Advaita Vedānta from First Principles: An Axiomatic-Experiential Reconstruction of Non-Dual Consciousness

This paper reconstructs the core philosophical insights of Advaita Vedānta from first principles, without relying initially on scripture, theological assumptions, or cultural frameworks. Beginning with three universal and undeniable features of human experience—I exist, I am aware, and I seek happiness and avoid suffering—the paper develops an axiomatic structure that leads naturally to the central Advaitic conclusions about the self, consciousness, and liberation. From these experiential axioms, a series of theorems is derived regarding the distinction between the seer and the seen, the nature of the self as existence-awareness (sat–cit), the structure of human longing, the limitations of object-based happiness, and the intrinsic nature of deep happiness as arising from the self rather than external conditions. The analysis then argues for a consciousness-first worldview, showing that awareness is epistemically primary and offers a more coherent foundation for metaphysics than physicalism. This leads to a philosophical formulation of non-duality: the essential nature of the self and the essential nature of reality are not two. The paper examines mithyā (dependent reality) and adhyāsa (misidentification) as natural consequences of these theorems, and shows that bondage is fundamentally cognitive, not metaphysical. Liberation (mokṣa) is framed as the recognition of one’s true nature as non-dual awareness, already complete and free. The practical path of Advaita—sādhana-catuṣṭaya and śravaṇa–manana–nididhyāsana—is presented as a psychological process of clarity, integration, and assimilation rather than a religious discipline. The reconstruction is placed in dialogue with Western philosophy, including Descartes, Husserl, Heidegger, and contemporary analytic idealism, highlighting both resonances and departures. The paper concludes by clarifying the limits of the axiomatic approach—particularly what cannot be derived without scripture, such as the pedagogical method of adhyāropa–apavāda—and argues that this experiential reconstruction complements rather than replaces Vedānta as a pramāṇa. Overall, the paper shows that Advaita Vedānta can be understood as a universal, experiential philosophy grounded in the basic structure of human awareness, offering a clear and rigorous path to inner freedom.