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Bhedābheda refers to a tradition inVedānta, which teaches that the individual self (jīvātman) is both different and not different from Brahman (Ultimate Reality).[1] It encompasses sub-schools such as Shuddhadvaita and Acintya-bhedabheda.[2]
Bhedābheda (Devanagari:भेदाभेद) is a Sanskrit word meaning "difference andnon-difference".[3]
Bhedabheda refers to a tradition of scholars who share the view that the individual soul and Brahman are simultaneously distinct and non-distinct.[2] It was primarily developed in the 7th Century CE, with key contributions from Bhāskara and Nimbarka.[1]Bhāskara, who was eitherShankara's contemporary or lived shortly after Shankara, was the principal author.[4][5]
Under this overarching tradition, there are specific schools.[2]
There are multiple ways that difference and non-difference is interpreted in Bhedābheda traditions.Bhaskara andNimbarka mark two ends on the spectrum in this tradition. Bhaskara believes that the non-difference aspect is more real because he believes that Brahman is in its natural state without difference. Nimbarka believes that Brahman's essential nature includes equally real states of difference and non-difference.[6]
Of the main sources of knowledge,śāstra is taken as the ultimate source.[7]
According to Bhaskara, liberation can only be achieved after death.[8]
The philosopherVijñānabhikṣu took the Bhedabheda philosophy to be superior to other interpretations as it could make sense of seeming contradictions in the Vedas. He points out that Advaita interpretations fall short because they only prioritize statements that suggest the identical nature of Brahman and the soul. However, these interpretations subordinate statements that point to the difference between Brahman and the soul, resorting to interpreting them as figurative. In order to make sense of the Vedas' statements as consistent, Vijñānabhikṣu argues that difference and non-difference can also mean separation and non-separation, rather than identity and negation of identity. The meaning ofbheda andabheda, then, determined according to the context, solves the problem of taking some statements from the Vedas as untrue or merely figurative.[9]
Per Bhedabheda, Brahman is the material cause of everything in the world, similar to how clay transforms into different forms like pots and cups. Advaita Vedanta argues that Brahman does not undergo any change; the difference that appears in the world is unreal.[10]
Bhedābheda ideas had an enormous influence on the devotional (bhakti) schools of India's medieval period. Among medieval Bhedābheda thinkers are:
Other major names areRāmānuja's teacherYādavaprakāśa,[3] andVijñānabhikṣu (16th century).[3]
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