Parinamavada

(“transformation-relationship”) Philosophical perspective that explains the
relationship between the Ultimate
Reality or realities and the perceivable
world, and describes the world as a genuine transformation of this reality.
This position is espoused by proponents of the Samkhya, Vishishthadvaita
Vedanta, and Bhedabhada philosophical schools. All three of these are
proponents of a causal model called
satkaryavada. The satkaryavada model
assumes that effects preexist in their
causes, and that, when these effects
appear, they are transformations (parinama) of those causes. The classic
example for this model is the transformation of milk to curds, butter, and clarified butter: each of these effects was
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Parinamavada
already present in the cause, emerges
from it through a natural transformation
of that cause, and is causally related to it.
All three schools believe that the
world as perceived is real and has some
single ultimate source behind it: for the
Samkhyas, the first principles are
purusha and prakrti, for the
Vishishthadvaita school, the god
Vishnu, and for the Bhedabhada school,
Brahman. All believe that real things
come into being because these first
principles undergo real transformations. Parinamavada allows for an explanation of the phenomenal world that
compromises the transcendence of
these first principles by making them
part of the world. Philosophically, their
difficulties arise in describing how the
transcendent can become mundane,
and then become transcendent again.
The transformation relationship is
vehemently opposed by the Advaita
Vedanta philosophical school, which
upholds a philosophical position
known as monism (the belief that a
single Ultimate Reality lies behind all
things, and that all things are merely
differing forms of that reality). Advaita
proponents claim that reality is nondual (advaita)—that is, that all things
are “actually” the formless, unqualified Brahman, despite the appearance
of difference and diversity in the
world. Since Brahman is the only real
thing, and Brahman never changes,
the parinama model is a fundamental
misunderstanding of the ultimate
nature of things, since it assumes real
change. The Advaita proponents’
explanation for the nature of the relationship and the world is known as
vivartavada (“illusory manifestation”), in which the ultimate appears
to become transformed but in reality
never changes. For further information see Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan and
Charles A. Moore (eds.), A Sourcebook
in Indian Philosophy, 1957; and Karl
H. Potter (ed.), Presuppositions of
India’s Philosophies, 1972.