The Philosophy of the Upaniṣads
The Philosophy of the Upaniṣads

Author: S. M. Srinivasa Chari

Publisher:

Published: 2002

Total Pages: 376

ISBN-13:

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Description: The Upanisads which contain lofty philosophical teachings of the great seers constitute the most authoritative sourcebook for the Vedanta system of philosophy. However, there is no unanimity among the ancient exponents of Vedanta regarding the nature of the philosophy adumbrated in the Upanisads. Dr. Chari's scholarly work attempts to make a dispassionate study of the philosophical passages of the fourteen Principal Upanisads by giving due consideration to not only the comments of Samkara, Ramanuja and Madhva, but more importantly, the authoritative views of Badarayana as enshrined in his classic Vedantasutras. In the first part of the book, he presents the important passages of the Upanisads along with English rendering indicating the variations in the interpretation by the three commentators and also discusses their philosophical implications with reference to the Vedanta doctrines developed in the post Upanisadic period. In the second part he has attempted to consolidate the variety of philosophical thoughts scattered all over the Upanisads into coherent doctrines under five broad subjects: Brahman, jivatman, jagat, sadhana, and parama-purusartha. In the final chapter he conclusively establishes on the basis of an objective evaluation of the views of the commentators that the Upanisads do not support the main tenets of Advaita such as the concept of Nirvisesa Brahman, the identity of jivatman and Brahman, the phenomenal character of the jagat and the doctrine of maya. The author maintains with sufficient textual support that the nature of the philosophy advocated by the Upanisads is Theistic Monism (savisesadvaita). This book, which is the first of its kind, presents an authentic and comprehensive exposition of the philosophy of the Upanisads.

Brahma Sūtras
Brahma Sūtras

Author: Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa

Publisher: Independently Published

Published: 2018-04

Total Pages: 534

ISBN-13: 9781980710714

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The Vedānta-sūtra, which consists of aphorisms revealing the method of understanding Vedic knowledge, is the concise form of all Vedic knowledge. The aphorisms or sūtras of Vedānta-sūtra were compiled by Śrīla Vyāsadeva, a powerful incarnation of Śrī Nārāyaṇa. All the authorized and established sampradāyas have their own commentary on Vedānta-sūtra. However, no one in Gauḍīya Sampradāya has written a commentary on Vedānta-sūtra, until sometimes back, in Jaipur, the Gauḍīyas were challenged that "The Gauḍīya Sampradāya has no commentary on the Vedānta-sūtra." So Baladeva Vidyābhūṣana, with the order of Govindaji at Jaipur, he wrote the commentary on Brahma-sūtra, which is called Govinda-bhāṣya. From then, it became the commentary on Brahma-sūtra for the Gauḍīya Sampradāya. The philosophy of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, which amalgamated the views of all the previous Acaryas in His thesis of Acintya-bhedabheda Tattva, is explicitly explained by Sri Baladeva Vidyabhusana in his Govinda Bhasya of the Vedanta-sutra. The Vedānta-sūtra, which is well known among scholars by the following additional names: (1) Brahma-sūtra, (2) Śārīraka, (3) Vyāsa-sūtra, (4) Bādarāyaṇa-sūtra, (5) Uttara-mīmāṁsā and (6) Vedānta-darśana. - Compiled from lectures, purports, and conversations of Śrīla Prabhupāda, Founder-Ācārya of International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON)