Vedanta (Vedānta) or Uttara Mīmāṃsā is one of the six schools of Sanatana Darsana. Vedanta literally means “end of Veda-s” bouquet of Prayatksa Pramana based on Sadhana-s undertaken by Rsi-s and Maharsi-s. Vedanta has never been a single doctrine of one Rsi or Maharsi, rather it has been doctrines reverberating around one fundamental concept comprising of Param Brahmatma, Atma/Jivatma and Prakriti. Param Brahmatma is the Supreme Absolute, Atma/Jivatma emanate from Param Brahmatma and merge into Him while Prakriti is the gross empirical aspect available to Atma/Jivatma as a means to strive and merge into Param Brahmatma. Several doctrines woven around the three, are all largely restricted to expound inter-relationships among these three entities. Seers discovered it to be impossible to describe Param Brahmatma or Atma as narrations thereof are accessible only in the absolute state of Cetana when no Jnanendriya or Karmendriya is able to function from that supreme state of existence. Out of several, only three are prominent ones around which all deliberations and arguments revolve.
Enunciated by Jagadguru Adi Samkaracarya, Advaita Vedānta espouses monism i.e. non-dualism. Param Brahmatma is regarded to be the absolute, immutable, eternal metaphysical reality, Purna in all respects and abode of Atma-s. Maya is the cosmic dance of Prakriti, entirely empirical and eternally mutable, exists within the Being of Param Brahmatma alone. To summarise, whatever exists in the name of existence, is the Supreme Entity i.e. Param Brahmatma Himself alone. It is the ultimate state of Cetana after which nothing else remains to be realised. Advaita Vedanta beholds and regards, every other entity is in reality, Param Brahmatma Himself immanent in every entity be that cause or effect thereof.
Propounded by Maharsi Madhavacarya, Dvaita is the stream of Vedanta Darsana that espouses the doctrine of dualism. Herein Param Brahmatma and Atma are assumed to be eternally different and individually identifiable. While Param Brahmatma is perfect in all respects and immutable, it is Atma that must strive to attain perfection and strive to remain perfect eternally, then entirely dedicate itself unto Param Brahmatma for ultimate emancipation from Maya of Prakriti i.e. Moksa and be blissed eternally. Complete dedication unto Him is the institution of Bhakti. It is only by the pleasure and sanctification of Param Brahmatma that one attains Bhakti, then Moksa. In other words, Bhakti leads to Moksa i.e. devotee superimposes Supreme Cetana of Param Brahmatma upon his own Cetana to be a Bhakta. While remaining different from Param Brahmatma, Bhakta continues to exist within Him eternally immersed in Ananda i.e. divine bliss. The erudite Seer maintained both qualitative and quantitative pluralism of Atma-s in the doctrine of Dvaita albeit the Seer always referred to it as Tattvavada i.e. Darsana of Reality.
Expounded by Maharsi Ramanujacarya, Visistadvaita is essentially a modified version of the Darsana of Advaita with unique manifests. Herein Param Brahmatma has attributes illusory and transient albeit all attributes converge into Param Brahmatma i.e. The Absolute One. Even Saguna Brahma is vested in Nirguna Brahma being one of attributes. Visistadvaita concurs with Samkhya doctrine when it comes to relationship of Param Brahmatma with Prakriti. Like Param Brahmatma, Prakriti and its modifications too are eternal and real endowed with a sense of absoluteness in constancy of modifications. Prakriti and its Maya may be regarded as body of Param Brahmatma analogous to Jivatma. Bhakti of Saguna Brahma is the path for a Jivatma to be ultimately emancipated from shackles of Maya and Prakriti. Through Visistadvaita, the great Seer consecrated qualitative monism of Param Brahmatma and quantitative pluralism of Prakrti while in Dvaita, it is qualitative and quantitative pluralism of Prakrti that are sacrosanct.
