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The Essential Vedanta: a New Source Book of Advaita Vedanta

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The Essential Vedanta: a New Source Book of Advaita Vedanta Religion/Hinduism Deutsch & Dalvi “[This book] is overall an excellent collection of Advaita philosophic litera- ture, much of it quite inaccessible in translation (even some of the extant translations are now difficult to obtain), and ought to be in the library of The Essential everyone interested in the study of Indian philosophy.” The Essential —Richard Brooks, in Philosophy East and West Vedanta “The publication of this book is an event of the greatest significance for everybody who is interested in the history of philosophy, and of Indian philosophy in particular, due to at least three reasons. First, Advaita Vedānta Vedanta more than any other school represents the peculiarity of Indian thought, so much so that it is often identified with Indian philosophy. Second, the interplay between Vedānta and other Indian philosophical schools and A New Source Book of religious traditions presents to the readers, in the long run, practically a vast panorama of Indian thought and spirituality. Third, the richness of Vedānta Advaita Vedanta sources included in the book, masterly combined with a philosophical reconstruction made by Eliot Deutsch, one of the most respected contem- porary authorities both in Vedānta and comparative philosophy.” —Marietta Stepaniants, Director, Institute of Oriental Philosophy, Russian Academy of Sciences “The learned editors deserve congratulations for providing us with a complete picture of the origin and the development of Advaita Vedānta in historical perspective from its inception in the Vedic texts. It is a well conceived and well executed anthology of Vedānta philosophy from the original texts, rich in content, most representative and complete in all respects.” —Deba Brata SenSharma, Ex-Director, Institute of Sanskrit and Indological Studies, Kurukshetra University “This volume is a significant contribution, and is a great aid to the study of Advaita Vedānta from its primary source material. Each selection has a useful introduction which enables the reader to enter into the spirit of the A New text. The publication is a significant service done to comparative philosophy.” Source Book of —P. Nagaraja Rao, in the journal Vedānta Kesari Advaita Vedanta ISBN-13: 978-0-941532-52-5 World Wisdom ISBN-10: 0-941532-52-6 Edited by Eliot Deutsch & World Wisdom $ 24.95 US / $ 34.95 CAN Rohit Dalvi EV_July2.qxd 7/3/2004 9:53 AM Page i World Wisdom The Library of Perennial Philosophy The Library of Perennial Philosophy is dedicated to the exposition of the time- less Truth underlying the diverse religions. This Truth, often referred to as the Sophia Perennis—or Perennial Wisdom—finds its expression in the revealed Scriptures as well as the writings of the great sages and the artistic creations of the traditional worlds. The Perennial Philosophy—and its fundamental idea of the Religion of the Heart—provides the intellectual principles capable of explaining both the formal contradictions and the underlying unity of the great religions. Ranging from the writings of the great sages who have expressed the Sophia Perennis in the past, to the perennialist authors of our time, each series of our Library has a different focus. As a whole, they express the inner unanimity, transforming radiance, and irreplaceable values of the great spiritual traditions. The Essential Vedānta: A New Source Book of Advaita Vedānta appears as one of our selections in the Treasures of the World’s Religions series. Treasures of the World’s Religions Series This series of anthologies presents scriptures and the writings of the great spiritual authorities of the past on fundamental themes. Some titles are devoted to a single spiritual tradition, while others have a unifying topic that touches upon traditions from both the East and West, such as prayer and virtue. Some titles have a companion volume within the Perennial Philosophy series. EV_July2.qxd 7/3/2004 9:53 AM Page ii Cover: Sages in a Landscape Illustration from the Mārkandeya Purāa depicting Jaimuni questioning the ascetic Mārkandeya Mahāmuni, disciple of Vyāsa Garhwal, c. 1785 EV_July2.qxd 7/3/2004 9:54 AM Page iii THE ESSENTIAL VEDANTA A NEW SOURCE BOOK OF ADVAITA VEDANTA Edited by ELIOT DEUTSCH & ROHIT DALVI EV_June18.qxd 7/21/2005 3:00 PM Page iv The Essential Vedānta: A New Source Book of Advaita Vedānta © 2004 World Wisdom, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission, except in critical articles and reviews. Most Recent Printing Indicated by last digit below: 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 ISBN-13 for the second printing: 978-0-941532-52-5 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data The essential Vedanta : a new source book of Advaita Vedanta / edited by Eliot Deutsch & Rohit Dalvi. p. cm. -- (Treasures of the world's religions) In English; includes translations from Sanskrit. