Bhedābheda Vedānta is a subschool of

Vedānta ''Vedanta'' (; sa, वेदान्त, ), also ''Uttara Mīmāṃsā'', is one of the six (''āstika'') schools of Hindu philosophy. Literally meaning "end of the Vedas", Vedanta reflects ideas that emerged from, or were aligned with, t ...

, which teaches that the individual self (''jīvātman'') is both different and not different from the ultimate reality known as Brahman.

Etymology

''Bhedābheda'' (

Devanagari Devanagari ( ; , , Sanskrit pronunciation: ), also called Nagari (),Kathleen Kuiper (2010), The Culture of India, New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, , page 83 is a left-to-right abugida (a type of segmental Writing systems#Segmental syste ...

: ) is a Sanskrit word meaning "difference and non-difference".

Philosophy

The characteristic position of all the different Bhedābheda Vedānta schools is that the individual self (''jīvātman'') is both different and not different from the ultimate reality known as Brahman. Each thinker within the Bhedābheda Vedānta tradition has their own particular understanding of the precise meanings of the philosophical terms "difference" and "non-difference". Bhedābheda Vedāntic ideas can be traced to some of the very oldest Vedāntic texts, including quite possibly Bādarāyaṇa's ''Brahma Sūtra'' (c. 4th century CE). Bhedābheda is distinguished from the positions of two other major schools of Vedānta. The ''

Advaita ''Advaita Vedanta'' (; sa, अद्वैत वेदान्त, ) is a Hindu sādhanā, a path of spiritual discipline and experience, and the oldest extant tradition of the orthodox Hindu school Vedānta. The term ''Advaita'' (lit ...

'' (Non-dual) Vedānta that claims that the individual self is completely identical to Brahman, and the ''

Dvaita Dvaita Vedanta (); (originally known as Tattvavada; IAST:Tattvavāda), is a sub-school in the Vedanta tradition of Hindu philosophy. The term Tattvavada literally means "arguments from a realist viewpoint". The Tattvavada (Dvaita) Vedanta su ...

'' (Dualist) Vedānta (13th century) that teaches complete difference between the individual self and Brahman.

Influence

Bhedābheda ideas had an enormous influence on the devotional (

bhakti ''Bhakti'' ( sa, भक्ति) literally means "attachment, participation, fondness for, homage, faith, love, devotion, worship, purity".See Monier-Williams, ''Sanskrit Dictionary'', 1899. It was originally used in Hinduism, referring to d ...

) schools of India's medieval period. Among medieval Bhedābheda thinkers are: *

Nimbārka The Nimbarka Sampradaya ( IAST: ''Nimbārka Sampradāya'', Sanskrit निम्बार्क सम्प्रदाय), also known as the Hamsa Sampradāya, and Sanakādi Sampradāya (सनकादि सम्प्रदाय), i ...

(dates proposed by scholars range from 7th century – 15th century), who founded the Svābhābika

Dvaitādvaita The Nimbarka Sampradaya (IAST: ''Nimbārka Sampradāya'', Sanskrit निम्बार्क सम्प्रदाय), also known as the Hamsa Sampradāya, and Sanakādi Sampradāya (सनकादि सम्प्रदाय), is ...

school.Malkovsky, ''The Role of Divine Grace in the Soteriology of Śaṃkarācārya'', Leiden: Brill, p. 118, * Bhāskara (8th and 9th centuries), who founded the Aupādhika Bhedābheda school. * Chaitanya (1485–1533), the founder of

Gaudiya Vaishnavism Gaudiya Vaishnavism (), also known as Chaitanya Vaishnavism, is a Vaishnava Hindu religious movement inspired by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486–1534) in India. "Gaudiya" refers to the Gaura or Gauḍa region of Bengal, with Vaishnavism meanin ...

based in the eastern Indian State of

West Bengal West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fourt ...

, and the theological founder of Achintya Bheda Abhedavedanta Other major names are Rāmānuja's teacher

Yādavaprakāśa Yadava Prakasa () was a Bhedabheda Vedanta scholar and a contemporary of Vaishnava acharya Ramanuja. He was one of the teachers of Ramanuja during the latter's early years in Kanchi. It is said that Ramanuja joined Yadava Prakaasa's school while ...

, and

Vijñānabhikṣu Vijñānabhikṣu (also spelled ''Vijnanabhikshu'') was a Hindu philosopher from Bihar, variously dated to the 15th or 16th century, known for his commentary on various schools of Hindu philosophy, particularly the Yoga text of Patanjali. His scho ...

(16th century).

References

Sources

External links