Padmapada is the founder of the Vivarana school of Advaita Vedanta, and one of Shankaracharya's two confirmed pupils (the other being Sureshvara).
The Advaita school adheres to a philo sophical stance known
as monism, which believes that all things are essentially different
manifestations of a single Ultimate Reality, Brahman.
Advaita adherents believe that reality is nondual (advaita),
meaning that, despite appearances of distinction and diversity, everything is
nothing more than the formless, unqualified Brahman.
The assumption of variety, according to Advaitins, is a
fundamental misunderstanding of the ultimate essence of things, as well as a
sign of avidya (lack of genuine understanding).
Padmapada's Vivarana school is distinguished by the fact
that he puts the location of ignorance in Brahman, as opposed to the Bhamati school,
which finds it in the person.
The Vivarana Advaitins use Reflectionism to explain how
Brahman might be the source of ignorance: Human selves are equal to Brahman,
yet seem to be distinct, just as an image in a mirror is based on the original
but different from it.
Padmapada's perspective is based on a deep belief in Brahman
as the one "reality" to which all that exists must belong.
Karl H. Potter (ed. ), Advaita Vedanta up to Samkara and His
Pupils, 1981; and Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan and Charles A. Moore (eds. ), A
Sourcebook in Indian Philosophy, 1957, for further details.
