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Space established by inference (Anumāna). These Vedāntins controvert this position also and point out that Space is an object of our visual perception; where the eyes are inoperative, it is the soul that intuits Space. Space, according to these absolutist philosophers of the Vedānta school, is not eternal nor self-existent, it is a Kārya or product. THE VEDĀNTA VIEW EXAMINED
In this way, the Vedāntists, opposed as they are to any doctrine admitting the reality of anything beside the Brahma, reject the doctrine of real Space. But the Vedānta contention need not be taken very seriously. For, even according to the Vedānta, next to Brahma, the absolutely Real, Akāśa or Space is the very first of the derivative realities. The Vedāntins admit that so far as our Vyavahārika Jagat or the world of our sensuous experience is concerned, Ākāśa or Space is a Real. It is the Buddhists who are stout in their opposition to the theory of Real Space and it is interesting to find the greatest of the Vedānta exponents, viz. Sankara and Rāmānuja vehemently criticising their theory. THE BUDDHIST VIEW OF SPACE: EXAMINED BY SANKARA
The Buddhist looked upon Akāśa as Sūnya, Nirūpākhya and Avastu i.e. unsubstantial and unreal. According to them, it is Abaraņābhāva or negation of occupation. It is practically a total void, which is occupied by nothing. The great Sankara has criticised this negative theory of Ākāśa, put forward by the Buddhists. In the first place he quotes the Vedic texts which admit the reality of Ākāśa. He quotes also the Buddhist texts such as :
पृथिवी भगवन् किंसंनिश्रयां ? वायुः किंसंनिश्रया ?
वायुराकाशः किंसंनिश्रयाः where it is admitted that Vāyu or Air has Ākāśa for its support; this shows that even according to the Buddhists, it is a Real.
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