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→Vishishtadvaita
# as associated with the mental state/antahkarana (pramana) - Pramana-chaitanyam
# as associated with the mental state/antahkarana (pramana) - Pramana-chaitanyam
Perception of any external object (that is present and capable of being perceived) takes place when these three occupy the same space, by the mental state issuing through the sense organ and spreading over the object so as to assume the same form - like the water of a tank reaching a field through a channel and taking the shape of the field.<ref>Swami Madhavananda. trans., ''Vedanta Paribhasha of Dharmaraja Adhvarindra.'' Howrah: The Ramakrishna Mission Sarada Pitha. pp 14, 15</ref> Advaita Vedanta expounds the qualities or attributes of Brahman as follows.<ref name="acdas">Das, A. C. (1952). [http://www.jstor.org/stable/1397304 Brahman and Māyā in Advaita Metaphysics]. ''Philosophy East and West'', ''2''(2), 144–154. <nowiki>https://doi.org/10.2307/1397304</nowiki></ref>
According to Advaita, all six sources of knowledge- Pratyaksha (perception), Anumana (inference), Upamana (comparison), Shabda (verbal testimony), and Anupalabdhi (non-apprehension). Perception of any external object (that is present and capable of being perceived) takes place when these three occupy the same space, by the mental state issuing through the sense organ and spreading over the object so as to assume the same form - like the water of a tank reaching a field through a channel and taking the shape of the field.<ref>Swami Madhavananda. trans., ''Vedanta Paribhasha of Dharmaraja Adhvarindra.'' Howrah: The Ramakrishna Mission Sarada Pitha. pp 14, 15</ref> Advaita Vedanta expounds the qualities or attributes of Brahman as follows.<ref name="acdas">Das, A. C. (1952). [http://www.jstor.org/stable/1397304 Brahman and Māyā in Advaita Metaphysics]. ''Philosophy East and West'', ''2''(2), 144–154. <nowiki>https://doi.org/10.2307/1397304</nowiki></ref>
# Brahman is the sole unchanging ultimate reality,
# Brahman is the sole unchanging ultimate reality,
# Brahman is Sat-chit-ananda (Tait. Upan. 2.1.1) or existence, knowledge and bliss. Thus, Consciousness is not a property of Brahman but its very nature.
# Brahman is Sat-chit-ananda (Tait. Upan. 2.1.1) or existence, knowledge and bliss. Thus, Consciousness is not a property of Brahman but its very nature.
The goal of Advaita Vedanta is to realize that one's Self ([[Jiva (जीवः)|Jiva]] or ''[[Atman (आत्मन्)|Atman]]'') gets obscured by ignorance and false-identification termed Avidya or [[Maya (माया)|Maya]]. When the veil of Avidya is removed, the Atman is realized as identical with Brahman. This view is stated in this school in many different forms, such as "''Ekam sat''" ("Truth is one"), and "sarvam khavidam brahma" all is ''Brahman''. Summarizing the major tenets of Advaita Vedanta <ref name=":3" /><ref name=":9" /><ref>https://www.egyankosh.ac.in/bitstream/123456789/63552/4/Unit-4.pdf</ref>
The goal of Advaita Vedanta is to realize that one's Self ([[Jiva (जीवः)|Jiva]] or ''[[Atman (आत्मन्)|Atman]]'') gets obscured by ignorance and false-identification termed Avidya or [[Maya (माया)|Maya]]. When the veil of Avidya is removed, the Atman is realized as identical with Brahman. This view is stated in this school in many different forms, such as "''Ekam sat''" ("Truth is one"), and "sarvam khavidam brahma" all is ''Brahman''. Summarizing the major tenets of Advaita Vedanta <ref name=":3" /><ref name=":9" /><ref name=":10">https://www.egyankosh.ac.in/bitstream/123456789/63552/4/Unit-4.pdf</ref>
# The purpose of philosophy is to help [[Jiva (जीवः)|Jiva]] (the human being) achieve Moksha purusartha i.e., to free himself from the bondage (Samsara) of Karma leading to the cycle of births and death.
# The purpose of philosophy is to help [[Jiva (जीवः)|Jiva]] (the human being) achieve Moksha purusartha i.e., to free himself from the bondage (Samsara) of Karma leading to the cycle of births and death.
====Vishishtadvaita====
====Vishishtadvaita====
Visishtadvaita was propounded by Rāmānuja (1017–1137 CE) who says that the ''jīvātman'' is a part of Brahman, and hence is similar, but not identical. The main difference from Advaita is that in Visishtadvaita, the Brahman is determinate and asserted to have attributes (Saguna or savisesha). All knowledge involves distinctions and there is no undifferentiated pure consciousness, identity is always qualified by difference. Brahman, matter and the individual souls are distinct but mutually inseparable entities. This school propounds Bhakti or devotion to God visualized as Vishnu to be the path to liberation. Māyā is seen as the creative power of God.
Visishtadvaita was propounded by Rāmānuja (1017–1137 CE) who says that the ''jīvātman'' is a part of Brahman, and hence is similar, but not identical. The main difference from Advaita is that in Visishtadvaita, the Brahman is determinate and asserted to have attributes (Saguna or savisesha). All knowledge involves distinctions and there is no undifferentiated pure consciousness, identity is always qualified by difference. Brahman, matter and the individual souls are distinct but mutually inseparable entities. This school propounds Bhakti or devotion to God visualized as Vishnu to be the path to liberation. Māyā is seen as the creative power of God.
According to Visishtadvaita, there are three sources of knowledge- Shabda (verbal testimony), Pratyaksha (perception) and Anumana (inference). All the three sources should have character, in order to establish a proof. Some important tenets of Visishtadvaita<ref name=":10" />
# Striking feature of this philosophy is the attempt to unite personal theism with the philosophy of the Absolute.<ref>Hiriyanna, M. () Outlines of Indian Philosophy</ref>
# He refutes the basic tenet of Advaita, that Supreme reality is unqualified (Nirvisesha). This cannot be proved, as all proofs are based on the assumption of qualified character. Vedic and other texts do not speak about the unqualified character of the supreme reality.
# The Advaita school holds that the unqualified nature of the absolute reality can be experienced directly. However, even in direct experience, some traits of Supreme reality have to be qualified (Savikalpa), for experiencing according to Ramanujacharya.
# Regarding perception, it is held that any perception, if it is to manifest, has to have character (Savikalpa pratyakhya). Hence, Ramanuja holds that perception without character (nirvisesha) is not possible.
# Inference is based on perception and hence it has also revealed a thing with certain characteristics. Hence, it cannot remain unqualified.
# Shankara’s assertion is that perception relates to pure beings and pure beings alone. If that were to be true, then characteristic differences are necessary to distinguish one from the other, like saying, ‘this is a jug’ and ‘this is a cloth’. If all objects are perceived to be false, there can be no differences between the objects.
# Shankara states that the world looks like a manifold entity due to ‘dosha’, or ‘Avidya’ (defect). Ramanuja states that Avidya needs support, and cannot exist by itself. It cannot exist in individual souls, as they themselves are results of ‘Avidya’.
# Ramanujacharya holds that all knowledge is real. He gives the example of conch shell and silver. If an illusion has to appear, it has to be like another reality. A conch shell cannot appear like imaginary silver.
# Jagat is alluded to have formed from Brahman and is described as Parinama-vada rather than Vivartavada.
====Dvaita====
====Dvaita====