A Brief Summary
of Viśiṣṭādvaita
The soul, the world, the Lord, and the path of loving service that leads home — drawn from the Upaniṣads, the Gītā, and the Pāñcarātra tradition.
aśeṣa-cit-acit-vastu-śeṣiṇe śeṣa-śāyine
nirmalānanta-kalyāṇa-nidhaye viṣṇave namaḥ
Meaning: "Salutations to Viṣṇu, who is the Lord of all cit and acit entities, who reclines on Śeṣa, and who is the treasury of pure, infinite, auspicious qualities."
This verse is a short praise of the Lord in the language of Viśiṣṭādvaita. It already contains the basic framework: there are conscious beings (cit), non-conscious reality (acit), and the Lord who is their ruler and inner Self.
The Three Realities
tattva-traya
Viśiṣṭādvaita teaches three realities, called tattva-traya (the three fundamental realities):
cit
sentient beings, that is, conscious selves or jīvās
acit
insentient reality, that is, prakṛti or matter
Īśvara
the Supreme Lord
Īśvara is Śrīman Nārāyaṇa. He is described as akhila-heya-pratyanīka samasta-kalyāṇa-guṇātmaka (completely free from all defects and full of all auspicious qualities).
Cit and Acit are the Body of Īśvara
According to the śruti (revealed scripture, especially the Upaniṣads), both cit and acit are the body of Īśvara:
ya ātmany tiṣṭhan ātmanaḥ antarō yam ātmā na veda yasya ātmā śarīram ya ātmānam antarō yamayati sa ta ātmā antaryāmī amṛtaḥ
— Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad
Meaning: He who stands within the self, who is inside the self, whom the self does not know, for whom the self is the body, who rules the self from within — he is your Self, the inner controller (antaryāmī), the immortal one.
Key phrase: The most important phrase here is "yasya ātmā śarīram" — "for whom the self is the body." This is one of the major scriptural bases for saying that the jīva is the body of the Lord.
antaḥśarīre nihito guhāyām aja eko nityo yasya pṛthivī śarīram yaḥ pṛthivīm antare sañcaran yaṁ pṛthivī na veda
— Subālopaniṣad
Meaning: The one unborn, eternal reality is hidden within the body, in the secret place. For whom the earth is the body, who moves within the earth, and whom the earth does not know…
Key phrase: Again, the key phrase is "yasya pṛthivī śarīram" — "for whom the earth is the body." So not only conscious selves, but even insentient matter, is described as the body of the Lord.
What is the definition of śarīra?
First, what is meant by śarīra (body)? In ordinary usage, it refers to the physical body of living beings. But in Vedānta, a more precise definition is needed.
The Naiyāyikas' View
The Naiyāyikas (logicians) give their definition of the body as:
- the place where the sense organs are located, and
- the basis for pleasure and pain.
Here "sense organs" means the instruments through which we experience the world: sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch.
But this definition is considered defective.
Why?
Because then it would not include material objects that can still function as bodies but do not have sense organs. Also, pain and pleasure truly belong to the self, not to the body itself.
The Self in Bondage
When we say that pain and pleasure belong to the self…
When we say that pain and pleasure belong to the self, it does not mean the physical body. Here self means the conscious subject, the real knower, the one who says "I." In Vedic philosophy, this is ātman or jīvātman.
The self is a conscious entity. In bondage, when joined to a body-mind complex due to karma, it becomes the experiencer of pleasure and pain through that embodiment. So the self is the subject that undergoes those experiences in saṁsāra, but it is not by nature made of pain.
So the idea is this:
- the body is material
- the mind and senses are instruments
- the jīva is the conscious experiencer pleasure and pain arise in embodied existence due to karma
- the jīva experiences them through the body-mind complex but they do not belong to the jīva's essential nature
In bondage, the jīva undergoes the experience of pain and pleasure through the body, mind, and senses due to karma; but pain and pleasure do not belong to the jīva's essential nature.
Nor can we say that a body must always be jaḍa (insentient, non-conscious), because śāstra (scripture) says: "yasya ātmā śarīram" — "for whom the self is the body."
That means scripture itself says that even a conscious self can be called a body in relation to the Supreme Self. So "body" cannot simply mean "something non-conscious."
Śrī Rāmānuja's Definition
Śrī Rāmānuja therefore defines śarīra like this:
yasya cetanasya yaddravyaṁ sarvātmanā svārthe niyantuṁ dhārayituṁ ca śakyaṁ tac-cheṣataika-svarūpaṁ ca tat tasya śarīram
Meaning: "Any substance that a conscious being can completely control and support for its own purpose, and whose nature is to exist wholly as subordinate to that being, is its body."
