In treatises on Vedanta three kinds of bheda, difference, are
mentioned:
Vijatiya Bheda: the difference between objects of different
kinds or species; as for example the difference between a tree and a cow. The
difference between Purusha and Prakriti in Sankhya philosophy is of this kind. Just
as the potter and the pot can never be the same, so also the Creator and
creature can never be the same. This is not the type of difference between the
individual Self and the Supreme Self accepted in Dvaita schools of Vedanta.
Sajatiya Bheda: the difference between objects of the same
kind or species; as for instance the differences between two mango trees. The
difference between two Purushas in Sankhya philosophy, and the difference
between two liberated selves in Ramanuja’s philosophy, are of this type.
Svagata Bheda: the differences found among the parts of the
same object; as for instance the difference among the branches, leaves, and
flowers of a mango tree, or the differences between rind, pulp, and seeds of a
bel fruit. This is the type of difference between Atman, the individual Self,
and Brahman in the dualistic schools of Ramanuja, Madhva, and others. This kind
of difference is necessary for the soul to adore and love God and enjoy the
bliss of Brahman. But Shankara denies even svagata-bheda in Brahman; according
to him the individual Self attains oneness with Brahman, so much so that it
becomes Bliss itself.