Here's a question from Sandeep who lives in Peoria, Illinois. He asks,
"If non-dual brahman is the ultimate reality, then why did the ancient rishis say
that Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva are the gods of creation, sustenance, and dissolution?"
Questions like this one often arise when we look at conventional Hindu teachings from the
lofty standpoint of non-duality, advaita. The scriptures of advaita Vedanta accept
only one, undifferentiated underlying reality called brahman. But most other scriptures accept
the existence of many gods. These two positions are contradictory and seem irreconcilable.
But, this apparent conflict can be resolved with the help of an important principle
that applies to all Hindu scriptures, yet it's seldom discussed except in scholarly commentaries.
That principle is called adhikari bheda. Bheda means difference,
and the expression adhikari bheda refers to differences among people
who have a wide range of educational backgrounds, who come from various social and economic groups,
who have distinct personalities, different emotional temperaments,
and so on. The level of diversity among people is astounding. We all differ in the foods we like,
the kinds of entertainment we enjoy, the clothes we wear, and in thousands of other ways. So, it's
no surprise that we also differ from one another in our religious and spiritual inclinations.
The principle of adhikari bheda acknowledges these differences and wholeheartedly embraces them
by enabling the Hindu tradition to provide different religious and spiritual teachings
to different people, according to their individual preferences, needs and capabilities.
This principle is commonly found elsewhere, like in our schools. Students first learn basic math.
Later, they learn algebra, geometry, and trigonometry. And later yet, they
might learn calculus. Each of these subjects are taught according to a student's age and ability.
Not surprisingly, some students advance more rapidly than their peers, while
others opt out of advanced classes. It's different for each individual.
All this holds true for the study of religious and spiritual teachings as well.
First we learn the basics, about God, prayer, and the importance of dharma.
Then, we gradually proceed to more complex topics, to the extent we're inclined to do so.
And, just like students have different books for algebra, geometry, and so on, in the same way,
we have different scriptures that present a wide range of religious and spiritual subjects.
Consider this. Young children would find a calculus textbook to be incomprehensible.
In the same way, those just beginning their spiritual journeys would probably find the
loftiest teachings of Advaita Vedanta to be beyond their reach. Before studying calculus,
students have to be adequately prepared by studying algebra and the rest. It's the same
for spiritual seekers. Before they can grasp the highest teachings of non-duality, they too,
have to be adequately prepared. Traditional Vedanta texts list the necessary prerequisites.
Those prerequisites include the cultivation of qualities like discernment, dispassion
toward worldly pleasures, equanimity, and self-control, in addition to prayer,
meditation, and the study of introductory texts under the guidance of a qualified teacher.
A problem I've noticed from time to time is that some advanced spiritual students claim
that Advaita Vedanta is better than other teachings because it reveals the highest reality,
non-dual brahman. But their claims really aren't justified at all.
A book on advanced calculus isn't better than an introductory algebra text. These books have
different subject matters and are intended for students of different levels. In the same way,
our scriptures have different subject matters, intended for different types of students.
For example, consider the Upanishads, the scriptures on which Advaita Vedanta is based.
They're primarily focused on teaching non-duality for those who are adequately prepared for
that profound subject matter. The Ramayana and Mahabharata mostly teach dharma, righteousness,
for those who need guidance in coping with the complexities of day to day life.
The eighteen Puranas recount the lives of ancient saints and tell stories about gods like Brahma,
Vishnu, Shiva, for those who want to cultivate their prayer and devotion. It's true
that each of these scriptures include a range of subjects,
including topics found in other scriptures, so there's a lot of overlap. But in general,
each scripture has a primary subject matter that's meant for a particular group of people.
For these reasons, no single scripture or teaching tradition can really be considered best.
It's more accurate to say that certain scriptures and teachings are well-suited
for someone's unique preferences, needs, and capabilities, while other scriptures are not.
The principle of adhikari bheda also explains why there are so many gods in the Hindu tradition.
The earliest Hindu scripture, Rig Veda, clearly says, "God is one, which the
wise call by many names." How many names? The Puranic scriptures refer to 330 million gods,
all of them different names and forms for the one god of the cosmos. That huge number is
interesting because it's more than the population of our planet in ancient times. That means, each
person could worship his or her own individual form of god, worshipped by no one else.
