Main Tenents of Sankara and Advaita

MAIN TENETS OF SRI SANKARA’S ADVAITA
­PHILOSOPHY AND SCIENCE

1. Brahman is all pervading. Rig and Saama vedas declare

All this is but purusha (Brahman). All this world is but purusha. Evedamsarvam (Atharva veda). From this it can easily be concluded that Brahman alone is the Real Truth, the Noumenon easily be concluded that Brahman alone is the Real Truth, the Noumenon and all else is phenomenal only. This is the first and foremost tenet of Advaita.

2. So the appearance of this world as though it is true and the appearance of mutual difference in the worldly objects, are not at all true. They are super imposed on the one Brahman: they are inert in fact. They have no reality. Due to ignorance i.e. Ajnana, the world appears to be true and many. This falsity or “Anritatva” of the world is the second extraordinary feature of Advaita. He who believes in the reality of the world is bound by it (Baddhah). That this is so is known to all. He who believes and experiences Brahman as the Truth is liberated from this bondage and attains salvation, as is experienced by all the learned persons ‘Jnaanins’. This fact is illustrated by an appealing anecdote in the Chandogya Upanishad. A police-man caught hold of a person and said “This man committed theft. Bring a hot iron piece. Let him hold that red hot iron in his hand. If he did not commit theft, he will be unhurt and then will be set free. If he committed robbery, his hand will be burnt and he will finally die. Similarly a person who is a Brahmabhisendhi i.e. who believes in Brahman and experiences Brahman will gain moksha and be relieved from the bondage of this Samsaara.  He who believes this world as true and Brahman as non-existing and revels in the worldly objects will be born and born again. So falsity or illusoriness i.e. midhaytva, of this world is the second trait of Advaita.

3. Moksha can be had by Jnaana only. This is the third essential feature of Advaita. The following upanishad statements proclaim this fact. “Iam evam vidvan amrita iha bhavati.” He who knows him as not different Jiva, becomes immortal (even) here. Naanyah Pandha Vidyate ayanaya. There is no other way (than Jnaana)for liberation. “All this is Atman alone.” Dwaita or Duality is the source of all evils and their effects. This source has its root ajnaana - nescience. Just as knowledge or cognisance or a rope removes the horror and fear born of the false knowledge, i.e. mistaking the rope for a serpent, real knowledge of the Paramatman leads wise men to Moksha. In fact that true knowledge itself is Moksha. There is no sequence between Jnaana and Moksha. Release from bondage itself is Moksha. To attain that, Jnaana is the only method. Dawn of Jnaana destroys this world of duality (i.e. Jnani does not see this world as all of us see it as having different existence from Brahnan or different from Brahman, and as many, but sees it as Brahman only. Jnaana is the only road leading to Moksha. Such Jnaana can be had by good conduct, meditation upon the various forms of Isvara, and above all favour and blessing of Isvara alone. Iswaranugrah deva pumsam advaita vaasana. As long as we see a second entity; so long we will be slaves to raaga and dvesha - love and hatred. When one does not see a second object, they two will vanish and thereby our mind becomes tranquil and gradually the seeker becomes one with the Brahman.

4. Non difference between jiva and brahma is the fourth feature of advaita. itadaatmyam idam Sarvam; tat tvamasi all this is brahman that thou art Oh Svetaketu “Ayam atmea brahma”. This Atman is Brahman. In the first statement, the word IDAM denotes the world and the word ETAT indicates the Brahman, and these two are identical, so says the sruti. In the light of this statement, there is no second object. There is saying “Brahmaiva san Brahmapyeti” He becomes Brahman. A Jiva can become Brahman, only because he in fact is originally Brahman itself. That which is not Brahman can never by what so ever means become Brahman even in Moksha. Brahmatva is itself Moksha. It is not a new arrival. If it is a Karya, an effect, it becomes anitya i.e. not permanent - upanishadic quotation declares the identify of Jiva and Brahman clearly. Yadha Nadyah spandamanaah samudre astmn ga cchanti naamarupe vihaayai tadha vidvani namarupai vimuktah parat param purusham upaiti divyam”.

Just as rivers merge in the ocean leaving off their names and forms and become one with it, a Jnanin or a man of wisdom also merges with Brahman the supreme, losing his name and form. Water coming down from clouds assumes various tastes and colours according to the floors like mountains and plains on which they flow. Similarly Brahman assumes different names and forms according to the upadhis or delimiting adjunts in which it is embodied. So Jiva isBrahman.

