Vedanta Without Maya?: A Debate on Saptavidha-Anupapatti

Saptavidha-anupapatti represents a live-debate in the traditions of Vedanta initiated by Ramanujacarya. The central issue of this debate is to examine whether maya-avidya, postulated by Advaita-vedant, is philosophically sustainable, logically viable, and experientially reliable. While Sankara builds up the superstructure of Advaita on the basis of this concept, Ramanuja vociferously reacts to its philosophical ingenuity. This dispute between the Advaita and Visistadvaita schools with seven objections, which forms the manor theme of this book, has been going on for more than a millennium and is alive even today among Vedanta scholars.

The volume contains, besides historical as well as philosophical explorations of the concept of maya-avidya, the arguments and counter arguments, formulation and counter-formulation to accommodate and reject the corresponding philosophical predilections of both the above schools by some of the preeminent philosophical minds of Indian philosophy of our times.

Review(s)

The polemics among various philosophical schools is both unending and also a wonderful way for adherents to become clearer on their particular doctrine. Each school makes certain presuppositions upon which the school's philosophy is based. Advaita Vedanta philosophy is based upon its key concept of evidya/ maya. Given its definition of avidya/ maya everything else unfolds, consistently and coherently. Visistadvaita Vedanta, employing its key concept of aprtak-siddhi, challenges Advaita's doctrine. The same holds true for Dvaita Vedanta and its key concept of bheda. Once any philosophical system defines its basic presupposition, its polemics will unfold naturally, coherently, and consistently. The seven great untenables (saptavidha-anupapatti) arose and developed over the centuries in an attempt by Visistadvaita Vedanta and then other systems in an effort to undercut Advaita's philosophy. This book is a varied collection of articles written by modern Indian philosophers describing, elucidating, and analyzing various philosophical system's dialectics to either defend or criticize Advaita Vedanta's doctrine of avidya/ maya. - John Grimes

This book, in the language of Copleston, shows that philosophy, which is the work of human spirit grows and develops; fresh vistas may be opened up by a new lines of approach or application to new problems, newly discovered facts, fresh situations, etc. ... . Further, this

volume proves that there is continuity and connection, action and reaction, thesis and antithesis and no philosophy can really be understood fully unless it is seen in its historical setting and in the light of its connection with other systems. - N. VEEZHINATHAN

About the Author(s)

Godabarisha Mishra is the Chairman of the School of Philosophy and Religious Thought at the University of Madras. Formerly worked as an Editor at the Kuppuswami Sastri Research Institute, Chennai, he also served as the Member Secretary of Indian Council of Philosophical Research, New Delhi.