Advaita, Dvaita and VishishtAdvaita

Advaita:

Brahman alone is absolutely real and the world of duality is an illusion and the jiva or the individual self is verily Brahman. This non-dual Brahman due to the power of mAya appears as this universe comprising of multifarious forms of jiva, jada and Ishwara.

This Advaitic or non-dual Brahman is nirvishesha, nirguna and nirAkara - attributeless, devoid of characteristics and formless. Brahman is accepted to be nimittOpAdAna kAraNa - material and efficient cause for the world.

Advaita also says "sakalam idam aham cha vAsudevaha" - everything including the self is vAsudeva or God or Brahman. So essentially it is the ideal view where the all pervading universal impersonal Self alone is identified as the eternally real Brahman. The world of duality is accepted to be relatively real or vyavaharika satya and is said to be unreal upon attainment of Brahman or moksha or liberation, which is already there! The world is also looked upon as a reflection of the Brahman/Self.

Sri Adi Shankara is the primary AchArya in the Advaita tradition.

Dvaita:

Brahman is real and the world of duality and variety is also real. Brahman is Narayana who is full of auspicious attributes and is only a nimitta kArana or efficient cause for the world.

Brahman is svatantra - independent and the world of jiva and jada are paratantra (or dependent on Brahman).

Brahman, jiva and jada are absolutely different and there is no identity or equality between any of them. But there is only similarity.

The following five differences or pancha-bheda, are absolutely real:
Brahman and jiva
Brahman and Jada
Jiva and Jada
Jiva and Jiva
Jada and Jada

Jada/Prakriti/inanimate objects are of three types: sattva, rajas and tamas.

Jivas/individual souls are of three types - sAttvika, rAjasika and tAmasika. There is difference and gradation among all these types of jivas.

sAttvikas are eligible for moksha which could be attained only through the grace of Vishnu which is obtained through true bhakti sAdhana or devotional practice in the tAratamya tradition where all devatas are worshiped according to their hierarchical positions, finally  culminating in the supreme God Vishnu.

rAjasikas are always bound to the samsAra and tAmasikAs are destined to end up in eternal hell.

jIvas experience of Ananda or bliss in moksha varies and depends on the capacity or svaroopa of each jiva. Brahman's Ananda alone is infinite and the Ananda of jivas are finite and hierarchical.

Brahman Narayana is sarvottama (best of all) and vAyu devata or Sri MadhvachArya who is the primary AcArya in the dvaita tradition, is jIvOttaama (best among the jivas).


V.Advaita:

Three realities of Ishwara/Brahman, jIva and jada are accepted. Ishwara / Brahman is both nimitta (efficient) and upAdAna (material) kAraNa (cause) for the world of jIva and jada.

Ishwara / Brahman is srIman nArAyaNa. Lakshmi or mAya and nArAyaNa or Ishwara are inseparable and form one single reality or tattva of Brahman.

Brahman and the world are related as Self and body. As the world/body has no existence apart from the Self, and as the body is supported/sustained/used by the Self, Brahman is the
material and efficient cause for the world.

Brahman as the sole cause pervades the world which is in the form of effect. This is another reason for the material causality of Brahman. But still Brahman and the world are different
but inseparable and integrally one.

Jada prakriti has three modes - Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. jIvas are of three types : baddha (bound in samsara), mukta (bound in the past but liberated now) and nitya (ever liberated).

All jIvas are essentially equal in savaroopa or intrinsic nature which is made of knowledge and bliss (dharma bhoota jnyAna). But this jIva svaroopa in samsAra gets limited according to the individual karma resulting in the differences and hierarchy in the world. All jivas are eligible for mOksha or liberation.

Moksha is attained through Bhakti/SharaNAgati (surrender) to the Supreme Brahman Sriman Narayana performed through surrender / service to once own AchArya (Spritual preceptor). The ananda or bliss in moksha for the jIva would be infinite and equal to that of Brahman nArAyaNa. The example of an iron piece acquiring the properties of a magnet when it is attached to the magnet, is given to illustrate the equality and difference in Ananda between Brahman and the liberated jiva.

Ishwara / Brahman / srIman nArayaNa as the sole cause and the world (of jiva/jada) as the effect, are inseparably related as the Self/Soul and body, respectively. The soul is always the master and the body always serves the soul. So this relationship brings out the svaroopa of Brahman as the master/owner/supporter/controller and the jIva svaroopa as the eternal servant or shEsha of Brahman - who is the shEshI, one who possesses or owns the shEshi.
Sri rAmAnuja is the primary AchArya in the V.Advaita or SriVaishnava tradition.

