مكتب ودانتا و وحدت‌گرايي

School of Vedanta and Non-Dualism

مكتب ودانتا اصيلترين جريان فكري و فلسفي هندي است كه اصول فكري خود را از اوپانيشادها گرفته و بر وحدت‌گرايي و يكتاپرستي تاكيد دارد. مورخان هندي، تاريخ اين مكتب را به سه دوره ماقبل شانكارا، دوره شانكارا و دوره پساشانكارا تقسيم ميكنند. در دوره اول، شخصيتهايي مانند بادرايانا و گوداپادا ظاهر شدند و حكمت ودانتا را پايه‌ريزي كردند. در دوره دوم شانكارا به بسط اين حكمت پرداخت و سهم زيادي درگسترش و اشاعه آن داشت. در دوره سوم نيز رامانوجا با نظريات انتقادي خود قرايت متفاوتي از وحدت‌گرايي و مفهوم حقيقت نهايي ارايه كرد و دامنه اين مكتب را گسترش داد. بطوركلي بانيان و مفسران حكمت ودانتا در هر دوره برحسب ذوق و سليقه فكري خود به شرح و بسط اين مكتب پرداختند و باعث غني‌تر شدن آن شدند. آنچه اهميت دارد اين است كه همه آنها در يكتاپرستي و وحدت‌گرايي اتفاق نظر داشتند، هرچند درباره بعضي از مباحث ميان برخي از ايشان اختلاف‌نظر جدي وجود داشت و اين اختلاف درميان پيروان آنها نيز مطرح بود. در ميان متفكران معاصر هند برخي مانند رابيندرانات تاگور كوشيدند سازشي ميان آنها ايجاد كنند. نفوذ مكتب ودانتا در ميان متفكران و هنرمندان معاصر هندي نيز عميق بوده است؛ بطوريكه جهانبيني آنها كاملاً تحت‌تاثير اين مكتب بوده است. در نوشتار حاضر سير تاريخي اين مكتب و نسبت آن با وحدت‌گرايي مورد بررسي قرار ميگيرد.

Vedanta is the most original Indian philosophical school which has borrowed its basic principles from Upanishads and emphasizes non-dualism. Indian historians have divided the history of this school into three periods: Pre-Shankara, Shankara, and Post-Shankara. In the first period, some figures such as Badarayana and Gaudapada emerged and laid the foundation for Vedanta philosophy. In the second period, Shankara expanded this school and played a significant role in spreading and disseminating it. During the third period, Ramanuja presented a different interpretation of non-dualism and the notion of Ultimate Reality based on his own critical views and pushed the borderlines of this school even further. Generally speaking, each of the founders and interpreters of Vedanta philosophy explained and expanded this school based on their own philosophical tastes and views and tried to enrich it more than ever before. However, the important point here is that all of them were unanimous regarding the notion of non-dualism. Of course, they had some serious disagreements concerning certain issues, which can also be seen among their advocates. Some of the contemporary Indian thinkers, such as Rabindranath Tagore tried to reconcile their ideas with each other in some way. Vedanta has also influenced contemporary Indian philosophers and artists to such a great extent that their worldview has been completely affected by this school. In the present paper, the writer traces the historical development of the school of Vedanta and explores its relationship with non-dualism.