Question

Which of the following is not true about Shankaracharya?
A. The ultimate reality according to the Advaita Vedanta philosophy of Shankaracharya, is Brahmin
B. The world as a whole, according to him, shows signs of purpose, intelligence and organisation, and therefore, presupposes a creator and a Governor. This creator is God or a cosmic form of the absolute Brahmin
C. The God according to him is a second reality to the Brahmin
D. The ultimate self, the atman of the individual, is the same as the absolute Brahmin, the ultimate foundation of the cosmos

Answer 1

Hint: Adi Shankaracharya was an Indian philosopher during the Vedic times of the Ancient Indian period. His works have elaborated on the tradition of Upanishad and his thesis in Sanskrit discusses the union of the Atman and the Nirgun Brahmin. This tradition is based on sastra (scriptures), yukti (reason), anubhava (experiential knowledge) and karma (spiritual practices) of a being.

Complete Answer : The tradition of Advaita Vedanta was started by Adi Shankaracharya who talked against the presence of any kind of duality in the universe. His Advaita postulates state that there is a Self which is termed Atmana and there is a Whole which is termed Brahmin. According to this, Brahmin is the only reality in the cosmos and it is second to nothing and nothing is second to it. In this tradition, jivanmukti is self-realisation and self’s unification with the universal spirit called Brahmin.

Looking at the options,

Options (A), (B) and (D) talk about the absolutism of Brahmin which is equalised to God. Therefore, these options are consistent with the philosophy of Shankaracharya and are NOT the correct answers.

Option (C) talks about the possibility of second reality, mentioning God as being second to the Brahmin. The central tenet of Advaita Vedanta is the acceptance of a “non-secondness” in the world and therefore, any possibility of it cannot be related to this philosophical tradition.

Thus, option (C) is the correct answer.

Note: The rise of Advaita Vedanta tradition coincides with Mahayana Buddhism and many of their beliefs find similarity and cohesiveness. Though the central difference in one believing in the presence of Atmana and the other rejecting it has been underlined vividly, the similarities in the material conduct has resulted in Shankaracharya being accused as a “crypto-Buddhist”.