Ignorance-Knowledge: 49

Śaṅkarāchārya clarifies in his Brahmasūtrabhāṣya—"upasaṅkramaṇaṃ nāma na tu gamanaṃ, ātmanaḥ brahmabhedāvidhāyaka-avidyā-nivṛttimātram"—meaning, upasaṅkramati is not movement; it is merely the cessation of ignorance that creates the illusion of separation between Self and Brahman. Just as the sun does not travel anywhere to rise, but is simply revealed when the clouds part; so too the Self does not journey anywhere to merge with Brahman—when ignorance recedes, it is revealed that it was always Brahman itself. This explanation is often employed in the commentary on the Brahmasūtra "anāvṛttiḥ śabdāt" (4.4.22) or in discussions of mokṣa.


This sūtra explains the process of mokṣa and the true meaning of the word "upasaṅkramati," which is consistent with the fundamental doctrine of Advaita Vedānta—


In the phrase "upasaṅkramaṇa is not movement (na tu gamanam)," the notion that upasaṅkramaṇa (entrance into Brahman) is a form of spatial movement or going from one place to another is refuted/negated. This is because Brahman is all-pervasive. For one who is all-pervasive, movement is impossible. If an individual is already situated in Brahman, how can they "go" there?


Upasaṅkramaṇa is the cessation of ignorance (avidyā-nivṛttimātram). Mokṣa or entrance into Brahman is not travel, but merely the cessation (nivṛttimātram) of that ignorance (avidyā) which creates the appearance of difference between Self and Brahman.


Light-darkness—this is analogous to that knowledge—when a person in darkness lights a lamp, they do not "go" anywhere; only the darkness around them (ignorance) is dispelled.


This sūtra definitively confirms Advaita Vedānta's doctrine regarding mokṣa—mokṣa is merely the removal of ignorance (nivṛtti), not the acquisition of something or movement to some place. The jīvātmā was always Brahman; through the attainment of knowledge, only the veil over this truth is lifted.


On the other hand, for the ignorant, upasaṅkramati is actual transmigration—movement from one body to another, from one world (jagat) to another world. "yathā karmaṇo gatirbhavati, tathaivaiṣa upasaṅkramati"—"As his karma, so his movement." In Brahmasūtra 3.1.1, it is discussed that after death, the jīvātmā transmigrates carrying the residual fruits of its actions (saṃskāras) and subtle conditioning (such as mind). This sūtra implies that the next destination (gati) of the unliberated being is determined by its previous actions, describing the post-mortem journey of the ignorant soul. This is one of the fundamental teachings of Advaita Vedānta.


Movement determined by karma: Here 'karmaṇo gatiḥ' means that the jīvātmā's destination after death—which realm it will inhabit—is determined according to the fruits of its virtuous and sinful actions (karmaphala).

Upasaṅkramaṇa: The word 'upasaṅkramati' here signifies that the wise person does not merge into Brahman, rather the ignorant being enters other realms (such as heaven or the ancestral world) according to its karma.

The cycle of creation: According to this principle, until brahma-jñāna is attained, the jīvātmā remains bound by the chains of karmic fruits and continues to revolve in this saṃsāra-chakra (birth-death-transmigration) according to the nature of its actions.


According to karmic fruits, the soul goes to heaven, ancestral realms, or other worldly planes to experience those results and is born again. This upasaṅkramati is a symbol of the unceasing movement of the saṃsāra-chakra.


From the Advaita perspective, the fundamental difference between these two meanings is one of viewpoint. For the knower, upasaṅkramati means the inner Self's revelation of its own nature, where there is no movement; for the ignorant, it is practically movement from one realm to another. Śaṅkarāchārya says Brahman is all-pervasive; therefore movement toward It is meaningless. Upasaṅkramati is only from the perspective of ignorance, like seeing duality before returning to unity. When ignorance dissolves, the Self realizes—it never went anywhere, but was always within that one consciousness.


The Advaita master Ramaṇa Maharṣi also endorsed this explanation. According to him, since Brahman is everywhere, upasaṅkramati does not mean changing location, but returning from the mind to consciousness's inner center. The Self goes nowhere—only the veil of false identity falls away. He says, "entrance into Brahman" means returning to one's inner Self; even after death the Self has no movement, because it is beginningless and imperishable.


'Upasaṅkramati' signifies on one hand the ignorant person's worldly movement, and on the other the wise person's self-return. The ignorant person's upasaṅkramati is transmigration for experiencing karmic fruits, while the wise person's upasaṅkramati is establishment in Brahman-nature. Ultimately Advaita declares—upasaṅkramati means the Self's final rest, complete integration into that non-dual consciousness, where there is no more return, no coming and going, only eternal, silent, infinite Brahman-being.


Ramaṇa Maharṣi viewed "sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ brahma" (Sarvam Khalvidam Brahma)—meaning, "All this is Brahman"—as one of the ultimate truths of Advaita Vedānta. The main direction of his teaching was Self-inquiry (Ātma-vichāra), through which one discovers that "Self" and "Brahman" are one and non-different. This realization is "all is Brahman"—meaning, whatever is visible, audible, conceivable, even beyond conception, all is the manifestation of that one consciousness.


In Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi (Talk 57, June 23, 1935), this statement is directly quoted: "Sarvam Khalvidam Brahma (All this is Brahman); Brahmavid Brahmaiva Bhavati (the knower of Brahman becomes Brahman itself)."


Here the Maharṣi brings together these two declarations from Chāndogya Upaniṣad (3.14.1) and Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad (3.2.9)—the first says all is Brahman; the second says whoever knows Brahman becomes Brahman itself. His point was: knowing Brahman does not mean acquiring conceptual or intellectual knowledge, but directly experiencing that unity in the depths of consciousness. This experience is the ultimate expression of jīvanmukti.


