Traverses on Less Trodden Path of Indian Philosophy and Religion

Author(s): Yajneshwar S Shastri
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 53

Traverses on less trodden path...
It is entirely erroneous to suppose that Sankara treats the world as illusory or unreal. He does not dismiss the experiences of the world and worldly objects as absolutely unreal. The world characterised by diversity and change is not wholly unreal. He only shows that this world becomes ontologically less real when Brahman is realized. He rightly points out that the world of the waking state cannot be reduced to the level of dream objects, though it resembles dreams in certain respects. “An object will not lose it's real nature and aquire that of another, merely because it resembles that other in certain respects."55 This manyfold world is taken to be real as long as the essential unity of the Jiva with Brahman is not realized.86 As long as this unity with Brahman, the supporting ground of all phenomena is not realised, the world with all its difference is perfectly real. 57 When Sankara says that world is 'mithya' 58 it does not mean that the world is utterly unreal. This word is used by him to emphasize the ultimate unreality of the phenomenal world. It's existence is not denied but assigned to a lower ontological level. So long as we are in this world, we cannot take it to be unreal. It is a practical reality. When Sankara characterises the world as 'mithya', all that he means is that it is not ultimately real, though it appears to be real for all practical purposes. This world is not absolutely real as it is sublated in a still higher experience. When Brahman consciousness arises the reality of the empirical would suffers contradiction. Though empirical experiences cannot be reduced to the level of dream objects. still this world can be compared to a long dream, because it is contradicted by a still higher experience of Brahman.5 9 Brahman-consciousness which serves to contradict the world of our waking state does not suffer contradiction, because it is pure consciousness at any level or at any time. 60 It is the same in all waking, dreaming and deep sleep. Realization of Brahman is called paramārtha-the highest state, the highest aim. This level is mystical experience of oneness or unity of Jiva with Brahman. This is the only reality and as compared to it, the other two are merely appearances under certain conditions. 55. Na ca yo yasya svato dharmo na sambhavati so anyasya sädharmyät tasya
sambhavisyati; na agniņi uşṇaḥ anubhūyamānodakasādharmyāt sitobhavisyati--S. B.
II-II-29. 56. Prākcätmajkatvāvagateh a vyäbatah sarvah satyāpyta vyavabāro laukiko vaidikaścel
yavocāma. S. B. II-I-14. 57. Tavād satyam jagadbhāti suktikā rajatam yatha. Yavanna jfhāyate brahma sarva
dbisthānamadvayam--Ātmabodha-7. 58. Advaita Vedānta p. 166-167. M. V. Ayer. 59. Anubhūtopyayam loko vyavahārakṣaṇopi san. Asadrāpo yathā svannah uttarakṣaṇa.
badhataḥ-Aparoksanubbūti-verse 56. 60. Nahi vijñātuh vijfāte viparilopo vidyate-S. B.