The Advaita in the Light of the Vedas: Twenty-One

3. Recognition (Pratyabhijñā): This practical realism of Advaita finds support through recognition or "This is the same object I saw before." This recognition is an integral part of our everyday experience. When we see an object again, we feel it is the same object we saw previously. This continuity of objects proves that the object is not merely dependent on perception, which refutes the central claim of Subjective Idealism. This argument elevates Advaita from mere idealism to a practical realist philosophy. The continuity and recurring experience of objects in our daily lives powerfully supports this practical reality.

The philosophical discourse of Advaita Vedanta establishes its ultimate truth through a process of sustained objections and their systematic refutations. These refutations rely primarily on three strategies:

The Three Levels of Being (Sattā-Traya): Advaita explains three levels of being to distinguish between relative (practical) and absolute (ultimate) truth. Apparent being (the reality of dreams or illusions), practical being (worldly reality that appears true to most people), and ultimate being (the final reality of Brahman). This hierarchy of levels means that while worldly objects are true at the practical level, in the ultimate sense they are not different from Brahman.

Defining Ignorance as Positive and Indescribable Being: Advaita avoids logical inconsistencies by defining ignorance (avidyā) as a positive (bhāva-rūpa) and indescribable entity (neither existent nor non-existent). Ignorance is a power superimposed upon Brahman that projects the world, but it is not different from Brahman.

Proving the Eternality of the Self through the Method of Agreement and Difference: This method proves the eternality of the Self and its identity with Brahman, opening the path to liberation.

Among the various doctrines of Advaita Vedanta philosophy, the "Single Soul Theory" (eka-jīva-vāda) offers a distinctive explanation regarding the reality of individual souls and the world. According to this theory, in reality only one soul is true, and all other souls—even God and the guru—are merely dream-figures created by that single soul's mind.

The core arguments of the Single Soul Theory are founded on the following concepts:

Single Soul and Dream-Creation: According to this doctrine, the entire world and all souls within it (persons, animals, even the cosmic controller God and spiritual guide guru) are the imagination of one single soul's mind. Just as a dreamer sees countless characters, events and environments in a dream, yet he alone is the creator and witness of that dream, similarly the only soul creates this vast multiplicitous world through its own imagination born of ignorance. This world does not exist independently outside that single soul's mind.

Ignorance and the Imagined World: That one soul alone remains covered by ignorance. Ignorance here refers to the lack of knowledge about Brahman's true nature. Under the influence of this ignorance, the soul considers itself different from Brahman and imagines God, guru, other souls, and the entire worldly experience. This imagination forms the foundation of its worldly life and experience. Worldly joy and sorrow, good and evil, birth and death—all are the play of this ignorance.

Liberation and Dissolution: When this single soul attains self-knowledge and its ignorance is completely destroyed, it achieves liberation. With this liberation, all its imagined creation simultaneously dissolves, because their reality was dependent on that single soul's perception. In this state, only the non-dual Brahman remains. An important characteristic of the Single Soul Theory is that since all other souls are merely imaginings of that one soul, when that single soul is liberated, the imagined world ends and the question of separate liberation for imagined souls becomes irrelevant.

The opposite doctrine to the Single Soul Theory is the "Multiple Souls Theory" (aneka-jīva-vāda). This theory believes that each soul is distinct and has its own individual existence. In this doctrine, each soul achieves liberation one by one through its own practice, action, and knowledge. This is a sequential process where each soul's liberation occurs as a result of personal spiritual effort. This liberation ends creation for one soul, but it continues for others. The Single Soul Theory rejects the multiple souls concept because it questions the separate existence of multiple souls themselves.

Several powerful objections have been raised against the Single Soul Theory, each of which Advaita has answered logically:

The objection that when one soul is liberated, all are liberated: This objection is fundamentally based on the multiple souls concept. Advaita considers this illogical. If multiplicity itself is māyā, then the question of "everyone's liberation" becomes irrelevant. Because what is meant by "everyone" is part of that single soul's imagination. When the only soul is liberated, its imagined "everyone" automatically dissolves, because they have no independent reality of their own. Their existence depends solely on that single soul's perception. Our experienced multiplicity is an illusion, and in ultimate truth, only non-dual Brahman exists. This theory points the way to the soul's ultimate liberation and freedom from all limiting adjuncts through the attainment of Brahman-knowledge. Though it may seem controversial at first sight, its philosophical foundation and logic are deeply consistent with the core principles of Advaita Vedanta.

