Wednesday, February 10, 2016

BHASKARA

Bhaskara was an Indian philosopher believed to have lived in the early part of the 9th century A.D.  He taught the philosophy of Bhedabheda, the doctrine of identity in difference.  Bhedabheda can be traced to some of the oldest texts in Vedanta.  The devotional (bhakti) schools of India’s medieval period were considerably influenced by it.

The doctrine holds that individual souls are neither absolutely identical with Brahman, nor absolutely different from Brahman.  It reconciles the difference between Advaita (Monist) Vedanta that claims the individual soul is entirely identical with Brahman, and Dvaita (Dualist) Vedanta that teaches complete difference between the individual soul and Brahman.
 
In the 12th or 13th century A.D. another noted Indian philosopher, Nimbarka, taught Bhedabheda, calling it Dvaitadvaita.  He described it as duality in nonduality.  According to him the individual soul is part of Brahman, as well as one with it. 

Bhaskara, incidentally, taught that complete union with Brahman is possible only after the death of the body.

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