Vedanta Philosophy

Śaṅkara

•Brahman is the only ontological reality.

•Brahman is Existence, knowledge, infinity, pure, supreme, self-

existent, eternal and indivisible Bliss, not different from the individual
soul, and devoid of interior or exterior.

•All the universe which through ignorance appears as of diverse forms,

is nothing else but Brahman which is absolutely free from all the
limitations of human thought.

•None can demonstrate that the essence of a jar is something other than
the clay.

Philosophy and Critical Thinking

Śaṅkara

• If the universe be true, let it then be perceived in the state of deep

sleep also. As it is not at all perceived, it must be unreal and false like
dreams.
• Therefore the universe does not exist apart from the Supreme self;
and the perception of its separateness is false like the qualities. Has a
superimposed attribute any meaning apart from its substratum? It is the
substratum which appears like that through delusion.
• Whatever a deluded man perceives through mistake, is Brahman and
Brahman alone.

Philosophy and Critical Thinking

Śaṅkara

•There is no differentiation of knower, knowledge, and known, which

is infinite, transcendent, and the essence of knowledge absolute.

•The mahāvākya Thou art That- ‘Thou’ and ‘That’ become one when
“Thou” has been purified according to the dictates of the scriptures.

•‘Thou’ is so finite and what you call ‘That’ is infinite.

•Though they are of different natures, yet in their proper essence, they
are equal.

Philosophy and Critical Thinking

Śaṅkara

• This contradiction between them is created by superimposition, and is

not something real.

• This superimposition, in the case of Ishvara, is Maya, which is the

cause of Mahat and the rest; and in the case of the jīva, consist of the
five sheaths, which are effects of Maya.

• These two are the superimposition of Īśvara and the jīva respectively,
and when these are perfectly eliminated, there is neither Īśvara nor jīva.

Philosophy and Critical Thinking

Śaṅkara

• Neither this gross nor this subtle universe. Being imagined, they are
not real- like the snake seen in the rope and like dreams.

• Just as in the sentence, ‘This is that Devadatta,’ the identity is spoken

of, eliminating the contradictory portions, so in the sentence “Thou art
That” the wise man must give up the contradictor elements on both
sides and recognize the identity of Īśvara and jīva, noticing carefully
the essence of both, which is cit, Knowledge Absolute.

Philosophy and Critical Thinking

Śaṅkara

• All modifications of clay, such as jar, which are always accepted by

the mind as real, are nothing but clay.

• As the places and things that you see in dream are unreal, so is this
wakeful state. There is no difference between them. As in dream, mind
creates, so Māya creates everything-this body, senses, prāṇas and ego.
Everything is unreal.

• The diversified dream universe passes away in the dream itself.

Philosophy and Critical Thinking

Śaṅkara

• Such imaginations as ‘thou,’ or ‘this’ take place through the defects

of the buddhi.

• Brahman is one attributeless (Nirguṇa) and indeterminate (nirviśeṣa)

real being (sat).

• Though Brahman is attributeless, it is said to be endowed with

empirical attributes for the sake of prayer.

• Īśvara and jīvas are empirical realities.

Philosophy and Critical Thinking

Śaṅkara

• Jīva is not a part of Brahman, since Brahman is devoid of parts. It is

not modification of Brahman, since Brahman is unchangeable.

• Just as the space limited by a jar is non-different form the infinite

space, so the empirical self is non-different from Brahman.

• The theory of limitation and the theory of reflection.

Philosophy and Critical Thinking