Mayavada
Encyclopedia
Mayavada is a term used to pejoratively refer to the Advaita philosophy of Adi Shankara
. It is not used by the followers of the Advaita philosophy to refer to themselves. It is generally used as a derogatory term, by some Dvaita
schools. Mayavada pertains to a doctrine where the personal forms of God are considered to be influenced by Maya (illusion) (and thus such philosophy is similar to atheism
, so Mayavada also leads to spiritual suicide, because there is no service to Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna
, Vishnu) and only the one-ness of the Impersonal Brahman is considered to be the Absolute Truth.
According to Dvaita philosophy, Mayavada is an incorrect understanding of the nature of Supreme and it is strongly refuted by saints like Madhavacarya, Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Baladeva Vidyabhusana, Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur and most recently by Bhaktivedanta Swami (the latter founded ISKCON). It is even considered a concealed atheism
(because ultimately mayavadis say God is illusion or Maya, and as Maya is temporary, Mayavadis try establish that there is no God, he is temporary or illusory, and rather they try to say that they, mayavadis, are themselves 'gods' - they support such ideas by misinterpreting verses of Vedas, and by claiming that soul, jivaatma is as good as Brahman or Vishnu, and ultimately they say that "jivaatma is Vishnu, but that Vishnu Himself is just illusion, Maya, and there is no Vishnu". Demons like Ravana, Hiranyakashipu also didn't believe in Vishnu, but ultimately they were killed by Vishnu. So Mayavadis are always defeated by Vishnu, His avataras, and His devotees) by some scholars.
Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, mentions in his Indian Philosophy vol.2 that Nyayakosa includes Samkhya
and Advaita Vedanta
under naistika, i.e. unorthodox systems, or in other words that mayavadi is an atheist.
from the purports in the Bhagavad-Gītā As It Is
Adi Shankara
Adi Shankara Adi Shankara Adi Shankara (IAST: pronounced , (Sanskrit: , ) (788 CE - 820 CE), also known as ' and ' was an Indian philosopher from Kalady of present day Kerala who consolidated the doctrine of advaita vedānta...
. It is not used by the followers of the Advaita philosophy to refer to themselves. It is generally used as a derogatory term, by some Dvaita
Dvaita
Dvaita is a school of Vedanta founded by Shri Madhvacharya....
schools. Mayavada pertains to a doctrine where the personal forms of God are considered to be influenced by Maya (illusion) (and thus such philosophy is similar to atheism
Atheism
Atheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities...
, so Mayavada also leads to spiritual suicide, because there is no service to Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
, Vishnu) and only the one-ness of the Impersonal Brahman is considered to be the Absolute Truth.
According to Dvaita philosophy, Mayavada is an incorrect understanding of the nature of Supreme and it is strongly refuted by saints like Madhavacarya, Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Baladeva Vidyabhusana, Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur and most recently by Bhaktivedanta Swami (the latter founded ISKCON). It is even considered a concealed atheism
Atheism
Atheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities...
(because ultimately mayavadis say God is illusion or Maya, and as Maya is temporary, Mayavadis try establish that there is no God, he is temporary or illusory, and rather they try to say that they, mayavadis, are themselves 'gods' - they support such ideas by misinterpreting verses of Vedas, and by claiming that soul, jivaatma is as good as Brahman or Vishnu, and ultimately they say that "jivaatma is Vishnu, but that Vishnu Himself is just illusion, Maya, and there is no Vishnu". Demons like Ravana, Hiranyakashipu also didn't believe in Vishnu, but ultimately they were killed by Vishnu. So Mayavadis are always defeated by Vishnu, His avataras, and His devotees) by some scholars.
Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, mentions in his Indian Philosophy vol.2 that Nyayakosa includes Samkhya
Samkhya
Samkhya, also Sankhya, Sāṃkhya, or Sāṅkhya is one of the six schools of Hindu philosophy and classical Indian philosophy. Sage Kapila is traditionally considered as the founder of the Samkhya school, although no historical verification is possible...
and Advaita Vedanta
Advaita Vedanta
Advaita Vedanta is considered to be the most influential and most dominant sub-school of the Vedānta school of Hindu philosophy. Other major sub-schools of Vedānta are Dvaita and ; while the minor ones include Suddhadvaita, Dvaitadvaita and Achintya Bhedabheda...
under naistika, i.e. unorthodox systems, or in other words that mayavadi is an atheist.
Debate on Mayavada's relevance
The prominent debate on relevance of Mayavada come from International Society for Krishna ConsciousnessInternational Society for Krishna Consciousness
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness , known colloquially as the Hare Krishna movement, is a Gaudiya Vaishnava religious organization. It was founded in 1966 in New York City by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada...
from the purports in the Bhagavad-Gītā As It Is