A JNANI HAS ATTAINED LIBERATION EVEN WHILE alive, here and now. It is immaterial to Him as to how, where and when He leaves the body. Some Jnanis may appear to suffer, others may be in samadhi; still others may disappear from sight before death. But that makes no difference to their jnana . Such [...]
Advaita Vedanta
Advaita Vedanta - The Message of Oneness
Basic principles of Advaita Vedanta
Advaita Philosophy of Sankaracharya
Nature of Self - Advaita View Point
Nature Of The Jiva in Advaita Vedanta
Brahman in Advaita Vedanta
Status of the world in Advaita Vedanta
Ajati Vada - Creation theories in Advaita Vedanta
Srushti-Drushti Vada - Creation [...]
Adi Shankaracharya’s Viveka Chudamani translated by Swami Madhavananda:
1. I bow to Govinda, whose nature is Bliss Supreme, who is the Sadguru, who can be known only from the import of all Vedanta, and who is beyond the reach of speech and mind.
According to Adi Shankara, God, the Supreme Cosmic Spirit or Brahman is the One, the whole and the only reality. Other than Brahman, everything else, including the universe, material objects and individuals, are mithya (i.e aspects that are superimposed on Brahman). Brahman is at best described as that infinite, omnipresent, omnipotent, incorporeal, impersonal, transcendent reality [...]
The scriptures are innumerable; the things to be known are many; the time at our disposal is short; the obstacles are too many. It is therefore important to grasp the essence and essence only. It is in this sense that we should approach the message of one-ness taught by the Advaita school led by Sankara.
Let me first attempt to state the questioner’s viewpoint. Unless mAyA is already present, neither concealment nor projection can take place. Is mAyA then coeval with brahman? Do they exist side by side? Does this not contradict the non-dual status of brahman? Where does mAyA operate? What is its base of operation? These questions raise [...]
Teachings of Atmananda Krishna Menon:
Deep mental activity generates heat, which keeps off deep sleep. Cold in its intensity wakes you up. Deep sleep brings on a sense of happiness and peace with it. This experience we get only in the absence of all mental activity. When we direct our mind to this happiness aspect of [...]
According to Advaita Vedanta, moksha is obtained only through knowledge of identity with Brahman and not through any karma or upasana.
Support from Upanishads
Kaivalya Upanishad 3
– “It is through renunciation that a few seekers have attained immortality – not through rituals, not through progeny, not through wealth…..” (“ na karmana na prajaya na dhanena tyaganaike amrutatvamanasuh”).
According to Advaita Vedanta, in our real nature, we are the very infinite Brahman. Maya has a two-fold power - (i) veiling power (“avarana sakti”) and (2) projecting power (“vikshepa sakti”).
Through avarana sakti Maya hides Brahman, as it were,from us; i.e., makes us ignorant about our real nature as Brahman and through vikshepa sakti, having [...]
Apart from karma, there is scope for free will ( called “purushartha”) in human lives. Good action and good thought can reduce papa and increase punya. Whether free will or karma will prevail or to what extent free will can mitigate karma depends on the relative strength of the two.