Advaita Vedanta Dictionary

Ramanuja: 11th century CE Hindu founder of Visista-advaita Vedanta (qualified monistic Vedanta) who maintains that God himself is composed of parts; individual souls and the physical world comprise the body of God.

 (See also: Ramanuja , Eastern Philosophy, Body Mind and Soul)

Shankara: (Sanskrit) One of Hinduism's most extraordinary monks (788-820) and preeminent guru of the Smarta Sampradaya. Noted for his monistic philosophy of Advaita Vedanta, his many scriptural commentaries, and formalizing ten orders of sannyasins with pontifical headquarters at strategic points across India. He lived only 32 years, but traveled throughout India and transformed the Hindu world in that time.

See: Dashanami, Shankaracharya pitha, shanmata sthapanacharya, Smarta Sampradaya, Vedanta.

(See also: Shankara , Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

Shankara:

Shankara ("He who is benevolent"): the eighth-century adept who was the greatest proponent of nondualism (Advaita Vedanta) and whose philosophical school was probably responsible for the decline of Buddhism in India

(See also: Shankara ,Yoga, Yoga Dictionary)

Katha Upanishad or Kathopanishad (Sanskrit) One of the Upanishads of the Yajur-Veda, named after the sage Katha; commented upon by Sankaracharya, founder of the Advaita-Vedanta school.

(See also: Katha Upanishad, Kathopanishad , Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Occultism, Occultism Dictionary)

Spanda:

Spanda ("vibration"): a key concept of Kashmir's Shaivism according to which the ultimate Reality itself "quivers," that is, is inherently creative rather than static (as conceived in Advaita Vedanta)

(See also: Spanda ,Yoga, Yoga Dictionary)

Visishtadvaita visistadvaita (Sanskrit) [from visishta distinguished, qualified from the verbal root visish to distinguish + advaita nonduality]

Qualified nonduality; the Vedantic school founded by Vaishnava teacher Ramanuja, intermediate between the Advaita (nondualistic) Vedanta of Sankaracharya and the Dvaita (dualistic) Vedanta.

Just as the Advaita teaches that essentially there is an absolute reality, and that all things issue forth from the incomprehensible womb of cosmic life -- which therefore is the only abstract as well as substantial reality of all beings -- so the Dvaita teaches the opposite: that while all beneath the abstract reality issue forth from it, they do so rather as creations than as essences, parts, or portions of the eternal reality. The Visishtavaita school straddles these philosophical views, asserting with the Advaita that all are at one in essence, yet holding that the distinctions during manifestation between the eternal reality and all its offspring are relatively real. This stand is little favored by either of the other schools.

The Visishtadvaita school teaches that the human spirit is separate and different from the one supreme spirit, though dependent on it and ultimately to be united with it, as well as originally in some manner springing forth from it. The Visishtadvaita speaks of the supreme spirit almost as monists do, because apparently ascribing to it a type of individuality, which is as offensive to the rigid logical impersonal eternal All of the Advaita as is the franker dualism of the Dvaitins. This arises from the fact that the Advaitins claim that it is utterly improper to ascribe individuality, personality, or monadism of any kind to the infinite -- a claim which is precisely that of modern theosophy. However, "Dualistic and anthropomorphic as may be the philosophy of the Visishtadwaita, when compared with that of the Adwaita -- the non-dualists, -- it is yet supremely higher in logic and philosophy than the cosmogony accepted by either Christianity, or its great opponent, modern Science" (SD 1:522).

(See also: Visishtadvaita, visistadvaita , Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Body mind and Soul)

Yogatattva Upanishad: (Sanskrit) Scripture of 142 verses based on Advaita Vedanta and yoga practices, ca 1400.

(See also: Yogatattva Upanishad , Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

padartha: (Sanskrit) "Constituent substance."

