Friday, March 10, 2023

Advaita Prakaranam of Mandukya Upanishad (Chapter 3) Part 1




In fact, if the dvaita prapanca is proved mithya the natural consequence is Brahman becomes advaitam. As long as the world is real, there are two candidates to claim a reality. Once dvaita prapanca has been taken away, only one is left out.

Brahman becomes advaitam as the world cannot be counted. We can say since the world has been proved unreal in the second chapter, in the third he says Brahman is non-dual.

Brahman being nondual has been directly mentioned by sruti and also by the word advaitam. But here Acharya is going to discuss the same advaita by giving importance to logic. This is also yukti pradhana chapter. Previously yukti was given importance. Dvaitam is mithya is the topic. Here the topic is Brahman is advaitam.

Logic in keeping with sruti. Go to sruti if logic is a headache. Sruti says Brahman is advaitam. Sruti is ever correct. So Brahman is advaitam. If Brahman is advaitam world has to be unreal. So with the help of sruti Brahma satyam and jagat mithya. If somebody asks a question tell go and ask sruti. How to believe the sruti, it may be wrong, then he spends two chapters. Second and Third. Third will prove by logic advaitam is real. Yuktya advaita niscayah.

No doubt that Brahman is advaitam has been clearly mentioned in the Upanishad in 7th mantra, here acharya establishes by logic more. Srutya it is evident. Logic is supportive in nature.

For this purpose, Acharya begins the chapter by criticizing the dvaitam. Dvaita ninda. He wants to say whoever is in dvaitam, that person is unfortunate. He is samsari. It is a very interesting statement. Advaitin does not get angry with dvaitin. He does not develop hatred towards dvaitin.

His attitude is one of sympathy. Dvaitin has a different attitude. He will say Sankara is mayavadi. They have raga dvesha. He never argues with dvaitin. You continue your path and a time will come when you will see what I say.

When we are condemning dvaitam as a cause of samsara we may get doubt which kind of dvaita?

Is it one involving vaidika vyavahara or laukika vyavahara or upasanakanda vyavahara. Any dvaitam is samsara. There is no sacred dvaitam. He takes the highest dvaitam and dismisses that itself. This is called prathama malla nyaya. You defeat the no 1, you become champion. Most sacred dvaitam is upasana. Dvaitam is there of upasaka and upasya.

Lord who is all virtues and I am dinah helpless and so on. This upasya upasaka dvaita ninda is the content of first karika. Then what to talk of karma dvaitam? Then further what to talk of worldly duality.

When the upasya upasaka dvaitam is condemned, it is accepted as a stepping stone for advaita jnanam. That is why Sankara glorified many upasya devatas. The dispute is that advaitin says dvaitam is only a stepping stone. Ultimately it is dropped or transcended. It is not nityam. A dvaitin says this duality of upasya upasaka behda is eternal. It will continue even during moksha.

In moksha also jiva will be paricchinnah and different from lord. Lord also is different from jiva. Jiva is daasa of lord for ever. No advaitam at any time. This is dvaitin’s philosophy. Our condemnation is not total.

Dvaitam will be condemned if it is taken real. Why? That is said in this sloka. Acharya uses some technical terms.






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