ADVAITA-L Digest - 26 Jan 1997 to 27 Jan 1997

[Giri]

Anand wrote:

>   The jiiva-Ishvara unity (aikya) concept is misunderstood by even
>   scholars of
>   dvaita. Advaitins do not affirm the aikya at the vyaavahaarika level.
>   After all, Ishvara is the Lord of the world, the controller of all.
>   How can an individual soul be the same as Ishvara? If someone thinks,
>   "God and I are the same, so I am the Lord of the world and I will do
>   whatever I please", then he is a fool. Unfortunately, many people
>   construe  the jiiva-Ishvara-aikya concept as advocating that devotee
>   and God are equal in all respects.

>   What is meant by jiiva-Ishvara aikya is that the essential nature of
>   both is Brahman. It means jiiva and Ishvara with all their upaadhis
>   (limiting factors) removed are the same.
[..]
>   Anand

        So well written that it is worth repeating. However, i think, this
jiiva-Ishvara aikya also applies between two jiiva-s in the vyavaharika
satya. For example, i have certain qualifications and job, while my friend
is illiterate and cannot do my job. Thus, though on a body-mind level, we
are acting different roles (donning different veshas), we are not
different since the essential nature of us is Brahman.
        So long as we associate each other with names and forms, and think
that the jivas are different from Atman, we are different. This difference
is unreal since in essence (when the upaadhis are removed) we are all the
same.

Namaste.