Advaita Vedanta, Vishishtadvaita and Dvaita may spring from the same Vedic well, but they sail very different waters.

Advaita Vedanta (Shankara) • Core claim: Absolute non-duality. Brahman alone exists; the world and individual selves (jivas) are mithyā (illusory). • Method: Jñāna-mārga (path of knowledge) through śravaṇa (hearing), manana (reflection) and nididhyāsana (deep meditation). Neti neti (“not this, not that”) peels away layers of false identity to reveal the one Self. • Modern echo: The surge in non-dual mindfulness workshops and neuroscience conferences on consciousness often cite Advaita’s teaching that subject and object dissolve into pure awareness.

Vishishtadvaita (Ramanuja) • Core claim: Qualified non-duality. Brahman is reality but possesses infinite attributes (the jivas and the cosmos). Soul and world are real parts (śarīra) of the divine body. • Method: Bhakti-jñāna combination. Loving devotion to personal God (often Viṣṇu/Nārāyaṇa) unites worshipper and worshipped without erasing individual identities. • Current reference: International Day of Yoga 2023 events frequently wove together Ramanuja’s vision of devotional inclusivity, celebrating personal relationship with the divine alongside meditation.

Dvaita (Madhva) • Core claim: Radical dualism. God (Viṣṇu), souls and the world are eternally distinct. Difference (bheda) is as real as the sun’s warmth. • Method: Pure bhakti with strict theism. Salvation means eternal service to God in Vaikuntha, not merging into divine essence. • Cultural note: Contemporary Gaudiya and Madhva festivals still uphold Madhva’s insistence on personal deity worship, emphasizing devotional fervor over metaphysical abstraction.

Each school offers its own flavor—Advaita’s clear-as-day oneness, Vishishtadvaita’s tapestry of unity-in-diversity, and Dvaita’s steadfast dual devotion—shaping seekers’ journeys in distinct yet interwoven ways.