re Mr Roberto's query

From the Bhakti List Archives

• October 27, 1999


The simplest answer to your query is that ,whatever
Sri Radhakrishnan may say,it is not possible to
reconcile the views of Advaita and Vishishtadvaita,for
the following basic reason:

Vishishtadvaita posits three entities,Brahman,Jiva and
Prakriti,all three real,and present one within the
other comprising a single body,whose soul is the
innermost entity,Brahman.

Advaita says,on the other hand,that out of 
 these,only Brahman exists,and the other two are fictitious-

It however posits a fourth entity MAyA which neither
exists nor does not exist- but only "appears to exist"
Since this is a transitive construction,one has
to say "to whom?" it appears.Certainly not to the
JIva which itself is a creature of MAyA; it can't
be to Brahman who is pure knowledge and hence can't
be accused of "seeing things".so it seems to hang
in the air.

Vishishtadvaita can't fit it into its well-defined
system either.So one doesn't see any kind of
reconciliation as you mention.

EmberumAnAr TiruvaDigaLE SaraNam!
BHARAT