Indian Philosophy v2.c26.s32.2

v2.c26.s32.2

The ethical views of ŚaṀkara have been the subject of much criticism, and we may briefly consider the several charges.¹ If all that exists is Brahman, and if the world of plurality is a shadow, there cannot be any real distinction between good and evil. If the world is a shadow, sin is less than a shadow. Why should not a man play with sin and enjoy a crime, since they are only shadows? What shall it profit us if we fight wild beasts and sacrifice our interests in seeking virtue in this dream of life? If moral distinctions are valid, life is real; if life is unreal, then they are not valid. This objection falls to the ground if we do not accept the merely illusory nature of the world. Virtue and vice have moral weight for the supreme end.