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Advaita, Vishishta Advaita, DvaitaThe Philosophies of Shankar, Ramanuj and MadhavBetween the 7th and 13th centuries three Hindu philosophers provided slightly contrasting views on the nature of the individual and the Divine.
The relationship between the individual and the Divine is one of the subjects of theological discussion in any religion and it is no different in Hinduism. However, in contrast with other religions, Hinduism offers three slightly different views on this individual-Divine relationship. These are Advaita (monism), Vishishta Advaita (qualified monism) and Dvaita (dualism), which were propounded by Shankar, Ramanuj and Madhav respectively, the three great acharyas of the Hindu religion. The Advaita of Adi ShankaracharyaThe first of the philosophers was Shankar, who was born about 686 CE. He is popularly known as Adi Shankaracharya – “Adi” meaning the first and “Acharya” meaning teacher. His contributions to the sustained development of Hinduism are immense. His writings, both literary and commentaries, have guided future thinkers ever since. One of his greatest contributions is the establishment of the four seats of learning, known as the pithas, in each corner of India. These are in Shringeri in South India, in Dwarka in West India, in Badrinath in North India and in Puri in East India. The heads of these four centers bear the title Shankaracharya in his honor. The other major contribution to Hinduism by Adi Shankaracharya is the philosophy of Advaita or monism. Advaita literally translates as non-dualism, which by implication is monism. In simple terms Advaita stresses the “oneness” of the individual and the divine, often described as the jiv atma and param atma. The objective of spiritual enterprise is the ultimate union of the jiv atma with the param atma. The universe as we view it including ourselves is nothing but a manifestation of the divine. We are unable to discern this because of the influence of a force known as Maya. Through devotion and knowledge we are able to set aside Maya and recognize the true monistic nature of the universe. Vishishta Advaita of RamanujRamanuj was born in about 1017 CE. He essentially believed in the monistic view of Shankaracharya, but qualified it with two differences. He said that it was important to realize that the jiv atma is an infinitesimal part of the param atma, though essentially the same as the param atma. The objective of spirituality is not the merging of the jiv atma and the param atma, but the jiv atma coming as close to the param atma as possible without actually merging. According to Ramanuj this was essential to maintain the devotee-God relationship, which is the only true relationship. Devotion and devotion alone is the objective and the process of religion. If the merger of the jiv atma and param atma would take place then the devotee-God relationship automatically ceases, which is not acceptable to Ramanuj. Hence the philosophy of Ramanuj is known as Vishishta Advaita or qualified monism. Dvaita of MadhavMadhav was born in about 1199 CE. His philosophy of Dvaita or dualism states that the jiv atma and the param atma are essentially different. This further strengthens the devotee God relationship. Another implication of this philosophy is that the universe is not a manifestation of the Divine but a creation of the Divine. However in other respects his philosophy is very similar to that of Ramanuj. He believes that the jiv atma should come close to the param atma through devotion, without merging with it. Please check my course on Hindu Mythology Please check my articles on Mythology from India
The copyright of the article Advaita, Vishishta Advaita, Dvaita in Hinduism is owned by Harsh Nevatia. Permission to republish Advaita, Vishishta Advaita, Dvaita in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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