ADVAITA: They said so

 THEY SAID SO

 

“The Upanishads do not teach any particular doctrine. They teach various doctrines suited to different people at different stages of spiritual evolution. They are not contradictory, but based on the principle of individual fitness for receiving a truth (adhikaribheda). The aspirants are taken step by step to the ultimate truth, from dualism to qualified monism and finally to monism. ‘That thou art’ is the last word of the Upanishads in religion.” Swami Vireswarananda.

 

“This perfect state must be one without desire, because desire implies a lack: whatever action the jlvan mukta or spiritual freeman performs must therefore be of the nature of manifestation, and will be without purpose or intention.

The Mahabharata says, 'He who considers himself a doer of good and evil knows not the truth.'

It is not by non-participation but by non-attachment that we live the spiritual life.

The world itself is manifestation and not the handiwork of the Absolute.

The virtue of the action of those who are free beings lies in the complete coordination of their being—body, soul and spirit, the inner and outer man at one.

The most perfect love seeks nothing for itself, requiring nothing, and offers nothing to the beloved, realizing her infinite perfection which cannot be added to.”

Ananda Coomaraswamy

 

“Shankara and Ramanuja are the two great thinkers of the Vedanta, and the best qualities of each were the defects of the other. Shankara’s apparently arid logic made his system unattractive religiously. Ramanuja’s beautiful stories of the other world, which he narrates with the confidence of one who has personally assisted at the origination of the other world, carry no conviction. Shankara’s devastating dialectic, which traces all- God, man and the world- to one ultimate consciousness causes not a little curling of the lips in the followers of Ramanuja.” Dr. S Radhakrishnan

 

भक्त्यर्थं कल्पितं द्वैतं अद्वैतादपि सुन्दरं I Madhusudana Saraswathi.

Dvaita is not real, but enables bhakthi, which is blissful. (Swami Paramarthananda).

 

"Viveka Choodamani says, ‘Absolutely poor, but full of happiness; no army behind but infinitely strong; no experience of sense satisfaction, but always happy; none equal to him, but feels all to be his equals.’ Ramana Maharishi fits in this description.” Swami Ranganathananda.

*

The nobel laureate answers "If the universe is fleeting, how is all of the stuff that we do worth doing?"

That’s a huge thing that I’ve wrestled with in the course of writing this book, and I don’t think I came to a solid conclusion. It’s different from a personal death, because people think about their own death and they think, well, I’ll live on in some way through my children or my great works, or just the impact I had on the people around me. There will be some legacy to my existence in some way. But if it’s the whole cosmos that’s ending, that is no longer true. I think there’s a point at which you did not matter. And I don’t think we have the emotional or philosophical tools to wrestle with that.

 

The Concept of Mukti in Advaita Vedanta – book by Krishna Warrier

A friend forwarded this book. It is available online vide lik at the end.

The book gives an overview of other siddhantas to start with: nyaya-viaseshika, sakhya and Buddhism. 

 

 

Here is the reader’s digest version with help of ChatGPT.

🕉️ 1. Mukti means Real Freedom

In Advaita Vedanta, Mukti (or Moksha) is freedom from ignorance, not just freedom from the cycle of birth and death. It means realizing that the real “I” (Atman) is the same as the Supreme Reality (Brahman). When this truth is known, one becomes free from fear, desire, and suffering.

🧠 2. Ignorance (Avidya) is the Real Bondage

The main cause of human suffering is Avidya, or ignorance of our true nature. Because of ignorance, we think we are the body or mind, separate from others and from God. Once knowledge (Jnana) removes ignorance, liberation happens naturally.

📚 3. Knowledge (Jnana) is the Only Path to Liberation

Actions (Karma), rituals, and devotion can help prepare the mind, but only self-knowledge leads to final liberation. True knowledge is not intellectual — it is a deep realization that “I am Brahman,” the infinite consciousness.

🙏 4. Jivanmukti — Liberation While Living

A person can achieve liberation while still alive (Jivanmukti). Such a person continues to live in the world but remains calm, self-aware, and unaffected by pleasure or pain. After death, they merge fully with Brahman (Videhamukti).

🌍 5. The World is a Play of Maya (Illusion)

The world appears real because of Maya, which hides the truth and makes us see difference where there is oneness. When one gains knowledge, the illusion drops, and one sees that everything is only Brahman appearing in different forms.

🧘‍♀️ 6. The Self (Atman) and Brahman are One

This is the central idea of Advaita Vedanta — non-duality. The individual self (Atman) is not different from Brahman. Realizing this unity ends all sorrow and brings eternal peace.

🔥 7. Liberation is Not a Future Event

Mukti is not something that happens after death or in heaven. It already exists within us. The moment we remove ignorance, we realize that we were never bound — just unaware of our true freedom.

🪞 8. The Role of the Guru and Scriptures

Guidance from a realized teacher (Guru) and study of the Upanishads (Shruti) help the seeker understand and directly experience the truth. The teacher helps remove doubts and shows how to see beyond illusion.

⚖️ 9. Comparison with Other Philosophies

The book also compares Advaita Vedanta with other schools:

          •         Sankhya/Yoga: Believe in many souls and a separate nature (Prakriti).

          •         Buddhism: Teaches no permanent self (Anatta).

          •         Advaita: Says there is only one Self — Brahman — and everything else is its appearance.

💫 10. The Goal of Human Life

According to Advaita Vedanta, the highest purpose of life is Self-realization. By knowing our true nature as infinite consciousness, we transcend suffering and attain lasting peace — that is Mukti.