Primary categories or essential elements of existence, defined differently or uniquely by each philosophical school. For example, in the Sankhya Darshana, the padarthas are purusha (spirit) and prakriti (matter). According to Advaita Vedanta, they are chit (spirit) and achit (nonspirit), which from an absolute perspective are taken as the One padartha, Brahman. In Shakta and Saiva traditions, the padarthas are Pati (God), pashu (soul) and pasha (world, or bonds).

(See also: Padartha , Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

Maya: Hindu term coined by Advaita Vedanta to refer to the illusory or deceptive nature of the world which prompts us to make distinctions.

 (See also: Maya , Eastern Philosophy, Body Mind and Soul)

Brahma Sutra Bhashya: (Sanskrit) A lengthy 13thcentury commentary on the Brahma Sutras by Srikantha to establish a Vedic base for the Saivite qualified nondualism called Siva Advaita. See: Siva Advaita, Vedanta.

(See also: Brahma Sutra Bhashya , Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

Vishishtadvaita: (Sanskrit) "Qualified nondualism." Best

known as the term used by Ramanuja (ca 1017-1137) to

name his Vaishnava Vedanta philosophy, which is

nondualistic in that the ultimate truth or reality is one, not

two, and souls are in fact part of God. And it is

"qualified" in that souls are fully one with God, but not

identical. Thus there is a full union which is somewhat

shy of total merger. Siva Vishishtadvaita was the term

chosen by Bhaskara (ca 950) to name his philosophy.

See:

Siva Advaita, Vedanta.

(See also: Vishishtadvaita , Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

Madhavacharya madhavacarya (Sanskrit) (from Madhava + acharya teacher, preceptor)

Celebrated religious teacher and scholar of the 14th century, one of the main teachers of the Dvaita-Vedanta school of pronounced dualism. It teaches the existence or permanent reality of two fundamental principles in universal nature: spirit and matter, or divinity and the universe. This dualism is in direct contrast with the unity doctrine taught in the Advaita-Vedanta or nondualistic system of Sankaracharya.

(See also: Madhavacharya, madhavacarya , Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Occultism, Occultism Dictionary)

Vallabhacharya: (Sanskrit) "Beloved." V

aishnava saint

(ca 1475-1530) whose panentheistic Shuddha Advaita

(pure nondualism) philosophy became the essential

teaching of the nonascetic Vaishnava sect that bears his

name. He composed 17 works, most importantly

commentaries on the Vedanta and Mimamsa Sutras and

the Bhagavata Purana. The stories of his 84 disciples are

often repeated on festive occasions by followers. The sect

is strongest in Gujarat.

See: Vedanta.

(See also: Vallabhacharya , Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

Shankara: Shankaracharya; Adi (the first) Shankaracharya: The great reformer and re-establisher of Vedic Religion in India around 300 B.C. He is the unparalleled exponent of Advaita (Non-Dual) Vedanta. He also reformed the mode of monastic life and founded (or regenerated) the ancient Swami Order.

(See also: Shankara , Hinduism, Hinduism Dictionary, Sanskrit Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

Ramanujacharya Ranmanujacarya (Sanskrit) A celebrated Vaishnava reformer, founder of a Vedantic school which taught the doctrine of Visishnadvaita (qualified nonduality), that the human spirit is separate and different from the supreme spirit, though dependent from it and ultimately to be united with it. He lived at Kanchipura and Sri-ranga in South India, and is supposed by many Occidental Orientalists to have lived from 1017-1137. His followers believe him to have been an incarnation of Sesha.

This Vedantic sect is one of the three most important Vedanta schools, the other two being the Advaita (nondualistic) school, of which the chief exponent and teacher was the avatara Sankaracharya; and that of the Dvaitas (dualists). Of these three, the Advaita teachings of Sankaracharya is by far the closest to theosophy.

