**Contents and Sample Pages**
Vedas are the chief source of Indian religion and culture. The roots of History, Geography, Philosophy, Ethics, Mythology, Musicology, Ayurveda, Biology, Botony, Social Sciences or Technical Sciences in India are traceable in the Vedic literature. They have attracted a host of scholars from Western countries and various theories regarding its subject matter have been put forth.
Here an attempt is made to put forth Indian Traditional views or theories of the worthy Indian texts like Upanised or Gita, Ancient Acharyas or modern Indian scholars about the Vedas. What Upanisads, Nirukta, Gita, in ancient days or Swami Dayanand, Sri. Aurobindo, Swami .Gangesh- waranandj, Prof. Vasudeva Sharan Agrawal say about Vedas are briefly discussed in this book. Its appendices are interesting where only one Vedic mantra is interpreted by various Indian scholars in different ways is collected in their own words.
This work would definitely prove useful and interesting to the students of Vedic literature in general and to those of the lovers of traditional Vedic interpretations in particular.
Dr. Gautam Patel born on 4th August, 1936, at Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Obtained the M.A. and PhD. degrees in Sanskrit from Gujarat University. He rendered service in the Sanskrit department of St. Xavier's College, Ahmedabad.
Attended 12 international and 60 national conferences. He has established Sanskrit Seva Samiti in1981, and through this samiti published 60 low cost books and organised 12 national seminars. He has 85 books at his credit and has published more than' 60 research paper and 200 articles in different reputed journals.
He was awarded Veda-Ratna by Swami Gangeshwaranand Trust, Mumbai and Sanskrit Seva-Retna by Shankaracharya of Dwarika-peetha.
Presently he is the Chairman of Gujarat State Sanskrit Sahitya Akademi. He is the elected Vice-President for the 40th Session of All India Oriental Conference to be held at Chennai in 2000. A.D.
Recently he is appointed as the Chairman of the state level committee for the formation of Sanskrit University in the State.
I have great pleasure to present this volume of Golden Jubilee of India's Independence Series of Rashtriya Sanskrit Sans than to our esteemed readers. The Volume varily represents the goodwill and cooperation, the Sansthan has all along been receiving from the distinguished scholars all over the country.
The Sansthan was established in October, 1970 as an autonomous apex body under the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Govt. of India with a view to promoting, preserving and propagating Sanskrit learning in all its aspects, with special reference to the in depth shastraic learning. Apart from conducting the regular courses of studies at the various constituents Vidyapeethas, it has been bringing out invaluable publications representing dissemination of knowledge contained in the Shastras.
Thanks to the continued help, encouragement and support from the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Govt. of India that the Sensthan has grown by leaps and bounds and has been able to render its services to promotion of Sanskrit learning at national and international levels. The Sansthan has decided to bring out 50 scholarly monographs by eminent Sanskrit scholars of different fields as part of the academic programmes organised to celebrate the Golden Jublee of India’s Independence.
The present book Traditional vedic Interpretations critically analyses the different methodology of interpretations for proper understanding of the glorious Vedic texts containing all sorts of spiritual, scientific, technical knowledge valuable for human welfare.
We are highly thankful to Dr. Gautam Bhai Petel, the Chairman, Gujrat Sanskrit Sahitya Academi for contributing this valuable book for the Golden Jubilee of India's Independence Series of Sans than.
Dr. Savita Pathak, Dr. Viroopaksha, V Jaddipal and Dr. R.C. Hota deserve special appreciation for their valuable services rendered in planning and bringing out the glorious series particularly the present book. Thanks are due to M/s New Tech Graphic Home for printing the book on time.
In the first week of January 1998 I received a letter from Dr. K.K. Mishra, the Director, Rastriya Sanskrit Sansthan, New Delhi, the able administrator with deep insight in the subject, informing about a plan to publish 50 books under the Golden Jubilee of India's Independence series. There I was asked to contribute one book and I have accepted to write a book on Traditional Vedic Interpretations.
It is too difficult to give justice to all the Vedic interpretations in such a small volume and that too in a stipulated period. I have tried to cover some of them such as Vedas and upanisads, Veda and Nitukte, Bhagavad-gita and some modern scholars such as Maharsi Dayananda, Sri Aurobindo, Swami Gangeshwaranandji, V.S Agrawal etc. Some remarkable works like Nitimanjari, Vedopadesacandrika etc. are also included.
