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64
Introduction
[i]natraditionthisprocessoffusioniscontinuallygoingon,fortheretheold
andnewarealwayscombiningintosomethingoflivingvalue,withouteither
beingexplicitlyforegroundedfromtheother.
Inthiswaythe4historicallyeffected/effectiveconsciousness’(Wirkungsge-
schichtlichesBewusstein)makesunderstandingpossibleandtherelationship
betweenthehorizonsisseenasakindofpersonalrelationshipbetween4I’and
4Thou’.
Gadamer’sbasicideaaboutinterpretationofancienttextsissignificantfor
tworeasons.Firstly,itenablesustounderstandourIndologicalhermeneutic.
OnonehanditpermitsusasresearchersofancientIndianthoughtandof
thetotalityofIndianculture,ourprejudices,theirindeliblepresenceand
roleinknowingwhatitiswewanttoknow.Prejudicescomefromour
ownculturebutalsofromourIndologicalknowledgewhichweorganisein
acertainway.Converselyitmakesusawareofthedifficultywefaceaswe
arenotnaturallyimmersedinthehorizonoftheIndianpast.LikeGadamer,
wecanrecognisethattheawarenessoflimitationshasapositiveeffect
oncognition.
Secondly,histheoryofhistoricallyeffected/effectiveconsciousnessprovides
uswithanexcellentstartingpointfortheresearchinthisbook.Itcanbeseen
asthedescriptionofthestateofthemindsoftheComposersoftheearly
Sanskrittexts.Thehorizonofthepastwasalmosttangibleforthemdueto
memorisationandrepetitionoftheVeda.Thehorizonofthepresentinfluenced
them,forcedthem,toconstantlytesttheirprejudicesinrelationtothehorizon
ofthepastactiveintheirmemory.Thedirectionoffusionofthesehorizons
ledtotheultimatedenialofchangeinthecompletefusionofthepresent
andthepast,tothestateachievedinaliberatingprocesswhere4I’becomes
4Thou’.Suchanapproachtotraditionisconfirmedinmanyculturesstriving
topreservethevitalityofthepast.
Itisstrikingthatthisidealissimilartotheidealoffreedomrealisedin
liberatingcognition.TheBrahminicfusionofhorizonshasabsolutecharacter,
itconcernsboththeoryandpracticeinitsfinestdetail.Onecansuggestthat
thisfeatureresultsfromtheaforementionedbelief(orprejudice)intheunity
ofreality,themanifestationofwhichareallelementsoftheperceptibleworld
andthemostperfectmanifestationofwhichistheVeda.
Gadamer’stheory,accordingtowhichourlifeisacontinuousfusion
ofhorizons,anactiveandpersonalconversationwiththepastwhichgives
meaningtoourexperience,capturesthenatureoftherelationshiptotradition
thatariseswhenitscontentispresentinmemoryandanimatedbydaily
recitation.Insuchasituationapersonprobablyexperiencesaparadoxical
