What is Advaita

In the following video Sri Mani Dravida Shastrigal has presented a very lucid introduction to the philosophy of Advaita as propounded by Sri AcharyA Shankara.

Dr.S.Srinivasan Endowment Lecture on "Advaitam-An Introduction" by Dr. Mani Dravid Shastrigal

Here are some of the main points:

1. Advaita is primarily the non-duality of the essential Atman or the Self that is there in all.
2. Those who don’t believe in God identify the Self with the body.
3. Those who believe in God, will identify the self, body and God as different and real.
4. All VedAntins agree that God as the paramAthma, is Advaita – one without a second
5. Dvaita holds that the Brahman / Ishwara is different from the self / jiva and jagat.
6. VishishtAdvaita holds that Brahman/Ishwara is inseparably one with self / jiva and jagat.
7. There are many VishishtAdvitas – like Vishnu VishishtAdvaita, Shiva VishishtAdvaita and so on – but ultimately, they are Advaita only without denying the reality of Dvaita / jagat.
8. But Dvaita appears to be just opposed to Advaita.
9. Advaita holds that:
• The self is neither the enjoyed/bhOgyam/jada nor the enjoyer/bhoktA/jiva.
• The Brahman/ParamAthma as the unqualified witnessing Self alone exists or real.
• Everything else other than this Brahman / Self is false or does not exist.
10. Advaita alone truly gives the meaning of Veda/shruti as follows:
• Shantam Shivam Advaitam chaturtham manyante sa AtmA
•  jnyAte Dvaitam na vidyate
•  B.Gita also identifies the Self as kshetragya and all kshetra as false.
• Atman alone is real. There is no anAtma jagat at all.
11. All other non-advaitic schools are not teaching the above true meaning of Vedas / shruthi.
12. Advaita still accepts the existence of “bhAvaroopa ajnyAna” or the primordial ignorance because of which duality is experienced in transaction by even Advaita teachers. But this will disappear upon attainment of the Advaita Brahman

Here are some observations with the sole intent to reconcile all VedAntic schools:

1. Point #10 above proves that Advaitins are dvaitins when it comes to vyavahAra. Advaitic Brahman always remains as the ground of the dualistic jagat!
2. In fact, there is no clearcut line that divides Advaita, Dvaita, vishishtAdvaita. The non-dual Brahman as the inner Self of all, is the connecting link that unites all of them.
3. All Vedantins accept Ishwara as the SarvAntaryAmi paramAtma– indwelling ultimate Self.
4. If Ishwara is the Self then jagat exists as His body.
5. The difference and inseparable oneness between atman and shareera is undeniable.
6. The antaryAmi brAhmaNa of the BruhadAraNyaka Upanishad explicitly teaches every entity in jagat as Brahman’s body
7. Actually, Acharya Shankara also accepts Brahma shareera while explaining the unbroken line of guru-shishya Parampara.
8. The name dvaita is built into the name Advaita. It is hard to imagine any other name for Advaita without Dvaita.
9. The difference between mithya and satya must be accepted by all, including Advaitins.
10. The non-dual Self that is taught in the Mandukya is the SarvAtma / Self of all where all names/forms are included and transcended. It is actually the source/abode/destination of everything.
11. It is the same Self / Ishwara / Narayana who is established in all – Sarva bhutastham ekam narayanam.
12. jnyAte Dvaitam na vidyate – simply means the worldly dualities like birth/death, joy/sorrow, kama/krodha and so on, will cease to exist for a jnAni who has attained the paramAtman.
13. But still, all names/forms arise/remain/returns back to the all-pervading Self.
14. The self/existence of the jiva/jagat is not outside the Self/existence of nArAyana.
15. The self is limited by non-self. But Brahman has no limitation. This proves that Brahman is other than the self/jiva and is the self of the anAtma prakrithi also.
16. That is the reason Brahma sutra advises to do Brahma drushti in anAtma / prateeka (as opposed to atma Drishti)
17. The entire jagat exists in the self and the self in Brahman.
18. In the pot-space example, Jagat is the pot and Brahman is the space that is inside and outside the pot. Whether the pot is intact or broken, the mud will continue to exist in space.
19. The pot-mud example also proves Brahman as the Self is the material and efficient cause for the body/jagat.
20. In the rope snake example, there is difference between the seer and the rope/snake.
21. The jagat will bring sorrow when seen as an object of enjoyment. But when it is seen as Ishwara himself, it will protect and sustain the jiva.
22. Brahman exists in Advaitin, Dvaitins, VishishtAdvaitins and in all beings whatever may be their world view.
23. The Kshetra-Kshetragnya relation taught in the B.Gita also establishes the body-soul relation that obtains between Jagat and Ishwara/Brahman.
24. Though VishishtAdvaita in general supports, all kinds of theistic schools like Shiva, Devi and so on, identification or existence of all such name/form/deities culminates in Vishnu who is everywhere.
25. The vedAntic Self or Brahman, is all pervading and indwelling in all name/forms and this meaning is explicitly captured in the name nArAyaNa. There is support for this in Vedas, B.Gita and Sri Shankara bhAshya.
26. Ultimately all names point to the indwelling Self that is shining in All. But it is the sarvAtma or the Self of the universe and so there is a need to identify and accept the entire universe as the body of Ishwara.
27. Atman is the source/abode/destination of jagat. Atman is Truth and Jagat is Dharma.
28. Wherever there is Truth there is Dharma and that alone reveals Truth.

The above is true VedAnta that fosters mutual respect. People who do not SEE Brahman in others (anAtma prakruthi) cannot claim to be VedAntins.

 Namaste

Suresh