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-941532-52-6 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Advaita--History--Sources. 2. Philosophy, Hindu--History--Sources. 3. Hinduism--Sacred books. I. Deutsch, Eliot. II. Dalvi, Rohit, 1974- III. Series. B132.A3E77 2004181'.482--dc 222004015866 Printed on acid-free paper in Canada For information address World Wisdom, Inc. P.O. Box 2682, Bloomington, Indiana 47402-2682 www.worldwisdom.com EV_July2.qxd 7/3/2004 9:54 AM Page v Table of Contents Source Selections vii Preface by Eliot Deutsch ix PART I—BACKGROUND IN TRADITION: THE THREE DEPARTURES Chapter 1. Revelation Selections from the gveda and Upaniads 3 Chapter 2. Recollection Selections from the Bhagavadgītā 59 Chapter 3. System Contents-summary of the Brahmasūtras 81 PART II—PHILOSOPHICAL AND CULTURAL BACKGROUND Chapter 4. Early History and Cultural Values of Vedānta 95 Chapter 5. Common Philosophical Problems 103 Chapter 6. Criticisms of Rival Systems Selections from Śakara’s Brahmasūtrabhāya 109 PART III—SOURCES OF ADVAITA VEDĀNTA Chapter 7. Gauapāda 157 Chapter 8. Śakara 161 Chapter 9. Sureśvara 281 Chapter 10. Maana Miśra 289 Chapter 11. Padmapāda 305 Chapter 12. Vācaspati Miśra 317 Chapter 13. Sarvajñātman 335 Chapter 14. Vimuktātman 349 Chapter 15. Vidyāraya 353 Chapter 16. Madhusūdana Sarasvatī 361 Chapter 17. Śrīhar a 369 Chapter 18. Sadānanda 375 Chapter 19. Dharmarāja 387 Chapter 20. Appaya Dīk ita 389 Chapter 21. Summary 393 Bibliography 399 Index 409 Biographical Notes 423 EV_July2.qxd 7/3/2004 9:54 AM Page vi EV_July2.qxd 7/3/2004 9:54 AM Page vii Source Selections I. BACKGROUND IN TRADITION gveda X, 129 (trans. A. A. Macdonell); Chāndogya Upaniad VI; V, 3–10 (trans. J. A. B. van Buitenen); Taittirīya Upaniad II, 1–8 (trans. J. A. B. van Buitenen); Kaha Upaniad (trans. Patrick Olivelle); Bhadārayaka Upaniad II, 4, 5 (trans. Patrick Olivelle); III, 7, 8; IV, 2, 3, 4 (trans. Franklin Edgerton) Bhagavadgītā I, 26–35, 40–44; II, 11–25, 46–53; III, 3–9, 22–30, 36–41; IV, 6–8, 16–23, 36–42; V, 1–7, 15–26; VII, 1–7, 24–30; VIII, 16–22; IX, 1–10, 13–14, 25–31; XI; XII, 1–7; XIII, 1–6, 12–17, 19–27; XV, 16–20; XVIII, 45–63 (trans. Eliot Deutsch) II. PHILOSOPHICAL AND CULTURAL BACKGROUND Śakara, Brahmasūtrabhāya II, 2: 1, 2, 4–10, 12, 15, 17–21, 25–33, 37–44 (trans. George Thibaut) III. SOURCES OF ADVAITA VEDĀNTA Gauapāda, Kārikās on the Mā ūkya Upaniad I, 16–18; II, 1, 4, 11–13, 17, 18, 31, 32; III, 15, 19, 28, 46, 48 (trans. Eliot Deutsch) Śakara, Upadeśasāhasrī Part I (trans. Sengaku Mayeda) Śakara, Brahmasūtrabhāya Introduction; I, 1: 1–2, 4, 5, 9, 11, 17, 19–20, 24, 31; I, 2: 6, 8, 18, 20, 21; I, 3: 19, 22, 28, 30, 34; I, 4: 14, 15, 22, 23; II, 1: 1, 6, 9, 11, 13–16, 18, 21–24, 27, 32–36; II, 3: 18, 32, 42, 46, 48, 50; III, 2: 3, 4, 11, 14, 15, 18, 20–22, 32; III, 3: 9, 53, 54; IV, 1: 2, 3, 13, 15 (trans. George Thibaut) Śakara, Bhadārayakopaniadbhāya I, 4, 7; IV, 3, 7 (trans. Swāmī Mādhavānanda) Śakara, Bhagavadgītābhāya III, 3, 4, 8, 9; IV, 18, 19; V (Introduction); XIII, 2 (trans. A. Mahādeva Śāstri) vii EV_July2.qxd 7/3/2004 9:54 AM Page viii The Essential Vedānta: A New Source Book of Advaita Vedānta Sureśvara, Naikarmya Siddhi I, 68–79, 107–110; III (Comm.); IV, 49–51, 56–58 (trans. A. J. Alston) Maana Miśra, Brahmasiddhi Chapter I (parts) (trans. R. Balasubramanian) Padmapāda, Pañcapādikā II, 2–4; III, 8, 9; IV, 12; V, 13; VI, 16; VII, 17, 18; IX, 24; XXI, 70; XXIX, 107–111; XXX, 112–114; XXXI, 115–117; XLII, 159, 160; XLVII, 180, 181 (trans. D. Venkataramiah) Vācaspati Miśra, Bhāmatī I, (Superimposition) (trans. S. S. Suryanarayana Sastri and C. Kunhan Raja); Bhāmatī II, 1, 22; 1, 26, 27 (trans. P. K. Sundaram) Sarvajñātman, Sa kepaśārīraka I, 20–24, 31–37, 319–330, 452–454, 464–465, 513–526; II, 9–15, 25–40, 60–68, 132, 134–139, 183–187, 218–220; III, 105–109, 115, 125–131, 139–140 (trans. T. Mahadevan) Vimuktātman, Ia Siddhi III, 22–24; IV, 17–21 (trans. P. K. Sundaram) Vidyāraya, Pañcadaśī I, 15–23, 33–37, 44, 45; II, 47–49, 59; III, 13, 17, 18, 26–30, 37–42; IV, 12–13, 19–22, 29–31, 34–37; VI, 1–10, 74–76, 128–142 (trans. Hari Prasad Shastri) Madhusūdana Sarasvatī, Vedāntakalpalatikā 19–22; 46, 47; 49, 50 (trans. R. D. Karmarkar) Śrīhar a, Khadanakhan akhādya VI, 99-102; VII, 103-105 (trans. Ganganatha Jha) Sadānanda, Vedāntasāra I, 6, 15; II, 32–56, 122, 123; IV, 137–157, 159–180 (trans. Swami Nikhilananda) Dharmarāja, Vedāntaparibhāā VII (trans. S.
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