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How do Advaitins justify that Nirguna Brahman is the ultimate reality and that Saguna Brahman is illusory?

Ikshvaku
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  • This is like talking about two different realities. An unrealized Jiva sees Nirguna Brahman as Saguna Brahman. So, Nirguna Brahman is brahman is for realized soul or after realization soul knows it true state of "Nirguna Brahman". After realization, only Nirguna Brahman exists. For an unrealized jiva, through maya, he sees Nirguna Brahman as Saguna Brahman. So, either we have discuss Advaita in Vyavaharika level (empirical level) or at absolute level (Paramarthika level). We shouldn't mix two realities. (1/2) – The Destroyer Oct 27 '17 at 15:16
  • @SwiftPushkar I was the one who asked that question – Ikshvaku Oct 27 '17 at 15:16
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    So, i am not sure if we can say anything about superiority since it is same thing. It like asking how do you prove "Sun" (Nirguna Brahman) is superior to "Sun obscured by clouds" (Saguna Brahman: Clouds is Maya) (2/2) – The Destroyer Oct 27 '17 at 15:16
  • Oh so Advaitins think it is the same Brahman viewed differently? – Ikshvaku Oct 27 '17 at 15:18
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    Yes. For unrealized Jivas, Nirguna Brahman appears as Saguna Brahman and after realization he knows his true form as Nirguna Brahman or in above correlaton, jiva knows he is that one "Sun". – The Destroyer Oct 27 '17 at 15:20
  • How does one experience a Nirguna Brahman? In other words, what does one experience in a Brahman devoid of all attributes? – Ikshvaku Oct 27 '17 at 15:29
  • We can continue discussion in chat. You can visit https://chat.stackexchange.com/rooms/38640/vedanta-and-philosophy – The Destroyer Oct 27 '17 at 15:30
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    Your question makes no sense as Nirguna and Saguna Brahman are the same. Saguna Brahman is how we who are immersed in maya view Brahman. Nirguna Brahman cannot be experienced by us in maya. How to know the knower? The knower can never be known. Can you see your eyes? You can only see your eyes by looking at a reflection of them in a mirror. The Knower (Nirguna Brahman) can only know Itself by looking at Itself through the mirror of maya; and when it does It only sees a reflection (Saguna Brahman), not Its 'real' self. – Swami Vishwananda Oct 28 '17 at 04:20
  • Possible duplicate: https://hinduism.stackexchange.com/q/11737/277 – Pandya Oct 28 '17 at 09:46
  • @SwamiVishwananda Kashmiri Shaiva AchArya Abhinavgupta wrote about this reflection (bimb-pratibimb) very deeply in his ParAtrishikA vivarna. Since the world is reflection(pratibimb), anything which can be seen as reflection must be present(bimb) somewhere, although in different form (beyond time - space) otherwise it would mean reflection has happened without object, which would mean existence sprung from non-existence. – ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ Oct 29 '17 at 13:22
  • Are you still looking for an answer to this question? –  Sep 29 '20 at 07:31
  • @kākatālīya Yes – Ikshvaku Sep 29 '20 at 14:39
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    Ok, I will try to give an answer in a few days. –  Sep 29 '20 at 14:41
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    @Ikshvaku How does one experience a Nirguna Brahman? Everybody "experiences" nirguNa brahman everyday in the state of sushupti or deep sleep. (Some advaitins think it is saguNa brahman that is experienced in deep sleep, but imo there are enough instances to show it is nirguNa brahman). –  May 13 '21 at 16:06

1 Answers1

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He is the self-luminous and formless Purusha, uncreated and existing both within and without. He is devoid of prana, devoid of mind, pure, and higher than the supreme Imperishable (Mundaka Upanisad II. 1. 2).

According to Shankaracharya's commentary, here, "He" refers to the attributeless pure consciousness or Nirguna Brahman.

On the other hand, the word Imperishable (Akshara) means Saguna Brahman (associated with Maya and the cause of creation), in which the Upadhis of names and forms of the manifested universe exists in a seed state. He is declared supreme in a relative sense. Because he is higher than the manifested universe.

Thus the Nirguna Brahman is higher than the Saguna Brahman. So, according to the scripture, Nirguna Brahman is the ultimate reality.

Ref: Upanishads by Swami Nikhilananda.

Amritendu Mukhopadhyay
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