Journal of Philosophy and Theology

Freedom and Grace in Advaita Vedanta: Sa?kara’s Perspectives in the Vivekacu?ama?
Walter Menezes

Abstract
Human freedom and divine grace are the two fundamental concepts that need to be considered when one deals with the doctrinal coherence of any metaphysical system. The imbalance between these two principles, such as taking advantage of human freedom to the extent of causing injury and sufferings to others, or being extremely submissive to the notion called divine grace with the pretense that human fate is extremely deterministic, becomes a challenge to the doctrine of ‘theodicy,’ that most of the Western Philosophers uphold with the intention of rescuing God from the responsibility of human sufferings. Since discovering coherency between the metaphysical concepts has been an essential component of a successful metaphysical system, finding that coherency between grace and freedom becomes an utmost agenda to solve problems raised against the concept of theodicy. The present paper basing its investigation into the text Vivekacu?ama?i discovers that important relation between the two, that successfully mitigates the disagreements and problems against theodicy.

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