Are Advaita and Dvaita opposed to each other? - It may appear so but in reality, they are not!
But Advaita teaches tat tvamasi - you are that - and Dvaita teaches atat tvamasi - you are not that. How can they be the same?
Actually, both the views are complimentary. Traditional pundits may disagree but as all traditions accept the all pervading and indwelling Vedic truth of Brahman as non-dual and VarnAshrama-dharma as the means, both Advaita and Dvaita have to be taken together.
Tat tvamasi directly identifies atman as Brahman while atat tvamasi helps to eliminate ahankAra and Ishwara bhAva. It can also be said that tat tvamasi establishes lakshyartha while atat tvamasi helps to eliminate vAchyArtha. Sri ShankarAchArya himself clarifies that he is only teaching lakshyartha through tat tvamasi. He uses bAdhAyAm sAmAnAdhikarNya to arrive at the lakshyArtha.
The Advaitic mahAvAkyas would be true from the point of view of Ishwara established as the inner soul of All on whom the entire jagat or universe of sentient and insentient entities depend for existence.
What about VishishtAdvaita?
V.Advaita splits the sandhi as tat tvamasi only as in Advaita. But here there is no need to eliminate the vAchyArtha as the words tat and tvam both denotes Brahman only, indwelling as the inner Self of jada/prakrithi and jiva/chetana respectively, supporting both as it's body which has no separate identification. But the identification is said to be upAsanA sAmAnAdhikarNya.
V.Advaita helps to establish the integral nature of truth. In other words, it integrates Advaita and Dvaita by using the oneness and difference based on the body-soul relationship between universe and Brahman/God.
The whole point of Vedantic religion is to eliminate ahankAra that virtually divides God and Man. VedAntic God is sarvAtma - the soul of all. So, the entire universe is the body of God on whom all living beings depend absolutely for existence. Absolute dependence on the universe for our existence is very much experiential and undeniable.
If Varnashrama dharma is defined as performance of one’s prescribed duties as per one’s capability and capacity, as a service to the universe – then whatever may be the nature of work, it will culminate as a service to the indwelling God. All Vedantic views come together in this view of looking upon the entire universe as the body of God/Ishwara/Brahman.
Namaste
Suresh
