Many
thinkers since Sage Sri, Sankara’s time have said about sage Sri Sankara that
he made use of many important tenets of Buddhism and presented to the people
the very Buddhism in the guise of Vedic religion. Though the Vedic religion
represented by Sri Sage Sankara is like a conglomeration of many things he
deserves the credit of having turned the Hindu mind which was once averse to
Vedas -the root of Hinduism, towards the Vedas once again. For this the
followers of Vedic religion should be grateful to Sage Sri Sankara.
The
brilliance shown by Sage Sri Sankara, a man of wonderful genius, a matchless
speaker and an extra-ordinary dialectician is really a great spectacle in the
history. In his time, there was a severe conflict between Buddhism and the
Atheist Vedic religion of Kumarila Bhatta. Utilizing this opportunity Sage Sri
Sankara intervened in the conflict and making use of some concepts and
methodology of both the Kumarila Bhatta school and Buddhism presented a new
coalition religion before people.
Sage
Sri, Sankara gave an extraordinary charisma to this religion with the help of
his methods of logic and style of exposition. Its influence was so much that
both the Bhatta School and Buddhism had to flee from India without leaving a
trace. The absence, even today, of a single follower of the Kumarila Bhatta
school as well as of Buddhism, is a proof enough for the great achievement of
Sage Sri Sankara. This indeed is a historical miracle.
One
can see in the Vedic religion expounded by Sri Sankara a different version of
the Kumarila Bhatta School and Buddhism. That is why the tradition of following
Kumarila Bhatta methodology in expounding the Advaita thought at the empirical
level gained ground in the Advaita School. Different types of methodology of
Buddhism were absorbed into the Advaita thought, of course, under new labels.
There is very clear similarity between the Vedic religion of Sri Sankara and
Buddhism and the Advaita School have given world a common message. The essence
of both the schools is:-
The
entire world which one perceives is illusionary; it is just an appearance of
unreality and there is only one indeterminate and attributeless Sat at the root
of this world".
Hindus
are idol worshipers of the large number of Gods and Goddesses whereas the in
Vedas the God has been described as:-
v
Sakshi (Witness)
v
Chetan (conscious)
v
Nirguna (Without form and properties).
v
Nitya (eternal)
v
Shuddha (pure)
v
Buddha (omniscient)
v
Mukta (unattached).
The nature of the Atman (soul)
is:-
v
Witness
v
conscious
v
Without form and properties
v
eternal
v
pure
v
omniscient
v
unattached
Thus it refers to formless and attributeless God,
which is the Atman (soul), the innermost self within the false experience. Thus
it indicates clearly all the Gods with form and attributes are mere imagination
based on the false self. Thus Atman or soul, the innermost self is God.
The
Vedas do not talk about idol worship. In fact, till about 2000 years ago
followers of Vedism never worshipped idols. Idol worship was started by the followers
of Buddhism and Jains. There is logic to idol worship. Vedas speak of one
God that is the supreme self in i.e. Atman or soul but Hinduism indulges in
worshiping 60 million Gods.
That is why Swami
Vivekananda:-
The masses in India cry to sixty million gods, and still die like dogs.
Where are these gods?
Knowing this, stand up and fight! Not one step back that is the idea. ... Fight it out, whatever comes. Let the stars move from the sphere! Let the whole world stand against us! Death means only a change of garment. What of it? Thus fight! You gain nothing by becoming cowards. ... Taking a step backward, you do not avoid any misfortune. You have cried to all the gods in the world. Has misery ceased? The masses in India cry to sixty million gods, and still die like dogs. Where are these gods? ... The gods come to help you when you have succeeded. So what is the use? Die game. ... This bending the knee to superstitions, this selling yourself to your own mind does not befit you, my soul. You are infinite, deathless, birthless. Because you are infinite spirit, it does not befit you to be a slave. ... Arise! Awake! Stand up and fight! Die if you must. There is none to help you. You are the entire world. Who can help you? - Swami Vivekananda
(Delivered In San Francisco, on May 28, 1900) -The Complete Works of
Swami Vivekananda/Volume 1/Lectures And Discourses/The Gita II
Sage Sri,Sankara said:- Talk as much philosophy
as you like, worship as many gods as you please, observe ceremonies and sing
devotional hymns, but liberation will never come, even after a hundred aeons,
without realizing the Oneness.
