Nepali Wanderer

The word “Vedanta” means the end of Veda (Veda + Anta). Since Veda also means knowledge, some even call Vedanta the conclusion of knowledge. Such is the esteemed recognition Vedanta holds in Eastern Hindu philosophy. For a culture known for deep spiritual practices and diverse yet connected schools of philosophy, Vedanta is regarded by many as the most profound philosophy, dealing with us, within us, the Universe around, and beyond. Even within Vedanta, Advaita Vedanta, also known as Non-Dualism, is the most profound. 

Vedanta comes from the scriptures known as the Upanishads, created by several sages (mostly anonymous) across centuries. Although there are many Upanishads (108 are considered total), ten are particularly considered the major Upanishads. These ten are highlighted because they contain commentaries by Adi Guru Shankaracharya, one of the great proponents of Advaita philosophy and a unifier of diverse philosophies within Hinduism (or Sanatana Dharma, the term preferred by many).

For a long time, I wanted to write about my understanding, however limited, of the ten major Upanishads. But before that, I think it’s important to explain the core philosophy of Vedanta, based on my own understanding. Since the concepts are similar across other schools of philosophy (like Samkhya, Buddhism, etc.), I will also try my best to link the concepts and extract the essence.

Brahman is the supreme reality, beyond time (eternal), space (infinite), and causality (unchanging). Everything else is unreal, including the whole Universe, except one thing: the Atma, the inner Self, which is the same for all beings and is the same as the Brahman. If one were to write in terms of math equations, we would have two equations: All Atmas = Same, and Atma = Brahman, which then boils down to a single truth: Brahman, the unity. There is a quote by Aldous Huxley: “All Science is the reduction from multiplicities to Unity,” and in that light, the philosophy of Advaita Vedanta seems like the ultimate theory of Unity.

Okay, I know that was a lot to take in. Maybe it was perplexing for some, esoteric for others, or simply a fallacy for many that contradicts everything out there in the world. So, let me explain how it’s related to the world we experience every day.

According to Vedanta, the Universe out there is the manifestation of Brahman, the supreme reality. It appears to us in the form of Prakriti (Nature), which is made up of three Gunas (qualities): Satva, Rajas, and Tamas. Satva means purity or knowledge, Rajas means activity, and Tamas means inertia. Everything we see around, be it gross material (human body, non-living entities) or subtle material (like thoughts, emotions), is made up of these three Gunas in varying degrees. But this appearance is not the ultimate truth; hence it is termed unreal. The ultimate truth, Brahman, lies beyond all these Gunas.

Let me explain it using an example that I use for my own understanding. Any object, let’s say a pen, at a superficial level, is at rest. This inertia is Tamas. But beneath this seemingly resting state, there is another truth, which is the activity of atomic particles underneath, which is Rajas. But even beneath this activity, there is hidden knowledge or a physical law (mathematics) that enables both these hidden outcomes and the apparent outside form. That knowledge or law is Satva. But just as there are activities and laws beyond the apparent form, Advait Vedanta says there is one ultimate reality beyond all of these.

So, my understanding of “Unreal Universe” is this: When Advaita says the Universe is unreal, like the object in our example, it doesn’t mean the object doesn’t exist. It just says that whatever we observe at our level is not its real form. This veiling power that stops us from seeing the world in terms of Brahman (and Unity) is Maya, also known as Illusion. That’s why Advaita says the Universe is the creation of Maya, for the Universe we see in terms of multiplicities is an illusion. Another explanation I have read in terms of the “Unreal Universe” is by Adi Guru Shankaracharya, who deems anything that changes as unreal. Since everything, including the Universe, is prone to change, Shankaracharya famously said: “Jagat Mithya, Brahman Satya” (The Universe is unreal, Brahman is real).

Of course, this philosophy is just an abstract theory for us, for it will only be our truth if we experience it on our own. But remember, the ultimate truth, according to Vedanta, is beyond time and space. Whereas, our mind is limited in terms of time and space, as we cannot think beyond time and space. Thus, the whole essence of Advaita (or other spiritual philosophies like Yoga) is to go beyond the mind and intellect to realise this ultimate truth.

Again, I would like to add my understanding of the “ultimate truth” here. Vedanta says Brahman is Sat-Chit-Ananda, meaning Existence, Consciousness, and Bliss. So, when these scriptures talk about ultimate truth, they are talking about pure consciousness. Thus, to go beyond the mind and intellect, or even our senses at the beginning, is to experience a higher level of consciousness. And this is where I find the practical element in Vedanta (or similar philosophies like Yoga or the teachings of Buddha) beyond the theoretical teachings and philosophy. Even if we cannot experience the “ultimate truth,” we can all experience different levels of consciousness through the practices of Yoga (like meditation).

Remember at the top when I mentioned about other related philosophies? It is the concept of consciousness that connects all of these philosophies. Let’s start with Samkhya Philosophy, another important philosophy from which Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra comes. It talks about two fundamental realities (hence dual in nature): Purusha (Pure Consciousness) and Prakriti (Matter). The ultimate goal, liberation, is to realise Pure Consciousness by recognising its separation from Matter.

When it comes to Buddhism, the core teachings can be summarised using the concept of impermanence. Everything in the world is in a constant state of flux (impermanent), and even the Self (which we associate as unchanging) is actually the flashes of ever-changing consciousness (No Self or Anatma). The ultimate goal, liberation, is the realisation of this impermanence.

At the end of the day, theories, whether scientific or mythological, are tools to better explain our world. When it comes to the spiritual world, ancient theories and philosophies provide a framework to live a better lifestyle. That’s why the word Dharma, often loosely translated as religion, actually means living in the right way. Thus, even if different philosophies use different concepts to explain reality (Atma vs. Anatma, Non-Dual vs. Dual, etc.), their essence remains the same, connected by the pursuit of experiencing higher levels of consciousness.