God and Atheism
Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens and Ayaan Hirsi Ali have recently popularised atheism, through their books with provoking contents and titles, interviews and media events.
Let us first assess how vedic culture, especially advaita vedanta defines God.
- A person who subscribes to advaita is an ‘advaitin’. Dvaita means two.
A-Dvaita means not two.
A-Dvaita means not two.
- Advaita vedanta – philosophy of not-two declares that there is only one entity in this universe.
- Adi Shankara was a proponent of advaita vedanta. His commentaries and orginal work contains many models and arguments in the favour of advaita. He summarised his teachings as “Brahman is satyam; Jagat is Mityam; Jiva – human being is none other than Brahman.”
- Brahman is that non dual entity which is second to none. It is the only reality which provides existence and consciousness to everything else. Brahman exists by itself and self evident. Anything else depends on Brahman for existence and consciousness and hence mityam.
- There is a vast majority of Hindu’s who are not advaitin. They can be dualists. A dualist believes that there are two entities, God and the human being. A human being has an insignificant existence and has numerous limitations. Jiva (a human) is subject to birth and death. A dualist’s version of God is that God is perfect, has no limitations, all powerful, a wish fulfilling tree and so on. A dualist will never equate a jiva to bhagavan (god). A devoted dualist will always strive for serving to God and will hope to attain heaven.
- There are philsophies and schools of thoughts who use a mixture of advaita and dvaita. Ramanuja’s visistadvaita is an example. Sankya school contains some really convincing arguments against some of the vedantic principles.
- When Brahman is the only reality, this universe including Jiva becomes reflections of that Brahman. Brahman’s nature is Satyam (existence) and jnanam (consiciousness). This universe which has an apparent reality borrows existence and consciousness when brahman reflects on the appropriate reflecting material.
- Brahman is all self evident, exists by itself, pervading, eternal, does not have a location, name or form. Advaitins put forward a model that we invoke this formless brahman on anything and then pray to that invocation as a personal god (Isvara).
- This personal god (Isvara) is also a part of this jagat (universe) and hence a reflection, a mitya. Vedanta compares Jiva and Isvara using the same model and identifies major differences. Vishnu sahsaranama, Lalitha Sahasranama, Rudram, all our ashtothrams list and praise the charecteristics of brahman, Isvara and this jagat.
- Another way of looking at Brahman and Isvara is that Brahman is god without any attributes (nirguna) and Isvara is god with attributes (saguna).
- As soon as we invoke a god with attributes, Isvara becomes a creation of our own mind. Vedantins do not have a problem accepting this. They consider this as a privilege. In puja, we invoke and invite Isvara, offer water, wash the feet, offer clothes, offer food etc. In puranas, we super impose all our problems, emotions and limitations on Isvara for our entertainment.
- Vedanta defends this model of nirguna brahman and saguna Isvara completely. Adi Sankara had many arguments with all schools of thoughts and won against every one of them (as per his life story). These arguments are available in his commentary (bhasya) and his major work. Acharyas have presented these arguments in their sub commentaries.
- When a person states that his guru is Adi Shankara, then we assume that he is an advaitin.
A quick analysis of all atheist objections show that most if not all their objections are only towards various god manifestations. They question the existence and validity of a personal god. When an atheist says that there is no god, they mostly mean a personal god. Atheist does not believe in a god who created this universe and all the beings.
Acharyas point out that only a qualified person can obtain the knowledge about brahman. A person has to be a believer first. He must be a devotee to a personal god. He purifies his mind with a prayerful attitude, humility and with service to Isvara and the humanity.
Acharyas repeatedly point out that acceptance and devotion to a personal god is absolutely essential before one qualifies to study about brahman. There is a school of thought that personal god is not necessary in advaita, but that is not the traditional approach. Buddists are nir-Isvara, do not have a personal god, but have a highly evolved and sophisticated philosphical teachings. A confirmed atheist, kind of accepts buddism as passable. Adi Sankara is attributed to having won the arguments with buddists and driven away buddism from India
Even after gaining the knowledge about brahman, one remains as a devotee of a personal god. This is the traditional vedic view. One does not equate himself to the almighty and then stop praying to a personal god.
A vedantin who has got these concepts properly understood along with the context, remains as a devotee, while acknowledging that his personal god is a reflection in his own mind and subject to negation. This status comes about after a thorough understanding of vedanta under a qualified teacher.