Though the soul is self-proved, Sage Sri, Sankara
also proposed some logical proofs:
- Shruti — the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita and the Brahma Sutras describe
Brahman in almost exact manner as Sage Sri, Sankara. This is the
testimonial proof of Brahman.
- Psychological — every person experiences his soul, or atman. According to Sage Sri,
Sankara, Atman = Brahman. This argument also proves the omniscience of the
Brahman.
- Teleological — the world appears very well ordered; the reason for
this cannot be an unconscious principle. The reason must be due to the
Brahman.
- Essential — Brahman is the basis of the universe.
- Perceptible feeling — many people, when they achieve the turīya state,
claim that their soul has become one with everything else.
- Māyā
Maya or illusion is the most important contribution
of Sage Sri, Sankara. Maya or illusion is that complex illusionary power of the
Atman (soul), which present in the form of consciousness. The consciousness is
ultimate reality or Brahman .Ignorance is cause of experiencing the duality as
reality. Maya or illusion is present in the form of mind. And mind is in the
form the universe. And universe appears as waking or dream (duality) and
disappears as deep sleep (Nonduality). The waking experience is real on the
standpoint of the waking entity (ego). Waking experience is unreal on the
standpoint of the formless soul, the innermost self. The shelter of the
three states is consciousness (Brahman but consciousness itself is untouched by
the profanity of illusion (Maya) .Illusion (Maya) is temporary and is destroyed
with "Self- knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana ".
Status of God
There is no place for a personal God (Ishvara) in
Advaitic Reality. Mixing the concept of God becomes greatest hindrance in
pursuit of truth. The universe is, in an ultimate sense, described as
"false" because consciousness appears as waking experience due to
ignorance. The waking experience is reality on the standpoint of the waking
entity. And the waking experience is falsehood from the standpoint of the soul
the innermost self. Just as the waking experience is false, the man and his
experiences, which is present within the waking experience is also false. The
experience of the birth, life, death which happens within the world is also
false. The form, time and space within the waking experience are also false.
The karma and Bhakti are nothing to do with ultimate truth or Brahman.
The people, who talk about personal God, Karma are not fit for Self-knowledge
or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.
Brahman—The One Without A Second :-
The Atman is self-evident (Svatah-siddha). It is
not established by extraneous proofs. It is not possible to deny the Atman,
because It is the very essence of the one who denies It. The Atman is the basis
of all kinds of knowledge, presuppositions and proofs. Self is within, Self is
without; Self is before, Self is behind; Self is on the right, Self is on the
left; Self is above and Self is below. Brahman is not an object, as It is
Adrisya, beyond the reach of the eyes. Hence the Upanishads declare: “Neti
Neti—not this, not this....” This does not mean that Brahman is a negative
concept, or a metaphysical abstraction, or a nonentity, or a void. It is not
another. It is all-full, infinite, changeless, self-existent, self-delight,
self-knowledge and self-bliss. It is Svarupa, essence. It is the essence of the
witness. It is the Seer (Drashta), Transcendent (Turiya) and Silent Witness
(Sakshi).
Sage Sri, Sankara’s
Supreme Brahman is impersonal, Nirguna (without
Gunas or attributes), Nirakara (formless), Nirvisesha (without special
characteristics), immutable, eternal and Akarta (non-agent). It is above all
needs and desires. It is always the Witnessing Subject. It can never become an
object as It is beyond the reach of the senses. Brahman is non-dual, one
without a second. It has no other beside it. It is destitute of difference,
either external or internal. Brahman cannot be described, because description
implies distinction. Brahman cannot be distinguished from any other than It. In
Brahman, there is not the distinction of substance and attribute.
Sat-Chit-Ananda constitute the very essence or Svarupa of Brahman, and not just
Its attributes. The Nirguna Brahman of Sankara is impersonal.
