Text PAMHO:14857895 (44 lines)
From:      BVKS Sanga Mail
Date:      18-Jan-08 16:09 (11:09 -0500)
To:        BVKS Sanga [6348]
Comment:   Text PAMHO:14860350 by Bhakti Vikasa Swami
Subject:   tradition as evidence
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From:      Kisora (das) BVKS (Govardhan - IN)
Date:      18-Jan-08 09:47 -0500
To:        BVKS Sanga Mail [2087]
Reference: Text PAMHO:14748375 by BVKS Sanga Mail
Subject:   tradition as evidence
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> From:      Internet: "Mahat Tattva (dasa)"
> Date:      29-Dec-07 12:03 -0500 (09:03 -0800)
> To:        BVKS Sanga Mail [1934]
> For:       BVKS Sanga
> Subject:   tradition as evidence
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> How much is tradition a reliable source of evidence? Have our acaryas much
> used this type of evidence? Srila Rupa Goswami seems to have used it while
> compiling the Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu.
>
> Your servant,
> Mahat-tattva Dasa


Followers of the Vedanta school of philosophy founded by Vyasadeva, including both Vaisnavas and Advaita-vadis, accept only pratyaksa, anumana, and sabda as independent pramanas (sources of evidence). They consider all other pramanas (tradition, comparison, conjecture, non-existence, etc.) only special applications of these three main ones.

Tradition (or aitihya in Sanskrit) is a special application of sabda. Srila Jiva Gosvami defines tradition in Sarva-samvadini (an appendix to Tattva-sandarbha, text 9) as "what is commonly accepted as having been received from a tradition started by an unknown speaker."

Our acaryas mainly used sabda as a source of evidence. All other types of evidence are used rarely and only if they support or at least not contradict the sabda-pramana. I don't know which examples from the BRS you have in mind when you write that Srila Rupa Gosvami seems to have used tradition while compiling the BRS. I found one only. Srila Prabhupada writes in chapter 41, "Among the groups of different friends of Krsna, some are well known from various scriptures, and some are well known by popular tradition." This corresponds to the original verse 3.3.52 in BRS (etesu ke 'pi sastresu ke 'pi lokesu visrutah). That probably refers to some local Brijbasi traditions.


Your servant, Kisora dasa
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