A-Level Hinduism - Advanced Philosophical Concepts

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Explain the ontological status of the world in Advaita Vedanta vs. Vishistadvaita.

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In Shankara's Advaita, the world is *Maya* (illusion), having only practical reality (*Vyavaharika*) but not absolute reality; it disappears upon Moksha. In Ramanuja's Vishistadvaita, the world is the body (*Sarira*) of Brahman; it is real, eternal, and an inseparable attribute of the divine, ensuring devotees do not negate the world but spiritualize it.

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What is the 'Sativa-Adhyasa' theory in Advaita Vedanta?

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In Advaita Vedanta, **adhyasa** is the superimposition of the unreal on the real, caused by ignorance (*avidya*), like mistaking a rope for a snake. Shankara uses it to explain how the Self (*Atman/Brahman*) appears as the individual self (*jiva*) through the body and mind.

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Compare the concept of 'Ishvara' in Samkhya vs. Patanjali's Yoga.

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Samkhya is atheistic/non-theistic; it proposes *Purusha* and *Prakriti* as sufficient dual causes and rejects a creator God (*Ishvara*). Patanjali’s Yoga accepts Samkhya metaphysics but adds *Ishvara* as a special *Purusha* (untouched by suffering) to facilitate devotion and remove obstacles in meditation.

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Define the 'Three Levels of Reality' (*Tattva* in Advaita).

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1. *Paramarthika* (Absolute): Brahman alone, non-dual, unchanging reality. 2. *Vyavaharika* (Practical/Transactional): The empirical world of names, forms, and cause/effect where we live. 3. *Pratibhasika* (Apparent/Subjective): Illusory reality, like dreams or hallucinations (e.g., seeing a mirage).

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What are the 'Five Differences' (*Pancha Bheda*) in Dvaita Vedanta?

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Madhva's dualism posits eternal distinctions between: 1. God and individual soul (*Ishvara-Jiva*). 2. God and matter (*Ishvara-Jada*). 3. Soul and matter (*Jiva-Jada*). 4. One soul and another (*Jiva-Jiva*). 5. One form of matter and another (*Jada-Jada*). This refutes the idea that difference is merely illusion (*Maya*).