The Vision of Vedanta
Advaita Vedanta, as revealed in the Upaniá¹£ads, teaches a simple yet profound truth: the individual is not separate from the ultimate reality, Brahman. The apparent sense of limitation, bondage, and incompleteness experienced by the individual is due to ignorance of one’s true nature. According to Swami Dayananda Saraswati, this ignorance (avidya) is the root problem, and self-knowledge (atma-jnana) is the only solution.
The vision of Vedanta is not about becoming something different, but about recognizing the fact that one is already free, whole, and complete.
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This knowledge is not produced by reasoning or mystical experience, nor is it achieved through karma or devotion. It is revealed through the words of the sastra, handled by a qualified teacher, in a systematic process involving sravana (listening), manana (reflection), and nididhyasana (contemplation).
The key mahavakya, "Tat tvam asi" — "That thou art" — reveals the essential identity between the self and Brahman, beyond superficial differences of body, mind, and world.
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Moksa / Freedom, is not a future event or a place to reach, but the recognition that one was never truly bound. For this recognition to take place, a prepared mind is essential. Karma yoga, a life of actions with right attitudes, purifies the mind and makes it capable of grasping this subtle teaching.
Ultimately, the vision of Advaita Vedanta is a vision of oneself — that one is not a limited seeker of wholeness, but the very wholeness one seeks.