Photo by Kiran Anklekar on Unsplash
INTRODUCTION
In today’s world, the philosophy of Vedanta deserves great attention as
it is closely bound up with the religion of India. The literal meaning of the
term Vedanta is “the end of the Vedas, the concluding part of the Vedas, the
culmination of the Vedic teaching and wisdom”.
The Vedanta sutra is perhaps the most available and most significant
source for the study of Vedanta. It is an exposition of the doctrine of Brahman
and therefore it is also called Brahman sutra. It also deals with the
embodiment of the unconditional self, hence it has also the name Sariraka
sutra. The authorship of this text is attributed to Badarayana who is,
according to Indian tradition, identified with Vyas.
The Vedanta Sutra has four chapters. The first chapter deals with the
theory of Brahman as the central reality. Its purpose is the reconciliation
(samanvaya) of the different Vedic statements on this subject. The second
chapter meets objections brought against the view and criticizes rival
theories. It also gives an account of the nature of the dependence of the world
on God and the gradual evolution from and re-absorption into him. The third
chapter discusses ways and means (Sadhna) of attaining brahma-vidya. It also
presents an account of rebirth along with other psychological and theological
discussion. The final chapter deals with the fruits (phala) of Brahma-vidya. It
also describes in some detail the theory of the departure of the soul after
death along the two paths of the gods and the fathers and the nature of the
release from which there is no return.
AIMS OF VEDANTA
The philosophy of Vedanta, like all other systems of thought, is an
attempt to clearly understand and offer an explanation of the world as it
appears to us in our knowledge. It is an attempt to determine the nature of the
ultimate reality and to understand how it presents before us a world of
manifoldness, to make out the place and destiny of man in the world system.
Vedanta philosophy considers two very important questions: the theoretical
determination of the nature of substance or reality underlying experience and
of the origin of knowledge, and the ethical problem of duty and the ultimate
ideal of human life. Both these questions are thoroughly discussed and
solutions are offered in the system.
BRAHMAN
The Upanishads speak of higher (para) Brahman and lower (apara) Brahman.
The former is formless, Unmanifest, immortal, abiding, and transcendental,
while the latter is formed, manifest, mortal, fleeting, and empirical. The para
Brahman is devoid of all attributes and determinations; it is unqualified,
indeterminate, and conditioned; it is a personal God. However, the Upanishads
declare that they are not two Brahmans. One Brahman viewed from the
transcendental standpoint is indeterminate, and viewed from the empirical
standpoint is determinate. The indeterminate Brahman is sometimes conceived as
a standpoint that is determinate. The indeterminate Brahman is sometimes
conceived to be real, and the determinate Brahman is conceived to be unreal.
THE ATMAN
While Brahman is the cosmic principle, atman is the psychic principle.
It is the inner self in man. Brahman is atman. Therefore, the cosmic principle
is the psychic principle. The Universal Spirit is the self in man. It is the
immanent spirit in him. It is the inner guide (antaryamin). Brahman is the soul
of all. It is the knower but is not known. It is the foundational consciousness
which is the ground of our empirical consciousness which is the ground of the
universe. It is the ground of our empirical consciousness. The eternal,
universal light of consciousness resides in our hearts and illuminates all the
objects of our knowledge. There are texts in the Upanishads which identify this
atman with the Brahman.
BONDAGE AND LIBERATION
Higher knowledge of Brahman as a pure identity devoid of difference is
intuition (vidya). Lower Intellectual knowledge of the empirical world of the
plurality of individual objects and selves is ignorance. Intuition brings about
release, while intellect ties the individual self to the empirical life of
birth and death. The duality of subject and object is apparent. Atman is the
ontology reality. However, the embodied life is no bar to its realization. When
the unconditioned universal self reveals itself to the individual self, all
plurality is overcome, and the mortal becomes immortal.
It realizes its Brahmanhood even in its embodied life. When all knots of
the heart are broken, the mortal embodied self becomes immortal. It does not
transmigrate to any other sphere of life.
The schools of Vedanta (which I will talk about in some other blog) are
broadly classified into two groups: the Absolutistic Vedanta system of Sankara
and the theistic Vedanta system expounded by Ramanuja, Madhva, Vallbha, and
others.