A thing counts as a body only if all of the following are true:
- it is supported by a conscious being,
- it is controlled by that conscious being,
- it exists for the purpose of that conscious being,
- and it is wholly subordinate to it.
So mere dependence is not enough to make something a śarīra (body). For example, a servant may depend on a master, but that does not make the servant the master's body. A thing becomes a body only when two conditions are present:
- it is completely controlled and supported by the self, and
- its dependence on the self lasts for as long as it exists.
Only then does it properly qualify as śarīra.
What follows from saying that the jīvātma is the śarīra of paramātma?
śarīrātma-bhāva
What follows if we say that the jīvātma (individual self) is the śarīra (body) of paramātma (the Supreme Self)? Again, a refresher:
jīvātma
the individual conscious self, the finite soul, "the self that I am"
paramātma
the Supreme Self, the Lord who indwells and rules all selves
Self
Self with a capital S is often used for the higher or deeper conscious reality; in this context, paramātma is the Supreme Self, while jīvātma is the individual self
Several important relationships follow from this śarīrātma-bhāva (body-self relationship):
Ādheyatva
being supported by the indwelling self
The existence of the śarīra (body, here the jīva) depends on the śarīrī (the one who has that body, here paramātma). In other words, the śarīrī supports the śarīra. Without the śarīrī, the śarīra cannot continue to exist.
In simpler words: the soul does not stand by itself independently. It exists because the Lord supports it.
Niyamyatva
being controlled by the indwelling self
The śarīra is not only supported by the śarīrī; it is also controlled by him. So the jīva, as śarīra, acts under the rule and will of paramātma, the śarīrī.
In simpler words: the Lord is not just present inside the soul; he is also its inner ruler.
Śeṣatva
existing for the sake of another
The śarīra exists only for the pleasure, purpose, and will of the śarīrī. So the jīva exists for the Lord. The Lord is the master, and the jīva is his servant.
This is extremely important. It is not enough merely to say that the self is dependent. The idea of śeṣatva (being one who exists for another, i.e. servant-nature) brings out more fully that the self exists solely for him, belongs to him, and is meant to serve him. This is the real force of śarīrātma-bhāva.
Prakṛti in the same framework
Avāpta-samasta-kāma
Śeṣatva and śeṣitva
The self is thus dependent by nature. The Lord alone is independent. Even if nothing else existed, he would still be master, because he depends on no one. And when other things do exist, he is their master as well.
Apṛthak-siddhi
inseparable existence
Another result of śarīrātma-bhāva is apṛthak-siddhi (inseparable existence). The jīva as śarīra has no separate existence apart from paramātma, just as a body has no independent existence apart from the self in this relationship.
An easier way to understand apṛthak-siddhi is this: it does not mean the jīva and the Lord are identical in every way. It means the jīva cannot be an independently existing reality cut off from the Lord. Its reality is inseparably connected to him.
Sāmānādhikaraṇya
co-ordinate predication
Another consequence is sāmānādhikaraṇya (co-ordinate predication, where two terms refer to one connected reality). Just as the self dwelling in a body may be referred to by the name of that body, so too all names ultimately refer to paramātma, because everything is his body.
For example, when we say "Jack," we usually refer to the jīva associated with the body called Jack. In the same way, all names primarily point to things in the world, but in the deepest sense they refer to paramātma, the inner self who has all those things as his body.
Definition of the jīvātma
From all this, the following understanding of the jīvātma (individual self) is reached according to śāstra:
- 1
Atomic and sentient
The jīvātma is finite, that is aṇu (atomic, extremely subtle in size), and sentient, that is jñāna-svarūpa (of the nature of consciousness).
- 2
Body of the Lord
Śāstra describes the jīva as the śarīra (body) of paramātma.
- 3
Śeṣa by nature
This means the essential nature of the jīva is to be a śeṣa (servant, one who exists for the Lord).
- 4
Śeṣatva-jñāna is the svarūpa
Since śāstra also says that the self is jñāna-svarūpa (of the nature of consciousness), the self's awareness of "I" is really awareness of its own śeṣatva (servant-nature). Therefore śeṣatva-jñāna (knowledge of one's servant-nature) is the svarūpa (essential nature) of the jīva. So true self-awareness is not mere bare awareness of existence. It is awareness of oneself as belonging to the Lord.
- 5
No jīva-svarūpa-bheda
Since all jīvās are the body of Īśvara, all are śeṣas (servants belonging to him). Therefore all have the same essential nature. There is no jīva-svarūpa-bheda (difference in essential nature among souls).
- 6
Differences come from karma
If all jīvās are śeṣas and their essential nature does not change, then the differences we see among them must come from something else. Those differences arise from changes in their attributive knowledge, caused by karmas (past actions and their effects), vāsanās (latent impressions left by past experience), and rucis (tastes, preferences, inclinations).
