[Advaita-l] Richness of Vedic classification

[akhanda]

Someone wrote recently that the Western world is very good at 
classification.  True. At the laukika level, they have classified things 
well.

But is India any less better at classification?  Take the Vedas.  We 
have classifications for all types of entities - be it four types of 
birth of bodies (andaja etc), 4 types of consciousness (visva..turiyam), 
four stages of life, two types of ignorance (toola and moola), various 
types of adhyaasa (svarupa vs. samsarga, artha vs. jnaana, sopadhika vs 
nirupadhika), 6 types of saamaanaadhikaranam (aikyam, baadha, guna-guni, 
kaarya-kaaranam, jati-vyakti, amsha-amshi), two types of tattvas 
(panhikrta and apanchikrta), three states of existence (jagrut etc.), 6 
types of pramaanas, 5 definitions of mithya, three types of karma 
(samchita etc.), fives types of pramaatas (bhokta, pramaatr etc.)......

And the list goes on and on.

That is why Shri Shankaraachaarya says that the Vedas are the science of 
spirituality.

I think India is just as good, if not even better, at classification 
than the West! :-)

I found Raamaraaya Kavi's book "Vedaanta Sangraha" (published recently 
by Chinmaya Mission) to be especially informative in this regard, since 
it brings the entire taxonomy of Vedic classification into one text. I 
think it covers it all, but you never know - may be there are Vedic 
classifications not discussed in the book.

Anil (Gidwani)