The Vedanta-Sutras, or Brahma Sutras: With Commentary (Forgotten Books)

Book Description:

"The Brahma Sutras, also known as Vedanta Sutras, constitute the Nyaya prasthana, the logical starting point of the Vedanta philosophy (Nyaya = logic/order). No study of Vedānta is considered complete without a close examination of the Prasthāna Traya, the texts that stand as the three starting points.

While the Upanishads (Sruti prasthāna, the starting point of revelation) and the Bhagavad-Gita (Smriti prasthāna, the starting point of remembered tradition) are the basic source texts of Vedanta, it is in the Brahma sutras that the teachings of Vedānta are set forth in a systematic and logical order.

Vaishnavite tradition identifies Badarayaņa, the author of the Brahma Sutra, with Vyasa, the compiler of the Vedas and the author of the Mahabharata." (Quote from wikipedia.org)

Table of Contents:

Publisher's Preface; Introduction; First AdhyÂya; First PÂda; Then Therefore The Enquiry Into Brahman; The Small PÛrvapaksha; The Small SiddhÂnta; The Great PÛrvapaksha; The Great SiddhÂnta; There Is No Proof Of Non-differenced Substance; Sabda Proves Difference; Pratyaksha--even Of The Nirvikalpaka Kind--proves Difference; The BhedÂbheda view Is Untenable; Inference Also Teaches Difference; Perception Does Not Reveal Mere Being; Plurality Is Not Unreal; Being And Consciousness Are Not One; The True Meaning Of SvayamprakÂsatva; Consciousness Is Not Eternal; There Is No Consciousness Without Object; Consciousness Is Capable Of Change; Consciousness Is The Attribute Of A Permanent Conscious Self; The view That The Conscious Subject Is Something Unreal, Due To The AhamkÂra, Cannot Be Maintained; The Conscious Subject Persists In Deep Sleep; The Conscious Subject Persists In The State Of Release; In Cases Of Scripture Conflicting With Perception, Scripture Is Not Stronger. The True Cannot Be Known Through The Untrue; No Scriptural Texts Teach A Brahman Devoid Of All Difference; Nor Do Smriti And PurÂna Teach Such A Doctrine; The Theory Of Nescience Cannot Be Proved; All Knowledge Is Of The Real; Neither Scripture Nor Smriti And PurÂna Teach Nescience; Scripture Does Not Teach That Release Is Due To The Knowledge Of A Non-qualified Brahman.--the Meaning Of 'tat Tvam Asi'; Summary Statement As To The Way In Which Different Scriptural Texts Are To Reconciled; Nescience Cannot Be Terminated By The Simple Act Of Cognising Brahman As The Universal Self; The VedÂntin Aiming To Ascertain The Nature Of Brahman From Scripture, Need Not Be Disconcerted By The MÎmÂmsÂ-theory Of All Speech Having Informing Power With Regard To Actions Only; (brahman Is That) From Which The Origin, &c., Of This (world Proceed); Because Scripture Is The Source (of The Knowledge Of Brahman); But That (i.e. The Authoritativeness Of Scripture With Regard To Brahman) Exists On Account Of The Connexion (of Scripture With The Highest Aim Of Man); On Account Of Seeing (i.e. Thinking) That Which Is Not Founded On Scripture (i.e. The PradhÂna) Is Not (what Is Taught By The Texts Referring To The Origination Of The World); If It Be Said That (the Word 'seeing') Has A Secondary (figurative) Meaning; We Deny This, On Account Of The Word 'self' (being Applied To The Cause Of The World); Because Release Is Taught Of Him Who Takes His Stand On It; And Because There Is No Statement Of Its Having To Be Set Aside; And On Account Of The Contradiction Of The Initial Statement; On Account Of (the Individual Soul) Going To The Self; On Account Of The Uniformity Of view; And Because It Is Directly Stated In Scripture; The Self Consisting Of Bliss (is The Highest Self) On Account Of Multiplication; If, On Account Of Its Being A Word Denoting An Effect, (Ânandamaya Be Said) Not (to Denote The Highest Self); (we Say) No, On Account Of Abundance; And Because He Is Declared To Be The Cause Of Thatra; An