We place before you INSIHTS INTO VEDANTA, an English translation of Tattvabodha with a running commentary, based on Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda's teachings. Sri Sankaracharya is the putative author of this work. This book has not been translated for a long time into English. Now our publication fulfils that need.
Tattvabodha is apparently a simple text, and the purpose of the author is to acquaint the lay reader with Advaita. But the text is profound. Though the book appears to merely mention the different aspects of Advaita Vedanta, it anticipates discussion and deep thought.
A thoroughgoing study of Advaita Vedanta in the light of Sri Ramakrishna and Vivekananda's teachings has been a long-left need. The translator has made a humble attempt towards this end. He has divided the topics into chapters and has commented on each idea in detail, chiefly using the words of Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda.
Swami Sunirmalananda, the Translator, is a monk of the Ramakrishna Order. He was the editor of Prabuddha Bharata, an English Monthly of the Ramakrishna Order, between January 1999 and December 2001. Also, he was an Acharya of the Monastic Probationers' Training Centre at Belur Math. Presently, he is the Assistant Minister at the Ramakrishna Vedanta Centre, Brazil. He has got a simple style and has done this translation well.
One reader-friendly feature he has adopted is giving not only the text in Devanagari and transliteration in English but also word for word meanings. So even those with only a nodding acquaintance with Sanskrit can understand the text currently. What is more, on each verse he gives a running commentary wherein he explains the thrust of the verse as illustrated by the observation of Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda in relevant contexts. Several drawings and charts have been included to aid comprehension.
We hope the reader will be acquainted with the numerous aspects of Advaita through this book.
Key to Transliteration | ||
Translator's Note | ||
Introductory | ||
i. The Inspiration | 1 | |
ii. Advaita: An Introduction | 5 | |
iii. The Author and the Book | 21 | |
Chapter 1: | Adoration of the Teacher | 25 |
Chapter 2: | Teacher as Supreme Brahman | 32 |
Chapter 3: | About the Work | 42 |
Chapter 4: | Four-fold Qualification | 48 |
Chapter 5: | Discrimination | 59 |
Chapter 6: | Dispassion | 70 |
Chapter 7: | The Six Sadhanas | 76 |
Chapter 8: | Mastering Oneself | 80 |
Chapter 9: | Self-Knowledge | 97 |
Chapter 10: | The Atman | 108 |
Chapter 11: | The Body | 116 |
Chapter 12: | The Subtle Body | 137 |
Chapter 13: | The Organs of Knowledge | 143 |
Chapter 14: | The Organs of Action | 154 |
Chapter 15: | The Causal Body | 158 |
Chapter 16: | The Three States | 162 |
Chapter 17: | The Waking State | 166 |
Chapter 18: | The Dream State | 170 |
Chapter 19: | The Deep Sleep State | 177 |
Chapter 20: | The Five Sheaths | 180 |
Chapter 21 | The Food Sheath | 183 |
Chapter 22: | The Life-Force Sheath | 188 |
Chapter 23: | The Mental Sheath | 193 |
Chapter 24: | The Intellect Sheath | 195 |
Chapter 25: | The Blissful Sheath | 197 |
Chapter 26: | 'I' ness and 'My' ness | 201 |
Chapter 27: | The Atman | 208 |
Chapter 28: | Being (Sat) | 216 |
Chapter 29: | Consciousness (Cit) | 219 |
Chapter 30: | Bliss (Ananda) | 219 |
Chapter 31: | 'Know Thyself' | 226 |
Chapter 32: | Twenty four Cosmic Principles | 230 |
Chapter 33: | Maya, or The Statement of Fact | 234 |
Chapter 34: | Creation of Individual | 243 |
Chapter 35: | The Mind, Intellect, Etc | 247 |
Chapter 36: | The Organs of Action | 251 |
Chapter 37: | The Life Force (Prana) | 254 |
Chapter 38: | Pancikarana | 257 |
Chapter 39: | The Jiva | 263 |
Chapter 40: | Isvara | 273 |
Chapter 41: | 'You are That' | 280 |
Chapter 42: | The Meaning of 'You' | 288 |
Chapter 43: | The Meaning of 'That' | 292 |
Chapter 44: | The Liberated in Life | 296 |
Chapter 45: | Who is a Jivanmukta | 306 |
Chapter 46: | Removal of Ignorance | 310 |
Chapter 47: | Karma | 314 |
Chapter 48: | Karma Yet to be Done | 330 |
Chapter 49: | Karma That is Stored | 336 |
Chapter 50: | Karma That is Taking Effect | 340 |
Chapter 51: | How is Karma Destroyed | 343 |
Chapter 52: | Distribution of Karma | 347 |
Chapter 53: | The Liberated | 351 |
We place before you INSIHTS INTO VEDANTA, an English translation of Tattvabodha with a running commentary, based on Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda's teachings. Sri Sankaracharya is the putative author of this work. This book has not been translated for a long time into English. Now our publication fulfils that need.
