The Three Pramāṇas
Pramāṇa (Sanskrit: pra-māna = correct measurement, valid means of knowledge) is one of the foundational concepts of Indian epistemology. Different schools accept different pramāṇas. The Viśiṣṭādvaita school, following Rāmānuja, accepts three:
- Pratyakṣa (perception) — direct sensory experience; the most basic and immediate form of knowledge
- Anumāna (inference) — reasoning from evidence to conclusions; "where there is smoke, there is fire"
- Śabda / Āgama (scriptural testimony / verbal testimony) — the testimony of reliable, authoritative sources; in the theological context, the Vedas, Upaniṣads, and the Āzhvārs' Divya Prabandham
Śabda as the Supreme Pramāṇa
For matters beyond sensory or inferential reach — the nature of Brahman, the structure of karma, the truth of liberation — only śabda (scripture) can be a valid pramāṇa. This is why Rāmānuja's Śrī Bhāṣyam begins with the question «athāto brahma jijñāsā» — "Now therefore an inquiry into Brahman" — immediately raising the question: how do we know Brahman? Only through the authoritative testimony of the Vedas.
The Dual Pramāṇa of Sri Vaishnavism
Sri Vaishnavism's uniqueness is its acceptance of two scriptural pramāṇas:
- Sanskrit Vedas (the northern scriptural pramāṇa)
- Tamil Divya Prabandham (the southern scriptural pramāṇa)
This ubhaya-vedānta stance — that both are equally valid revelations — is the foundational commitment of the Sri Vaishnava epistemology.