Perceiving in Advaita Vedanta : Epistemological Analysis and Interpretation

Contents: Preface. Introduction. 1. Truth and the means of true knowledge. 2. Perception as a criterion for truth. 3. Three kinds of consciousness. 4. The perceptibility of objects. 5. Forms of perception. 6. The nature of error. 7. Dream perception. Bibliography. Index.

"Advaita Vedanta is the non-dualistic school of Vedanta primarily explicated by Samkara (ca. 788-820). The purpose of this study is to undertake an analysis of the epistemological issues inherent in the Advaita Vedanta theory of the knowing and the known, to explicate their two tiered theory of knowledge from a phenomenalistic perspective, and at the same time to make sense of the over-arching unity that prevails over the duality and division. The interpretation and analysis is based on Dharmaraja's Vedanta Paribhasa (VP) and its commentary Paribhasa Prakasika (PP).

"The author has made PP the basis of her exegetical commentary, which incorporates in its analysis the distinctive points of other commentaries on VP. This work not only discusses the issues raised in VP but also the questions not anticipated in the text of VP. It is incisive, analytical, and eminently intraphilosophical with respect to the leading traditions of India.

"The theory of perception of the text of VP is Gupta's primary focus. The present work also includes a translation of the perception chapter of the text of VP and a free reconstruction of the gloss provided on it by PP. Additionally, the book contains extensive critical notes clarifying some of the complex ideas contained in VP and PP." (jacket)

[Bina Gupta is an Associate Professor of Philosophy and the Director of the South Asia Language and Area Centre at the University of Missouri-Columbia.]