All schools of Vedānta subscribe to the theory of
Satkāryavāda, which means that the effect is pre-existent in the cause. But there are different views on the origination of the empirical world from Brahman.
Parinamavada is the idea that the world is a real transformation (
parinama) of Brahman.
Vivartavada is the idea that The
Brahma Sutras, the ancient Vedantins, most sub-schools of Vedānta, as well as Samkhya argue for
parinamavada. The "most visible advocates of Vivartavada," states Nicholson, are the Advaitins, the followers of Shankara. "Although the world can be described as conventionally real," adds Nicholson, "the Advaitins claim that all of Brahman's effects must ultimately be acknowledged as unreal before the individual self can be liberated." Yet, scholars disagree on whether Adi Shankara and his Advaita system explain causality through
parinamavada or through
vivartavada. Scholars such as Hajime Nakamura and Paul Hacker state that Adi Shankara does not advocate
Vivartavada and that his explanations are "remote from any connotation of illusion." According to these scholars, it was the 13th century scholar
Prakasatman who gave a definition to
Vivarta and it is Prakasatman's theory that is sometimes misunderstood as Adi Shankara's position. Andrew Nicholson concurs with Hacker and other scholars, adding that the
vivarta-vada isn't Shankara's theory, that Shankara's ideas appear closer to
parinama-vada, and that the
vivarta explanation likely emerged gradually in Advaita subschool later. ==Rejection==