Critical Inquiry!

3)
ಏನು ಜೀವನದರ್ಥ? ಏನು ಪ್ರಪಂಚಾರ್ಥ?
ಏನು ಜೀವಪ್ರಪಂಚಗಳ ಸಂಬಂಧ?
ಕಾಣದಿಲ್ಲಿರ್ಪುದೇನಾನುಮುಂಟೆ? ಅದೇನು?
ಜ್ಞಾನ ಪ್ರಮಾಣವೇಂ ಮಂಕುತಿಮ್ಮ

Why do we have this life, what is its meaning? Why does the world exist? what does it indicate? whats the relationship between the living entities and the physical world? Is there some hidden agenda? there seems to be some non apparent, invisible force, what is that? how to investigate this relationship?

These questions may appear obvious! But, understanding this relationship is beyond the capacity of the five (dull) material senses that we take pride in; i.e. a relationship that is beyond what eyes can see, what skin can sense, what tongue can taste, what ears can listen, and what our nose can smell. So, one may need to transcend these material senses, cross the ego, and reach the mind where answers may already exist; mind/intelligence as a tool to mine out the knowledge that rests in the eternal memory. But mind and intelligence are limited by one's abilities, in a world that glorifies sensual enjoyment, where senses rule over mind. If so then, how could one reach this level of understanding? Through scientific investigation, pursuing jnyaana.

But in a world that claims to be scientific, the investigation surprisingly limits (the current "scientific investigation" or "empirical investigation") itself to only one kind of "pramaaNa" - the Pratyaksha PramaaNa, knowledge acquiring through the senses (observable facts). One may have to take the next leap, the "Anumana", a contemplative route to understand the non-obvious, the unobservable, so as to understand the un-manifested by studying the manifested. This path requires one to draw knowledge through inference; understanding the "cause" by analyzing the "effect". But current science, again, limits its inference to the observable phenomenon only. There are some thresholds that one's speculative abilities may reach, so one will have to take refuge of the experts. At this stage one may have to switch to the next level of pramaaNa, the shabda pramaaNa - deriving knowledge from the experts/scriptures through the mode of instruction.

In short, the Pratyaksha PramaaNa is the crudest and the least effective one to understand this relationship, but we seem to excessively settle our logic at this level. So, DVG ushers us, elevates us to the next levels, towards acquiring knowledge through intelligence and wisdom, by experience and through experts; a more scientific approach to understanding this complex relationship.

Shri KrishNaarpaNam!