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In Advaita Brahman is the independent absolute Self of all. In Dvaita, Brahman is independent and the world is dependent. In V.Advaita, Brahman is the Self and the world is the body, which is absolutely dependent on the Self. So this Self-body relationship which is explicitly stated in the Veda and recognized in V.Advaita satisfies the basic tenets of both Advaita and Dvaita.

Advaita is based on the statements called aikya vakyas in the Veda that establish the oneness of the world with Brahman. Dvaita is based on the bheda vakyas that establish the difference. V.Advaita is based on ghataka vAkyas that establish the inseparable or integral oneness of Brahman with the world.

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Advaita, V.Advaita and Dvaita appears to be opposed to each other. Apparently this is true but in reality they are not. This is because they all accept Veda / Upanishad, Gita and Brahma sUtra as pramANa and Brahman as the ultimate meaning. Brahman is also accepted to be non-dual, all pervading and as the antaryAmi Atma - indwelling Self of all.

All differences are with regard to the nature of the world. Dvaita and V.Advaita accept the world to be real. But in Advaita the world is unreal in the absolute sense. The world is accepted as relatively real. But it is interesting to note that Advaitic Brahman remains unaffected even when the world is taken to be dependently real. The Advaitic Brahman as the universal Self alone is identified through the world based on sAmAnAdhikaraNya!

Interestingly the same Advaitic non-dual absolute all-pervading reality / existence / Self, when divided by or seen through the lens of guna of prakriti, yields division of jIvas as per Dvaita - sAttvika, rAjasa and tAmasa. The same reality when divided by the three modes of time - past, present and future, yields V.Advaitic division of jIvas as baddha, mukta and nityas.

In Advaita, the world is taken to be vivarta or reflection of Brahman, or the Self. In Dvaita, the jiva/world is pratibimba or reflection and it is also the upAdhi or the medium.  In V.Advaita, the world is the body and Brahman is the indwelling Self. The body can also be looked upon as a reflection of the Self as it's nature or characteristics is opposed to

the original. So the Vedic teaching that Brahman is the antaryAmi or the indwelling Self and the world is its reflection/body is common for all.

So, these three Vedic traditions are not water tight compartments. The tenets of one could be interpreted so that it is compatible and valid in others also. For instance, the divisions of jivas, based on the three gunas, is valid in V.Advaita in the embodied state and the V.Advaitic division based on kala/time should be valid in Dvaita also in the liberated state. Lakshmi, shesha, garuda and so on are accepted as ever liberated or nityas in Dvaita

also. All these should be valid in Advaita also as vyAvarika satya or transactional reality, for which the Brahman/Self always remains as a witness. This will be true until the paramArtha is attained.

Interestingly, when the entire world is looked upon as the manifestation or body of Brahman then all kinds of world views based on Veda/Vedanta should get reconciled! Non-Vedic views either gets digested or eliminated as the entire universe turns out to be One singal integral reality.

Some more analysis:

Brahman is Advaita (non-dual) and jagat or body is Dvaita (dual). They exist in each other or in other words their existence coincide. This is common for all traditions. So it follows that there is Advaita in Dvaita and vice versa also.

But jagat or mAyA is real in Dvaita/V.Advaita and illusory or ultimately unreal in the Advaita. Whether the dualistic world is real or not, Advaitic truth remains unaffected as all dualities are cognized in the light of Brahman or consciousness which is always non-dual. So, they all come together when Brahman is looked upon as the SarvAntaryAmi - all pervading, indwelling spirit-Self of the universe.

Q:
As per Dvaita the famous mahAvAkya "AtmAtattvamasi" is split as "AtmA + atat + tvamasi". This is opposed to the Advaitic interpretation of "AtmA + tat + tvamasi". So how is this reconciled?

A:
"AtmA + atat + tvamasi" when interpreted as "AtmA + is not that (which is something else) + but you" gives Advaita. This is how it should be as Brahman is the Atma or the Self of the entire world including the jiva who is a shareera of Brahman. The fact that the jiva is the shareera or body dependent on Brahman as the Self, is explicitly taught in the Veda (antaryAmi brAhmana) - "yasya atma shareeram".

In Dvaita it is also interpreted as AtmA tat tvam tadadheenOsi. Meaning - Atma is that (Brahman) and you are dependent on that. This establishes Brahman as the universal AtmA or Self. and the jiva as the body is dependent on Him. So they all get reconciled in the fact that Brahman is the non-dual Atma or the inner Self.