Tattvabodha is apparently a simple text, and the purpose of the author is to acquaint the lay reader with Advaita. But the text is profound. Though the book appears to merely mention the different aspects of Advaita Vedanta, it anticipates discussion and deep thought.
A thoroughgoing study of Advaita Vedanta in the light of Sri Ramakrishna and Vivekananda's teachings has been a long-left need. The translator has made a humble attempt towards this end. He has divided the topics into chapters and has commented on each idea in detail, chiefly using the words of Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda.
Swami Sunirmalananda, the Translator, is a monk of the Ramakrishna Order. He was the editor of Prabuddha Bharata, an English Monthly of the Ramakrishna Order, between January 1999 and December 2001. Also, he was an Acharya of the Monastic Probationers' Training Centre at Belur Math. Presently, he is the Assistant Minister at the Ramakrishna Vedanta Centre, Brazil. He has got a simple style and has done this translation well.
One reader-friendly feature he has adopted is giving not only the text in Devanagari and transliteration in English but also word for word meanings. So even those with only a nodding acquaintance with Sanskrit can understand the text currently. What is more, on each verse he gives a running commentary wherein he explains the thrust of the verse as illustrated by the observation of Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda in relevant contexts. Several drawings and charts have been included to aid comprehension.
We hope the reader will be acquainted with the numerous aspects of Advaita through this book.
Key to Transliteration | ||
Translator's Note | ||
Introductory | ||
i. The Inspiration | 1 | |
ii. Advaita: An Introduction | 5 | |
iii. The Author and the Book | 21 | |
Chapter 1: | Adoration of the Teacher | 25 |
Chapter 2: | Teacher as Supreme Brahman | 32 |
Chapter 3: | About the Work | 42 |
Chapter 4: | Four-fold Qualification | 48 |
Chapter 5: | Discrimination | 59 |
Chapter 6: | Dispassion | 70 |
Chapter 7: | The Six Sadhanas | 76 |
Chapter 8: | Mastering Oneself | 80 |
Chapter 9: | Self-Knowledge | 97 |
Chapter 10: | The Atman | 108 |
Chapter 11: | The Body | 116 |
Chapter 12: | The Subtle Body | 137 |
Chapter 13: | The Organs of Knowledge | 143 |
Chapter 14: | The Organs of Action | 154 |
Chapter 15: | The Causal Body | 158 |
Chapter 16: | The Three States | 162 |
Chapter 17: | The Waking State | 166 |
Chapter 18: | The Dream State | 170 |
Chapter 19: | The Deep Sleep State | 177 |
Chapter 20: | The Five Sheaths | 180 |
Chapter 21 | The Food Sheath | 183 |
Chapter 22: | The Life-Force Sheath | 188 |
Chapter 23: | The Mental Sheath | 193 |
Chapter 24: | The Intellect Sheath | 195 |
Chapter 25: | The Blissful Sheath | 197 |
Chapter 26: | 'I' ness and 'My' ness | 201 |
Chapter 27: | The Atman | 208 |
Chapter 28: | Being (Sat) | 216 |
Chapter 29: | Consciousness (Cit) | 219 |
Chapter 30: | Bliss (Ananda) | 219 |
Chapter 31: | 'Know Thyself' | 226 |
Chapter 32: | Twenty four Cosmic Principles | 230 |
Chapter 33: | Maya, or The Statement of Fact | 234 |
Chapter 34: | Creation of Individual | 243 |
Chapter 35: | The Mind, Intellect, Etc | 247 |
Chapter 36: | The Organs of Action | 251 |
Chapter 37: | The Life Force (Prana) | 254 |
Chapter 38: | Pancikarana | 257 |
Chapter 39: | The Jiva | 263 |
Chapter 40: | Isvara | 273 |
Chapter 41: | 'You are That' | 280 |
Chapter 42: | The Meaning of 'You' | 288 |
Chapter 43: | The Meaning of 'That' | 292 |
Chapter 44: | The Liberated in Life | 296 |
Chapter 45: | Who is a Jivanmukta | 306 |
Chapter 46: | Removal of Ignorance | 310 |
Chapter 47: | Karma | 314 |
Chapter 48: | Karma Yet to be Done | 330 |
Chapter 49: | Karma That is Stored | 336 |
Chapter 50: | Karma That is Taking Effect | 340 |
Chapter 51: | How is Karma Destroyed | 343 |
Chapter 52: | Distribution of Karma | 347 |
Chapter 53: | The Liberated | 351 |