Abstract
Idealism is the core of the Pratyabhijñã philosophy: the main goal of Utpaladeva (fl. c. 925–950 AD) and of his commentator Abhinavagupta (fl. c. 975–1025 AD) is to establish that nothing exists outside of consciousness. In the course of their demonstration, these Śaiva philosophers endeavour to distinguish their idealism from that of a rival system, the Buddhist Vijñānavāda. This article aims at examining the concept of otherness (paratva) as it is presented in the Pratyabhijñā philosophy in contrast with that of the Vijñānavādins’. Although, according to the Pratyabhijñā, the other subjects are not ultimately real since all subjects are nothing but limited manifestations of a single absolute subject, the fact that we are aware of their existence in the practical world has to be accounted for. The Vijñānavādins explain it by arguing the we infer the others’ existence. The Pratyabhijñā philosophers, while refuting their opponents’ reasoning as it is expounded in Dharmakīrti’s Santānāntarasiddhi, develop a particulary original analysis of our awareness of the others, stating that this awareness is neither a perception (pratyakṣa) nor an inference (anumāna), but rather a guess (ūha) in which we sense the others’ freedom (svātantrya).
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Manuscripts
[B]Īśvarapratyabhijñāvimarśinī, Baroda, Central Library, accession n° 1828, birchbark, śāradā script
[J1]Īśvarapratyabhijñāvimarśinī, Jammu, Sri Ranbir Institute, Raghunath mandir, manuscript n°19, 120 folios, birchbark, śāradā script
[J2]Īśvarapratyabhijñāvimarśinī, Jammu, Sri Ranbir Institute, Raghunath mandir, n°2, 159 folios(“Īśvarapratyabhijñāsūtravimarśinī”), birch-bark, śāradā script
[SOAS]Īśvarapratyabhijñāvimarśinī, London, SOAS Library, n°. 207 in R.C Dogra's 1978 catalogue (= MS 44255) (“Pratyabhijñāsūtra with Abhinavagupta's Sūtrārthavimarśinī”), ff. 13+377, Kashimiri paper, śāradā script
[L]Īśvarapratyabhijñāvimarśinī, Lucknow, Akhila Bhāratīya Saṃskr̥ta Pariṣad, accession n° 3366 (“Pratyabhijñāsūtravimarśinī laghvī”), 171 folios, [Saptarṣi]saṃvat 1923 (=1866 AD), country paper, śāradā script
[P]Īśvarapratyabhijñāvimarśinī, Poona, Bhandarkar Oriental Institute (BORI), 466 of 1875–76 (“Īśvarapratyabhijñāsūtravimarśinī”), birch-bark, śāradā script
Primary sources
Abhidharmasamuccayabhāṣyam, edited by N. Tatia, Tibetan Sanskrit Works Series n°17, Kashi Prasad Jayaswal Research Institute, Patna, 1976
Dharmottarapradīpa (being a sub-commentary on Dharmottara's Nyāyabinduṭīkā, a commentary on Dharmakīrti's Nyāyabindu), edited by D. Malvania, Kashi Prasad Jayaswal Research Institute, Patna, 1955 [NB: Nyāyabindu, NBT: Nyāyabinduṭīkā]
Īśvarapratyabhijñākārikā of Utpaladeva with the Author's V̥tti, Critical edition and annotated translation by Raffaele Torella, [Roma, 1994], Corrected Edition, Motilal Banarsidass, Delhi, 2002
Īśvarapratyabhijñāvimarśinī, edited with notes by M. K. Shāstrī, Kashmir Series of Texts and Studies (XXII, XXXIII), II vol., Srinagar, 1918–1921 [Ī PV, KSTS edition]
Īśvarapratyabhijñāvimarśinī of Abhinavagupta, Doctrine of Divine Recognition, vol. I, II: Sanskrit text edited by K. A. S. Iyer and K. C. Pandey [Allahabad,1938, 1950], vol. III: English translation by K. C. Pandey [Allahabad, 1954], Motilal Banarsidass, Delhi, 1986 [Bhāskarī]
Īśvarapratyabhijñāviv̥tivimarśinī by Abhinavagupta, edited by M. K. Shā strī, Kashmir Series of Texts and Studies (LX, LXII, LXV), III vol. Bombay, 1938–1943 [Ī PVV]
Nareśvaraparīkṣā of Sadyojotiḥ with commentary by Rāmakaṇṭha, edited with Preface and Introduction by Pandit M. K. Shastri, Kashmir Series of Texts and Studies (XLV), Srinagar, 1926
Paramārtha-sāra by Abhinavagupta with the commentary of Yogarā ja, edited by J. C. Chatterji, Kashmir Series of Texts and Studies (VII), Srinagar, 1916
Pramāṇavārttikam ofā cārya Dharmakīrti, with the commentaries Svopajñav̥tti of the author and Pramāṇavārttikav̥tti of Manorathanandin, edited by R. C. Pandeya, Motilal Banarsidass, Delhi, 1989