As Brahman is sarva (everything) there is nothing that is not Brahman. So even the atat vastu is Brahman based on sAmAnAdhikaraNya.

Also, atat + tvamasi" helps in the non-identification with the body self. It also helps to eliminate ahankAra (ego), mamkAra (possessiveness), kartrutva (doership/jivatva) and bhoktrutva (enjoyership/Ishwaratva).

So both tatvamasi and atatvamasi helps to isolate the indwelling Brahman.

Q:
Does it mean that Advaita is ultimate and there is no jagat or Dvaita?

A:
No. The point is Advaita and Dvaita and V.Advaita all lead to the same Brahman or ParamAtma - established as the inner Self of all. Acceptance of the world as the body or dependent reality should not affect the Advaitic or non-dual nature of Brahman. The real Self or "I" in all is universal Brahman. All the many jIvas are rooted in that.

Brahman is accepted as the indwelling spirit Self of the world in all the schools. Even though the world is real in Dvaita and V.Advaita, it is still accepted to be impermanent and full of suffering. The attainment of Brahman is by withdrawing oneself from the world of duality (dvandva like enjoyment-suffering, birth-death so on..) and entering into or residing in or attaining that supreme Self or Brahman who is within and everywhere. Every individual self has to give up and realize that everything is rooted in the supreme Self which is the Self of the universe. That is the reason total withdrawal of senses and mind and turning them inwards in brahmacharya and tapasya is valid in all traditions.

So philosophically, it is the same non-dual or Advaitic Brahman situated as the all pervading and indwelling Self who is deep within all of us is attained through Advaita, Dvaita and V.Advaita.

Q: Jivas are intrinsically different in Dvaita, equal in V.Advaita and non-dual or alone in Advaita. How can this be reconciled?

A: It all depends on how one looks at the reality.

Intrinsic difference among jivas is very obvious from the point of view of the body. So even Advaitins and V.Advaitins have to accept this prameya or truth of Dvaita in the embodied state.

As the same Brahman is completely present in all, the equality among jivas as per V.Advaita also gets established which cannot be denied by any Vedantic school.

When Brahman is experienced as the absolute indwelling Self similar to what is experienced in the deep sleep state, the Advaitic or the non-dual and kaivalya or "aloneness" or "oneness" or "merger" of everything with Brahman gets established. This supreme Self
encompasses everything. So it cannot have any opposition.

The nature of Brahman therefore can never be put in words or even imagined. The knower alone has to discover it within himself.


Q:
Brahman is saguna and sAkAra in Dvaita and nirguna and nirAkAra in Advaita. So how can this be reconciled?

A:
There is Vedic pramANa to support both forms of Brahman. The essential Self without a body/name/form is actually nirguna. As an entity that is denoted by All name/forms/bodies it is saguna. Brahman as the inner Self is nirguna and Vishwaroopi Brahman manifesting as this universe is saguna.

Sri AdiShankara has explicitly accepted the oneness of both in his brahma sUtra bhAshya. Saguna sAkAra Brahman Sriman nArAyaNa is accepted as vibhu or infinite and so can never be fully known is accepted in Dvaita and V.Advaita.

Nirguna and NirAkAra which means that which is attribute-less and formless could also be interpreted as nirasta sakala guna and AkAra meaning that which surpasses all attributes and forms. Opposites come together in the universal sense. Brahman is both mruthyu and
amruta. All depends on how one approaches it and ultimately the knower alone knows. It is impossible to put in words the true nature of Brahman established as the inner Self. This nirguNa nirAkAra which is of the nature of pure jyAna or consciousness is identified as Shiva in the vedAdi shAstras. As it is sarvanAmavAchya (denoted by all names/forms) and an entity present in all, it is nArAyaNa also.

So philosophically, Advaita and Dvaita are not opposed but complimentary to each other. Infact both the views are integrated by V.Advaita and all of them converge in the Brahman established as the inner Self of all supporting the entire universe as it's body.

The reality of Brahman as the Self is not affected by the existence or non-existence of the world as the body. But the "reality" or existence of the world as the body absolutely dependent on the indwelling Brahman should be acceptable to all, at least in vyavahAra as it is experiential and supported by scriptural teaching. There is a need to study all the three
major schools of Vedanta - Advaita, Dvaita and V.Advaita in order to get a complete understanding of Brahman.

All vedAntic darshanas are like different snAna ghattas for the same ganga of Brahman!

More detailed analysis on this topic is available
in the Universal Vedic view.

Namaste

Suresh
Namaste
Suresh