Hinduism - Who Is Bhartrprapancha?

 


Bhartrprapancha (7th c. C.E.) is the founder of the Bhedabhada (“identity-in-difference”) philosophical system in Indian philosophy. 



Bhartrprapancha lived at an unknown time, although he predates the eighth-century Bhedabhada commentator Bhaskara. 



The Bhedabhada viewpoint recognized three levels of being: 

    1. Brahman, the Ultimate Reality, 
    2. “witness” awareness (sakshin) in humans, 
    3. and the universe. 



This school claimed that these three levels were both identical and dissimilar. 


  • As a result, the universe is similar to Brahman yet, unlike Brahman, is susceptible to change and destruction. 
  • Similarly, although each human soul is equal to Brahman, unlike Brahman, it is subject to bondage and reincarnation (samsara). 
  • The primordial ignorance known as avidya created the soul's bonding, but it may be broken via a mix of action and knowledge (jnanakar- masamucchaya). 



The fundamental philosophical difficulty for Bhartrprapancha and his followers stemmed from their conviction that Brahman was really converted into both the universe and the Self, a doctrine known as parina- mavada. 


  • Brahman was subjected to slavery and ignorance because people thought it experienced actual transformations. 
  • Because Brahman was seen as flawless and unchanging, this viewpoint was unsustainable and unacceptable from a religious standpoint. 
  • This issue may have contributed to the school's brief existence.




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