Intuition

‘In truth, Anubhava [Intuition, Intuitive experience] alone is the fountainhead or substrate for all Pramana Vyavahara – transactions involving valid means of knowledge… pursuit of the Absolute Reality, Self-knowledge… culminates in Anubhava, Intuitive experience… the substratum for everything’. (It is the same as saying that Pure Consciousness is behind the apparent individual mind). – From ‘The Basic Tenets of Shankara Vedanta’, transl. from Kannada’s SSSS by D.B. Gangolli, pp. 51,55.

7 thoughts on “Intuition

  1. Thanks Martin, Prasanth Neti Ji, and Ramesam for clarifying SSSS’ intended meaning of universal experience, intuition – the pure consciousness behind the three states.

  2. Dear Martin,

    In commencing his explanation of anubhAva, Gangolli ‘quotes’ Shankara as ‘justification’ (?):

    <<< Sṛi Ṥaṅkara has proclaimed that: "Because of the reason that jñāna (Intuitive Knowledge) of the Paramārtha Tattwa (Absolute Reality of Brahman of Vedanta) is the subject matter of, or pertaining to, a Bhūtavastu (ever-existing Entity or Reality), Brahmajijñāsa (pursuit of the Absolute Reality of Brahman or ātman, our innermost Self) is culminating in Anubhava (Intuitive Experience) alone ; therefore, in this Jijñāsa (pursuit of Self-Knowledge) mere śāstras (scriptures) alone are not the Pramāṇas ; Anubhava etc. are also Pramāṇa (valid means). >>>

    Unfortunately, Gangolli gives no reference for most of his quotations. Do you happen to have a reference for this one, as I would be very interested in seeing what Shankara actually says (Sanskrit).

    Best wishes,
    Dennis

    • Namaste.
      Dennis Waite on March 21, 2023 at 21:09 said
      // In commencing his explanation of anubhAva, Gangolli ‘quotes’ Shankara as ‘justification’ (?):
      Sṛi Ṥaṅkara has proclaimed that: “Because of the reason that jñāna (Intuitive Knowledge) of the Paramārtha Tattwa (Absolute Reality of Brahman of Vedanta) is the subject matter of, or pertaining to, a Bhūtavastu (ever-existing Entity or Reality), Brahmajijñāsa (pursuit of the Absolute Reality of Brahman or ātman, our innermost Self) is culminating in Anubhava (Intuitive Experience) alone ; therefore, in this Jijñāsa (pursuit of Self-Knowledge) mere śāstras (scriptures) alone are not the Pramāṇas ; Anubhava etc. are also Pramāṇa (valid means)
      Unfortunately, Gangolli gives no reference for most of his quotations. Do you happen to have a reference for this one, as I would be very interested in seeing what Shankara actually says (Sanskrit) //,
      Quote is from BSB 1-1-2
      // न धर्मजिज्ञासायामिव श्रुत्यादय एव प्रमाणं ब्रह्मजिज्ञासायाम् । किन्तु श्रुत्यादयोऽनुभवादयश्च यथासम्भवमिह प्रमाणम् , अनुभवावसानत्वाद्भूतवस्तुविषयत्वाच्च ब्रह्मज्ञानस्य । //
      // na dharmajij~nAsAyAmiva shrutyAdaya eva pramANaM brahmajij~nAsAyAm | kintu shrutyAdayo.anubhavAdayashcha yathAsambhavamiha pramANam , anubhavAvasAnatvAdbhUtavastuviShayatvAchcha brahmaj~nAnasya | //
      There was a discussion in another forum a few years back on Anubhava in which I had also participated. I am giving the link ID here. You may like to take a look.
      // https://www.advaita-vedanta.org/archives/advaita-l/2017-July/045779.html //
      Warm Regards

  3. Satchidanandendra quotes Shankara and claims that he teaches that scriptures alone (or exclusively) are not the authoritative sources or valid means for the knowledge of brahman, which has to culminate in one’s own Intuitive experience, “but predominantly the universal Intuitive experience (Anubhava) — which can never at all be refuted or invalidated by any one or at any time — has to be accepted as the valid means.”

    There is a long tradition, going back to the Nyaya-sutra, according to which any pramajnana is an anubhava; prama is yatharth anubhava. Given this use, even an ordinary true perception of an object is an anubhava, as also a valid inference of the presence of unperceived fire on a hill, or a valid knowledge caused by words alone. So when Shankara asserts that all pramanas culminate in anubhava, he doesn’t mean that anubhava itself is a pramana, but rather since pramanas bring about prama, and since every prama is an anubhava, all pramanas terminate in an anubhava. In the case of shruti, it leads to a perceptual (i.e. immediate) knowledge of the identity of atman and brahman, mediated by manana and nididhyasana. Anubhava is nothing other than a pramajnana which is what a pramana brings about, especially in the case of an object which is already there (and not to be brought about).

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