The Discover India Podcast by Professor Pankaj Jain: Bhārat Darśan

Prof Pankaj Jain
The Discover India Podcast by Professor Pankaj Jain: Bhārat Darśan

Bhārat Darśan: The Discover India Podcast is about Indian Culture, Indian classical music, Sustainability, Hindu/Buddhist/Jain Studies, Film Studies, and Diaspora Studies. Episodes also include presentations at various conferences and webinars. Dr. Pankaj Jain is the Director of The India Centre and the Head of the Department of Humanities and Language at FLAME University. #India #Indology #IndianClassicalMusic #IndianCulture #IndianTraditions #India #Hinduism #Jainism #Buddhism #Dharma #Jainology #ReligionAndEcology #FilmStudies #Bollywood #IndianDiaspora #Dharmic #ManojGovindraj

  1. Abhinavagupta and ‘non-duality’ (Advaita): Webinar by Dr. Mrinal Kaul, IIT Bombay

    29/11/2024

    Abhinavagupta and ‘non-duality’ (Advaita): Webinar by Dr. Mrinal Kaul, IIT Bombay

    When Abhinavagupta (fl. c. 975-1025 CE) argues for ‘absolute non-duality’ (paramādvaita) as a fundamental principle of everything, what does he mean? This fundamental meta-category subsumes within itself both ‘duality’ (dvaita or bheda) and ‘non-duality’ (advaita or abheda) in a resolution that, on the surface, appears to be nothing more than an oxymoron. How can two mutually opposing categories be one? However, for Abhinavagupta, both ‘duality’ and ‘non-duality’ are the basic building blocks of an all-encompassing singular meta-category called ‘absolute non-duality’ (paramādvaita). This version of non-duality argues for inclusivism, i.e., for any idea of binary to manifest, someone fundamentally recognises the distinction between, for instance, a ‘pot’ (ghaṭaṭ ) and a ‘non-pot’ (aghaṭaṭ ) and it is this distinction (dvaita or bheda) that unitarily brings a pot and a non-pot together (advaita or abheda). By saying this, Abhinavagupta is not suggesting that a pot is a non-pot and a non-pot is a pot. But they are singular manifestations in a plural form of and in a singular principle, i.e., non-dual consciousness (advaitasamvit). Using a more contemporary terminology, this form of non-duality may be called ‘pluralistic non-dualism’ or ‘subjective pluralism,' understood in the sense that even two mutually opposing labels, such as ‘pluralistic idealism’ or ‘idealistic realism’, can be used. Bio note: Prof Mrinal Kaul teaches classical Indian Philosophy at the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences in the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB), Mumbai. His research focuses on the non-dual Śaiva philosophy, particularly the tenth-century philosopher Abhinavagupta. His recent publications include ‘A Preliminary Note on the Manuscripts of the Tantrāloka-viveka’ in Verità e Bellezza-Essays in Honour of Raffaele Torella (Naples, Italy, 2022), ‘Is there a ‘South Asian Poetics’?’ In A Cultural Poetics of Bhasha Literatures in Theory and Practice, edited by E.V. Ramakrishnan (Orient Blackswan, Hyderabad, 2024) and ‘Is Reflection Real according to Abhinavagupta? Dynamic Realism versus Naïve Realism? in Journal of Indian Philosophy (Springer) (2024). A volume titled Minor Works of Abhinavagupta, edited with Francesco Sferra, is about to be published from Naples in Italy, and a new edition and translation of the Śivasūtravimarśinī of Kṣeṣ marāja with Ben Williams is in preparation.

    1h 20m

About

Bhārat Darśan: The Discover India Podcast is about Indian Culture, Indian classical music, Sustainability, Hindu/Buddhist/Jain Studies, Film Studies, and Diaspora Studies. Episodes also include presentations at various conferences and webinars. Dr. Pankaj Jain is the Director of The India Centre and the Head of the Department of Humanities and Language at FLAME University. #India #Indology #IndianClassicalMusic #IndianCulture #IndianTraditions #India #Hinduism #Jainism #Buddhism #Dharma #Jainology #ReligionAndEcology #FilmStudies #Bollywood #IndianDiaspora #Dharmic #ManojGovindraj

To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

Stay up to date with this show

Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes and get the latest updates.

Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada