[Advaita-l] Time

[Ramesh Krishnamurthy]

2009/3/29 Mahesh Ursekar <mahesh.ursekar at gmail.com>:
>
> While it may be reasonable to shrug the question saying Advaita doesn't care
> one way or the other as Jaldhar feels, I think to make a complete theory,
> Advaita should have postulated something about it. If it can accept the
> elements of the world - earth, water, air, fire, AkAsha (which can be
> likened to solid, liquid, gas, energy & Space of modern physics), why not
> Time?
>

advaita-vedAnta does not claim to be a complete theory of everything.
It is very specifically a method or tool for mokSha. To the extent
that the pursuit of mokSha requires explanation of any other aspect of
the universe, advaita-vedAnta provides an explanation, often on the
basis of what the other classical darshana-s had to say on the issue.
But these are far from being cast in stone and can always be modified
according to the context.

Together, the classical darshana-s do provide a comprehensive
framework on several aspects of the universe. This includes
mokSha-shAstra as well as what may be termed proto-science, but the
latter is essentially the domain of vaisheShika and sAMkhya rather
than vedAnta.

Traditionally, the study of advaita-vedAnta involved the study of the
other darshana-s also, as well as various related disciplines ranging
from vyAkaraNa to mantra-shAstra. It is not appropriate to divorce
vedAnta from this framework and look at it as a theory of everything
in itself.

Ramesh