Introduction to Traditional Vedanta

Introduction to Traditional Vedanta

What is Vedanta?

Vedanta is a Sanskrit term meaning the end of the Vedas, which are our primary scriptures. They can be divided into two portions, namely, Karma-Kāṇḍa (ritual portion) and jñāna-kāṇḍa (knowledge portion). The karma-kāṇḍa consists of various rituals and values. The jñāna-kāṇḍa, comprising the Upanishads, deals with the knowledge of the absolute truth. It is called Vedanta because it is located at the last portion of the Veda literature.

In our day-to-day life, we have the need for knowledge regarding various facts, which we gather by employing two means of knowledge, namely, direct perception (pratyakṣa) or inference (anumāna). A means of knowledge is called pramāṇa in sanskrit. To make our lives meaningful, we need to know certain facts which cannot be known by means of direct perception (pratyakṣa) or inference (anumāna). For example, the existence of God, the life hereafter, the unseen effects of our deeds, etc. They are known only by means of the Vedas. Therefore, the Veda is an independent means of knowledge.

The suffering of a human being is due to the ignorance of his own self. Therefore, the solution to the fundamental human problems like sorrow, fear, etc., is to remove the ignorance regarding the self. The removal of self ignorance is possible by means of self knowledge. Any knowledge requires its own means of knowledge (pramāṇa). For example, the colour of a rose cannot be known by any other means than the eyes. Similarly, to know the essential nature of our own self, we have no other means of knowledge than the words of Vedanta literature.

Vedanta is primarily the body of literature called Upanishads. There are other texts composed by some ṛṣis (seers), which are meant for helping us to understand the teachings of the Upanishads more clearly. The most important among them are Bhagavadgītā and Brahmasūtras - the triad popularly known as prasthānatraya. The commentary of Śaṅkarācārya on these and a number of treatises by various other ācāryas in the tradition play an important role in understanding the vision of Vedanta.

The Teaching Tradition

The Bhagavān, who revealed the scripture to the humanity, also taught how the scriptures should be understood and how it should be conveyed to a student. This understanding has come down to us though an unbroken lineage of guru (teacher) and śiṣya (student). The vision of Vedanta is imparted by a guru using proper methodology of teaching, which he himself has learnt from the tradition, making the role of a guru indisputable, indispensable, and a veritable sine qua non in knowledge transfer.

The Vision of Vedanta

Brahman is the only absolute reality. The nature of Brahman is the pure consciousness, free from all limitations. A power called māyā is responsible to project Brahman in the form of the universe. The ontological term mithyā is used for something which is empirically experienced but does not have absolute existence. Māyā is mithyā. Since the universe is the effect of māyā, universe is also mithyā. Therefore, satya, the absolute reality is only Brahman.

Brahman is essentially free from all attributes (nirguṇa). Because of māyā, Brahman gets the status of īśvara (God). Īśvara is the consciousness principle responsible for the creation, sustenance and dissolution of the universe. Īśvara is responsible for giving the results of all our actions. Īśvara is the one who accepts our worships and answers our prayers. It is all valid from the empirical point of view. But since the īśvara status of Brahman is due to māyā, it is also mithyā.

The central teaching of Vedanta is given by the statement ‘tat tvam asi’ (you are That). Here tat (that) refers to īśvara. Tvam (you) refers to the individual (jīva). At the outset, the statement does not seem to make any sense. How can an individual, who is limited in many ways, be the all-knowing and all-powerful īśvara?  Vedanta makes us probe into the nature of ourselves and makes us understand the mistake we have committed regarding ourselves. The limited body and mind is not our self. The essential nature of an individual is pure consciousness, limitless in all terms, which is nothing other than Brahman, the essence of Īśvara.

The result

Self ignorance is the cause for identifying ourselves with the body, mind and their properties. As a result, there is a sense of incompleteness, which further causes all undesirable emotions like desire, anger, fear, dejection, etc. This is a universal problem, because it is experienced by all human beings. The problem resulting from self ignorance is known as saṃsāra. Freedom from this problem is called mokṣa.

Everyone seeks a solution to the problem. Unfortunately, a vast majority of people seek it in the wrong direction, i.e., in the form of accumulation of wealth, various objects of enjoyment, relatives, social status, etc. Since the cause is self ignorance, the one and only solution is removal of self ignorance, which can be accomplished only by means of self knowledge.

