It is by now a well-known dogma of orthodox Hinduism that their hallowed scriptures called the Vedas are sanatana (eternal and pre-existing) and apaurusheya (author-less or self-composed).
It should not also come as a surprise if Pop Hinduism also takes for granted such beliefs.
Despite the obvious absurdity of this doctrine, one may suppose that the doctrine of apaurusheya would have been following from the dogma of the eternity of the Vedas .
The necessity of rationalizing the fiction of eternity would lead to the need for enforcing the fiction of author-less composition of the Vedas.
The two prominent orthodox schools of Vedic theology:
- Mimamsa
- Vedanta
They have tried to further reinforce this by concocting various phony and pseudo scientific linguistic theories and arguments that try to show a connection between language and supernatural revelation. One of the theories inspired by such manipulative and malignant motives was the dreaded 'Sphota' theory or philosophy.
It is touted by Vedanta apologists and others nostalgic about antique Indian philosophy that it is a theory of language or even linguistics and meaning. If one were to refer to this article on Sphota in Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, it is very dense and difficult to follow through and hold one's attention and comprehend. But one can make out that it follows the pattern of most types of abstruse metaphysics and complex syllogisms.
But this synopsis of Sphota lets the 'cat of the real motivations' of this so-called linguistic and semantic exercise, out of the bag, which is to make a convoluted yet high-sounding case for language and meaning as an expression of divine/supernatural revelation.
All this ado of Sphota about sound, linguistics and meaning is all centered on the 'Devabhasha' of Sanskrit and that too supposedly adhering to the grammatical and syntactical rules laid down by Panini and Patanjali.
Can there be any worse or more presumptuous linguistic narcissism than this kind of ivory tower intellectual sallies of Brahmin punditry of the Indian Middle ages?!!!.
In a sense, the complete decline and near-extinction of the Sanskrit language seems like poetic justice or retribution for the cynical intellectual and scholastic pursuits of the aristocratic snobs of the Vedic/Brahminic hegemonic class.
This saga of the idle and extravagant intellectual pastime of Sphota analytics whose start is identified with the works of Bhartrihari mercifully ended and died with the works of Vachaspati Misra, though it must have inflicted its incalculable and infernal damage on the intellectual landscape of an already stagnating Indian civilization.
If you are wondering what is the point of belaboring Sphota when the point of discussion started with the doctrine of apaurusheya, I would like to clarify that it can be deductively and inferentially speculated (using the history and background of how Vedic theology evolved) that Sphota and Sadba could be offshoots of the mother of all Vedic mischiefs, the doctrine of apaurusheya.
One can get the connection when Hindus make a big deal of their sound symbol of "OM" being a primordial sound and what-not.
Vedic theologians have always made a big song and dance about the eternal connection of sound with language and meaning and its myriad mystical and cosmical meanings.
Before Vedic sound and language metaphysics got their bells, whistles, frills and adorned the 'ornaments' and 'emperor's clothes' of Sphota and 'Sabda', they perhaps had humbler and more elementary argumentative beginnings.
An early attempt at these species of metaphysical gobbledegook based on sound was attempted by Jamini of the Mimamsa Sutras fame or rather infamy to prop up the absurd doctrine of apaurusheya.
For a change I will not attempt to debunk this nonsense, but will leave it to the able hands, clinical logic and reasoning of the great Dr. BR. Ambedkar to tear apart the intellectual and scholastic pretensions of Vedic apologists of yore.
I am re-producing below with minor changes, Dr. Ambedkar's simple and elegant, yet brutally straightforward demolition of the apaurusheya theory of Mimamsakas. This is part of Dr. Ambedkar's masterly work "Riddles of Hinduism".
Here he goes thus:
"The Brahmins did not remain content with the argument that the Vedas were not composed by man.
They went much further and contended that the Vedas were not composed or created even by God. This theory is propounded by Jaimini the author of the Purva Mimansa. Jaimini's arguments in favor of this thesis are so strange that one has to know them in order to realize their strangeness.
It is set out in the Purva Mimansa— a book of Brahmanic philosophy— where this doctrine of the Vedas being Apaurusheya is propounded
Such is the argument by Jaimini in favor of his thesis that the Vedas are eternal and not made by man, not even by God.
