Advaita Vedanta and Gaudapadacharya

by A Lover of Ancient Wisdom

Gaudapada (6^th Centure CE) was the teacher of Govindapada, who was the teacher of Adi Shankaracharya. Shankara is widely considered as the founder of Advaita Vedanta. Gaudapada-acharya’s seminal work, Gaudapada Karika, also known as Mandukya Karika, is the earliest surviving complete text on Advaita Vedanta.

In the Karika, Advaita (Non-dualism) is established on rational grounds (upapatti), independent of scriptural revelation. Its arguments are devoid of any religious, mystical, or scholastic elements. Scholars are divided on a possible influence of Buddhism on Gaudapada’s philosophy. The fact that Shankara wrote an independent commentary on the Karika, apart from his commentaries on Brahmasutras, principal Upanishads, and Bhagavadgita (Prastanatrayis), proves the importance of Gaudapada Karika in Vedantic literature.

Adi-Shankara elaborated on Gaudapada’s work, and more ancient scholarship to write more detailed commentaries on Prastanatrayis (Brahmasutras, Upanishads and Bahgavadgita). Mandukya Upanishad and the Karika have been described by Shankara as containing “the epitome of the substance of the import of Vedanta.” It was Shankara who integrated Gaudapada’s work with the ancient Brahmasutras. His interpretation, including the works ascribed to him, has become the normative interpretation of Advaita Vedanta.

Shankara pointed out the differences between the Vedanta school and the Mimamsa school, and shows that Advaita Vedanta is the culmination of the knowledge and wisdom of the Vedas, whereas the other schools are only preparatory to the realisation of Brahman to be One and non-dual, that every soul is One with THAT (Tat tvam asi, meanng, Thou art That).

The metaphysics of Advaita Vedanta of Shankaracharya is centred on the establishment of the reality of only the Brahman, showing that the world cannot have an independent being of its own and demonstrating that the being of the world is rooted in the Brahman. He accepts the Upanishadic doctrine that there is but One Reality which is infinite, eternal, omnipresent, omniscient, characteristic of which is Sat-Chit-Ananda (Absolute Being, Consciousness and Bliss)

Advaita propounds four levels of Being:

The lowest of the four levels is “insignificant being” (tuchcha satta). It includes merely imaginary, fanciful, self-contradictory, like the horns of a hare, or son of a barren woman etc. They belong to imagination and are shown to have no intrinsic reality.

The next higher level is the illusory being (pratibhasika satta) or apparent Being, like the mistaken notion of a rope to be a snake.

Higher than illusory Being is the pragmatic Being (vyavaharika satta) identified with empirical reality. It is the produced as a moral effect of our past actions (Karmas) which continue to bear fruit in life after life, till illusion is dispersed by illumination of the mind by spiritual knowledge of Brahman to the true Self of man.

The ultimate Being (paramarthika satta) is above all contradictions, the pinnacle of existence, uncontradicted, unchanged in past, present, and future.

The lower levels of being are illusory (Maya) arising out of mistaken notion of true Self to be the body, senses, mind and brain, and other subtler vehicles of the soul. Once this illusion is dispersed, realisation dawns that true Self to be none other than Brahman, the Supreme Being. Misconception of the Real to be unreal arises because of superimposition of the mistaken notion of Reality (adyasa), like mistaking a rope to be a snake.

The cosmic illusion is identified as Maya, and the individual illusion is called Avidya (Ignorance). Maya cannot be accepted as real since the illusion of Brahman sublates it, nether can it be called unreal as it is experienced by one and all until Brahman is realised. Hence it is ontologically indescribable (sadasat-vilakshhana). Maya is considered as positive entity (Bhavarupa). Its characteristic power is concealment of the true nature of Brahman (Avarana Sakti), and the projection of the world of multiplicity (vikshepa Sakti)

Advaita propounds that the only cognition which is free from error, and true, is that which uncontradictable (abhadya) is as absolutely true, and that only Brahman stands the test of truth. Hence it is called Advaita (Non-dualism).

