the chapter. An appropriate illustration can be put forward in support of this.

In our daily material life, the most important activity is the exchange and movement of money. To facilitate this ATMs have been setup everywhere. One can obtain cash at any time of the day. Having obtained so, one can spend it at will, and without any care. However, each ATM has a guard on duty. He needs to always remain watchful. If thieves attack the place, he needs to resist and stop them. Only those who can remain watchful always are appointed as guards. When he is most attentive, it is not possible for thieves to decamp the place, isn’t it? srI vyAsarAja said so back then itself.

When there is an alert guard via “kathaM yAmikagruhE dvaita pratyaksha” how then can “chOraH kathaM pravishEt”? How can the stealer called advaita enter? It is simply not possible. Similarly, when the pratyaksha is establishing dvaita all along, vEdavAkya cannot propagate advaita – thus says srI vyAsarAja.

These days the situation around ATMs has altered dramatically. Thieves enter with guns, AK47s, machetes and kill guards and loot money. There have been many instances of women being attacked in ATMs and the entire machine being emptied. The guard called dvaita pratyaksha, however, remains forever alert. No one can defeat or destroy him. How then can advaita enter? srI vyAsarAja explains this to us through a very apt analogy just as if he was narrating a story to children. If only we do not forget the meaning behind the story, the grace of srI madhwAchArya is guaranteed.

Hariprasad Nellitheertha