This observation shows how the Hindu approach to devotional life recognizes the importance of
personal preferences and religious inclinations. The Hindu tradition allows and encourages
followers to choose a particular form of god as their main focus for prayer and worship.
This attitude is refreshingly different from most other religions
that prescribe one and only one form of god for prayer and worship.
In my classes for children, I jokingly call this a "one size fits all" approach to religion. One size
of clothing certainly doesn't fit our many different shapes and sizes. So how can one
form of god be suitable for us all, given our wide range of preferences and inclinations?
Another question that's related to the principle of adhikari bheda comes from Ramya in India.
She asks, "What's your view on the philosophy of Dvaita, duality, because it seems contradictory
to the philosophy of Advaita." In fact, the teachings of Vedanta include
several different schools of thought that were established by greatly-revered scholars long ago.
In the eighth century, Shankara developed the teachings of Advaita or non-dualistic Vedanta.
Three centuries later, Ramanuja developed the teachings of Vishishta Advaita,
or qualified non-dualism. Later yet, Madhva developed the teachings of Dvaita, dualism.
We can t get into the details of these three schools of thought, so here's a brief but
highly oversimplified account. Dvaita, dualism, teaches that God is separate and distinct from
all individual souls, from the consciousness or awareness that's the essential nature of us all.
Vishishta Advaita, qualified non-dualism, teaches that each individual soul is a small part of God
and shares God's divine qualities. And Advaita boldly declares that there's only God, nothing
else. All that exists is a form or manifestation of the divine.
All three teachings seek to explain the very same reality, but they adopt three different
perspectives for their explanations. To understand the dualistic perspective
of Dvaita, suppose you gaze at the ocean and see many individual waves. You could observe how each
wave is born from the ocean, sustained by the ocean, and eventually returns to the ocean.
This metaphor nicely represents Dvaita's teachings about the relationship between individual souls
and God, who is the source, sustainer, and ultimate destination for all that exists.
To understand Vishistha Advaita's view, suppose you consider the fact that each wave is actually
a small part of the ocean. The ocean is made of countless waves that share its qualities.
This metaphor represents the teachings of Vishistha Advaita. Each individual soul
is a small part of God, a spark of divinity as they say. And God is the unity
because of which the diversity of souls exists. Finally, to understand Advaita's view, suppose
you appreciate the fact that, ultimately, there's only water; there are no waves or ocean at all.
This metaphor represents Advaita's sole acceptance of one, non-dual brahman.
Regarding the ocean, you can't say that one perspective is right and the others are wrong.
Each is correct from its own standpoint. But the three perspectives do differ in complexity
and subtlety. One ocean with many waves is a simple concept. It's a bit more complex
to say that each wave is part of the ocean. And to say, there are no waves or ocean,
there's only water, is quite subtle since it requires a radical shift of perspective.
All this holds true for the three Vedantic schools of thought as well. You can't say one
is right and the others are wrong because each is correct from its own standpoint. But they do
differ in complexity and subtlety, and that's where the principle of adhikari bheda comes in.
For those just setting out on a spiritual path, Dvaita is a good starting point,
not just because it's the simplest of the three, but because it most strongly supports
the practice of prayer, and prayer is essential for spiritual growth.
The teachings of Dvaita are sufficient for a lifelong practice of prayer and worship, but for
those who want to understand their relationship with God more deeply, it might be helpful to
explore the teachings of Vishishta Advaita or Advaita. It all depends on the individual.
Based on the principle of adhikari bheda, any of these three three teachings can be followed.
The many different scriptures, gods and teachings found in the Hindu tradition are all
examples of adhikari bheda. This principle often goes unrecognized, but it's crucial because it
ensures that individual religious and spiritual needs are never ignored.
This is the eighth video in a series that answers questions submitted by viewers. If
you have a question that would serve as a good topic for a video like this one,
please email me at this address, and be sure to indicate "video question" as the
subject of the email. I'll try to address your question in a future video.