Indian philosophy is very rich with innate wisdom and rigorous clarity. The facts that we encounter in daily life are addressed in a sharp and structured way. Especially when we turn to Vedantic philosophy and wisdom literature, we come across the branch named Advaita Vedanta. It directly addresses the non-dual aspect of reality and establishes the supreme position of Atman or Brahman, which is, of course, Nirguna (formless, shapeless...) Here in this blog, we shall talk about three grades of reality in Advaita Vedanta. Those who have unwavering faith in themselves and want to get liberated from all kinds of worldly miseries and focus their minds on such wisdom and know this world as it is, thus addressing themselves with a spiritual and practical dimension.
But before we begin, let's make a few things clear.
Atman/Brahm: This is Nirgun (No qualities are attributed to it. It is formless, shapeless, colorless, and invisible, non-contradictory, unaffected, uninfluenced, unaccompaniable, goal-less, etc.) This is the ultimate or absolute Truth or Satya.
Prakriti: Contains three qualities, Satva, Rajas, and Tamas. Every sensory perception, be it a thought (vichara), a person (vyakti), or a material thing (vastu), falls within the gamut of Saguna (that which carries material qualities such as form, shape, color, taste, emotions, etc.). All the material things in Prakriti carry these three qualities: Satva, Rajas, and Tamas. The world is full of such materials.
-- But remember: there are two types of Prakriti as well: Apara Prakriti and Para Prakriti. Apara Prakriti is Jada (non-living), and Para Prakriti is Chetan (living or conscious). Let's dissect these two.
Apara Prakriti: It contains five gross and three subtle material elements: earth, water, fire, air, ether (space), mind, intellect, and ego. The first five are gross, and the last three are subtle. In Sanskrit, they are known as Mana, Buddhi, and Ahamkara.
Para Prakriti equals consciousness. Which is chetan. All living beings, including humans, have consciousness. In Sanskrit, it is called Jeeva. All living beings exhibit different levels and intensities of consciousness. When consciousness resonates with the lowly vastu, vyakti, or vicharas, all the actions radiate from the lower center of consciousness. Hence, the outcome is lower. And so does with the higher things.
-- Here is another note. Consciousness creates the material world. Humans create, nurture, and perish thousands and crores of things, but they remain only in the material world. Just the way a scientist mixes chemical elements and creates potions and objects. The scientist is a human consciousness with an identity of 'scientist,' and the process of mixing chemicals and creating them is happening in the material world. So it is doubtless to state that humans, or any other living beings, are a part of Para Prakriti, and the material (non-living) creation is a part of Apara Prakriti. Non-living and living are fully dependent on each other; hence, they come under the category of Dvaita (dualism). That which is dualistic is always Saguna and never competing with Nirguna.
-- It is now also clear that living beings can create both living and non-living. But non-living cannot create a living being. Henceforth, after such a rigorous scrutiny, we can state that living beings suffer only because of attachment and maya towards other living or non-living. Either it is a vastu (thing or an object), vyakti (humans), or vichara (thought, ideologies, theories, beliefs, etc.)
Now let's talk about the three grades of reality.
1. Pratibhasika Satta (Illusory Reality)
Meaning: This is the apparent or subjective level of reality.
Characteristics: It exists only for the individual experiencing it and vanishes when corrected by facts.
Example: Dreams during sleep or mistaking a rope for a snake in the dark. Mostly, people fall in the superstitons when they either have sleep disorders, mental glitches, and unclear biases or stigma about life, the world, and themselves. Again, here comes the role of vastu (material objects), vyakti (humans), and vichar (thoughts, ideologies, theories, beliefs, etc). Humans may face illusions that can take place any time, anywhere. We cannot say who will perceive what and who will turn out to what in the given space, time, and environment.
2. Vyavaharika Satta (Empirical Reality)
Meaning: This is the practical, transactional, or everyday waking world.
Characteristics: It is governed by time, space, and the law of cause and effect. It feels entirely real during normal daily life. Civilizations at this level function in a much easier way because this is related to direct sensory experiences. People have the inborn trait to perceive and label material things and worldly experiences as the ultimate, forever-remaining truth.
Example: Physical objects, other people, and the material universe experienced while awake. Here, everything is transactional. At this level, people have these attitudes: (i) I do good to you only if you are nice to me, never go against me, and are of some use to me. Otherwise, you're not welcome and don't get any benefits, perks, etc. (ii) My way is the highway, or my life, my rules; (iii) what I feel and believe is the ultimate truth, and anything else is false or unwelcome. etc. All businesses, professions, relationships, and worldly bondages relate to this level.
3. Paramarthika Satta (Absolute Reality)
Meaning: This is the ultimate, unchanging, and eternal truth.
Characteristics: It is pure consciousness, non-dual, and infinite. It never changes or disappears. The truth that never changes or becomes irrelevant is the ultimate and absolute truth. (known as Brahman, Atman, Satya)
Example: The underlying spiritual unity of all existence, realized only through deep wisdom. And that's what we humans need the most, but we actively ignore it by deliberately keeping ourselves busy in the Vyavaharik Reality. Vyavaharik reality also includes exploiting Nature, suppressing the weak, and running after authorities, power, wealth, and so on.
-----
Now here's the catch. Never mistake anything you feel, think, believe, or experience as truth, and always carry the attitude of Neti Neti or via negativa; the way of continuous negation and not accepting anything but the Truth. To keep this practice alive, you should be very much alive and embraced to the wholeness of Prakriti, disciplined and ruthless towards yourself, not very kind, supportive, or pampering yourself with the worldly issues, stigmas, or beliefs, and have great compassion and love towards yourself and the Truth. Keep reading Srimad Bhagavad Gita, Ashtavakra Gita, Vedanta Darshan, the six-fold philosophies, Upanishads, and more such wisdom literature till your physical death. That is the practice called Nididhyasana, or the daily revision of the vidhya.
Thanks for staying tuned!