The first declaration carries the dignity of a powerful mahāvākya, proclaiming Brahman's all-pervasiveness. The statement establishes two principal doctrines of Advaita Vedānta—All-Pervasiveness (sarvātmakatā) and Non-dualism (advaitavāda). It declares that everything in our experience—the visible world or phenomena—objects, beings, energy—all have as their fundamental essence that one and non-dual Brahman-being. Brahman is not separate from this world, but is the substratum of this world.


The apparent multiplicity or duality is fundamentally illusion created by māyā or ignorance. When this illusion is dispelled, the knower realizes that whatever they see, hear, or experience is all that one Brahman alone. This statement provides the foundation for other mahāvākyas (such as "ahaṃ brahmāsmi" or "ayam ātmā brahma"). There is no need to seek Brahman somewhere outside, because He is manifested as this entirety.


The second declaration confirms Advaita Vedānta's position regarding mokṣa (liberation). It says liberation comes through knowledge alone. This statement proves that mokṣa (liberation) is not the fruit of action or spatial movement, but is attained through knowledge or realization. Whoever knows Brahman (brahmavit) attains liberation. To explain non-dual knowledge, it states here: brahmaiva bhavati—becomes Brahman itself. This portion declares that there is no fundamental difference between jīvātmā and paramātmā. The jīvātmā is not different from Brahman. This difference is merely delusion (māyā) created by ignorance or limiting adjuncts.


When brahma-jñāna is attained, that adjunct or ignorance is destroyed. Consequently, the jīvātmā is re-established in its eternal and unbroken nature—as Brahman itself. Here "becoming" (bhavati) does not mean creating something new, but knowing what always was, or being established in that truth. This statement announces the ultimate culmination of Advaita Vedānta's mahāvākyas (such as: ahaṃ brahmāsmi).


"What is the difference between avatāra (God's descent) and the wise person? If 'sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ brahma', then is avatāra also not separate from Brahman?"—this question was once posed to Maharṣi Ramaṇāchārya. The Maharṣi replied, "When all is Brahman, where is the separateness of avatāra or wise person? Avatāra too is merely the manifestation of that same Brahman." (Talks with Ramana Maharshi, Vol. 3, p. 524). There is no difference in this world—God, being, world—all are external manifestations of that same Brahman-being. In this context, the fundamental basis of Śaṅkarāchārya's Advaita Vedānta philosophy is this non-dual knowledge. He has said that Brahman alone is real, the world is illusory (brahma satyaṃ jaganmithyā), and jīva and Brahman are non-different (jīvo brahmaiva nāparaḥ). The Maharṣi's statement is an echo of this very advaitavāda.


We see avatāra as God's embodied form who appears on earth to establish dharma, like Rāma or Kṛṣṇa. But in the case of the wise person, through self-knowledge he realizes his non-difference with Brahman. According to the Maharṣi, this difference is only of perspective, not of essence. Brahman is one and non-dual; nothing has separate existence from Him. Both avatāra and the wise person are different manifestations of that infinite Brahman. This is a profound spiritual truth that gives the conception of supreme unity. The Upaniṣads too have said this—'ekamevādvitīyam', meaning Brahman is one and non-dual. This very realization transcends all conflicts and differences and leads to the path of supreme peace.


In Advaita Vedānta, "avatāra", "devatā" and "jñānī"—these three forms are merely three different reflections of one supreme consciousness. Āchārya Śaṅkarāchārya says, "sattāmātrabhāgo na tu svarūpabhedaḥ"—meaning the difference is only at the level of manifestation, not in essence. This statement is used by Śaṅkarāchārya and his later ācāryas to explain the Three Grades of Reality. When Vedānta says "brahma satyam, jagat mithyā", the question arises: what does 'mithyā' mean? This sūtra answers that question.


The sūtra is connected with Advaita Vedānta's theory of gradations of being:


1. Sattāmātra-Vibhāgaḥ (Division of Being): Here truth is divided into different levels—Pāramārthika Sattā (Ultimate Being): Brahman (absolute truth). Vyāvahārika Sattā (Practical Being): World (true for practical purposes, but ultimately false). Prātibhāsika Sattā (Apparent Being): Illusion (such as rope-snake illusion—what merely appears). This sūtra says that the differences or divisions we see exist only at this relative level of being.


2. Na tu Svarūpa-Bhedaḥ (But No Difference in Essence): This means—but from the perspective of essence (Ultimate Essence) there is no difference or distinction.


Though jīvātmā, jagat, and Īśvara appear different, the fundamental essence of all is Brahman alone. Difference appears only due to our level of experience or ignorance. This sūtra confirms that from Advaita Vedānta's perspective, multiplicity or duality is apparent truth (vyāvahārika), but in ultimate essence or fundamentally, unity (non-difference) exists among all things.


The one Brahman, under māyā-śakti's influence, sometimes descends as Īśvara in avatāra form, sometimes appears as devatā in śakti form; and sometimes manifests as jñānī when ignorance is removed. Through these three levels, Brahman's complete manifestation is understood.


The word avatāra means descent—that is, when the formless and attributeless Brahman manifests in the world through māyā's shelter, He is called avatāra. He is not an individual, but that Brahman who manifests in human form for the world's instruction. In the Gītā Kṛṣṇa says, "yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānirbhavati bhārata, abhyutthānamadharmasya tadātmānaṃ sṛjāmyaham." (Bhagavadgītā, 4.7)