Volume II,Special Issue, April 10, 2026
Volume-II, Special Issue, April, 2026 |
Received: 04.04.2026 | Accepted: 08.04.2026 | ||
Published Online: 10.04.2026 | Page No: | ||
DOI: 10.69655/atmadeep.vol.2.specialissue.W. | |||
কান্টের নৌমেনা ও অদ্বৈত বেদান্তের নির্গুণ ব্রহ্ম: এক তুলনামূলক বিশ্লেষণ
রেশমি পারভীন, গবেষক, দর্শন বিভাগ, কলিকাতা বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়, পশ্চিমবঙ্গ, ভারত |
Kant’s Noumena and the Nirguna Brahman of Advaita
Vedanta: A Comparative Analysis
Reshmi Parveen, Research Scholar, University of Calcutta,
Department of Philosophy, West Bengal, India | ||
ABSTRACT | ||
This research paper presents a profound comparative analysis between the concept of noumena as developed in the critical philosophy of Immanuel Kant and the concept of ultimate reality (Brahman) in Vedānta philosophy. The central objective of this study is to establish a mediation between Kantian philosophy and Vedānta by focusing on three fundamental philosophical problems: the limits of human knowledge, the nature of reality, and the role of consciousness. The first part of the paper examines Kant’s epistemology, where he argues that human knowledge arises from the synthesis of sensibility and understanding. According to him, the world that we know is fundamentally the phenomenal world—that is, reality as structured through our experience. In contrast, noumena, or the thing-in-itself, exists beyond the framework of human cognition. Kant characterizes noumena as a “limiting concept,” which serves to demarcate the boundaries of human knowledge but can never become an object of direct cognition. From this standpoint, he concludes that human knowledge is inherently limited and that attaining certain knowledge of ultimate reality is impossible. The second part of the paper explores the concept of ultimate reality in Vedānta philosophy, particularly through the lens of Advaita Vedānta as articulated by Adi Shankaracharya. In this tradition, Brahman is identified as the sole ultimate reality—one, non-dual, formless, attributeless, and absolute. According to Advaita Vedānta, the empirical world is māyā, that is, an apparent or indeterminate reality. In contrast to Kant, Vedānta asserts that Brahman is not only real but also knowable through direct spiritual realization. This realization is neither sensory nor purely rational; rather, it is a form of non-dual consciousness in which the knower realizes the unity of the self (Ātman) and Brahman. The paper then proceeds to offer a comparative analysis of these two philosophical traditions. Both Kantian philosophy and Vedānta recognize a fundamental distinction between the empirical world and ultimate reality—expressed as phenomena and noumena in Kant, and māyā and Brahman in Vedānta. However, the crucial point of divergence lies in the question of knowability: while Kant maintains that noumena is unknowable, Vedānta firmly upholds that Brahman is directly realizable. | ||
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