Vada in Theory and Practice: Studies in Debates, Dialogues and Discussions in Indian Intellectual Discourses c2.13

c2.13

The *vāda* traditions have not simply subsisted on refutation. They evolved methods for critiques of reasoning. Each system established its uniqueness through *vāda*. Prashant Dave rightly pointed out during the discussions with the present author that *vāda* led to revitalizing each theory, and each system got further developed by undergoing a series of *vāda*s with other systems. In fact, history of Indian philosophy should be rewritten from the point of view of *vāda* which led to culling out the essentialities of a system and assumption of its precise nature.⁶ *Vādas* were taken up to reinvigorate a thought system and also to sharpen one’s own intellect. Mahima Bhaṭṭa, a logician wanted to prove the applicability of *anumiti* in the field of *belless lettress* and for this he composed an extensive text — *Vyaktiviveka* — with a twofold purpose, i.e. to establish the theory of poetic inference (*kāvyānumiti*) and also to earn instant recognition by the way of posing a potent challenge to as great a stalwart as Ānandavardhana.⁷ Texts such as *Vyaktiviveka* are created in deep structures of agreement with surface structures in sharp disagreements.