- 7
Possesses dharma-bhūta-jñāna
Therefore the jīva possesses dharma-bhūta-jñāna (attributive consciousness, the knowledge by which it knows external objects) as an inseparable attribute.
Svarūpa-jñāna vs. dharma-bhūta-jñāna
So:
- Svarūpa-jñāna would refer to the self as conscious by nature.
- Dharma-bhūta-jñāna refers to the self's knowledge as an attribute — the knowledge by which it knows things other than itself.
So when it is said that the jīva has DBJ, it means: the self is conscious in itself, but it also has a knowing-capacity by which external things become known to it.
Note
Why do jīvās differ?
Why do individual souls appear different from one another? These differences come from the contraction and expansion of dharma-bhūta-jñāna (attributive knowledge), due to karma. Śaunaka Muni explains this in Śrī Viṣṇu Dharma:
The Gem & the Dirt
Śaunaka Muni's example
The key point is not newly produced.
The example is this: the gem already had lustre, but dirt covered it. Similarly, the self already has knowledge, but karma obscures it. When the obstruction is removed, the knowledge shines forth.
yathā na kriyate jyotsnā malaprakṣālanāt maṇeḥ doṣa-prahāṇāt na jñānaṁ ātmanaḥ kriyate tathā
— Viṣṇu Dharma 104.55–56, quoted in Śrī Bhāṣya
Meaning: Just as the lustre of a gem is not created by washing away the dirt, in the same way the knowledge of the self is not newly produced by the removal of defects.
So the contraction of dharma-bhūta-jñāna due to karma causes the self to lose awareness of its true nature as the servant and possession of the Lord. This is what smṛti (remembered scripture, such as Itihāsa and Purāṇa) refers to as the "stealing of the ātmā."
Why is it called theft? Because a body belongs to the self. In the same way, the jīva belongs to the Lord. So when we think, "I am independent," or "I do not belong to him," we are wrongly claiming the Lord's property as our own. That is why it is called theft.
How is liberation attained?
How does one gain the jñāna (knowledge) that leads to liberation? It comes through realization of śarīrātma-bhāva (the body-self relationship between the soul and the Lord), and therefore realization of śeṣatva (one's servant-nature). From that realization arises natural love for the Lord. That love then leads a person to adopt one of the two upāyās (means to liberation) taught in śāstra:
bhaktyā paramayā vāpi prapattyā vā mahāmathe prāpyo 'ham na anyathā prāpyo mama kainkarya-lipsubhiḥ
— Ahirbudhnya Saṁhitā, Pāñcarātra Āgama
Meaning: O wise one, I am attained either by supreme bhakti or by prapatti; not otherwise, by those who desire to perform kainkarya (service) to me.
Key phrase: The important part here is "bhaktyā… vā prapattyā vā" — "either by bhakti or by prapatti."
The Lord says that he is attained by either bhakti-yoga (the path of loving devotion practiced in the prescribed way) or prapatti (complete surrender). These are two independent jñāna-viśeṣaṇa-upāyās (means qualified by right knowledge), though prapatti can also function as an aṅga (limb or auxiliary part) of bhakti-yoga.
Both are included under the statement "nānyaḥ panthā ayanāya vidyate" — "there is no other path for attaining the goal."
A full explanation of these two upāyās would take many pages, so it is not given here. Those who want more detail may refer to Nikṣepa Rakṣā of Śrī Vedānta Deśika, where objections are answered in full.
The basic point is this: a person realizes his śeṣatva as his true nature. This leads to natural love of the Lord. That love is then strengthened through meditation and by following these upāyās. As a result, karmas are destroyed. As Gītācārya says:
teṣām evānukampārtham aham ajñāna-jaṁ tamaḥ nāśayāmy ātma-bhāva-stho jñāna-dīpena bhāsvatā
— Gītā 10.11
Meaning: Out of compassion for them, I, dwelling in their inner being, destroy the darkness born of ignorance by the shining lamp of knowledge.
Key phrase: The key part is "I destroy the darkness born of ignorance."
When karma is destroyed through bhakti-yoga or prapatti, mokṣa (liberation) is attained.
What happens in mokṣa?
In mokṣa, the dharma-bhūta-jñāna of the jīva, no longer obstructed by karma, expands infinitely. This gives rise to omniscience in the liberated soul. This is referred to in the Upaniṣads:
bālāgra-śata-bhāgasya śatadhā kalpitasya ca bhāgo jīvaḥ sa vijñeyaḥ sa cānantyāya kalpate
— Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 5.9
Meaning: The jīva is to be known as a part as small as one hundredth of one hundredth of the tip of a hair; yet it becomes fit for infinity.
