Sivaprakasam (Study in Bondage and Liberation)
by N. Veerappan | 2018 | 57,559 words
The Sivaprakasam is a 14th century Tamil text belonging to the Shaiva-Siddhanta literature dealing with the spiritual aspects of human life, such as bondage and liberation of the individual self. The Siva-Prakasam consists of 100 stanzas (verses) spread over two parts. The first part deals with the embodied condition of the self whereas the second ...
Interpretations of the Mahavakyas by Shri Madhva
Madhva takes the sense of opposition (virodha) while referring to the term advaita. The opposition consists always in two things. Hence he acknowledges the existence of two principles. The individual selves are sentient and they are eternally dependant on Brahman , the former never being identical with the latter.
Light and darkness are mentioned as illustrative of the difference between God-head and jivatma .
Bheda refutation
When we say that God and man are as different as light and darkness, then it makes no sense to say that God is the creator. There should be a relation to say that God is the creator and man is the creature. The relation between light and darkness is of opposing nature. An assumption that God is wholly another object of different nature to that of man is not correct. Thus these two analogies render a relation-less conclusion that the concept of God is devoid of significance from the point of view of theism.
Also, the individual self cannot attain mukti since the self shall not be a self after the destruction of bonds nor will it join with God. This is not acceptable to Shaiva Siddhanta.