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The Nimbarka School of Philosophy
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but indifferent entities and are neither pleasurable nor painful (Vedānta-kaustubha-prabhā, III. 2. 12). The relation of God and the world is like that of a snake and its coiled existence. The coiled (kundala) condition of a snake is neither different from it nor absolutely identical with it. So God's relation with the individuals also is like that of a lamp and its light (prabha-tadvator iva) or like the sun and the illumination (prakāśa). God remains unchanged in Himself and only undergoes transformation through His energies as conscious (cic-chakti) and unconscious (acic-chakti)'. As the individuals cannot have any existence apart from Brahman, so the material world also cannot have any existence apart from him. It is in this sense that the material world is a part or constituent of God and is regarded as being one with God. But as the nature of the material world is different from the nature of God, it is regarded as different from Him2.
The Vedic duties of caste and stages of life are to be performed for the production of the desire of wisdom (vividiṣā), but once the true wisdom is produced there is no further need of the performance of the duties (Ibid. III. 4. 9). The wise man is never affected by the deeds that he performs. But though ordinarily the performance of the duties is helpful to the attainment of wisdom, this is not indispensable, and there are many who achieve wisdom without going through the customary path of caste duties and the duties attached to stages of life.
Controversy with the Monists by Madhava Mukunda.
(a) The Main Thesis and the Ultimate End in Advaita Vedanta are Untenable.
Madhava Mukunda, supposed to be a native of the village of Arunaghati, Bengal, wrote a work called Para-pakṣa-giri-vajra or Harda-sañcaya, in which he tried to show from various points of
1 ananta-guna-saktimato brahmaṇaḥ pariņāmi-svabhāvā-cic-chakteḥ sthūlāvasthāyām satyam tad-antara-tmatvena tatra'vasthāne'pi pariṇāmasya saktigatatvāt svarupe pariņāmā-bhāvāt kundala-dṛṣṭānto na doṣā-vahah aprthaksiddhatvena abhede' pi bheda-jñāpanā-rthaḥ. Vedānta-kaustubha-prabhā, III. 2. 29. 2jivavat prthak-sthity-anarha-viscṣaṇatvena acid-vastuno brahma-mśatvam visista-vastv-eka-deśatvena abheda-vyavahāro mukhyaḥ viseṣaṇa-viśeşyayoh svarupa-svabhāva-bhedena ca bheda-vyavahāro mukhyah. Ibid. 111. 2. 30.