In the beginning the concept of tradition is made clear and in an introductory chapter a brief history of Vedic interpretation is also included to give an idea of the extensiveness and encompassiveness of the subject. One appreciative chapter for the poetry in Rgveds is also included at the end.
In the days of Nirukta there were more than ten schools, and among them the psychological interpretation of Aurobindo and symbolic approach of VS Agrawal is added. Dayananda Sarasvati's all-encompassing views or Swami Gangeshwaranandji's Satvatapaksa-a modification of an ancient tradition etc. are the added featuers. In the end I have listed various interpretations of (RV.I-I-I) and (R. V.-58-3) to give an idea how one mantra could be interpreted in various ways. Sri Aurobindo has translated RV f-I-I in sixteen different ways with explanations. They all are included here.
In Indian tradition Vedas are regarded as of Almighty and the culture which is depicted there is I have tried here to provide just an of the great flow of in the form of Vedic lore only by the grace of God and the blessings of my gurudev.
I am highly thankful to my students like Dr. Urmi Samir Shah and Prof Ravindra Khandwala as they have spared no pain in helping me to prepare this work in limited time. The help rendered by Prof Satyanarayana Chakraborthy, Shri Baldevanand Sagar, Prof, Prajna Thakar is also worth mentioning. Dr. Rashmi Mehta, Smt. Nilam Patel, Dr. Rajendra Nanavati and Dr. Ramanabhai Pathak (both from Vadodara) and Prof Jagruti Patel of Mahila Arts College, Vijapur deserve special thanks for their active co-operation in preparing this book. I thank all of them wholeheartedly.
Last but not least I express my deep sense of gratitude to my Gurudev whose blessings are responsible for my love and study of Veda & Vedic literature.
I am highly thankful to Dr. K.K. Mishra, the Director and Dr. Savita Pathak the deputy director of Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan for giving me this oportunity to serve the subject and nation alike.
Publishers' Note:
The present publication, a unique one of its kind, is being released for the benefit of the students of Vedanta, who are in the initial stages of their course of studies and who are supposed to acquire a non-technical knowledge of the philosophy of the great doctrine of the unity of God, world and soul gradually getting revealed in systematic degrees of perception. A readable English translation of this original Sanskrit, known as the 'Laghuvasudevamanana' has not been published so far, to our knowledge, except one which is now out of print. The need for a new translation of the treatise was keenly felt at the Ashram's Headquarters, when Sri Swami Tejomayanandaji Maharaj of the Ashram commenced his discourses on the theme of this book and student found it necessary to have a guide to follow the line of the teaching. With this end in view, Swamiji has taken the pains of translating the Text unabridged, in an easy style suitable for beginners.
We introduce this valuable hand-book on the Vedanta to all those who are anxious to gain an access into the portals of the Ancient Wisdom of India.
28.4-1999
-THE DIVINE LIFE SOCIETY
Preface:
'An introduction to Advaita Vedanta Philosophy' is the title under which the metaphysics of Vedanta is treated here. This is an easy rendering into English of the Prakarana-Grantha called 'Laghuvasudevamanana', which is a brief exposition of the larger work called 'Vasudevamanana' in Sanskrit. The details of the life of the author of this work are lost in obscurity. The treatise gives an easy introduction and an immense inspiration to the study of Advaita Vedanta. It is considered by scholars as a standard compendium on Advaita Philosophy. An English rendering of such an important treatise was not available to the English-knowing students for quite a long time. The necessity was keenly felt by me when I had the opportunity to take up a regular class on Vedanta for the benefit of beginners with this "Laghuvasudevamanana' as the Text-Book, which resulted in the present publication.
Gurudev Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj says;
"Vedanta is a most practical subject. It is not the imagination of a dreamer. Even a little understanding of Vedanta, a little practice regularly and systematically done, and a humble attempt to live in the spirit of Vedanta will obviate great fears and bring in tremendous inner spiritual strength, unalloyed felicity, Self-bliss, infinite, supersensual, intuitional knowledge and immortality...Vedanta is Brahma-Vidya. It is Moksha-Sastra or the Science of Emancipation. Vedanta reveals the majesty of man in his essential nature. The oneness of all existence is the message which Vedanta teaches. Vedanta is the basic culture of India. It is the national philosophy of India. It is the summit or peak or acme of Indian Philosophy. It has kept Hindu Society alive for the past eight thousand years..."
