Forum for higher wisdom

  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 J iva . Iswara is never in bondage. Smriti Texts In Sanskrit tradition scriptures are categorised under two heads: Sruti (Revealed knowledge), and Sm...

  The metaphysics of Advaita Vedanta of Shankaracharya 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 satt a ) or apparent Being, like the mistaken notion of a rope to be a snake. Higher than illusory Being is ...

  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 m...