The bases on which his thesis rests are simple as these:
- Firstly God has no body and no palate and therefore he could not utter the Vedas.
- Secondly, assuming God had a body, God could not perceive things which are beyond the reach of the senses, while the Vedas contain things beyond the reach of human senses.
- Thirdly, The connection between a word and its meaning is eternal.
- Fourthly, Sound is eternal.
- Fifthly, Because sound is eternal, words which are made up of sounds are also eternal.
- Sixthly Because words are eternal therefore the Vedas are eternal and because the Vedas are eternal they are not made by man nor by God.
What can one say of these premises? Can there be anything more absurd?
Who can accept that the Vedas contain something not comprehensible by human senses ?
Who can accept that there is an eternal connection between a word and its meaning ?
Who can accept that sound is not created nor manifested but is eternal?
Having regard to these absurd premises one is led to ask why did the Brahmins make such a desperate attempt for establishing a desperate conclusion? What did they want to gain thereby?
Was it because the Vedas had been made the exponent of Chaturvarna with the Brahmins as the Lord of it all?"
The fatal is, Indian bureaucracy and politician banned this revolutionary book, It should be translated in every Indian regional language and made available to everyone. It is a hell of desertedness on every day development in around us in india, because there are unexpected all of sudden temples at the road sides and also at the big tree , some temple are there where dead monkey is buried, And with no surprise a pundits using it as a collection center! The worst case is who are the people responsible for temple creation are not allowed inside, not even a food /vada which cooked by other than pandit. The reason given by pandit is inauspicious and ill-fated! Hell of fools from almost all level of bureaucrats, riches kneeling at them and agreeing with them of their idiotism.
ReplyDeleteA smutty shameless culture!
Thanks for pointing this out...I have now hyper-linked the reference to "Riddles of Hinduism" on my post to a PDF version of this work on the internet.. Pls feel free to circulate it onwards.
ReplyDeleteI don't agree with Ambedkar's last point. The point of Purva Mimamsa was that the Vedas have no meaning, that the gods don't really exist-- but that somehow, the ritual itself is effective. Thus whatever Mimamsa did was not because they wanted to defend the content of the Vedas, but because they believed that ritual was somehow effective.
ReplyDeleteReally!!! This is a case of missing the woods for the trees!! Mimamsakas were not the only school to hold onto the absurd doctrine of Apaurusheyatva. Subsequent theologians including Adi Sankara have trotted out some version or other of this nonsense. Even today's acharyas like Sivananda have parroted similar rubbish like this, when they can know more and better than that.
DeleteAlso if Mimamsakas wanted to undermine the meaning and content of the Vedas, while only upholding its ritualism, why would they compose a long treatise such as Mimamsa Sutra, which is an exegesis/commentary on the Vedas.
Innocence or sincerity of belief of Mimamsakas or Vaidikas as a whole is a difficult theory to buy, because their attitudes and actions are almost indistinguishable from Brahminical privilege mentality. Do not make statements that are devoid of social and historical context just because it suits your argument and defense of ancient Vedic dogma and irrationality.
You are able to see the 'sincerity of belief', but not the absurdity and inanity of such beliefs in an age that is touted by Hindu apologists as the Golden Age!! Is this the quality and level of 'ancient wisdom'?!!!
The point of Ambedkar is rhetorical and meant to point to ulterior motives of Brahminical elites who have used scriptures and their self-serving theories and commentaries on it as tools of furthering priestly dominance and Brahmin class hegemony. My post in the first few para makes that same accusation against ancient and Middle Age Brahminism.
I think there is an inherent fallacy in your arguments.
DeleteFirstly, Vedas were meant to be and are eternal truths. No one knows the origin and it is believed as having been perceived by ancient rishis.
Secondly, to assume that Dr. Ambedkar, with all due respect to him, is an authority to comment on the validity or efficacy of the Vedas is totally absurd, perhaps even more absurd than your article itself.
And thirdly, nowhere in the Vedas has it been said that the Brahmins are superior or that the Sudras are inferior. It does talk about the 4 varnas but the varnas exist - whether you name them that way or not. Even today, there are intellectuals, there are politicians, beaureaucrats and army, there are traders and there are workers like daily labour. Giving them english names doesnt make them any different. Its just that the nomenclature has changed. But any society will have these four classes and no class is superior or inferior. The lack of a braoader perspective to accept this fact and the mad race to somehow or the other denounce the ancients seem to be uppermost in your mind.
