4.1. Numbers of Pramāṇa in the Svāminārāyaṇa School

We have presented the general view of the pramāṇas before, now our discussion of the notion of pramāṇa can only be brief here and only the Svāminārāyaṇa Vedanta perception will be underlined. So again, pramāṇa seeks to deal with the question of the possibility and grounds of the valid means of knowing. Bhagavān Svāminārāyaṇa puts weightage on the true knowledge and its sources (vac. Loyā-7, Kāriyāṇi-1, Sāraṅgpura-18, Gaḍhaḍā 3/10). However, he accepts all those sources of knowledge which lead us towards the true knowledge of five eternal ontological entities: jīva, īśvara, māyā, Brahman, and Parabrahman. Thereby, Svāminārāyaṇa is not bound by any particular source of knowledge. Sometimes he refers to true empirical knowledge (Loyā-7) for liberation. Sometimes inference (Loyā-17), testimony (Gaḍhaḍā-2/30) and analogy (Gaḍhaḍā-1/25) is also indicated to attain liberation. In addition to this, Svāminārāyaṇa mentions that Parabrahman’s grace plays a vital role to attain true knowledge of eternal entities (Gaḍhaḍā-1/51, 78). Moreover, he highlights the saṃbhāvya pramāṇa (Kāriyāṇi-3) and aitihya pramāṇa (historical source) (Loyā-7) in the Vacanāmṛta. Thus, in the Vacanāmṛta, he indicated major sources of knowledge and opened the branch of any systematic path that fulfills the goal of attaining true knowledge. The Prasthānatrayī Svāminārāyaṇa Bhāṣya clearly mentions the significance of Pramāṇa (Brahmasūtra-1/1/1, 1/1/3; Kena-upaniṣad-1/3; Brhadāraṇyaka-upaniṣad-2/4/5), however, like Svāminārāyaṇa, the Bhāṣyakāra is not bound with the fixed numbers of Pramāṇa.

He averred—

“brahmabrahmaparau pramāṇaśatakairmāyā'dhipau kīrtitau” (Svāminārāyaṇa Siddhāntasudhā Kārikā, Maṃgala)

“There may be hundreds of pramāṇa to procure the knowledge of Brahman and Parabrahman.”

So,

“sati siddhāntapratyanīkatve hi taddheyamanyathā tu na khaṇḍanīyamiti na tannirdhāritasaṃkhyāsamādara iti’ | (SSS p.149)

“The pramāṇa which negate and obstruct to obtain knowledge of the eternal entities should be abjured, others are welcomed, in this manner, we do not claim any particular numbers of the pramāṇa.”

Moreover, Prasthānatrayī Bhāṣyakāra strongly asserts that without the grace of Parabrahman, our māyic senses are incapable of attaining knowledge of the true form of those eternal entities.