Narrated by Maharsi Vallabhacarya, doctrine of Suddhadvaita resolves entire universe real in the manifest of Sri Krsna. Even Prakriti is yet another manifestation of Param Brahmatma i.e. Sri Krsna. Only path to Sri Krsna is unqualified, seamless Bhakti as a potent measure of dissolution of Ahamkara.
What we behold among these doctrines is that these revolve around Bhedabheda i.e. difference and absence of it. Bhagirathi of Vedanta continued surging ahead and influenced streams of Vaisnavism, Saivism and Saktism too. Upanisad-s constitute centrality of the wisdom of Vedanta also known as Uttara Mimamsa with Purva Mimamsa being narration of Karmakanda. Later, Brahma Sutra-s and Srimadbhagvadgita too were included into the core of Vedanta. Brahma-Sutra Darsana journeyed through infinity of time to be regarded as the main text of Vedanta though it does not propose or expose either Advaita/Visistadvaita or even Dvaita.
Advaita and Visistadvaita differ only in one aspect, beholding the Reality from two ends of the same telescope !! Advaita asserts, it is One and One alone irrespective of any attribute or manifest whatsoever while Visistadvaita asserts, whatever attributes and manifests exist, are again, already included in the One and One alone. Contrarian view of Dvaita is that the Absolute Truth is binary in structure and one is means to attain the other albeit both are independent entities and eternal. Doctrine of Dvaita provides definition of religion with exactitude of the highest order i.e. all activities directed towards attainment of Param Brahmatma with the means/instrumentality of Jada, is in fact religion. Other than these, may be dubbed merely as life-styles !!
Question likely to agonise a Mumuksu i.e. seeker is, which doctrine out of these may be regarded as stating the truth and upto what extent. In reality, the complex issue cannot afford an absolute state of position with respect to doctrines of Dvaita, Advaita and Visistadvaita or even Suddhadvaita for that matter. All these doctrines are deeply interconnected, intensely intertwined and inseparably discernible within the ambit of Vedanta. Analogy with a vibrant ocean very well drives home the rigmarole to its logical conclusion. If Param Brahmatma is like an ocean holding infinite quantum of Cetana, He is Sava i.e. absolutely serene and tranquil at the core while Sakti i.e. on surface, turbulent with ripples of attributes and manifests. All these attributes and manifests merge and emerge eternally with respect to the infinite cosmic ocean of Cetana like waves and surfs on surface of water and seashore. Now whether He appears as the Absolute One or Absolute One with attributes and manifests, is a matter of wisdom, cognition or conjecture of the beholder aspiring to dive into it to attain the core of serene absoluteness transcending turbulence on surface. Ostensibly, with the means of Sakti, by transcending eternally existing Sakti, follower of Advaita attains Sava. Now an erudite proponent of Dvaita would dive into the cosmic ocean of Cetana to arrive at the core of Supreme Absoluteness adorned with accou’tremont bare enough to survive and achieve the goal of Param Brahmatma with the means of a manifest of Prakrti as the ‘bare accou’tremont’. An ascetic of Visistadvaita may select a manifest of Param Brahmatma as his adorable personal deity to pursue Sadhana to attain Param Brahmatma with the instrumentality of the same personal deity selected. A Suddhadvaiti is at liberty to reject all those means and instrumentalities, rely on Bhakti of the supreme entity of Sri Krsna, first and foremost to be attained to Param Brahmatma. And with all these possibilities of cosmic plunge, a Mumuksu of Param Brahmatma standing on the shore of Absolute Cetana beholds entire cosmic endeavour as one single phenomenon entirely focused on the Absolute Entity alone including a battery of Mumuksu-s striving to be emancipated into it by various means. To the Mumuksu, it is plurality of paths that is inconsequential as what is consequential is the ultimate abode. Thus we conclude, all streams of Vedanta Darsana are inseparably intertwined, mutually inclusive and Vedanta is all encompassing.
Those three Rsi-s Adi Samkaracarya, Ramanujacarya and Madhavacarya are one of the greatest Seers in world history. Together they were analogous to three tines of Bhagavana Sivas Trisula (Trident) converging into Siva, The Absolute One.
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