The differences as among these three Vedantic schools are mainly manners of considering the relation of the human and cosmic spirit-souls. The Advaita in common with theosophy considered the cosmic spirit to be the fountainhead of all later differentiations of consciousness; and therefore it teaches that all such later individualizations are nevertheless all rooted in the cosmic spirit.

The Dvaita school believes that there is a distinct difference of identity between individuals and the cosmic spirit (as likewise do the Christians), although individuals nevertheless issue forth from the cosmic spirit. The Visishtadvaita school believes that although all individuals ultimately issue forth from the cosmic source, they yet possess only qualified identity with it.

(See also: Ramanujacharya, Ranmanujacarya , Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary)

Saivism six schools: Through history Saivism has developed a vast array of lineages. Philosophically, six schools are most notable:

-       Saiva Siddhanta,

-       Pashupata Saivism,

-       Kashmir Saivism,

-       Vira Saivism,

-       Siddha Siddhanta and

-       Siva Advaita.

-       Saiva Siddhanta first distinguished itself in the second century bce through the masterful treatise of a Himalayan pilgrim to South India, Rishi Tirumular. It is Saivism's most widespread and influential school.

-       Pashupata Saivism emerged in the Himalayan hills over 25 centuries ago. Ancient writings chronicle it as a Siva ascetic yoga path whose most renowned guru was Lakulisha.

-       Kashmir Saivism, a strongly monistic lineage, arose from the revelatory aphorisms of Sri Vasugupta in the tenth century.

-       Vira Saivism took shape in India's Karnataka state in the 12thcentury under the inspiration of Sri Basavanna. It is a dynamic, reformist sect, rejecting religious complexity and stressing each devotee's personal relationship with God.

-       Siddha Siddhanta, also known as Gorakshanatha Saivism, takes its name from the writings of the powerful 10thcentury yogi, Sri Gorakshanatha, whose techniques for Siva identity attracted a large monastic and householder following in North India and Nepal.

-       Siva Advaita is a Saivite interpretation of the Vedanta Sutras, based on the writings of Srikantha, a 12th-century scholar who sought to reconcile the Upanishads with the Agamas.

See: individual school entries.

(See also: Saivism six schools , Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

Ramanuja: (Sanskrit) Philosopher (1017-1137), saint, great bhakta, founder of one of five major Vaishnava schools, and considered the greatest critic of advaita. In his famous Sri Bhashya on the Brahma Sutras, he countered Shankara's absolute monism point-by-point with his qualified monism, called Vishishtadvaita Vedanta.

See: shad darshana, Vedanta.

(See also: Ramanuja , Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

nondual (nondualism):

See: dvaita-advaita, monistic theism, Vedanta.

(See also: Nondual (nondualism): , Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

Sankara (-acharya)

The most influential teacher of the impersonal Advaita philosophy in Kali-yuga. According to the Padma Purana, he is an incarnation of Lord Siva sent to earth by Krishna to bewilder the atheistic with distortions of the teachings of Vedanta.

(See also: Sankara , Bhakti, Bhakti Yoga, Bhakti Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

Madhvacharya

The founding acharya of one of the four Vaishnava sampradayas in Kali-yuga. He appeared in the thirteenth century as a Karnataka brahmana, taught a strictly theistic version of Vedanta philosophy, vigorously opposed the Advaita-vada of Sankaracharya, and established the worship of Sri Krishna at Udupi.

(See also: Madhvacharya , Bhakti, Bhakti Yoga, Bhakti Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

Dvaita (Sanskrit) Duality; applied to a Vedanta sect, also called Madhvas after their founder, Madhva (born c. 1200). The chief doctrine of this school is duality, standing in opposition to the teachings of Sankaracharya, whose system is known as the Advaita (non-duality).

The Dvaita Vedantists assert that there are two principles in the universe: the supreme Being, and the innumerable multitudes of other beings among which are mankind -- and that these are distinct one from the other.

See also RAMANUJACHARYA.

(See also: Dvaita , Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Occultism, Occultism Dictionary)