5. Brahman is attributeless Nirguna. This is the fourth important point. The upanishadic statement Saakshi cheta kevalo Nirgunascha’. He is a witness single and attributeless. If we accept Brahman as Saguna (having attributes) there must be gunas or attributes separately from Brahman. Then there can be no advaita. There may be another person that may have more or less gunas. Then Brahman’s supremacy also is lost. In view of these points Brahman must be Nirguna.

            “Jivan Mukti”: “Liberation in this world and while living” is the most extraordinary tenet of Advaita that is not found in any branch of philosophy. The upanishat proclaims Tam evam vidvan Amrita iha Bhavati. A wise man becomes immortal here itself. Atrabrahmasamasnute He attains Brahman here. When one realises the omnipresence of Brahman, even while living, there is no reason why one cannot become Brahman here itself.

6. Three kinds of existence is also a notable feature of Advaita, Brahman’s, Satta is Real Paaramaardhika existence of this day to day world is Vyavaharika. Temporary; satta of silver of oystershell is Prati Bhasika. Existence in appearance only.

Satyam cha Anritamcha Satyam Abhavaj satya (Truth) and Asatya (False) become satya Twih. The first satya refers to the worldly objects like oyster, and Rope (or thread). The second refers to silver superimposed on the rope, the third refers to Brahman.

7. Non distinction between Hari and Hara - Vishnu and Siva is the seventh feature. The word Siva in the Mandukya sentence “Santam sivam Advaitam” the word Vishnu in the upanishadic sentence Tat vishnoh paramam padam (Katha) refer to Brahman alone. Sri Sankara offered prayers to Siva, Vishnu and Shakti also in his works.

8. In one sense Advaita does not antagonise any other belief.

“Tairayam Na Virudhyate”
(Mandukya Karik 17 Advaita prakaram).

9. According to Sankara Advaita is not either a hypothetical or merely logical conception. It is based on the experience of the real vastu entity, already there Na vastu Yaadhaatmy Jnanam. Purusha Buddhya pehksam Kim Tarhi. Vastu Tantra Meva Tat Brahmajnaanamapi vastu tantrameva Bhutavastu vishayatvat (Br.S 1.1.1)

10. Modern scientists and saints also are in agreement with Sankara and they are all praise for him of “The only possible alternative is simply to keep up to the immediate experience that consciousness a singular of which the plural is unknown. That there is only one thing and that what seems to be plurality is surmise of different aspects of one thing produced by a deception or Indian maya, the same illusion as produced in a gallery of mirrors”.

In Christian terminology to say “Hence I am God Almighty” sounds blasphemous and lunatic. But please disregard these connotations for the moment and consider whether the above statement is not the closest, a biologist can get to proving god and immortality at a stroke (Schrodinger “The life epilogue)

Few of us absorbed as we are in the business of living, pause to think of maya (if our definition was right) that the phenomenal universe represents merely a relative or derived reality, pheno reality. It is Sankaracharya’s ever lasting glory that he did just that (Advaita Vendanta by Arthur Isenberg) Carlyle “This solid seeming world after all is an air image over Me, the only reality and nature with its thousand-fold production and destruction, but the reflex of our inward forces and fantasy of our dream.

Sir Canthorine of Geneva “my me is god”

Sri Saint Beyazid - I went from God until they cried from in me “Oh thou I”.

12. Excepting Dvaita, all other Indian doctrines are Advaitic with an attribute. i.e. Visistadvaita, Dvaitadvaita, suddahaadvaita, sivadraita and saktadvaita etc. Sri C.N. Srivastava in his paper entitled “Nature of Laplaces’ universal formula in the light of Vedanta presented at global conference of Mathematical Physics - 1987, asserts that the vedantic Brahman satisfies all the conditions of universal formula that is now propounded by Modern Mathematical Physics.

13. Benefits - Belief and cultivation of Advaitic spirit is a panacea for all the evils of this world. An Advaitic will not frown upon any one. He hates no one, but views all this world as Brahman yatra sarvam atmaivaabhut, tatra ku nu kam dvihyat?

            Trayi imayi Sarvatra Eko visnuh, Nvardham kupyasi mayyasa hishnuh.

“There is only one Vishnu in both of us. Being intolerant you in vain frown upon me. A king at the time of coronation pledges “I rule the world with a view that all are Brahman”. Janaka and Rama were great philosophers. Sri Krishna says in the Gita that all great royal saints learnt Jnanayoga - so Advaitic outlook will contribute peace and happiness to mankind.