6. Nature of Brahman

Question 1

What is Sankaracharya’s interpretation of neti neti?

Answer 1

no qualities/attributes

Question 2

What is Ramanujacharya’s interpretation of neti neti?

Answer 2

not a denial of qualities but rather the insufficiency of our comprehension and language

Question 3

What is Madhavacharya’s interpretation of neti neti?

Answer 3

double negative = positive

Question 4

What is Sankaracharya’s philosophy regarding the saguna isvara?

Answer 4

saguna isvara is a stepping stone and you require the grace of the saguna isvara

Question 5

What is Sankaracharya’s snake and rope parable?

Answer 5

1. A man (the jīva-ātmā) is walking through a dark and treacherous forest (saṁsāra)
2. drinking alcohol (the power of māyā)
3. This makes him drunk (state of avidyā)
4. and he starts hallucinating (adhyāsa).
5. He ‘sees’ a snake .
6. The next morning, knowledge dawns on him and he realizes that all along, there was only a coiled rope (nirguṇa-Brahman) . In his enlightened (prajñāna Brahman) he has nothing to fear from his hallucinations and moves around blissfully (jīvan-mukti).