… And What about the Vedānta Paribhāṣā’s paribhāṣātva? Some hypotheses on the use of paribhāṣās in later Advaita Vedānta

Abstract

Abstract This contribution re-analyses some standpoints of the notion of paribhāṣā through the looking glass of later Advaita Vedānta. The article is limited to single text, namely Dharmarāja Adhvarīndra’s (17th–XVIIIth century) Vedānta Paribhāṣā. This text does not present the peculiarities of earlier paribhāṣās, hence the title paribhāṣā somehow assumes a sense closer to “Elucidation” or “Manual”. Nevertheless, placing Vedānta Paribhāṣā within a wider historical and philosophical milieu, an attempt is made to investigate the reasons why Dharmarāja willingly chooses such an evocative title, which is solidly rooted on a technical background. Further, the paper proposes some hypothesis and case-studies concerning Dharmarāja’s understanding of paribhāṣā.