The result of self knowledge can be experienced while being alive. As the result of eating or drinking in the form of appeasement of hunger or thirst is experienced at the same time as the food or drink is consumed, the result of knowledge also is experienced during the process itself. The man of self knowledge, who leads a normal life but enjoys the results of self knowledge, is called a jīvanmukta. The scriptures describe a jīvanmukta as one endowed with fulfilment. He does not depend on external sources, struts, or scaffolds, for happiness, because he has found the resource of perennial happiness within. He is free from fear, elation, dejection, envy, etc. Furthermore, the scriptures reveal that a man of self knowledge becomes free form the cycle of birth and death.

Need for a Guru

Due to the subtle nature of the subject matter, even a most intelligent student cannot understand the Vedanta scriptures without the help of a competent guru (teacher). The scriptures advise an aspirant to approach a traditional teacher of Vedanta. A traditional teacher is the one who knows the methodology of communicating the subject matter which has come down to us through an unbroken lineage of teachers.

Steps to self knowledge

Even though the vision of Vedanta can be expressed in a few sentences, it takes a lot of effort to understand the teaching with clarity. Therefore, the scriptures prescribe three steps to self knowledge. The first step is śravaṇa, which involves approaching a proper teacher and exposing oneself to the teaching for a length of time. It should be followed by proper reasoning and clearing doubts regarding the subject matter. It is called manana. Then there is nididhyāsana, which means contemplation on the teaching and assimilating the same.

Preparation

Vedanta works for an aspirant only when he has certain amount of preparation in the form of purification of mind. A mind which is free from undesirable emotions like attachment, hatred, etc., can grasp the teaching effectively.

An aspirant with extroverted mind, full of strong undesirable emotions like attachment, hatred, greed, anger, etc., should make appropriate effort to cleanse his mind by means of Karmayoga.

Role of Karmayoga

Karmayoga is necessary to prepare one’s mind for the pursuit of knowledge. Karmayoga involves performance of the obligatory actions like one’s own duties as well as rituals as an offering to Īśvara and accepting the results of the actions as the grace of Īśvara. It also involves observing the values like truthfulness, non-violence, magnanimity, etc.

Are there various paths for mokṣa?

Some teachers profess various paths for mokṣa. According to them, the same goal is attainable by any one or any combination of philosophical enquiry, selfless service, meditation, devotion to God and so on.

The Upanishads clearly state that mokṣa is possible only by means of self knowledge. Since the bondage is caused by ignorance, the solution lay in its removal without vestige. To remove the darkness, you need light. There is no other means to remove darkness. Likewise, only the self knowledge brought about by Vedanta can remove ignorance and its effects.

The tradition does not deny the role of other disciplines like Karmayoga and meditation. They are necessary to prepare oneself for knowledge and act as a bulwark to fortify and augment progress.

Is self knowledge a privilege of a particular group?

Far from it! Self knowledge is neither the privilege nor the monopoly of any particular group, community or gender. Anyone can aspire to have self knowledge regardless of stage of life, or status.

What is the role of mystical experience in Vedanta?

According to some people, mokṣa is possible through a mystical experience attained by means of meditation. They also claim that the true nature of the self is experienced only in a mystical state of mind, which is the true self-realization.

The Vedantic tradition does not accept this view. The self cannot be experienced as an object. Because it is the very essence of the one who experiences. Therefore, it cannot be experienced as an object in any state of mind. Moreover, the self is always evident as the consciousness. Therefore, it need not be made evident by a mystic experience. What Vedanta does is removal of the mistake one has made regarding an already evident self; hence, the need for a "new experience" becoming redundant.

Is Vedanta a philosophy?

The answer depends on what you mean by the word philosophy. If philosophy is a discipline of knowledge dealing with the meaning of life, nature of the self, substance behind the apparent universe, solution to the fundamental human problem, etc., there is no harm in using the term ‘philosophy’ to Vedanta.

The word ‘system of philosophy’ or ‘school of thought’ generally refers to independent thought systems developed by particular individuals. These schools of thought are mainly based on intellectual speculations. But the absolute reality cannot be known by intellectual speculation. Therefore, these systems cannot arrive at the right conclusion regarding the absolute reality.

Unlike these schools of thought, Vedanta is not founded by any given person. It is not a set of contentions based on speculations. It is a valid means of knowledge which reveals the truth that cannot be known by mere reasoning.

Is Vedanta a science?

 There are similarities but dissimilarities far outweigh between Vedanta and science insofar as both are interested in knowing the fact. As science deals with the external world and employs pratyakṣa (direct perception), and anumāna (inference) as a means of knowledge, Vedanta deals with the self, which is not available to these two means of knowledge. What Vedanta reveals cannot be proved or disproved by science, because the subject matter of Vedanta is beyond the reach of science. Science can prove or disprove things which are within the domain of direct perception and inference.