Vijātiyabheda

By Swami Harshananda

Vijātiyabheda literally means ‘differences based on different species’.

Classification of Bheda[edit]

Bheda or difference is one of the concepts discussed in the Vedāntic treatises to establish the nature of the ultimate realities. It is generally classified into three varieties:

Sajātīyabheda - Among number of cows, one cow is different from another cow. This is an example of sajātiyabheda or difference within the same category.
Vijātīyabheda - A cow and a horse are different from one another because they belong to different jātis or categories. This is an example of vijātīyabheda.
Svagatabheda - Within the body of a cow, the horns, the legs, the tail and the ears are all different from one another. This is the example for svagatabheda or internal differences.

Bheda as per Viśiṣṭādvaita Vedānta[edit]

The Viśiṣṭādvaita Vedānta of Rāmānuja^[1] does not accept the first two kinds of bhedas in Brahman but accepts the third. According to this, the jīvas^[2] and the prakṛti^[3] which is also called as cit^[4] and acit^[5] are the internal parts of īśvara or Brahman.

References[edit]

↑ He lived in A. D. 1017-1137.
↑ Jīvas means the individual souls which are infinite in number.
↑ Prakṛti means the insentient nature.
↑ Cit means conscious entity.
↑ Acit means unconscious matter.

The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore

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[1] He lived in A. D. 1017-1137.

[2] Jīvas means the individual souls which are infinite in number.

[3] Prakṛti means the insentient nature.

[4] Cit means conscious entity.

[5] Acit means unconscious matter.

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