________________
JUNE 2014
PRABUDDH JEEVAN
47
THE GLORIOUS DARŠANAS
BY: ATISUKHSHANKAR TRIVEDI
CHAPTER - VI : VEDĀNTA (Cont.) The Doctrine of Brahman : Sankara's Meta-phys- According to Vedānta, the One appears as the Many, ics : In Sankara's metaphysics the Brahman is the UI- the One Cause as the Many Being: it is Vivartavāda timate Reality, It is experienced in different ways. It is as different from the Sānkhya-Yoga Pariņāmavāda in the Primordial Light, the Source of all Lights. Its is the which the effect is the transformation or real developunknowable origin of the Existent, Pure Existence, Pure ment of the cause. Intelligence. Pure Bliss. It is free from all evil, free from Different Sankarite followers try to explain in differall casuality and affliction. Cosmically, it is the very smallent ways the cause of the world-appearance. Only and the very great: it is Joy, it is Amplitude. The Brahman is reality, and the world is a mere deprivaVedāntist has no gloomy ascetism, he has the hopeful tion of that. How does this arise? One veiw, that of consciousness of Unity with God -the Brahman: That Pakäśäman Akhandānanda is that Brahman in assoart Thou (a CCHE 314), "Brahman is the Self; it is Soul in ciation with Māvā is the cause of the world-appearance; deep sleep. But like as in yon space a falcon or an i.e.. when Māvā is linked with Brahman, the latter beeagle, after he has hovered, wearily folds his pinions, comes Tsvara, and īśvara is the Vivarta causal matter and sinks to rest, thus also hastens the spirit to that of the world. Here Māvā becomes a Sakti or energy of condition in which, sunk to sleep, he feels no more Isvara. Others distinguish between Māyā as cosmic facdesire, nor beholds any more dreams. That is his form tor of illusion, and Avidyā as manifestation of the same of being, wherein he is raised above longing, free from in the Individual Jiva. There are several other interpreevil and from fear."
tations of Māyā and Brahman. Māyā and Avidyā : The Phenomenality of the
Avidyā is the mantal fall from Intuition. The appearWorld: Māyā, Avidyā, the Vivartavāda, (Vedānta ance of the Brahman as the world is due to Avidyā just Theory of Causation): If the One is the real, the Many as that of the snake for a rope is due to defective cannot be, and so in Vedānta, the Brahman is the real, senses. When the rope as rope is seen, the snake disthe world therefore cannot be. Space, Time, and Cau- appears. Just so, when we see the Reality of Brahsality are only phenomenal. The world is Māyā or Illu- man, the appearance of the world disappears. sion, since it cannot be regarded as real. How is it re
Māyā and Avidyā are but the objective and subjeclated to the Brahman? Really, the question does not
tive sides of the same imperfection. As Brahman and arise. For an imaginary difficulty there can be no real
Atman are one, so are Māyā and Avidyā. When we solution; a relation implies two distincts, while in
look at the problem of the plurality of objects from the Sankara's philosophy there is only one distinct Real
objective side, it is Māyā When we look at it from the ity, the Absolute or Brahman. The word Māyā points to
subjective side, it is Avidyā. a gap in our knowledge and is the result of avidyā.
The doctrine of Avidyā at times suggests the wrong Māyā hangs on the Brahman and yet it does not
view that the world is a fiction, a creation of the human affect the Brahman. The process of causation accepted
mind. It should be noted that Sankara is far from it. by Sankara is that type of Satkāryavāda, which is
There are three grades of experiences: (A) Illusory : known as Vivartavāda as distinguished from
Prātibhāsika, (B) Phenomental or Vyāvahārika, and (C) Pariņāmavāda, i.e., the cause is that of which the per
Absolute or Paramarthika. The experience of the world version is the effect. Brahman is that of which the per
is of the (B) type and not of the (A) type. Since Brahversion is the World, e.g., as the snake is the perver
man is the basis of the world, it has a significance; theresion of the rope. Pariņāma or transformation is illus
fore it is unreal, but not imaginary, nor an illusion. trated by milk transformed into curds. Both milk and
The Advaitists and other Darśanas: curds belong to the same order of Reality, not so in snake and rope where the order of Reality is different.
Bādarāyana, and the Advaitists reject the other
