| Abstract:
The concepts of Brahman (Impersonal God) and Ishwara (Personal God) constitute the central teachings of Shankara’s metaphysics. He approached these issues with reference to Vedantic school of thought as rooted in the Upanishads. Of all the commentators of the Vedanta school, Shankara and Ramanuja enjoy a prominent place; however, this article is limited to the former’s approach to the concept of Brahman and Ishwara. This is because Vedanta is mainly associated with Shankara’s name. Meanwhile, reference has been made to certain relevant concepts such as Maya and jiva in order to clarify the various dimensions of the concept of Brahman. According to Shankara, Brahman is identical with pure being, pure consciousness, and bliss. Brahman is ineffable and can only be described by its negative attributes. Yet, immediately after describing Brahman conceptually, Maya makes him appear in the form of Personal God. In Shankara’s metaphysics, Brahman as the macrocosm and Atman as the microcosm are the manifestations of Ultimate Reality. In Shankara’s view, Brahman and Atman possess various levels which are compatible with each other. At the highest level, the knower and knowledge, the subject and object, and the perceiver and perceived unite with each other and comprise a single reality.
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APA: CopyBAQERSHAHI, A. (2011). SHANKARA ON BRAHMAN AND PERSONAL GOD. HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY, 2(2 (6)), 29-50. https://www.sid.ir/en/journal/ViewPaper.aspx?id=269603 Vancouver: CopyBAQERSHAHI ALI NAQI. SHANKARA ON BRAHMAN AND PERSONAL GOD. HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY. 2011 [cited 2022May17];2(2 (6)):29-50. Available from: https://www.sid.ir/en/journal/ViewPaper.aspx?id=269603 IEEE: CopyBAQERSHAHI, A., 2011. SHANKARA ON BRAHMAN AND PERSONAL GOD. HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY, [online] 2(2 (6)), pp.29-50. Available: https://www.sid.ir/en/journal/ViewPaper.aspx?id=269603.
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