Namaste,
From the Vedic Hindu point of view - all other non-Vedic mata or religion or world views are nothing but reflections or watered down version of Hindu dharma only. Their existence have two-fold purpose. One to attract existing dumb followers who are not spiritually or intellectually evolved or matured enough to appreciate and practice the rigors of Vedic Hindu dharma and the other is to mislead asuras or haters of Vedic dharma.
Either way, non-Vedic views provide a good purva paksha or challenges, for those who seriously follow Vedic dharma, thereby keeping them sharp and steadfast in establishing their Siddhanta / philosophical position and sadhana / practice of dharma, by overcoming or refuting all such challenges.
Of course, there are differences in the world views, within the followers of Vedic Hindu dharma also, but they are all different ways of seeing the same Non-dual Truth of SarvAntaryAmi Brahman or ParamAtma – established as the all-pervading and indwelling Self of all. Though the individual followers may disagree, all such Vedantic views overlap and complement each other. They are all aligned with the Vedic teaching that God/Brahman is established as the inner Self of all and the way to attain Him is through the path of dharma alone. Only Vedic view that accepts the entire universe as the body of God who is established as the inner Self of all, cannot have any self-contradiction.
On the other hand, all non-Vedic world views, that do not accept God or Brahman as the inner spirit Self of all, supporting and sustaining the universe as his body, will have self-contradictions and fall into the category of adharma or false religion.
Here is a high-level synopsis of all such major non-Vedic and Vedic views:
Bouddha (could also be called as nAsthika mohana shAstra):
As it helps to attract and spiritualize chAruvAkas or atheists who do not accept Veda or Ishwara or God. It also indirectly helps rajasic/tamasic
humans to tone down and take to non-violence. But it has self-contradiction as
it denies reality to everything which includes its own teaching. In-fact it
indirectly supports Advaita Vedanta as the denier of everything cannot deny
himself.
Jaina view also, falls into the same category as they do not accept Veda or Ishwara or God who perades and indwells in all. But they accept the existence of soul that indwells in every body which is actually a miniature Ishwara or ruler/owner/controller/sustainer of the body.
But both Bouddha and Jaina view accept dharma which is of the nature of truth, sacrifice and non-violence. Those who get attracted to such world views would at least practice truthfulness and non-violence that helps in their spiritual evolution and sustenance of the world.
(Non-traditional) Advaita could also be called asura mohana shAstra:
As it helps to attract and spiritualize those who mis-interpret or accept only the Self as real and deny any reality to dharma, yagya, devatas, brAhmanAs and varNAshrama dharma.
Such non-traditional
advaitin’s have Self-contradiction as it is impossible to deny bheda / difference between atma/anAtma (self and non-self/body/universe) and the relationship of Dharma that obtains between them, in the transactional world. If the embodied self is considered as God, it leads to the - “I am God” mentality which is
ignorance to the core and is nothing but Asuric / Atheistic view.
But Traditional Advaitins are safe as they accept
Veda/Ishwara as the inner Self of the universe and Varnashrama dharma as a service to Ishwara as valid in vyavahAra. They also accept, Dharma/Yagya/Ishwara bhakti as
the only means to eliminate ignorance, leading to the attainment or realization of the Advaitic Brahman/Atman.
(Non-traditional) V.Advaita could also be called Nara mohana shAstra:
As it helps to attract all humans based on the teaching of spiritual equality thereby taking spirituality and religion to all downtrodden humans.
But non-traditional or incorrect understanding of V.Advaitic equality might lead to the wrong understanding that jiva (soul) and Ishwara (God) are also equal in all respects. It can also lead to the false understanding that anybody can engage in any profession ignoring bodily differences, thereby eroding varnashrama dharma.
In-fact the relationship of body and soul between the world and God helps to justify VarnAshrama dharma as every different part of the body has its own role or work to perform. But though the roles are different they are neither high or low as they all culminate in the service of the indwelling soul / God.
This wrong notion of material equality or outcome in the transactional world is the root of
Communism which is another form of Asuric view, that tends to break all traditions, family and structures in human
society.
Other non-Brahmic (Abrahamic??) world views also subscribe to this wrong notion of equality in creation and so tend to collude with Communists as it helps their agenda of breaking traditional Vedic Hindu society.
(Non-traditional) Dvaita could also be called Sura mOhana shAstra:
As it helps to attract suras/devatas/satvikas based on the teaching of the supremacy of Ishwara/Vishnu as sarvottama, in the light of tAratamya or gradation that is materially seen in all sentient and insentient entities. The teaching of pancha bheda of Dvaita goes very well with pratyaksha or material reality. But taking this tAratamya to the core could lead to disunity due to non-cognition of the spiritual equality and unity due to the presence of the same Brahman or God in all. This would make suras's egoistic thereby making them fight among each other for supremacy making them vulnerable to attacks from asuras / adharmic views. Vedas and Puranas have many such stories of asuras defeating suras due they becoming weak due to infighting among themselves.
But ultimately Suras always win over Asuras as they are intrinsically devotees of Vishnu, who will protect them.
Ideally, spiritual and religious teaching, in addition to recognizing material differences and gradation, should help one to transcend worldly dualities like enjoyment and suffering, personified as suras and asuras and land us in equanimity due to the cognition of Brahman/Ishwara in all and within oneself and everything.
Reconciliation of all Vedic views :
As no Vedantic darshana is perfect in itself, there is a need to integrate all of them, predominantly the idealistic and realistic views, by looking upon the entire world as the body/reflection/pratibimba of Brahman established as the essential Self of all. Acceptance of Brahman as the AntaryAmi Atma / Self and the world as God's body, which is explicitly taught in the Veda, seems to unite all the particular schools of vedanta.
The non-duality of the Universal Self and the spiritual equality of all beings due to the presence of the same Brahman in all and the absolute dependence of all the many different beings on God/Brahman established as the universal Self, cannot be denied by anyone accepting Veda as a valid pramANa. The absolute dependence on the universe for our existence cannot be denied by anyone, irresepective of their world view, as it is very much experiential.
As a consequence, all non-Vedic/adhArmic views/religions that do not accept the entire universe or cosmos as the body or personality of God – have self-contradiction and goes against the universal Vedic view which is very much experiencial.
Namaste
Suresh
