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Sarvavyapi Advait Brahman

Comparison Chart​

ConceptSarvavyapi Advait BrahmanJainism
DoershipThe 'Omnipresent' (Sarvavyapi) Advait Brahman is the doer of everything in the Universe.Every entity in the Universe is independently a doer of the self
OmnipresenceAdvait Brahman is omnipresent in the Universe; everything and anything is, in essence, Advait Brahman.All entities are independent and exist only where they are.
ExistenceAdvait Brahman is Anaadi-anant (without beginning or end), representing the essence of all that exists.Every entity is also Anaadi-anant, without beginning or end.

Counter arguments for Advait Brahman​

  • What exactly is 'Advait Brahman'?
    If everything around us is perceived as independent and distinct, how can we believe that all entities, which are fundamentally different (e.g., living vs. non-living), have different characteristics (e.g., water vs. fire), and undergo constant change (e.g., the atoms of wood turning into ashes, and ashes eventually turning into soil), are all ultimately one? If everything is one, then by what logic is this so?

  • Advait Brahman teaches that:

    • You cannot know Brahman because of your delusion.

    • Brahman cannot be known through Yukti (logic).

    • Brahman cannot be conveyed through Vachan (words).

    • It is both one and not one, distinct and mixed at the same time. Truly, the glory of Brahman is boundless!

  • We ask:

    • For things that are clearly perceived by us, you claim they are mere delusions, yet when we apply logic to make assumptions, you say Brahman cannot be known through logic. On what basis should we then believe in it?

    • If Brahman cannot be expressed by words, how can we possibly determine the truth without words?

    • You state that Brahman is one and not one, distinct and mixed at the same time. But from what perspective (apeksha) is it one, and from what perspective is it not one? There is no clear specification of this perspective.