Vivarta
विवर्त vivarta'Apparent transformation.' In Advaita Vedanta, the world is a vivarta of Brahman: a real-seeming appearance that does not alter the underlying reality, the way a rope appears as a snake. Contrasted with parinama, real transformation, the model favoured by Samkhya and by Vishishtadvaita.
Where this term appears
- Tat tvam asi: three readings Philosophy
Tat tvam asi, usually rendered "that thou art," is a single sentence from the Chandogya Upanishad (6.8.7) that became the proving ground for the three great schools…
- What is Maya? The World as Appearance Essentials
The tradition calls this vivarta , apparent transformation, and distinguishes it sharply from parinama , real transformation, the way milk really becomes curd.
- Advaita, Vishishtadvaita, Dvaita: The Three Vedantas Philosophy
The world is a vivarta , an apparent (not a real) transformation of Brahman, thrown up like the snake on the rope.
- What is Vedanta? Philosophy
On the model Advaita calls vivarta , the world is an apparent transformation of Brahman, not a real one — Brahman seems to become the world as the rope seems to become the snake, without ever actually changing.