The system of thought characterising the Upanishads or the concluding portion of the Vedas is known as 'Vedanta'. It is a philosophy in the sense that it makes an inquiry into the Truth; but unlike pure speculation, the truth it reveals is not a theory liable to modification with the advancement of scientific knowledge, but is positive and ultimate, verified and verifiable. It avails itself of all the sources of knowledge, viz., Sruti, Yukti and Anubhava, and includes all states and conditions through which life passes or is supposed to pass.
The system adopted in this work is the method of deduction, is the first postulate and all principles are deduced therefrom. All the oriental philosophers are at one in maintaining that the Absolute is the one essence or substratum of things, known and unknown. Therefore, the author, while treating of creation or evolution in the first chapter, begins with Para Brahman as the first postulate, being but the one Principle into which the countless universes of the past had merged before the present cosmos started off its primordial latency in the one Reality. This also explains the simile in the treatise how the eternal Jivas existed in the Absolute during Pralaya, like the particles of gold in a ball of wax. Moreover, the philosophy of creation as given out by the author, besides referring to the evolution of the present universe, may also be taken as an abstract formula referring to all universes, past and future.
The author discusses in detail, in twelve Varnakas or chapters, the nature of the Atman or the Self and tries to remove confusions and mistaken identities. The characteristics of the three bodies, the three states, and the five sheaths are described, and the Atman is shown as being different from them. In the end, it has also been proved that the essential nature of the Atman, viz., Sat-Chit-Ananda, does not constitute three different qualities but one single indivisible homogeneous essence.
To facilitate quick and easy understanding, pictures, diagrams and charts are included wherever necessary and feasible. An English translation of 'Tattva-Bodha' of Bhagavan Sankaracharya is also given at the commencement of the text, which will serve as a mini-encyclopaedia of Vedanta and prepare the student to get himself ready to enter into the text-book proper. At the end of the text, an appendix containing some questions and answers under the title 'Vedanta-bodha' of Sri Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj, and a glossary are also added for the benefit of the readers.
It is my firm conviction that this publication will serve as a handbook on Vedanta to sincere seekers of knowledge and induce them to enter into the subject deeply, and ultimately realise the Great Goal.
I am grateful to the great souls H. H. Sri Swami Chidanandaji Maharaj and H. H. Sri Swami Krishnanandaji Maharaj for their encouragement given to me from time to time. The readers are indebted to Mme. Simonetta d' Cesero of Paris, France, whose magnanimous help made this work find the light of the day. I am also thankful to my Gurubhais Sri Swami Brahmanandaji, Sri Swami Rajarajeswaranandaji and Sri Venugopalji for their valuable help in the form of manuscripts-correction, drawing the beautiful diagrams and the cover design, respectively.
Swami Tejomayananda
Sivanandashram, The Divine Life Society H.Q. 22nd June, 1972
Salutations to Adi-Guru Bhagavan Narayana, to Jagadguru Sri Adi Sankaracharya and to our worshipful Sadguru SRI SWAMI SIVANANDAJI MAHARAJ, whose grace and blessing be upon the revered Swami Tejomayananda Saraswati whose learned lectures in English upon the Vedantic text LAGHUVASUDEVAMANANA, which is an INTRODUCTION TO VEDANTA PHILOSOPHY; form the highly illuminating and instructive contents of this book. These lectures form a most excellent and a very. helpful preparation for the students of Vedanta to take up the study of higher texts. Swami Tejomayanandaji's explanations and comments are unique in their novel presentation of the subject in their modern style of exposition as well as the graphic visual manner adopted to bring out the meaning of subtle points through apt illustrations during the course of his lectures. This book has become most valuable by the inclusion of these charts. The artist who collaborated . with Swami Tejomayanandaji by doing these nice drawings under his instructions is Sri Swami Rajarajeshwaranandaji, who deserves our congratulations for this valuable contribution to the book.