The objection that multiple souls are seen in daily experience: In everyday life we interact with countless people, feel their joys and sorrows. According to Advaita, this is like the multiplicity of a dream. Just as a dreamer sees many people besides himself in a dream, but in reality they are all parts of his dream and have no independent existence, similarly the countless souls the single soul sees besides itself are mere illusions created by its ignorance. Just as the dreamer is the only real entity while the rest are victims of his dream, our worldly experience is also dream-like.

How can the soul in one body be true while others are false? This objection or question arises when body and soul are confused. According to Advaita, soul means consciousness limited by ignorance, not the body. The body is perishable and material. Therefore, the question of which body is true and which false is itself irrelevant. The soul is Brahman in the form of consciousness, covered by the limiting adjunct of ignorance. The soul that becomes free from ignorance is established in its true nature. The body is merely a vehicle for that ignorance.

In support of the Single Soul Theory, many give the example that a yogī, though one soul, can assume multiple bodies (through yogic powers). He understands his own reality and knows the other bodies to be false. In this example, the one who is consciousness is the acknowledger or witness, and the multiple bodies are merely his imagination. Advaita uses this example to explain the nature of Brahman: similarly Brahman-consciousness imagines countless multiplicitous worlds, but remains singular and non-dual. The world is not different from Brahman, but rather an appearance superimposed upon Brahman—a seeming reality.

Body-Appearance and Consciousness: Advaita philosophy also deeply discusses the relationship between body and consciousness. Even within the same body we see that pain in the foot is not felt in the head, or the limited consciousness of one limb does not know the pain of another limb. Such limitations prove that consciousness is not multiple, but different experiences through bodily divisions confuse us. Therefore, the Multiple Souls Theory is the result of considering the body as the soul. In truth, consciousness-soul is one and identical in all beings. The limitations or diversity of the body do not prove the multiplicity of souls, but rather indicate the limitations of limiting adjuncts created by the influence of ignorance.

Both the world (practical being) and mirage (apparent being) have their independent existence dependent on the causal condition of ignorance. When this cause or ignorance changes, their existence ceases. That is, when ignorance is destroyed, these worlds also dissolve. "Objects are merely perception-dependent"—this view has deep connections with Advaita.

A certain similarity is observed between George Berkeley's "Esse est percipi" (To be is to be perceived) doctrine and Advaita. According to this view, if objects exist only when perceived, then they have no existence when unperceived. Advaita explains this concept in a deeper sense:

Worldly Reality and Practical Truth: The world and duality are non-existent or unreal. But for worldly experience, this must be accepted as practical truth, because worldly functionality depends on it. The world we see in daily life, though not completely false, is not real in the ultimate sense.

Both Waking and Dream are Illusions: The difference is only that dreams are dispelled by waking knowledge, while the waking world is dispelled by Brahman-knowledge. Upon attaining Brahman-knowledge, worldly experience also dissolves like a dream. In the final analysis, objects dependent on individual experience are like nightmares.

The Problem of Memory and Re-recognition:

Objection: If each knowledge is disconnected, then how can we understand when seeing an object again that this is the same object seen before? How can we recognize the same object through memory if its reality depends only on present knowledge?

Advaita explains the basis of memory thus: in darkness, ten people consider the same rope a snake and flee. Later all say, "We saw the same snake." But in reality each person's illusion was separate. Re-recognition is merely a memory-based concept, not proof of the object's real existence. Memory merely carries the impression of past experience, which does not prove the ultimate existence of objects. It merely maintains the continuity of our experience at the practical level.

Another objection: Waking knowledge depends on the senses, while dream or rope-snake illusion depends on ignorance. Therefore these two cannot be viewed equally. Many consider sense-derived knowledge more realistic.

Advaita philosophy answers thus: Four elements are involved in knowledge production—object, sense, mind, and the knowing Self. The Self is self-luminous and of the nature of consciousness; senses and mind are material. The senses are merely an occasion or medium for knowledge, but knowledge is the manifestation of the Self. In dreams we think we see with our eyes, though eyes are not actually used. Therefore both the presence and absence of senses can be part of illusion. Senses are merely carriers of information, but the true source of knowledge is the Self. Knowledge obtained through the senses can also be influenced by ignorance, so it may not be ultimate truth.

Advaita emphasizes that duality is merely practical truth, the fruit of ignorance-born illusion. But non-duality is the only ultimate truth. Liberation is the cessation of delusion at these levels—re-realizing one's eternal, non-dual nature, which completely destroys ignorance and frees one from all worldly suffering.