Bhartrprapancha (7th c. C.E.) is the founder of the Bhedabhada (“identity-in-difference”) philosophical system in Indian philosophy.
Bhartrprapancha lived at an unknown time, although he predates the eighth-century Bhedabhada commentator Bhaskara.
The Bhedabhada viewpoint recognized three levels of being:
- Brahman, the Ultimate Reality,
- “witness” awareness (sakshin) in humans,
- and the universe.
This school claimed that these three levels were both identical and dissimilar.
- As a result, the universe is similar to Brahman yet, unlike Brahman, is susceptible to change and destruction.
- Similarly, although each human soul is equal to Brahman, unlike Brahman, it is subject to bondage and reincarnation (samsara).
- The primordial ignorance known as avidya created the soul's bonding, but it may be broken via a mix of action and knowledge (jnanakar- masamucchaya).
The fundamental philosophical difficulty for Bhartrprapancha and his followers stemmed from their conviction that Brahman was really converted into both the universe and the Self, a doctrine known as parina- mavada.
- Brahman was subjected to slavery and ignorance because people thought it experienced actual transformations.
- Because Brahman was seen as flawless and unchanging, this viewpoint was unsustainable and unacceptable from a religious standpoint.
- This issue may have contributed to the school's brief existence.
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