To brand the entire system as egalitarian and self serving is like branding all Muslims as Jehadis just because of one Osama Bin Laden.
The Vedas are a pointer towards something which is incomprehensible and that is God. i dont see why you have a problem with a connection between the word and its meaning. Without meaning, how can a word exist - whichever the language.
Sound is obviously eternal. What do you mean - neither created - did you create it? Its surprising to see your tirade against Hindu doctrines and systems without making a scientific attempt to understand them. Forget about what the Brahmins of yore gained. I wonder what you have to gain from your relentless tirade. I feel that you are wasting your time with this kind of meaningless retribution and you would benefit if you delve deeper into those scriptures before making an attempt to comment on them. Comparing Jaimini to Ambedkar is like comparing Einstein to someone who cannot compute 2+4.
No one know the origin but the origination is maintaining a society of inherent terror caste divide, inherent atrocity, inherent women biased, inherent child abuse.. sati.. etc.... You name anything to your caste theory, but the wounds it created, creating and will create in the society is something unpardonable.
DeleteA critics must be a third person and also may be a affected one, not the apologist! So Dr. BRA stands most eligible critics! I don't see any merit in the so called old bunches with regard to the level of Dr. BRA . He is the one with courage encrypted the fate of every individual in india, that too in midst of hindutva fundamentalism and he is the one of mastermind behind the survival of world largest democracy. He was the fittest one, it shows rest were of the dudes "none found suitable"! Nowhere seen any hindu or islam or christ apologist agreed upon any controversy in their belief system. We would have witnessed still worst condition in india challenging bin ladan kind of terror, but a word "secularism" conceived upon by the rationalist of that time including Dr. BRA, is saving this land.
I would rather say that the wounds caused by Dr BRA and his bullshit constitution are still scathing the body of India. If not for his stupid constitutional crap, we would have been a far better country. Today, we are seeing a continued caste divide more because of him rather than because of the previously existing scenario. Reservations, caste and religion based vote banks have all sprung out of the short sighted constitution drafted by him. Secularism is a term no one has understood and is still being misinterpreted by political parties and used for their personal gain.
DeleteYour claim is like Dr. BRA invented caste and implemented through the constitution! its your absurdity!
DeleteFar better country in the sense, bajjan mutt/temple with legalized prostitution(devadasi) and a outright visiting place of west/chinese/ Arabs, and to the worst case lankan and burmese? I don't know what make you to jump to scruffy conclusion. It is the constitution which provide equal rights to all and ensure inclusive growth. It may be partial or slow but not vague rant supporting the one sided hindu tribalic fundamentalism. The growth index may be slow but positive, without social justice you cannot compensate the blunter difference created by hindu fundamentalism and their nonsensical social divides. The real tussle is indias worshipping method and crude superstitious belief system. The foolishness starts from a hindu wake up from his bed and subsequent sagunam practices until go to bed, what can you expect in terms of progress from this idiocy set up? It is your hindutva fundamentalist who were the real obstacle in the rational implementation of indian constitution.
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ReplyDeleteYeah, these quotes by Ambedkar are about apaurusheya and not about sphota. Maybe you're confused and mean apaurusheya? I would have no problem with your statements then.
ReplyDeleteWhile my blog post was about the Apaurusheya doctrine of Mimamsakas, and not about Sphota theory specifically, I did mention Sphota in passing and do not deny making unflattering comments about the origins and motivations of that theory.
DeleteI also speculated that Apaurusheya could be the precursor and inspiration for Sphota and more specifically for Sabda. Some of this can be argued with and termed as a conspiracy theory. But then in some instances the dividing line between speculation and conspiracy is very thin. Minority opinion usually gets labelled as conspiracy theory.
The absence of a counter-critique of Sphota does not necessarily make IEP or Wiki references to Sphota the gold standard of its theoretical or analytical evaluation. Conflating the metaphysical foundation of Sphota and the detail and nitty-grity of vyakarana sastra also does not necessarily make sphota the holy grail of the accomplishment of ancient Indian linguistics. So you can hold your horses of runaway judgement till more analysis is made of Sphota was a true foundation of grammar and linguistics.