[Advaita-l] Why is jagat mithya?

[Praveen R. Bhat]

Hari Om, Venkateshji,


On Thu, Jan 19, 2012 at 8:27 AM, Venkatesh Murthy <vmurthy36 at gmail.com> wrote:

> What is the focus of Sruti? Brahman or non Brahman?

The focus of the shruti is both, brahman and non-brahman because
without knowing the latter's relation to former, the former is just
impossible to achieve.

In Advaita books
> the focus is more on non Brahman and showing it is Mithya. Why not
> focus on Brahman because it is the One and Only Sat? Because it is
> Nirguna it is difficult to focus on it. It is easier to say what is
> not Brahman. Yato Vaco Nivartante Sruti is prohibiting from describing
> Brahman.  Is this correct reason?  We negate everything and what is
> left is  Brahman.

The advaita vedanta books, fortunately, do not sit on their high
pedestal of brahmatattva or paramArthikA and ask you to join there,
leaving your entire belief rooted in this jagat. How much ever you say
that world is brahman, a laukika will never be able to bridge the
disconnect, unless you do what advaita vedanta books instead do, which
is to hold the hand of the one completely covered in aj~nAna that this
world is a reality to take him to that which is the substratum of the
world. In other words, a good teacher comes down to the level of the
student and takes him above and into the beyond. Such teaching
understands the natural tendencies and difficulties of the student.


Some people are afraid of this because they feel it
> is like Sunya.

People who are afraid that purNa is like shUnya are sadly mistaken, IMHO.

>
> There could be another way. We can say Brahman is there in everything.
> Sarvam Khalvidam Brahma. This is a positive way. What is difficult in
> this? We can do Brahman Upasana in everything. But you can say we
> cannot do Upasana like that because Brahman is Nirguna. Then do
> Upasana of Saguna Brahman in everything first.

This is exactly what advaita vedanta does, but knowing that not a
single medication is applicable to all diseases. What if a person of a
different temperament than yours is told sarvam khalvidam brahma and
he thinks that this world is verily brahman, why should I bother for
any sAdhanA at all then? Why not achieve the best of this world and
live in it like a charavAka follower?

gurupAdukArpaNamastu,
--Praveen R. Bhat
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