Within this framework, a question arises: "Ultimately, if only Brahman exists, are all gods and deities simply false?" However, there is no need to dismiss it so simplistically.
| Position from the perspective of Advaita Vedanta | Approximate role |
|---|---|
| Nirguna Brahman | The ultimate reality that is not limited to attributes or individualization. |
| Ishvara | A god understood as the cause, order, and principal aspect of the experienced world. |
| Deva/Devata | Divine beings with specific functions and forms within the universe and religious practices. |
| Jiva | An individual being that experiences, acts, and transmigrates through body and mind. |
| Atman | The essential nature of the self, which is ultimately non-dual to Brahman, not the personal history of the jiva. |
For those who pray, the relationship with God is a reality. Faith in specific deities, rituals, gratitude, and devotion can also help to prepare the mind, weaken self-centeredness, and make one ready for knowledge. Within the realm of experience, distinctions are made between God and humans, teachers and disciples, actions and consequences.
Nevertheless, ultimately, there is no independent second reality other than Brahman. This is the Shankara's answer. It does not treat gods as minor absolute beings competing with the supreme god, nor does it consider them as independent entities existing alongside the ultimate reality.
At the same time, being a divine entity, possessing spiritual abilities, and fulfilling a cosmic role are not the same as enlightenment. Even if deities exist at high levels of the experiential world, as long as they possess names and forms, knowledge, and roles, it cannot be said that non-dual self-realization is complete simply by virtue of those attributes. The same distinction applies when humans claim to be divine entities or higher beings.