[Advaita-l] Tattvamasi - Advaita and Dvaita approach

[kuntimaddi sadananda]

Subbuji – PraNAms

Yes, the context of the teaching is very important. Uddalaka starts questioning his son, ‘Have you learned knowing which you will know everything’ – eka vijnaanena sarva vijnanaam bhavati. He then proves giving thee examples – emphasizing that if one knows the material cause then all the related products are ‘as well known’ with the emphasis that effects are cause itself in different names and forms – the effects are only – vaachaarambhanam vikaaro naamadheyam – or ‘namkevaste’ creation. That is the context in which he starts describing the creation – with the cause defining as sat swaruupam – sat eva idam agra aaseet .. and there is nothing other than sat. ekam – eva -adviteeyam – has been explained by Shankara as sajaati vijaati Swagata bheda rahitam – while Ramanuja accepts the first two but not the third – claims that there are internal differences with jeeva-jagat as part of the sat. He forces the issue because of the Gita statement – natvevvaaham jaatu naasam na tvam neme janaadhipaaH,.. endorsing existence of multiple jeevas as ever present and accounts for tat tvam asi using visheshana visheshaabhaam samanaadhikaraNam as in ‘blue lotus’. The only Madhva interprets it as ‘a tat tvam asi’ – you are not that. 

That ‘I am not that’ is my daily experience and I do not need scripture to confirm that statement which I already know. Here ‘anadigatvam’ as pramaana requirement is violated. The statement is repeated nine times in the scriptures which you already know even without scriptural help. 

Major problem, of course, Madhva’s position that Brahman is not the material cause for the creation and in the process the original basis of the chapter – eka vijnaanana sarva vijnaanam bhavati – is not met. 

Just my 2c.

Hari Om!

Sadananda



 

   On Friday, February 15, 2019, 4:43:27 PM GMT+5:30, V Subrahmanian via Advaita-l <advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote: 
 

We have to take into consideration the context/the situation when the Tat
tvam asi teaching is given: Shvetaketu has returned from Gurukula
completely puffed with arrogance. It would be totally improper to give him
the teaching 'You are That' which will only increase the pride. Uddalaka is
giving the teaching in order to put the boy on the right track. So, the
advaitic meaning of Tat tvam asi is not that would fit the situation.
Instead only if he is told that 'You are not that' or 'You are only a
reflection of or dependent on That' the purpose of the teaching would be
fulfilled.