World of Philosophy

SR No.: 007005
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Christopher Key Chapple, Intaj Malek, Dilip Charan, Sunanda Shastri, Prashant Dave
Publisher: Shanti Prakashan
Publication Year: 2011
Total Pages: 1002
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 30 MB

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intricate metaphysical, theological and epistemological problems. It is regarded as a best of prose work in early Gujarati literature. Written in the dialogue cum discourse form. It develops its ideas without criticizing the views of the earlier Acāryas.
Like any system of Vedanta, Swāminārāyaṇa's Vedānta philosophy deals with three basic questions, namely, Tattva (What is Real?) Hita (What is Good?) and Puruñārtha (What is the Goal?)
śri Swaminārāyaṇa's Navya-Viśiñöādvaita Vedanta and its cognate religious practice may be traced to the upaniñadic doctrine of sarira-sariri relationship and ancient school of Bhagwata-dharma.
As against the the three realities of Ramanuja's Viśiñöädvaita, (viz. cid, acid and Iśvara) śri Swaminārāyaṇa holds the doctrine of five eternal realities viz. (i) Parabrahman i.e. the Supreme Self also identified as the Lord Nārāyaṇa (ii) Akñara-brahman, (iii) Prakriti-māyā (iv) Iśvara i.e. cosmic selves (devatās) and (v) Jiva i.e. finite selves. The doctrine of five-fold realities, he arrives at, on the basis of his study of Prasthāna- trayi, Smrutis, Purāņas, Pāïcarātra and philosophical reflection backed by veridical intuitive experience. His is realism, for it believes in the reality of the external world, and the five-fold ontological entities as real and distinct from eternit.
The 'beinghood' (sat-tva), knowability (jïeyatva) and nameability (abhidheypitva) are the characteristics common to all the five principles/ realities (namely, jiva,iśvara,māyā-prkḥti, akñrabrahman and Parabrahman). But for māyā-prakrti the other four (jiva,iśvara, akñrabrahman and Parabrahman) possess existence (sat), consciousness (cid) and (ānanda) as the common characteristics in addition to self illuminationess (svayamprakāśatva). In addition, consciouness (cetanatva) illuminationess (svayamprakāśatva) selfhood (ahamartha) and agency (karthtva) are the characteristics common to all four of them.
self
In Navya-Viśiñöädvaita of Swāminārāyaṇa, God is the Absolute, and the Absolute is God. Metaphysics and theism go hand in hand and both of them refer to the same ultimate. It, thus, accepts the form-ful personal God, Who is the only independent (svatantra) supreme reality. The other reals being entirely dependent on Him, stand in the relationship of a body to its soul (saréra-saréri sambandha). Parabrahma is the non-dual-all-embracing qualified whole. The plurality of jivas, plurality of iśvaras, changeful order of Nature (prakḥti) and ever unchanging akñara-brahman are the part and parcel of His body.
Changefulness does not make anything unreal, for it has no existence independently apart from Him. The dependence is irrevocable but not reciprocal. The relation of God as the all ensouling Self (Paramātmā) to His
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