Vedanta — Non-Dualism (Shankaracharya, 788–820 CE)
Advaita Vedanta
अद्वैतवेदान्तः — Brahman alone is real; the world is appearance; the self is Brahman. Shankara's radical non-dualism: you are not seeking Brahman — you are Brahman. Liberation is recognition, not attainment.
- Advaita Vedanta (अद्वैत वेदान्त) — 'non-dual Vedanta' — is the most influential philosophical school in Indian history. Its central teaching: Brahman alone is real; the individual self (Jiva) is identical to Brahman; the appearance of multiplicity is Maya.
- Systematised by Adi Shankaracharya (788–820 CE), a prodigy who wrote landmark commentaries on all 10 major Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, and the Brahma Sutras before the age of 32.
- The mahavakyas (great sayings of the Upanishads) are Advaita's foundation: 'Aham Brahmasmi' (I am Brahman), 'Tat tvam asi' (That thou art), 'Prajnanam Brahma' (Consciousness is Brahman), 'Ayam atma Brahma' (This self is Brahman).
- Maya (the cosmic illusion) explains apparent multiplicity. Maya is neither real (it has no ultimate existence) nor unreal (it produces experience). It is 'Anirvachaniya' — indefinable.
- Moksha is the direct recognition (Aparoksha-anubhuti) that 'I am Brahman' — not a future attainment but the eternal truth of what you already are. The realised sage (Jivanmukta) lives freely while still embodied.
- Shankara established the Advaita tradition through 4 Mathas (monasteries) at the four cardinal directions of India — Sringeri, Dwaraka, Puri, Joshimath — which continue today.
Founder
Adi Shankaracharya
788–820 CE
Core Thesis
brahmanNirguna Brahman — attributeless, relationless, pure consciousness. The only reality. 'Brahma satyam, jagat mithya, jivo brahmaiva naparah.'
jivaJiva is identical to Brahman — the distinction is only due to superimposition (Adhyasa) of Maya. On realisation, jiva recognises its identity with Brahman.
jagatMithya — not absolute reality (real to the experiencer, ultimately unreal). The world is a superimposition on Brahman, like silver appearing in mother-of-pearl.
Rel.Vivartavada — the world is an apparent transformation (not real evolution). Like the rope appearing as a snake, Brahman appears as the world through Maya.
Key Concepts
Brahma Satyam Jagat Mithya
Brahman is real; the world is mithya (neither real nor unreal — it appears real but has no absolute existence). The defining formula of Advaita.
Maya / Avidya
Cosmic illusion — the power by which Brahman appears as the diverse world. Maya has two functions: Avarana (veiling Brahman) and Vikshepa (projecting the apparent world). It is Anirvachaniya (indefinable).
Mahavakyas
Four great sayings of the Upanishads used as direct pointing to the truth: 'Prajnanam Brahma' (Aitareya), 'Aham Brahmasmi' (Brihadaranyaka), 'Tat tvam asi' (Chandogya), 'Ayam atma Brahma' (Mandukya).
Vivartavada
The world is an apparent modification of Brahman, not a real one. Unlike Vishishtadvaita's parinamavada (real transformation), Advaita says Brahman itself never changes — the world appearance is superimposition.
Jivanmukti
Liberation while living — the Advaita ideal. Once Avidya is destroyed by Jnana, the sage is free even while the body continues due to Prarabdha karma. No waiting for death.
Key Texts
| Text | Content |
|---|---|
| Brahmasutra-Shankarabhashya | Shankara's magnum opus — foundational commentary establishing Advaita. |
| Vivekachudamani | Shankara's 'Crest-Jewel of Discrimination' — the most accessible introduction to Advaita practice. |
| Mandukya Karika (Gaudapada) | Shankara's guru's guru — the oldest explicit Advaita text, on the 4 states of consciousness. |
| Upadesa Sahasri | Shankara's 1,000 teachings — direct instructions for students of Advaita. |
| Panchadashi (Vidyaranya) | 14th-century masterpiece of Advaita — 15 chapters systematising the complete path. |
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