At the same time, all praise for this publication must certainly go to one of Swami Tejomayanandaji's most diligent and serious students, namely Madame Simonetta of Paris, France, who attended some of these lectures in March 1971. Mme. Simonetta carefully took down notes of his class lectures and as a gesture of her gratitude for the wisdom she had received from the teacher, she prepared the matter in a manuscript form when she went back to France.' She enthusiastically took up the idea of bringing this matter into a book form so that numerous seekers and students of Vedanta may be benefited by it. Thus for the publication in book form of this work, Mme. Simonetta is wholly responsible. She enthused the Swamiji to go through her manuscript, correct the entire matter, edit it and to do all that was necessary to make it ready for the Press. Mme. Simonetta is so very much interested in bringing this valuable knowledge of Vedanta into the easy reach of her own French brethren that she has got this matter translated into French and this Manuscript is ready for the Press. She has proved a worthy student of a worthy and excellent teacher. Through her effort, the true teaching of pure Vedanta is made available to seekers in the Western world. Yoga has become the modern fashion and craze in the West nowadays and it is time that some pure Vedanta is propagated there as this will help in bringing about a correct perspective into their lives and imparting to them an adequate measure of the higher spiritual quality to it. This would serve to bring about the desired balance between the outer physical and the inner spiritual aspects of their lives.
I wish this book wide circulation and serious reading by maximum number of seekers and Sadhakas of the East as well as the West. God bless you all. Let the Light of Vedanta shine!
This book aims to give an exposition of basic tenets of Advaitism as propounded by Sankara in a succinct yet comprehensive manner. It is often claimed that Sankara looked upon the world as a "Maya" or illusion and rejected karmayoga. It has been clearly brought out how these widespread beliefs are unfounded. Separate chapters have been earmarked to exposition of Sankara's major works like Vivekchoodamani and his seminal commentaries on the Gita, the Upanisads and the Brahma Sutras.
This book highlights the tremendous contribution made by Sankara to the evolution of Hindu metaphysics. It is hoped that through this publication even a lay reader will be able to appreciate why Advaitism has been aptly described as the acme of Indian philosophy.
The author Dr. Prakash V. Joshi was born in 1948 in Kolhapur, Maharashtra. After graduating with high honors from the Institute of Science, Bombay, he went to Cambridge where he did Tripos in Mathematics. He was recepient of the Tata scholarship. He joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1972. He has served with distinction in India and abroad. He was in Guyana from 1998 to 2002 where he was posted as India's High Commissioner.
He was awarded doctorate by the JNU in 1990 in the field of International Studies. Dr. Joshi is keenly interested in comparative study of religions, Hindu metaphysics and spiritualism. His other publications include: Saga of Hinduism (Volume I and II), and Vedanta to Modern science. An accomplished speaker Dr. Joshi has given several talks on spiritual themes. He delivered a weekly discourse on the Gita on the TV while in Guyana.
It gives me great pleasure to place this small book Advaitism before the readers. Adi Sankara's philosophy on Advaitism is justly famous for its breadth of vision, universality of its scope and impeccability of its logic. This is the reason why Adi Sankara is revered as one of the topmost philosophers of Hinduism.
2. This book is divided into thirteen chapters and attempts to give a succinct overview of different facets of Advaitism. It contains a brief profile of Sankara's life. An entire chapter (No.3) has been devoted to the portrayal of evolution of metaphysical thought in India from earliest of times until Sankara emerged on the scene. The reader thus will be able to appreciate how Advaitism blends harmoniously into the ideas and concepts which were in vogue earlier. The main features of Advaitism have been explained on the basis of Sankara's seminal work 'Vivekchoodamani'.
3. Sankara is famous for his commentaries on the Gita, Upanisads and Brahmasutra. In view of the importance of these works, a separate chapter has been devoted to each of these commentaries. Despite the constraints of space, several quotations from Sankara's original works have been adduced so that the reader gets a flavour of Sankara's mode of argumentation as well as his unique literary style.
4. An attempt has been made to counter the two widely prevalent misconceptions about Advaitism in this publication. It is held by many that Sankara called for severing of links with the temporal world and for adoption of a monastic existence by one and all.
The Advaita or non-dual school of thought stands at the centre of India's philosophical tradition, and, Bhagavatpada Adi Sankaracarya, the principal exponent of Advaita is the most illustrious of Indian thinkers. It is hard to think of a parallel to Sankara in any of the philosophical systems of the world. Maybe if one were to put together Plato, Aristotle, Acquinas, Hegel, Kant and Heidegger in one personality it would be possible to have someone approaching the importance of Sankara.
