Shad Darshan

Vedantic Philosophy does not have a specific founder as such, different teachers developed different schools of thought. Three main schools being Advaita, Visishtadvaita, and Dvaita.

Adi Shankaracharya is the propagator of the Advaita system, Ramanujacharya is the architect of the Visishtadvaita system while Madhavacharya is head of Dvaita system of Vedanta philosophy. It is important to note that all 3 teachers accepted the authority of Vedas but their interpretations of Brahma Sutra were different. Some of the key teachings of Vedanta are as under.

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Brahman and Atman: 

Atman refers to the individual soul or consciousness and Brahman as universal consciousness. Brahman is the source of all manifested world and Atman is the inner self of man. The Upanishads reached the peak of human thinking when they asserted that Atman and Brahman are essentially the same. Brahman as universal consciousness pervades everything. The essential qualities of Brahman are " Sat Chit Ananda " meaning eternal bliss & consciousness. This is also the basic nature of man which he is not able to see due to ignorance or illusion.

Upanishads taught that Reality is one and it is Brahman with attributes of Sat Chit Ananda. Everything else is unreal. According to idealism, there is nothing in the universe which, is not pure consciousness.

Maya and Avidya: 

Maya (illusion) is the inscrutable power of Brahman through which the world of name and forms comes into being. It is Maya which makes the one Brahman appear as many. On part of human beings, it is Avidya (ignorance) which does not allow us to see the reality of one and instead, we see the world of names and forms. Therefore, Maya and Avidya are considered two sides of the same coin.

Bhutas or Fundamental Elements: 

The Upanishads recognize five fundamental elements Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Ether. These are gross elements. This classification is connected with the fivefold character of sensory organs whose features are Odor, Flavor, Form, touch, and Sound respectively. These are subtle elements. Out of subtle are made the gross ones.

Panch Koshas: 

This theory finds expression in Taithiriya Upanishad. The human personality is made up of five layers or sheaths which cover the reality of the human being. These five layers from the grossest to the subtlest are 1. Annamaya kosha (food Body) 2. Pranamaya Kosha (Energy Body) 3. Manomaya Kosha (Mental Body) 4. Vijnanmaya Kosha (Intellect Body) 5. Anandmaya Kosha (Bliss Body). Personality or Spiritual development takes place on the path of moving inwards along the Koshas.

Para and Apara Vidya: 

All knowledge is classified into two types 1. Higher (para vidya) 2. Lower (apara vidya), which are knowledge of Brahman (transcendental knowledge) and Empirical knowledge respectively. There is no conflict between the two.

Samsara:

The constant stream of births and deaths until Moksha is attained is known as Samsara or transmigration. The law that governs the type of birth Jiva gets every time it dies is known as the law of Karma.

Self Realization:

Miseries and sufferings of humans are due to Avidya or ignorance about the true nature of Reality. They can be removed only through the right knowledge. Training for the right knowledge is 3 fold.

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Shravana:

Listening stands for the study of Upanishads under a proper Guru. Personal contact with the living embodiment is of great help.

Manana:

Constant contemplation upon the knowledge gained from guru to derive intellectual conviction.

Nidhidhyasana:

refers to the practice and experiencing the knowledge of the truth, through meditation. Through intense practice, one realizes the truth about the unity underlying the multiplicity of the universe.