The radical nondualists advocate that a jīva can become free from the bondage of his upādhis by intuition of his identity with Brahman, assimilated from the Śrutis. Their idea was based on these Śruti statements:
1.tat tvam asi
Thou art that. (CHU 6.8.7)
2.tad ātmānam eva vedāhaṁ brahmāsmi
It [the primal Self] knew only Itself as, “I am Brahman.” (BAU 1.4.10)
3.tat tvam asy-ādi-vākyebhyaḥ jñānaṁ mokṣasya sādhanam
The means to liberation is direct intuitive insight arising from dictums such as, “Thou art that.” (Bṛhan-nāradīya Purāṇa 35.68)
4.brahma veda brahmaiva bhavati
He who knows Brahman verily becomes Brahman. (MUU 3.2.9)
5.tarati śokam ātma-vit
The knower of the Self transcends grief. (CHU 7.1.3)
Thus, with the apparent support of Vedic scripture, the Advaitavāda School claims that liberation is achieved through knowledge. Indeed, the Śruti says, “By knowing that [Brahman] alone, one transcends death; there is no other way to cross over” (tam eva viditvā ati mṛtyum eti, nānyaḥ panthā vidyate’yanāya, ŚU 3.8, 5.15).
And in Bhagavad Gītā, Śrī Kṛṣṇa says:
yathaidāṁsi samiddho’gnir bhasma-sāt kurute’rjuna
jñānāgniḥ sarva-karmāṇi bhasma-sāt kurute tathā
"As a blazing fire turns firewood to ashes, O Arjuna, so does the fire of knowledge burn to ashes all reactions to material activities." (GĪTĀ 4.37)
Continuing this idea in the next two verses, Śrī Kṛṣṇa says, “There is nothing as purifying as direct knowing” (na hi jñānena sadṛśaṁ pavitram iha vidyate) and “Having come upon the state of direct knowing, one quickly attains supreme peace” ( jñānam labdhvā parāṁ śāntim acireṇādhigacchati, GĪTĀ 4.38–39).
In effect, the Advaitavādīs think that the jīva is like an infant from a wealthy family who has gotten lost in a busy public place and is then found and raised by some poor man. As a result of this misfortune, compounded by ignorance of his true identity, the baby grows up in a humble setting as the child of the poor man. Later, the child may be recognized by a servant of his father. As soon as he comes to realize that he is the son of a wealthy man, all his poverty vanishes. He does not have to toil hard to get rid of this poverty. In fact, he was never really poor, just unaware of his actual state, and thus simply coming to a proper understanding of his real identity was sufficient to reverse the situation.
Similarly, the Advaitavādīs say, the jīva is nothing but deluded Brahman. As soon as he realizes this by properly hearing and reflecting upon the Vedic instructions, he becomes liberated. He then understands that Brahman is not distant from him, for in fact he himself is Brahman. His only obstacle was ignorance, which was subsequently removed by hearing the Vedas.
The radical nondualists advocate that a jīva can become free from the bondage of his upādhis by intuition of his identity with Brahman, assimilated from the Śrutis. Their idea was based on these Śruti statements:
1.tat tvam asi
Thou art that. (CHU 6.8.7)
2.tad ātmānam eva vedāhaṁ brahmāsmi
It [the primal Self] knew only Itself as, “I am Brahman.” (BAU 1.4.10)
3.tat tvam asy-ādi-vākyebhyaḥ jñānaṁ mokṣasya sādhanam
The means to liberation is direct intuitive insight arising from dictums such as, “Thou art that.” (Bṛhan-nāradīya Purāṇa 35.68)
4.brahma veda brahmaiva bhavati
He who knows Brahman verily becomes Brahman. (MUU 3.2.9)
5.tarati śokam ātma-vit
The knower of the Self transcends grief. (CHU 7.1.3)
Thus, with the apparent support of Vedic scripture, the Advaitavāda School claims that liberation is achieved through knowledge. Indeed, the Śruti says, “By knowing that [Brahman] alone, one transcends death; there is no other way to cross over” (tam eva viditvā ati mṛtyum eti, nānyaḥ panthā vidyate’yanāya, ŚU 3.8, 5.15).
And in Bhagavad Gītā, Śrī Kṛṣṇa says:
yathaidāṁsi samiddho’gnir bhasma-sāt kurute’rjuna
jñānāgniḥ sarva-karmāṇi bhasma-sāt kurute tathā
"As a blazing fire turns firewood to ashes, O Arjuna, so does the fire of knowledge burn to ashes all reactions to material activities." (GĪTĀ 4.37)
Continuing this idea in the next two verses, Śrī Kṛṣṇa says, “There is nothing as purifying as direct knowing” (na hi jñānena sadṛśaṁ pavitram iha vidyate) and “Having come upon the state of direct knowing, one quickly attains supreme peace” ( jñānam labdhvā parāṁ śāntim acireṇādhigacchati, GĪTĀ 4.38–39).
In effect, the Advaitavādīs think that the jīva is like an infant from a wealthy family who has gotten lost in a busy public place and is then found and raised by some poor man. As a result of this misfortune, compounded by ignorance of his true identity, the baby grows up in a humble setting as the child of the poor man. Later, the child may be recognized by a servant of his father. As soon as he comes to realize that he is the son of a wealthy man, all his poverty vanishes. He does not have to toil hard to get rid of this poverty. In fact, he was never really poor, just unaware of his actual state, and thus simply coming to a proper understanding of his real identity was sufficient to reverse the situation.
Similarly, the Advaitavādīs say, the jīva is nothing but deluded Brahman. As soon as he realizes this by properly hearing and reflecting upon the Vedic instructions, he becomes liberated. He then understands that Brahman is not distant from him, for in fact he himself is Brahman. His only obstacle was ignorance, which was subsequently removed by hearing the Vedas.