Advaita darshana is indeed highly scholastic and intellectually challenging. To understand Advaita requires considerable discipleship and to write a book on it is certainly even more daunting. It would not be so difficult if one were writing for one's peers but to seek to simplify the system for a general readership is something few would have courage to contemplate and undertake. Yet this is exactly what Dr. Prakash Joshi, India's High Commissioner to Guyana has done in this remarkable little book Advaitism Made Easy. Only one who has the deepest understanding of the Advaita can think in terms of simplifying it for a general readership.
Dr. Joshi is no new comer to expounding India's religious, theological, and philosophical traditions. He is the author of an impressive two-volume work, Saga on Hinduism and a large and more comprehensive work on Advaita is currently with publishers in India. In this regard he is ideally qualified to not only represent but also re- present India abroad.
Some of his books like 'Dialogues with the Guru", The Great Equation', 'The Eternal Law', 'Thoughts from the Gita', 'Rambles in The Ramayana', etc., have gone into many editions.
In this book, Sri Jnanananda Bharathi Swamigal has presented a clear summary of the scholarly commentary of Sri Adi Sankara Bhagavatpada on the first four Sutras of Sri Vyasa's "Brahma Sutras".
We hope that this publication will create in its readers a keen interest in the study of Vedanta and inquiry into its tenets.
Vedanta holds an unparalleled and unique place among the six systems of Indian philosophy. Though the Vedas are the fountainhead of Indian philosophical systems, Vedanta incorporates the philosophical thoughts resplendent in the Upanishads, the Brahmasutras, the Bhagavatgita, and in the commentaries on all these texts. An Introduction to Vedanta introduces the Vedanta philosophy in brief and talks about its cardinal issues like self-control and the meaning of worship, maya and its gunas, upadhi, the theory of cycle, subtle bodies, the role of meditation, samadhi and its four major obstacles, Brahman realization and the state of a jivanmukta and his relation with Brahman and the world.
Dr R. Subramony (1976—), is Associate Professor and Head of the Department of English at The Madura College (Autonomous), Madurai, Tamil Nadu. He was born in Thiruvananthapuram in a family that hailed from Palakkad district of Kerala. A postgraduate in English literature, he was awarded PhD for his thesis on "Comparative Study of Sri Aurobindo and Teilhard de Chardin". His first book Frying Pan and Other Stories was published under the nom de plume Raja. He has to his credit another book Paramahamsa: A Vedantic Tale and several other books covering the field of Indian religion and philosophy.
MAN'S search for the Ultimate Reality has led to the emergence of different philosophical systems. Among the six systems of Indian philosophy, Vedanta has a unique and unparalleled place, and it is widely accepted. Though the Vedas are considered as the fountainhead of Indian philosophical systems, Vedanta, in addition, includes the philosophical thoughts in the Upanisads, the Brahmasatra, the Bhagavadgitii and in the commentaries on all these texts. The introductory chapter takes one through the four Vedas, major Upanisads and other literary works that are the sourcebooks of Indian philosophical systems, the to and fro relationship between religion and philosophy, the proof of truth, the four stages of life, the four ideals in human life, the four castes, karma and rebirth, the significance and role of a guru, four qualifications of a pupil, etc.
Chapter 1 "The Meaning of Self-control" vividly delineates the role and importance of self-control in Vedantic discipline. Self-control really means the development of willpower and also of the strengthening of the buddhi, or the determinative faculty, which controls all the sense organs. This chapter also specifies the meaning of worship from the Vedanta world view.
"The Methods of Vedanta", Chapter 2, discusses the Vedanta philosophy. The Vedantic teachers arrive at the Truth using two methods, adhyaropa and apavada. Chapter 3 "The Meaning of Maya" talks about the maya, a fundamental concept of Vedantic philosophy. It has different meanings in the Vedas, the Bhagavadgrta, the Upanisads, etc. Vedantists use terms such as avidya,ajnana and prakrti as the synonyms of maya.
Maya has three gums: sattva, rajas and tamns. These gunas are present in varying degrees in all objects, gross or subtle, including the mind, the buddhi and the ego. Chapter 4 "The Three Gunas" details the quality of maya, talks about its two powers: the concealing and projective powers. It also gives a brief account of the two modes of mar. Maya becomes upadhi, a limiting adjunct, of Brahman. Upadhi seems to alter or limit the true nature of an object. Chapter 5 "The Upadhi" briefs on the different shades of Brahman, the meaning of microcosm and macrocosm, the different stages of sleep, especially tuff!" and so on.
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