According to Advaita Vedanta, the Brahman shines through the individual as the witness of self, actions, cognitions, and the states of the mind. It is called the “Witness consciousness” (sakshi Chaitanya). This witness consciousness delimited by the psycho-physical adjuncts is the Jiva.

The Witness consciousness is continuous with Brahman and non-different from it. Jiva in its identification as a separate entity distinct from Brahman is a mere appearance, like a dream. It is essentially one with Brahman.

Shankara calls Absolute Reality as Para-Brahman, and the manifested Cosmic Intelligence which radiates from the former as Iswara or lower Brahman. The Iswara is the same as Parabrahman in its essential character but associating with Maya produces the world of appearance. But Iswara is not overpowered by Maya like the Jiva. Iswara is never in bondage.

Smriti Texts

In Sanskrit tradition scriptures are categorised under two heads: Sruti (Revealed knowledge), and Smriti (what is remembered). The four Vedas and the 108 Upanishads come under the Sruti category. Bhagavadgita, eighteen Puranas, Sastras, Tantras, Agama, Brahma Surtras, the Epics, and many others come under Smriti category. Smriti literally means recollection of memory. It is secondary authority. It derives its authority from Sruti, and its object is the expand and exemplify the principles of Sruti or the Vedas and the Upanishads. Sastras are codes of law governing spiritual, moral and secular lives of people. Agamas and Tantras are manuals of worship. In case of conflicting views, Sruti view will prevail. While Sruti, being ultimate revealed knowledge, is changeless; whereas Smitis admits of changes according to changing conditions and needs of people in their religious life in different epochs.

Puranas

There are 18 Maha Puranas and 18 Upa-Puranas (minor Puranas) with over 400.000 verses which, according the scholars, were compiled between 300 to 1000 CE.

Puranas are more than a myth. Each of the Puranas deal with five distinct subjects: Cosmic and anthropic creation; secondary creation (also dissolution and renovation of worlds); great periods of evolution of the earth and humanity; genealogy of celestial beings (gods), genealogy of sages, heroes and great kings.

Knowledge Puranas contain is encyclopaedic covering as they do such range of subjects as folk tales, pilgrimage, temples, medicine, astronomy, astrology, theology, philosophy, geology etc.

Western scholars point out that Puranas are inconsistent as there are contradictory statements on a subject in different puranas. While this is true so far as the reading of the outer textual content is concerned, the Occultists teach that these contradictions are purposely introduced in the Puranic texts by the Rishis who compiled them in order to conceal the secret meaning which is revealed only those who are found worthy and initiated into sacred Mysteries.

It must be mentioned en passant, that like the mythologies of ancient peoples, such as the Egyptians, Persians, Chinese, pre-Christian Scandinavian countries, ancestors of Aztecs, Mayas, Greek myths, etc., are repository of sacred occult knowledge. They are recorded in symbols, emblems, fables and allegories. Puranas contain a comprehensive knowledge pertaining to cosmic and anthropic origins, principles, powers and forces of Macro – and Microcosmos, ancient evolutionary history and so on. On the very less known subject of universal language of symbolism with which Puranas and other ancient scriptures are compiled, a passage from the Bok II of The Secret Doctrine, (fac simile of original edition) by Madam H.P. Blavatsky is quoted below:

The great archaic system known from prehistoric ages as the sacred Wisdom Science, one that is contained and can be traced in every old as well as in every new religion, had, and still has, its universal language – suspected by the Mason Ragon – the language of the Hierophants, which has seven ‘dialects,’ so to speak, each referring, and being specially appropriated, to one of the seven mysteries of Nature. Each had its own symbolism. Nature could thus be either read in its fullness, or viewed from one of its special aspects. (Vol. 1, page 310)

This is the reason why Orientalists, Egytologists find extreme difficulty in interpreting the allegorical writings of the Aryans and the hieratic records of old Egypt.

Ancient mythologies, Puranas, Vedas, Zend Avesta, the Old and the New Testaments, Hebrew scriptures are all records of a great body of sacred and secret knowledge, well known to Initiates of sacred Mysteries.

 

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