Putting logic in its place – through logic!

Śrī vādirāja tīrṭha is one of the great saints in the parampara of śrī madhwāchārya. He stands tall amidst the line of stalwart yatis who have adorned the parampara and is counted along with śrī jayatīrṭha, śrī vyAsarAja tīrṭha and śrī rāghavēndra tīrṭha as the one whose contributions to the literature of dvaita has aided in firmly establishing the siddānta of śrīmadāndatīrṭha.

Śrī vādirāja tīrṭha has written numerous works in Sanskrit, kannada and even tulu. He is especially well known for his strong use of ‘yukti’ – logic or reasoning – in his works. Combining his extraordinary flair for yukti with easy to understand analogies he breaks down complex arguments into easily understandable ones. His writings are therefore appealing, simultaneously, to panditās and pāmarās.

His magnum opus is of course the ‘yukti mallikā’ a composition that elaborates on various aspects of the dharmika siddhānta and upholds the supremacy of the tattvavāda siddhānta of śrīmadāchārya. The yukti mallika consists of five sections or ‘saurabhas’ – guṇa saurabha, śuddhi saurabha, bhēda saurabha, sādhana saurabha and phala saurabha. The brahmasūtras of śrī vēda vyāsa and the commentaries on the same by śrī madhwāchārya are the pivot of this grantha, using which śrī vādirāja tīrṭha addresses various claims of other sampradayas and, using his amazing sense of logic and reasoning, disproves them.

In the guna saurabha, one of the initial topics that śrī vādirāja tīrṭha addresses is the position of the vēdas as the final authority on all matters of shāstra. He argues emphatically on why it is so very important to accept the ‘prāmaṇya’ of the apaurushēya vēdas as the authority on all matters related to shāstra. He shows, through clever analogies and reasoning, why any other source considered as the final word on dharma can have disastrous consequences.

While analyzing various other competing claims, he touches upon the claim of ‘logic’ or ‘yukti’ itself as an authority. And, in a fantastic twist of sorts, he uses logic to show how logic cannot be the final word!

yastu yuktyaiva dharmasya nirṇayam varṇayēd budhah |
lāg̣avātsa sakrucchudyai pibēdāchamanōdakam ||

‘Let he who relies upon logic to pass decisions on matters of dharma use the logic of courtesy and perform his achamana only once instead of thrice!’

Here, śrī vādirāja tīrṭha shows how relying on logic can lead us to draw our own conclusions without basis and ensure dilution of custom. One who believes only in reasoning can easily conclude that the reason for taking three sips of water during āchamana is for showing additional respect (lāghava yukti) and therefore he can prescribe that only one sip is sufficient. The real benefit of āchamana will then be lost! Logic drives a smart person towards conjecture and truth can become a victim in the process.

punaruktattvayuktyā cha mantrāvruttim parityajēt

A similar reliance on logic can lead one to conclude the repeated chanting of the same words/phrases in a mantra causes ‘punarukti dōsha’. In Sanskrit, and especially vēdic, literature, if the same content is repeated, then it is considered as a defect in writing and shows incompetence of the author. A person who relies on logic to decide dharma can therefore misconstrue the purpose of repetition in mantras and decide that chanting mantras be done away with!

parōpakārayuktyā cha gacchēt kāmāturānganām

A person drawn to lust can be controlled by the dictum of shāstra. However if he resorts to logic he can surrender to the requests of a prostitute by claiming that satisfying her needs amounts to parōpakāra or altruism.

dēhabandhādbahirjīvān kuryātkārāgruhādiva

Similarly, one may argue that just as releasing a person from a jail amounts to granting him freedom, liberating one from a body amounts to liberating the soul. Under such a premise beheading of a person itself becomes a noble activity!

Using the above, and many more such examples, śrī vādirāja tīrṭha proves emphatically that the ‘nirnaya’ or final authority on matters of dharma cannot be handed over to logic. It is solely rested in the eternal and authorless vēdas! It is the vēdas that are the root of dharma and it is the vēdas that are the final word on dharma!

The ārādhana of the great śrī vādirāja tīrṭha is on the tritīya of the krishna paksha of the upcoming phalguṇa māsa. Let us all bow in reverence to this great logician who always strived to uphold the supremacy of the vēdas and of śrīmadācharya’s tattvavāda.

Hariprasad Nellitheertha