Key phrase: The important point is that the jīva is very subtle and finite in essential size, yet becomes capable of infinite expansion of knowledge.
sarvaṁ ha paśyaḥ paśyati sarvam āpnoti
— Chāndogya Upaniṣad 7.26.2
Meaning: He sees all; he attains all.
Key phrase: Here "he sees all" is taken to refer to omniscience.
Since the svarūpa (essential self) of the jīva remains aṇu (atomic, subtle, finite), this omniscience cannot mean that the self itself becomes spatially infinite. Rather, it means that its dharma-bhūta-jñāna expands infinitely.
The word "sarvam" ("all") here does not refer to the Lord, as some others interpret it. That point will be explained later.
What does the mukta do with infinite knowledge?
The Chāndogya also says:
sa ekadhā bhavati tridhā bhavati pañcadhā saptadhā navadhā caiva punaś caikādaśaḥ smṛtaḥ śataṁ ca daśa caikaś ca sahasrāṇi ca
— Chāndogya Upaniṣad 7.26.2
Meaning: He becomes onefold, threefold, fivefold, sevenfold, ninefold, again elevenfold, a hundredfold, and thousands.
Key phrase: This is taken to mean that the mukta (liberated soul) can assume many bodies in mokṣa.
How is this possible if the jīva is aṇu-svarūpa (atomic in essential nature)?
The answer is that the jīva does not become spatially spread out in essence. He remains aṇu. But through his infinite dharma-bhūta-jñāna, he pervades those bodies and controls them.
This again shows that DBJ must be infinite, because otherwise one could not control infinite bodies.
Only the Lord, whose nature is vibhu-svarūpa (all-pervading by essential nature), can truly manifest in infinite bodies and be directly present in them by his own essential nature.
What does the mukta do with these bodies and expanded DBJ in mokṣa?
Lakṣmaṇa says:
bhavāṁs tu saha vaidehyā giri-sānuṣu raṁsyathe ahaṁ sarvaṁ kariṣyāmi jāgrataḥ svapataś ca te
— Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa
Meaning: You will enjoy yourself on the mountain slopes with Sītā, and I will do everything for you, whether you are awake or asleep.
Key phrase: The important phrase is "ahaṁ sarvaṁ kariṣyāmi" — "I will do everything."
This is taken to show that the goal of the liberated soul is service at all times, in all places, and in every state.
So the mukta, being omniscient and able to assume many bodies, serves the Lord in endless ways at all times and places.
The mukta can move freely in all worlds. Since he is no longer bound by karma, he can serve the Lord wherever the Lord is manifest, and not only in paramapada (the supreme divine realm).
What is the result of such infinite service?
What comes from this endless service in mokṣa?
so 'śnute sarvān kāmān saha brahmaṇā vipaścitā
— Taittirīya Upaniṣad
Meaning: He enjoys all desirable things together with Brahman, the all-knowing.
Key phrase: Here "kāmān" does not mean ordinary worldly desires. It refers to auspicious enjoyments connected with Brahman. Since the jīva is by nature śeṣa (one who exists for the Lord), he has no separate selfish desire in mokṣa. His joy lies only in experiencing Brahman through service.
bhoga-mātra-sāmya-liṅgāc ca
— Brahma Sūtras
Meaning: Because scripture indicates equality only with respect to experience / enjoyment.
The idea is simple: the liberated soul serves the Lord; the Lord is pleased; the soul sees his joy, beauty, and auspicious qualities; and from that comes ānanda (bliss).
The highest goal is to behold the Lord's delight after receiving one's service.
Infinite dharma-bhūta-jñāna allows the soul to experience the infinite kalyāṇa-guṇas (auspicious qualities) of Brahman. That leads to infinite ānanda. Therefore the sūtra speaks of ānanda-sāmyam (equality in bliss):
The point being drawn here is that equality with Brahman is only in bliss, not in essential nature or lordship.
This means that the highest equality between the mukta and the Lord is only in ānanda (bliss), not in svarūpa (essential nature).
It does not mean that the jīva has only a small, limited bliss while Brahman alone has infinite bliss, which would imply ānanda-bheda (difference in bliss). Rather, it means that the liberated soul attains equality in bliss by experiencing the Lord's auspicious qualities and by serving him.
But the jīva does not share in jagat-vyāpāra (cosmic rulership, world-governance). The jīva remains eternally a servant of Brahman. There is never equality of status.
Also, the jīva's abilities in mokṣa — such as infinite DBJ and the power to serve in many ways — all remain dependent on the Lord and arise through his grace. The Lord alone is independent.
This, in brief, is Viśiṣṭādvaita.
