The fundamental presupposition that governs almost every inquiry into the Upaniṣads is that they reveal an unknown reality called Ātman or Brahman. Such a supposition, though almost universally entertained, is precisely what the Advaita tradition rejects at the outset. For whatever is revealed by a pramāṇa must, prior to that revelation, stand as an object … Read more
In ordinary cases of error (bhrama), the knowledge of reality proceeds in two stages. First, the erroneous superimposition must be removed by separating the real object from the falsely attributed one. Second, the substratum itself must be positively known. For example, in the classic rope-snake illusion, it is not sufficient merely to know, “This is … Read more
Sureśvarācārya in the Naishkarmyasiddhi and Vārtikas on Resolving the Dilemma and Establishing Non-Duality Introduction One of the most subtle philosophical questions in Advaita Vedānta concerns the status of the Witness (sākṣin). Is the witness-consciousness itself the ultimate Brahman? Or is Brahman something beyond even the witness? Many later Advaita discussions became entangled in this issue … Read more
I have a question—perhaps somewhat rough and unsophisticated—regarding the way nididhyāsana has been presented in your explanation. Let us suppose that one has gained the knowledge of Brahman. Yet, according to your presentation, that knowledge has not been fully assimilated in lived understanding; consequently, one may sometimes not “feel” oneself to be Brahman. In such … Read more
Among the most philosophically dense and programmatic passages in the Advaita Vedānta tradition is the opening Adhyāsa Bhāṣya of Śaṅkarācārya, traditionally placed at the head of his commentary on the Brahma-sūtra. Far from being a mere preliminary remark, this bhāṣya functions as a foundational prolegomenon (upodghāta) to the entire Advaitic enterprise. It sets out not … Read more
Modern Vedānta teachers often present the path in this form: But when I read Śaṅkara, what I see is quite different. He is emphatic that once knowledge arises, nothing remains to be done. His reasons, as I understand them, are the following: i) In knowing the Self, all else is automatically known as the Self (sarvātmaikatva).Śaṅkara on Bṛhadāraṇyaka … Read more
क्षेत्रक्षेत्रज्ञयोरेवमन्तरं ज्ञानचक्षुषा । भूतप्रकृतिमोक्षं च ये विदुर्यान्ति ते परम् ॥ — 13.34, BG. Meaning: They who by the eye of wisdom perceive the distinction between kShetra and KShetrajna, and the dissolution of the Cause of beings, they go to the Supreme. Shankara comments: “They who in this manner perceive the exact distinction, now pointed out, … Read more
जाग्रद्व्यवहारे सत्यं जगदिदं दृश्यते स्थिरम्। कर्मणा जन्तवः सर्वे नियतेन प्रवर्तकाः॥ Transliteration:jāgrad-vyavahāre satyaṁ jagad idaṁ dṛśyate sthiram |karmaṇā jantavaḥ sarve niyatena pravartakāḥ || Meaning:In the waking state, this world appears firm and true;beings act according to destiny’s law, bound in deeds and duties. सुप्तस्वप्नोपमं विश्वं साक्षिणा भास्यते यथा। चित्तप्रत्ययमात्रं तद् दीपवद्भासते स्फुटम्॥ Transliteration:supta-svapnopamaṁ viśvaṁ sākṣiṇā bhāsyate … Read more
You are that kutastha chaitanya (the immovable and changeless Consciousness) which is free from kartrutva (doership) and bhoktrutva (enjoyership), but you wrongly identify with the body-mind-sense complex and call it as ‘I’ and ‘mine’. This wrong identification is what is called adhyasa (superimposition) and this is the only ajnana (ignorance) in Vedanta. This adhyasa of … Read more
“Mañana on the teachings of the Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad.” The realization of the Self begins with viveka, the discrimination between the real and the unreal, between the Self and what is not the Self. This discrimination is not a mere intellectual process, but a deep and subtle inquiry into one’s own being. It starts with the recognition … Read more
