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Intorduction to Vedanta, Indian Philosophy

 

            
            
             The word "Vedanta" literally means the end [anta] of the Vedas. It is considered to be one of the most complete systems in Indian philosophy. Ordinarily it refers to the Upanishads, which were the concluding part of the Vedic literature. The Upanishads speak of the mystical experience of the sages, which were later on formulated into speculative thought.
             Historically one can speak of three periods in Vedanta. The first period is the creative presentation of the Upanishads. The next period consists of the systematisation and harmonisation of the Upanishadic teaching represented by the Brahma Sutras. And finally the third stage consists in the exposition, elaboration and diversification by the commentaries on the Brahma Sutras. We shall say a word about each of these periods.
             First phase The Upanishads came to be written.
             Second Phase The Systematisation of the Upanishads through the Sutras .
             Third Phase The Commentaries on the Sutras were written by various theologians.
             The Upanishads hold that the ultimate reality could not be comprehended through logical reasoning. True knowledge consists in the direct experience of the ultimate reality. Thus in the Upanishads we see a shift in focus, from the cosmic gods of the Vedas to the self of man in the Upanishads. The self of man itself in understood in two ways: the outer self of man which consists of his body and his senses and the real self of man which consists of pure consciousness. This real self is called atman. This atman is identical with the self of all beings and therefore with Brahman or God. And the realisation that the self is Brahman is the highest of knowledge.
             The Vedanta Sutras or the Brahma Sutras were written by Badarayana. These sutras were short saying or aphorisms that summarise the thought of the Upanishads. But the sutras were not clear in their teachings. They were more ambiguous than the Upanishads and therefore there arose a need for commentaries on the sutras.


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