Response to QUIZ # 2

[Guest guest]

Dear Bhagavats,

NamO nArAyaNA.

 

[Krishna Kalale] Writes:

 

If this is so, there should not be much controversy or arguments

between ADVAITA and VISISTADVAITA. Finally these two schools are

saying the same thing.

 

QUIZ : So, is there a fallacy in the above logic? or is it fine to state

so?

Response:

 

The following is based on my, current, limited understanding; please

excuse any errors. My writing style may seem aggressive to some,

please don't mistake it for arrogance. I write in that manner for, I feel,

ideas are most effectively communicated when one writes in a candid

fashion.

 

Even if, one were to conclude (erroneously) that the Advaitic and

Vis'istAdvaitic conception of worldly experiences are the same, Advaita

and Vis'istAdvaita can never be the same (i.e., they are mutually

exclusive in the sense that only one can be true in its entirety.)

 

For now, simply note the following. While the term illusion is appropriate

for the Advaitc conception of worldly experiences, it is not appropriate

for the Vis'istAdvaitic conception of worldly experiences. According to

Vis'istAdvaita worldly experiences represent a finite reality. The terms

finite reality and illusion differ; I will attempt to explain in the next

posting.

 

For now let us concentrate on the ultimate reality and discuss why

Advaita and Vis'istAdvaita can NEVER be the same:

 

For Advaita Brahman alone is real; thus, moksha is not ultimately real (it is

only real in an illusory sense.) The reasoning is as follows. Given

avidya is eternal, if Brahman is subject to avidya then it is eternally

subject to avidya and moksha is not real. If Brahman is not subject to

avidya, then it is trivial to conclude that moksha is not ultimately real, for

Brahman is the only real entity, in the ultimate sense. (I don't think

Advaitan's can argue that moksha is ultimately real.)

 

From the Vis'istAdvaitic perspective moksha is ultimately real. Why?

 

The three types of jivas, nitya- suris, mukthas, and Baddhas, are

ultimately real. Even if the mukta had no recollection of his own misery,

because he has completely expanded DBJ, he has knowledge of all that

is eternal. Badhha jivas are infinite in number and by definition they are

in a state of misery. The mukta, who has knowledge of all that is eternal,

knows of the baddhas; thus moksha is real. That is moksha is ultimately

real, because its counter- correlate (misery) is ultimately real.

 

Hence, even if one erroneously concludes that both Advaita and

Vis'istAdvaita have the same conception of worldly experiences, one

cannot use that as a basis for concluding the two schools of thought are

more or less similar.

 

adiyEn ramanuja dasan,

Venkat

krishNArpaNam