[advaita and vishistadvaita]

[Guest guest]

Sri Hari and Sri B.N. Suresh have very nicely given detailed

answers to this question. But I feel one point remains to be

clarified:

 

Sri Hari wrote:

> In advaita, there is no scope to realize that "god is within jeevatma"

> because there is actually no God in advaita. In advaita, the God, jIvAthma

> and matter are all unreal.

 

Broadly speaking, there are three levels of reality in Advaita --

(a) that which is unreal, or logically impossible, such as a flower

growing in the sky

(b) that which is false, or only apparently real, such as a rope being

mistaken for a serpent

© that which is truly real, such as Brahman

 

In Advaita, God and the world are not "unreal", in the sense of being

logically impossible. In the final analysis, God, the world, and

individuality are "false" (mithyA), because they are caused by

illusion, which is superimposed on a real substrate. In other words,

God has reality as His basis, but is not ultimately real. The idea of

an individualized God is ultimately transcended once Brahman consciousness

sets in.

 

For Advaita, in the phenomenal world, God does exist from a practical,

conventional standpoint. But ultimately, according to Sri Sankara,

'brahma satyam, jagan mithyA; jiva brahmaiva na paraH' -- Brahman alone

is true, the universe is false. The individual self is absolutely identical

with Brahman and is nothing different.

 

In the process of meditation, therefore, Advaita accepts God as the

purest example of Brahman in the conventional world. Meditation, worship,

etc., of God all exist as long as one perceives the conventional world

as existing. Therefore, just as in Visishtadvaita, there definitely is

scope to realize that "God is within jIvAtmA" in the same way as

Visishtadvaita. Advaita even posits a blissful state of communion with

God such as Sri Vaikuntha. The only difference is that in Advaita ultimately

this state itself is transcended as the consciousness of the non-dual

Brahman sets in, and all perceptions of duality cease, including the

very notion of "I".

 

Visishtadvaita, being a realist philosophy, takes a very different view

ontologically. This idea of Brahman comprehends the concepts of matter

and individual selves within itself, without denying their reality.

These two categories are eternal concepts maintained by the will (sankalpa)

of Brahman, who lends them reality by being their Innermost Self.

Ceaseless, loving, meditation on Brahman as being the Innermost Self of

all that exists, including the jIva, is the knowledge that leads to moksha.

Such moksha consists of blissful communion with Brahman, the Highest Self,

which Itself consists of eternal bliss. In Visishtadvaita the "I-ness" of the

jIva is never totally lost. What is transcended is any limitation due to karma.

Karma is the very basis of bondage and inappropriate understanding of the nature

of the world. As one transcends karma thanks to purifying meditation and the

grace of Brahman, everything is placed in proper perspective, and all sorrows

fall away, leading to the eternal, blissful perception (sAkshAtkAra)

of the Absolute God.

 

aDiyEn rAmAnuja dAsan

Mani

[Guest guest]

Dear Badri Narayanan,

>According to advaita jeevatma and brahman(god) are not

>diffrent but the same.Liberation lies in jeevatma realizing

>that god is within himself..

>According to our philosophy jeevatma and parmatma are not

>same ,but jeevatma is a part of Brahman or God.

>Is my understanding partially corrrect?

 

Let me not answer your question in detail but answer it

briefly as follows. The subject is deep and complicated

and I am not sure whether how many will like to know the

differences between advaita and visishtadvaita in detail.

Your understanding is partially correct. Advaita

does NOT believe in "Liberation lies in jeevatma realizing

that god is within himself..". As per classical

Advaita, the only Brahman who wrongly understood himself as jIvAthman

in dream "jagath" which is mithyA, gets his avidya removed by

abhEda-jgnyAnam and realizes himself as nirvISEsha chin mAthram.

This is advaita's liberation. In advaita, there is no scope

to realize that "god is within jeevatma" because there is actually

no God in advaita. In advaita, the God, jIvAthma and matter are all

unreal. This advaita is nothing by sUnya-vAdam in polished manner.

For further details, please refer "prachanna bowdha bangAdhikAram"

of "para-matha-bhangam" by SwAmy NigamAntha MahA DESika with

the help/guidance of scholars where one can clearly understand

that advaita is nothing but sUnya-vAdam and atheism.

 

According to our philosophy (VisishtAdvaita), what you say is

correct - "jeevatma and parmatma are not same, but jeevatma is

a part of Brahman or God". The paramAtma is Brahman (God) who

is SrIman NArAyaNa (VishNu, VAsudEva)

"jeevAthama is a part of Brahman" This

means that the jeevAthman is the SarIram, prakAram, apruthak

sidhda viSEshaNam of Brahman.

 

At this point, I would like to say that Brahman is a name

(epithet) of SrIman NArAyaNa. The term NArAyaNa itself is

sufficient to bring out all the concepts of VisishtAdvaita

clearly.

 

Thanks & Regards

M.S.HARI RAmAnuja Daasan (mshari)

 

 

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