Not being satisfied with the interpretation offered by Sankara and his followers, or some other teachers the author has attempted in the following pages to present to the readers his own interpretation of the work as he has understood it. But in no way does he claim that his interpretation is the interpretation, i.e., the interpretation intended by Gaudapada himself. In the present volume the author has given a new edition of the text of the Agamasastra based on a number of MSS and different editions, followed by an English translation. After this comes his annotation. At the end there are Appendixes including the text and English translation of the Mandukya Upanisad, VAriants of the MSS used for the edition of the text of the Agamasastra, and different indexes.
This book, first published in 1962, is an analysis of the history of the philosophy of a country that has never distinguished philosophy from religion. Indian philosophy is not merely metaphysical speculation, but has its foundation in immediate perception. This insistence upon immediate perception rather than abstract reasoning is what distinguishes the Indian philosophy of religion from philosophy as Western nations know it.
Explores the relationship between the philosophical underpinnings of Advaita Vedanta, Zen Buddhism And The experiential journey of spiritual practitioners.
THE SCHOOLS OF VEDANTA by P. NAGARAJA RAO M. A. WITH A FOREWORD BY SIR S. RADHAKRISHNAN BHARATIYA VIDYA BHAVAN BOMBAY. CONTENTS: Foreword Preface Chapter I. Science and Philosophy II. Resume of Indian Philosophy III. The Philosophy of Sahkara IV. Advaita and the New Social Order V. The Philosophy of Ramanuja VI. The Philosophy of Madhva VII. TheUpanisads VIII, The Bhagavad Gita IX. The Vedanta Sutras Index Page vii viii 1 15 27 59 69 82 91 105 120 129 Some Publications of ihe Bhavan under Print 1 The Glory That Was Gurjaradesa fl The Mulraj Solanki Commemoration Volume. Edited by Shri K. M. Munshi. 2 rcrcr an Apabhramsa poem edited by Acharya Jinavijayaji. 3 sfrh Rh STOJI a grammatical work in Sanskrit edited by Acharya Jinavijayaji. 4 3 5 i 5RT T fa edited by Acharya Jinavijayaji. 5 fewrg T a Prakrit work on Omens edited by ProifT A. S. Gopani. 6 Devabodhas Commentary on Udyogaparva of the Mahabharata edited by Dr. S. K. De. 7 Epic and Puranic Studies by Dr. A. D. Pusalker. 8 The Indus Valley Civilization by Dr. A. D. Pusalker. - 9 TCfa Eft by Prof. S. D. Gyani. 10 V-M The Meeting of Religions transla tion of Sir S. Radhakrishnans Essays. ii 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 Nos, 12-23 under the General Editorship of Acharya Jinavijayaji. FOREWORD In this little book Mr. P. NAGARAJA RAO puts up a spirited defence for the study of Philosophy. Science in itself cannot give us a scheme of values and each one of us has his own view of the ends of life though he may not be able to support it by a learned metaphysics. Among the Hindus the values are conveyed through systems o Philosophy which are associated with the three great acaryas, Sahkara, Ramanuja and Madhva. Mr. NAGA RAJA RAO gives us here in simple and clear language the central features of the three systems. As an introduction to their detailed study this book will serve a valuable purpose. S. RADHAKRISHNAN Benares, 25 July, 1943. PREFACE This book was prepared by me as the Say a ji Rao Fellow of the University. But for the liberal aid and other facilities extended to me by the Government of Baroda, it would not have been possible for me to have got the book ready for publication. I am deeply grateful to His Highness for graciously allowing me to dedicate the volume to his grand-father, the late Maharaja of Baroda. In the preparation of the book I have drawn freely from the writings and speeches of my esteemed professor Sir S. RADHAKRISHNAN. For the chapter on Advaita I am deeply indebted to my late Professor S. S. Suryanarayana SASTRI, Reader in Indian Philosophy, University of Madras. My thanks are due to Mahamahopadhyaya Pandit A. Chinnaswami SASTRIAR for having helped me to read the original texts and works on Vedanta. My thanks are also due to my friend Mr. N. R. BHUVARAHAN, Sub-Editor, Indian Express, Madras, and Dr. C. Narayana MENON of the English Department of the Benares Hindu University for having looked through the proofs and made valuable suggestions. I owe the index to Mr. C. G. VISVANATHAN of the Benares Hindu University Library. My special thanks are due to the authorities of the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan for having consented to publish this book in these hard and difficult times. The Director and the staff of the Bhavan have helped me considerably in getting the book through the press. My thanks are also due to the editors of the various periodicals for permitting me to use the material that first appeared as articles in their pages and especially to Srimati Sophia WADIA, Editor of the Aryan Path for her help and suggestions in the preparation of Chapter IV. Benares Hindu University, P, NAGARAJA RAO 10th August, 1943. J CHAPTER I Science and Philosophy We live in an age the intellectual environment of which is largely determined by science. Science in some manner or other has affected and influenced our world view...
Advaita Vedānta is the most important philosophical system in India. It involves a discipline of spiritual experience as well as a technical philosophy, and since the time of Samkara in the ninth century some of the greatest intellects in India have contributed to its development. In his reconstruction of Advaita Vedānta, Eliot Deutsch has lifted the system out of its historical/cultural context and has concentrated attention on those ideas which have enduring philosophical value. He has sought to formulate systematically one's understanding of what is of universal philosophical interest in Vedantic thought. Professor Deutsch's work covers the basic metaphysical, epistemological, and ethical ideas of Vedānta. Students and scholars of Western as well as of Indian philosophy will be interested in the lucid, organized manner in which the material is presented and in the fresh interpretations given. The book is written in a critical rather than simply "pious" spirit and should thus also be of interest to anyone interested in deepening his or her appreciation and understanding of the richness of Indian thought.
Sankara's non-dualistic system of Advaita Vedanta has long been recognized as one of the greatest philosophical achievements of the Indian tradition. At the heart of Sankara's system is the articulation of the means by which a human understanding of ultimate reality can be attained.
2007 CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title In this book, Anantanand Rambachan offers a fresh and detailed perspective on Advaita Vedanta, Hinduism's most influential and revered religious tradition. Rambachan, who is both a scholar and an Advaitin, attends closely to the Upanisads and authentic commentaries of Sankara to challenge the tradition and to reconsider central aspects of its current teachings. His reconstruction and reinterpretation of Advaita focuses in particular on the nature of brahman, the status of the world in relation to brahman, and the meaning and relevance of liberation. Rambachan queries contemporary representations of an impersonal brahman and the need for popular, hierarchical distinctions such as those between a higher (para) and lower (apara) brahman. Such distinctions, Rambachan argues, are inconsistent with the non-dual nature of brahman and are unnecessary when brahman's relationship with the world is correctly understood. Questioning Advaita's traditional emphasis on renunciation and world-denial, Rambachan expands the understanding of suffering (duhkha) and liberation (moksa) and addresses socioeconomic as well as gender and caste inequalities. Positing that the world is a celebrative expression of God's fullness, this book advances Advaita as a universal and uninhibited path to a liberated life committed to compassion, equality, and justice.
