Mithun is dvaita advaita duality & non duality

Mithun is dvaita advaita duality & non duality

Plurality with advaita, inherent non-duality, is the beauty of Indian life, philosophy and religion. The spirit of dvaita-advaita, that is, duality vis-à-vis non-duality, is revealed in the concept and form of ‘mithun’, which is key to our existence. Vaishnava saint-philosopher Nimbarka propounded dvaita-advaita darshan in the context of Radha-Krishna, who appear as two, but are one in spirit. In the natural biological evolution of life, it is designed by nature that ‘one’ becomes transformed into ‘two’, by way of auto-fission.

Mithun, says the Amarakosha, is a pair, male and female, or coupling of anything. All creation proceeds from the union of duality or the cooperation/ copulation of two diverse principles. Male-female mithun provides the key to understanding religious and philosophical symbolism of Maya and Jagat, Purush and Prakriti, Shiva and Shakti.

Creation is believed to have started with mithun. In Vedic references we find two types of mithun. One is nitya, continual, eternal and second is anitya, non-eternal. The nitya-mithun includes antariksh and prithvi, heaven and earth as also vak, words, speech and prana, life-breath. The most visible example of nitya-mithun, as explained in the Raghuvamsha of Kalidasa, is the Ardhanarishvara form of Shiva and Parvati. Shiva with Uma in the form of Uma-Maheshvara and its visual renderings represent dvaita, duality; but when the two are unified in composite form of Ardhanarishvara, they become advaita.

The Saundaryalahari of Shankaracharya in the first verse refers to creation being the result of the union of Shiva and Shakti. The tantric text Kamakalavilas says that mithun is mutual enjoyment of two bindus, of red and white colour, who are Shiva and Shakti and cause of creation.

Shiva and Parvati as two separate deities are personification of Purush and Prakriti respectively. The Ardhanarishvara images in terracotta, stone and metal are found in abundance from the Kushana period onwards at almost all the important archaeological sites and ancient temples at Mathura, Khajuraho, Bhubaneswar, Modhera, Ellora, Thanjavur Brihadishvara temple, Halebid, Hoyasaleshvara temple, and at many other places. In such images the right half represents Shiva shown with trident in hand and bull as mount, while the left half shows Parvati with mirror in hand and lion as mount. The rational force of this form provides an ideal social model as a continual force to be seen in the concept of marriage and married life based on the notion of inseparability of husband and wife on the worldly plane. This alone, as means of fulfilment of religious and worldly obligations, would lead to a peaceful and happy life. Thus the concept of nitya-mithun of Shiva-Parvati as Ardhanarishvara is beautifully transformed in worldly sphere as nitya-mithun of human couples.

Anitya-mithun like those of human couples are indeed separable and find vigorous rendering in Indian art. Upanishads and Puranas theorised the concept of mithun, which at the simple level signifies a productive couple. Jain texts conceptualised parents of all 24 Tirthankaras in mithun; these are profusely represented at Jain sites. In Buddhist texts, ‘yab-yum’ represents the inseparable divine mithun, popular in tantric Buddhist art.

Therefore, dvaita-advaita as mithun was a pan Indian concept, to lead us to the point of becoming nirmam, free from the ego of mine and me, and getting rid of this worldly snare through advaita bhava inherent in nitya and anitya-mithun.