Adv~itavedEnta is a philosophy of absolute nondualistic Monism. The philosophers of this school hold that the world is false. They maintain that Brahman is acosmic (ni.sprapafica) 1 and that the world is a product of 'avidy~' (misconception). 2 This view when pressed to its logical limit leads to the theory of D.r.st.is~t.i. In its support, the Advaitins cite the following Sruti passage: Evam evSsmSd ~tmanah sarve prSn~, sarve lok~. sarve vedal3. (different reading: dev~.) sarvani bh~t5ni sarva eta ~tmSno vyuccaranti 3 _ "Thus from this self all vital principles, all worlds, all Vedas (different reading: gods), all creatures (or physical elements), all these individual selves are brought forth."
The theory of D.rs.t.is.rs.t.i asserts that objects having a beginning owe their existence to the act ofdrst.i. Dr.sfl, if its etymological meaning is accounted for, stands for visual knowledge. Visual knowledge is a sort of direct awareness. Advaitins generally uphold this general sense of direct awareness and accordingly define d~t.i as consciousness reflected on the mode (v.rtti) of 'avidya'. 4 /)r..s.ti or avidya-v.rtti is, therefore, nothing but an illusory percipi. The theory of D.rs.t.is.r.sti has two subtle subdivisions. According to one, s.r.st.i (creation) is synchronous with dut.i (percipi), s while the other states that d.r.s.~ per se is sufl. 6 Whatever may be the case, the theory maintains that objects have no existence apart from d~t.i. Six conventional categories, viz. Jiva, God, Pure Consciousness, difference between JTva and God, Avidy5 and mutual confusion of Avidya and Pure Consciousness, which are regarded as beginningless, are excluded from its purview. Amongst these, avidyd is a metaphysical cosmic principle which evolves de novo and with variety. It is the causa materialis (up&tana-karana) of objects, their generic properties and dr.s.ti. When a person mistakes a rope for a snake, his misconception gets transformed into three things -snake, snakeness and mode of misconception. When these projections of misconception cease they all disappear to reside in misconception, their cause in a latent form. As the misconception lasts longer than others, it is admitted to be their cause. On the 'duration' and 'extension' of the mode of misconception alone the existence of objects depends. By 'duration'