The Role of Anugraha or Grace

According to śaivāgama, Anugraha or Grace is one of the eternal activities of śiva.

The Upaniṣads which constitute the actual Vedānta also believe in Anugraha. Kaṭhopaniṣad explicitly states:

“This ātmā cannot be attained by instruction, not by intelligence, nor by learning. To him alone, It reveals Its subtle form whom It chooses.”

This stanza plainly speaks of Grace, but Shankara dismisses grace by a linguistic tour de force. He takes ‘eṣa’ as standing for ‘sādhaka’, though it is a pronoun standing for the noun ātmā.

The Status of the World

The world, according to Shankara, is mithyā or false. It is simply an adhyāropa or adhyāsa or false imposition on Brahman due to ajñāna or nescience just as a snake is a false imposition on a rope.

In none of the Upaniṣads which form the original and real Vedānta, the rajju-sarpa or rope-snake analogy is to be found. Nor anywhere in the Upaniṣads has the world been designated as adhyāropa or adhyāsa. Shankara has borrowed it from Nāgārjuna.

The problem for Advaita is: ‘How does the one Brahman become many’? Sri Aurobindo rightly says that Shankara cut the Gordian …

Maheśvarānanda says in his Mahārthamañjarī that inactive Brahman is as good as unreal.

“This is the specific nature of Parameśvara that He always performs the fivefold act of sṛṣṭi etc. If this is not accepted, ātmā as defined by Māyāvāda characterized by the want of the slightest trace of activity, would be as good as unreal.”

According to Shankara, Brahman is entirely inactive; all activity is due to Māyā. According to īśvarādvayavāda, activity belongs to śiva or īśvara; Māyā derives its activity only from Him.