A review of K.P. Aleaz\u27s The Role of Pramanas in Hindu-Christian Epistemology

Amaladass, Anand

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Anand Amaladass

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Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies

Book Review: "The Role of Pramanas in Hindu-Christian Epistemology"

Digital Commons @ Butler University

Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies Volume 5 Article 13 January 1992 Book Review: "The Role of Pramanas in Hindu-Christian Epistemology" Anand Amaladass Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.butler.edu/jhcs  Part of the Religion Commons Recommended Citation Amaladass, Anand (1992) "Book Review: "The Role of Pramanas in Hindu-Christian Epistemology"," Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies: Vol. 5, Article 13. Available at: https://doi.org/10.7825/2164-6279.1066 The Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies is a publication of the Society for Hindu-Christian Studies. The digital version is made available by Digital Commons @ Butler University. For questions about the Journal or the Society, please contact cbauman@butler.edu. For more information about Digital Commons @ Butler University, please contact digitalscholarship@butler.edu. contemporary situation, symbolised by this in-ternational, interreligious seminar, is that whether we like it or not we are thrown to-gether in this task. Sometimes even those of us who live daily in multi-religious contexts forget the implications of this "togetherness." The search for new patterns of relationships is not the prerogative of anyone particular commu-nity of faith. However, despite its shortcomings, there is much to be gained in terms of fellowship and insight from such dialogue meetings and the publication of their proceedings. Both the meetings and the sharing of wisdom need to be encouraged, pressing forward towards the ful Book Reviews 39 fillment of the vision of a world community characterised by peace with justice which is a guiding light for all religious communities. In this quest, there are things to be learned from the present undaunted attempt to shed light from the various religious traditions on the ar-ticulation of this vision in the expectation of furthering the struggle for its achievement. We are in the debt of both the participants and the editor. David C. Scott United Theological College Bangalore The Role of PramiiQas in Hindu-Christian Epistemology. K.P. Aleaz. Punthi-Pustak, Calcutta, 1991, 154p. THE AUTFlOR STATES his objective as discovering the six Indian pramiiIJas as "an au-thentic aspect of Indian Christian Theological method vis-a-vis the Christian pramiiIJas as understood by some Indian Christian theolo-gians." (p.3) He finds that the earlier attempts in this direction do not take into account the six pramiiIJas of Indian philosophy and their possible use as Christian pramiiIJas. As the ti-tle of the book stands, the project itself is laudable and one would expect a break-through in a theological method building upon the earlier attempts. In the process of inculturation there was a stage where equivalents of Christian tradi-tion were sought in Hindu tradition, to adapt, if not adopt fully, for the enrichment of the Indian Christian theology. And in that sense it is valuable to look into the six traditional sources of knowledge - pramiiIJas - from which Christianity could gain some insight into its own tradition. So the author examines the six means of knowing and appeals to the Christian community that these should be used in theological reflection. But as such it does not offer any further reflection on the possible gains through this method. It is high time to go beyond this stage and see what response the metaphors of one tradi-tion evoke in another tradition, with a view to develop an inter-cultural and inter-religious concept of pramiiIJas - as a precondition for the meeting of cultures and religions, so that dialogue between traditions is possible with-out losing their identity. But the author tends to be descriptive rather than addressing him-self to the larger issues of Hindu-Christian epistemology while dealing with the role of pramiiftas. Any theological method takes into ac-count revelation, reason, and experience. Even within a particular religious framework, for example in Hinduism, revelation is differently interpreted, depending on the specific tradi-tion one comes from - as in the case of the Vedantins. Tradition is always a complex whole. In Christianity what is meant by reli-gious tradition depends on the core of the ba-sic beliefs which have their point of reference to scriptures, teaching authority, saints and enlightened leaders of this tradition, liturgy 1Amaladass: Book Review: "The Role of Pramanas in Hindu-Christian Epistemology"Published by Digital Commons @ Butler University, 199240 Book Reviews and also the consensus of believers. Even here it is not the content but a common horizon that determines the identity of this or any tra-dition. So when one talks of a theological method, one has to take into account how the Hindu thinkers went about with their task of theologizing. It is true the six pram{l1;as are used by the Vedantins. But they give their pri-ority to perception, revelation and inference over the rest. The Vedantins also differ among themselves in the way they use the tradition they come from, and in the sources that are quoted by them. So when a Christian believer theologizes, he will also be discrete in the use of his own inherited tradition while being open to the models available in the Indian traditions. So there is no point in saying that "one cannot add more pramliIJ-as." "Tradition cannot be presented as one of the pramliIJ-as" (p. 119), "sabhli cannot be a pramliIJ-a" and so on. They are certainly factors that should find a place in any theological method whether one calls it a pramliIJ-a or not. And one need not, for example, press into service a pramliIJ-a like anupalabdhi (non-cognition) explicitly by its name in order to say that "the caste system in India and the consequent socio-economic in-justice done to the dalits are the expressions of the non-existence of goodness and this we know through the valid source of knowledge non-cognition." (p. 128) The author draws our attention to make use of the various insights gained through the development of language studies in the Indian tradition. It is true that Indian tradition devel-oped its language philosophy as an exegetical tool to understand the Scriptures. The func-tion of the primary meaning (abhidhli) and secondary meaning (lalqalJ-li) and so on. At-tempts have been made already to bring in dhvani theory to interpret the Scriptures in the Indian context, though it has not been fur-ther developed. (Cf. Biblebhlishyam: An In-dian Biblical Quarterly. Kottayam. December 1979). In fact Dr. Somen Das in his foreword to this book very perceptively points out some of the areas to which the author of this book should pay (or should have paid) attention. Otherwise publications on inter-religious or inter-cultural studies are bound to remain at the initial stage without further probing into the crucial issues that one would expect from the committed thinkers. Anand Amaladass Satyanilayam Madras Pilgrims of Dialogue. A. Pushparajan (ed). Munnar: Sangam Dialogue Centre, 1991, 243p, Rs. 80. FORTY SCHOLARS INVOLVED in in-terfaith dialogue have contributed to a Festschrift honouring Fr. Albert Nambia-parambil, CMI, Secretary of the CBCI Com-mission for Dialogue on the occasion of his completing 60 years of age. In Indian Shashti-aptha Poorthi is an auspicious event, worthy of public celebration. Since Fr. Albert has been engaged in promoting dialogue ministry in India, Dr. A. Pushparajan (Reader in Gandhian Studies, Madurai-Kamaraj Univer-sityand Secretary of Madurai Diocesan Com-mission for Dialogue) thought it fit to bring out a book on Dialogue experiences. There are five sections: Pioneers and On Pioneers, Organizational Dialogue, Ashram Experience, Personal Testimonies and Theo-retical Reflections. It is not a strict division since practically all write from a context of personal experience, particularly having had some inspiration from Fr. Albert. The list of contributors gives a fair sample of persons, 2Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies, Vol. 5 [1992], Art. 13https://digitalcommons.butler.edu/jhcs/vol5/iss1/13DOI: 10.7825/2164-6279.1066

Book Review:  The Role of Pramanas in Hindu-Christian Epistemology

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Book Review: The Role of Pramanas in Hindu-Christian Epistemology

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