142151 UE Knowledge and Perception in Jayatirtha's Nyayasudha (2025S)

Jayatīrtha (ca. 1380) was a leading philosopher of the Dvaita (“Dualistic”) tradition of Vedānta. The Dvaita school holds that the God Viṣṇu-Nārāyaṇa is the supreme being, and that the world is entirely dependent on Him. The followers of Dvaita were trained in philosophical analysis and argumentation, and they defended their theology with detailed critiques of other philosophical schools.

The course will focus on Jayatīrtha's critique of two philosophical schools. The first is his refutation of radical materialist philosophers known as the Cārvākas. The Cārvākas rejected the existence of God and any kind of soul different from the body. They argued that sense-perception is the only true means of knowledge. The second critique is of the Advaita (“Non-dualistic”) Vedāntins, who argued that the world of our senses is ultimately an illusion which is neither completely nonexistent nor fully real.

Against the Cārvākas, Jayatīrtha argues that while sense-perception is fundamental, we can know and understand the nature of god through the Veda assisted by inferential reasoning. Against the Advaitins, he argues that perception is a valid means of knowledge, one which shows us that the world truly exists. These discussions bring Jayatīrtha to the question of the nature of knowledge itself. Jayatīrtha gives one of the most detailed defences of the theory that knowledge is correspondence with reality in the history of philosophy in India.

Method of teaching:

This course will consist primarily in readings from relevant parts of Jayatīrtha’s Nyāyasudhā (“Nectar of Reasoning”), which is widely recongised as his magnum opus. In the Nyāyasudhā, Jayatīrtha gave a comprehensive defence of his Mādhva religion. The text proved extremely influential, and is still studied by students of Dvaita philosophy today. Jayatīrtha’s prose is philosophically stimulating, while also being approachable for students.

Classes will consist in careful readings of passages from the Sanskrit text coupled with discussions about the philosophical implications of Jayatīrtha's work.

Core objectives:

1. Familiarisation with the conventions and terminology of Sanskrit philosophical literature.
2. Acquisition of basic knowledge about the theory of knowledge in India’s Vedānta traditions.
3. Deepening of knowledge of Sanskrit grammar.
4. Development of skills in philosophical reasoning and critical reading of texts.