Siddhitrayī and the Pratyabhijñākārikāv̥tti of Utpaladeva, edited with notes by Pandit M. K. Shastri, Kashmir Series of Texts and Studies (XXXIV), Srinagar, 1921
Śivad̥ṣṭi ofŚrīsomānandanātha with the V̥tti by Utpaladeva, edited with Preface and Introduction by Pandit M. K. Shastri, Kashmir Series of Texts and Studies (LIV), Srinagar, 1934
Tantrāloka of Abhinavagupta with commentary by Rājānaka Jayaratha, edited with Notes by Pandit M. K. Shā strī, vol. II,, Kashmir Series of Texts and Studies (XXVIII), Bombay, 1921
Vijñaptimātratāsiddhi. Deux traités de Vasubandhu. Viṃśatikā accompagnée d'une explication en prose et Triṃśikāavec le commentaire de Sthiramati, publiépar Sylvain Lévi, Bibliothèque de l'Ecole des Hautes Etudes, fasc. 245, Paris, 1925
Secondary sources/Western philosophy
Chakrabarti K.K. (1987). The svabhāvahetu in Dharmakīrti’s Logic. Philosophy East and West, 37(4): 392–401
Dunne J.D. (2004). Foundations of Dharmakīrti’s philosophy. Boston, Wisdom Publications
Griffiths P.J. (1986). On being mindles: Buddhist meditation and the mind–body problem. Delhi, Sri Satguru Publications
Hattori, M. (1968). Dignāga. On perception, being the Pratyakṣapariccheda of Dignāga's Pramāṇasamuccaya. Cambridge (Mss.): Harvard Oriental Series, no. 47.
Inami M. (2001). The problem of other minds in the Buddhist epistemological tradition. Journal of Indian Philosophy, 29, 465–483
Ratié, I. (2006). La mémoire et le Soi dans l’Ī śvarapratyabhijñāvimarśinī d’Abhinavagupta. Indo-Iranian Journal, 49(1–2), 39–103.
Sanderson, A. (1992). The doctrine of the Mālinīvijayottaratantra. In T. Goudriaan (Ed.), Ritual and speculation in early tantrism, Studies in honor of André Padoux. SUNY Series in Tantric Studies (pp. 281–312). State University of New York Press.
Sanderson, A. (1995). Meaning in tantric ritual. In A. M. Blondeau, & K. Schipper (dir.), Essais sur le rituel III, Colloque du centenaire de la section des Sciences religieuses de l'Ecole pratique des hautes études, Bibliothèque de l'Ecole des hautes études, vol. CII, pp. 15–96.
Sanderson, A. (2007). The Śaiva Exegesis of Kashmir. In D. Goodall & A. Padoux (Eds.), Mélanges tantriques à la mémoire d’Héléne Brunner (pp. 231–442). IFP/EFEO: Pondicherry. Collection Indologie 106.
Sartre J.P. (1943). L'Etre et le néant. Essai d'ontologie phénoménologique. Paris, Gallimard.
Sharma R.K. (1985). Dharmakīrti on the existence of other minds. Journal of Indian Philosophy, 13, 55–71
Stcherbatsky, F. T. (1930–1932). Buddhist logic, (II vol.) [Bibliotheca Buddhica, Leningrad, 1930–1932]. New Delhi: Munshiram Manoharlal, 1986.
Stcherbatsky, F. T. (1969). Establishment of the existence of other minds – a free translation of Dharmakīrti's Santānāntarasiddhi and Vinītadeva's Santānāntara-siddhi-ṭīkā. In Papers of Th. Stcherbatsky, translated for the first time into English by Harish C. Gupta, edited with an Introduction by Debiprasad Chattopadhyaya, Soviet Indology Series no. 2, Indian Studies Past and Present.
Steinkellner, E. (1972). New Sanskrit fragments of Pramāṇaviniścaya, First Chapter. Wiener Zeitschrift für die Kunde Südasiens, 16.
Steinkellner, E. (1974). On the Interpretation of the Svabhāvahetuḥ. Wiener Zeitschrift für die Kunde Südasiens, 18, 117–129.
Torella, R. (1992). The Pratyabhijñā and the logical-epistemological school of Buddhism. In T. Goudriaan (Ed.), Ritual and speculation in early tantrism, studies in honor of André Padoux. SUNY Series in Tantric Studies (pp. 327–345). State University of New York Press.
Watson, A. (2006). The self's awareness of itself. Bhaṭṭa Rāmakaṇṭha's arguments against the Buddhist doctrine of no-self. Wien: De Nobili Research Library (xxxii)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ratié, I. Otherness in the Pratyabhijñā philosophy. J Indian Philos 35, 313–370 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10781-007-9017-5
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10781-007-9017-5