The cardinal question is: To whom does the world belong? Who perceives the world? If the world exists as an object perceived by Brahman, duality becomes an inescapable reality. In such a case, why speak of non-duality?
In Shankara’s Vedanta, the world arises only in tandem with jīva-bhāva—the notion of “I am the body-mind complex.” This is evident in waking and dream states. Conversely, in deep sleep, where the “I-am-the-body” idea dissolves, the world vanishes. Hence, the question of the world’s appearance or disappearance is inherently flawed within this framework. The crux lies in jīvatvam (individual selfhood), which is the sole superimposition (adhyāsa) to be sublated, as articulated in the Adhyāsa Bhāṣya. Shankara concludes the Adhyāsa Bhāṣya with the phrase “अस्यानर्थहेतोः प्रहाणाय…”—meaning the eradication of this primordial error, the root of all transactional reality (vyavahāra), is the very purpose of Vedantic inquiry.
Sublation of the World: A Response
The debate around the world’s sublation arises from a common misinterpretation: that Shankara affirms the world’s persistence even after jñānam, with the jñāni perceiving it as Brahman. However, Shankara’s stance diverges, as seen in this excerpt from the Adhyāsa Bhāṣya:
“देहेन्द्रियादिषु अहंममाभिमानरहितस्य प्रमातृत्वानुपपत्तौ प्रमाणप्रवृत्त्यनुपपत्तेः। न हीन्द्रियाण्यनुपादाय प्रत्यक्षादिव्यवहारः संभवति। न चाधिष्ठानमन्तरेण इन्द्रियाणां व्यापारः संभवति। न चानध्यस्तात्मभावेन देहेन कश्चिद्व्याप्रियते। न चैतस्मिन् सर्वस्मिन्नसति असङ्गस्यात्मनः प्रमातृत्वमुपपद्यते। न च प्रमातृत्वमन्तरेण प्रमाणप्रवृत्तिरस्ति।”
Here, Shankara asserts that perception and empirical activity (pratyakṣa, anumāna, etc.) are impossible without pramātṛtva (the sense of being a cognizer). If a jñāni retains this sense of “wielding the senses” (pramātṛ), Advaita collapses. This would imply jñānam fails to rectify the root error, nullifying the promise of eradicating anartha-hetu (the cause of suffering).
When contrasting ātman (Self) and anātman (non-Self), the jīva-jagat complex—being mutually dependent—must be juxtaposed against the ātman (the witness). Only then does the discrimination (viveka) bear fruit, as demonstrated in the Adhyāsa Bhāṣya. Correcting this error means reality remains as it is, stripped of superimpositions. The “world” arises solely from the error of identifying the Self as a perceiver (pramātṛ)—a notion inseparable from avidyā (ignorance). Once the root adhyāsa (the primal error) is dissolved, the illusion of “I perceive the world” vanishes simultaneously, for the world has no existence independent of the “wielder of the senses.”
Shankara’s silence on the “sublation of the world” in the Adhyāsa Bhāṣya is deliberate. For him, the jīva-perceived world is avidyā-pratiṣṭhāpita (established by ignorance) and avidyā-ātmikā (of the nature of ignorance). The world’s appearance and disappearance are incidental to the dissolution of jīvatvam. Vedanta’s teaching is radically subjective: jīva and jagat are correlative, like two sides of a coin. They emerge and sublate together. To ask which comes first is nonsensical, as their “existence” is entangled in mutual dependence.
Since jīva and jagat are interdependent, the jīva cannot willfully destroy the world, for the “destroyer” itself is part of the jīva-jagat framework. From the jīva’s standpoint, the world is irrefutable. But this standpoint is inherently invalid for discussing non-duality.
Consider the rope-snake analogy: When the rope is misperceived as a snake (a transient error, sādi-adhyāsa), correcting the error reveals the rope’s true nature. Similarly, in anādi-adhyāsa (beginningless ignorance), the error is the misidentification of the Self as a finite cognizer (pramātṛ). Here, Vedanta’s uniqueness lies in its focus: it is pramāṇa (valid means of knowledge) not for the world but for Brahman/Ātman.
The Sole Error: Pramātṛtva
The Adhyāsa Bhāṣya unequivocally identifies pramātṛtva (knowership) as the root error. To presume oneself as a finite cognizer—a “wielder of the senses”—is adhyāsa. Doership (kartṛtva) and experiencership (bhoktṛtva) presuppose knowership (jñātṛtva). Vedanta’s corrective insight targets this error alone. When the Vedantic teaching negates pramātṛtva, what becomes of the world?
Common Misconceptions
- Does the world transform into Brahman?
- Does the world persist but now appear as Brahman?
- Does the world vanish?
- Does it merge into Brahman?
The answer to all is no. Vedanta is indifferent to the world’s ontological status. Its sole aim is to negate the error of ātma-anātma-samyoga (the false union of Self and non-Self). The world is not an independent entity to be sublated but a projection contingent on adhyāsa. Correcting the error of pramātṛtva dissolves the jīva-jagat complex, revealing ātma-brahma-aikyam (identity of Self and Brahman). As the Brahma Sūtra Bhāṣya (1.1.4) states:
“अन्वेष्टव्यात्मविज्ञानात्प्राक्प्रमातृत्वमात्मनः । अन्विष्टः स्यात्प्रमातैव पाप्मदोषादिवर्जितः ॥”
(“Prior to Self-knowledge, the Self is mistaken as the knower. Upon realization, this knowership—along with its defects—ceases.”)
Implications of Sublation
- Pramātṛtva Negated: The “knower” is exposed as illusory. Sensory activity and empirical transactions (vyavahāra) cease to bind.
- Triad Dissolved: The knower-known-knowing triad collapses, as all three are mutually dependent.
In the rope-snake analogy, the snake never existed; only the rope was real. Similarly, in anādi-adhyāsa, the “snake” is the entire jīva-jagat-pramātṛ framework. The rope is advitīya ātman—the non-dual Self. The world, senses, body-mind, and even the sense of “I” are the “snake.” Sublation reveals not a transformed world but the absence of duality.
Does the World Persist for the Jñāni?
To ask whether the jñāni “sees” the world is to miss the point. The jñāni does not “see Brahman in the world” or “see the world as Brahman.” The duality of seer and seen dissolves. Brahman alone is—not as an object of perception but as the sole reality. The world is neither affirmed nor denied; it is irrelevant. The jñāni abides as the Self, wherein the very notion of “perceiving” or “not perceiving” is transcended.
The world’s appearance is inseparable from jīvatvam. To negate the “I-am-the-body” notion is to negate the world. This is not nihilism but the recognition that reality is non-dual (advaya). The jñāni knows Brahman not as an object but as their own Self.