[Advaita-l] The essential tenets of non-Vedantic Aastika schools in a nutshell

[V Subrahmanian]

In the Panchadashi 6th Chapter, there is a discussion of the distinction
between the Vedanta and the non-Vedantic Aastika schools. Here is a verse
in which Swami Vidyaranya succinctly states the essential tenets of the
latter:

आत्मभेदो जगत्सत्यमीशोऽन्य इति चेत्त्रयम् ।
त्यज्यते तैस्तदा सांख्ययोगवेदान्तसंमतिः ॥ २२८॥

228. The Vedantins will accept the doctrines of the followers of
Sankhya and Yoga provided they give up the doctrine of the existence
of distinction in Atman, the doctrine of the reality of the world and
the doctrine of Ishvara being a separate and special Purusha.

The above mention of two schools is just a representative of the
various schools such as Nyaya-vaisheshika, Pashupata and Pancharatra
that have been refuted in the Brahma sutras.


Om Tat Sat