Truth, Knowledge and Metaphysics in Traditions of Vedanta

This project (FWF Number 34618) focuses on the intellectual history of philosophical debates about the nature and purpose of knowledge in three schools of philosophy in India during the early modern period (ca. 15001800). These debates about knowledge occurred in the context of philosophical discussions about the nature of God and the status of Hindu tradition. They had wide -ranging implications both for the defence of Vedic scripture and the fundamental metaphysical questions that preoccupied Indian philosophers during this period. The project will conduct original studies of relevant manuscripts written in scientific Sanskrit. A central subject of the project will be the work on epistemology of a philosopher known as Vyasatirtha (14601539). This focus on Vyasatirtha reflects a recent surge of interest among scholars in his work. Vyasatirtha was a leading state agent in the Vijayanagara Empire and is regarded as an outstanding figure in Indias intellectual history. His work came to influence Vedanta ph ilosophers from across India, spurring them to a adopt new critical approach to philosophy which incorporated the new ideas of the North Indian epistemologist, Gagesa Upadhyaya. The project will produce a critical edition and translation of a work written by Vyasatirtha known as the Death-Dance of Logic (Tarkataava), in which Vyasatirtha defends his traditions theory of knowledge. The final monograph will contain a new edition and translation of Vyasatirthas text along with background studies in relevant Vedanta philosophical works. Vyasatirtha was an intrinsicist about knowledge, arguing that it is in the nature of our cognitive faculties to detect and produce true judgments about the world. The project will put Vyasatirthas work on epistemology i nto the context of his debates with the other traditions of Vedanta, particularly the Advaita and Visi advaita traditions. The Advaitins used a similar interpretation of knowledge to Vyasatirtha to argue against the Madhvas for the unreality of the empirical world. Vyasatirthas theory of knowledge provided the basis for his defence of the reality of the sensory world. The project will shed new light on the complex intellectual interactions between these traditions during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries as they vied for power at Vijayanagara. 1