| Overview |
The word 'Vedanta' comes from the Sanskrit root word 'vid' - to know.
veda = knowledge
anta = end
Vedanta then, means the knowledge that frees us from all limitation.
It teaches that our real nature is Divine. Every living being is of the nature of God, or Brahman — the Absolute Reality or Universal Being.
The spring of joy is within us — it is our very nature.
The study of Vedanta is a journey toward reaching this deep understanding of ones' own True nature.
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| Simply Speaking |
Essentially we are just Pure Consciousness or Awareness. There is only one 'Intelligent Energy' which appears as the world of names and forms.
I am pure energy, my source is Consciousness.
When I feel disconnected from it, or lose touch with it, I become spiritually ignorant or unaware.
Then I project my ideas on my own mind and on others - this is the Ego. This limited self identity covers the real Me.
Identifying with the Ego I cling to appearances and stray away from the Truth.
The purpose of Vedanta is to remove this Ignorance so that we can claim our eternally free blissful nature.
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| Who is Vedanta for? |
It a universal teaching, meant for everybody.
Shubhraji's audience is diverse and her talks are easily understood even by people who have no prior exposure to Hindu culture or Vedanta.
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| Relevant in today's world |
The teachings are profound, yet simple; logical, yet warming the heart with love; completely personal, yet universal, and above all, very relevant in today's world.
Sometimes we get caught up in the drama of our life and take events and situations to be so real that we get wound up in them and lose our peace of mind.
The teaching of Vedanta shows us the distinction between that which is eternal and that which is transient or of an illusory nature and how we can shift our focus to the higher perspective.
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| Vision of Vedanta |
The abiding knowledge of Vedanta rests in the vision of the One Reality, a vision that transcends race, creed, class, gender, and nationality.
The direct method of Self Enquiry and meditation are the hallmarks of this system.
The paths (of Knowledge, Service and Devotion also referred to as yogas) are stated clearly and there is no dogmatic assertion but Truth that is confirmable by our own experience
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Advaita,
the core philosophy of Vedanta |
Beyond god and evil or right and wrong, we find central idea of this teaching is the non - dual Philosophy of Advaita.
Advaita is a monistic system of thought. Though Hindu philosophy includes a myriad of deities — they are considered different aspects of the one energy -Brahman.
Advaita literally means non-duality, or One Reality without a second.
This One Reality is identical with our own Self in essence.
Advaita refers to the identity of the Self (Atman) and the Whole (Brahman).
Vedanta affirms that we can know our True Self by:
- the words of the scripture which are the valid means of knowledge (pramanas),
- the words of a true preceptor and
- direct personal experience.
Though the philosophy was in practice for a long time, its main exponent
Adi Sankara (780-820 A.D.), revitalized the pivotal ideas and gave it a fresh impetus.
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| Vedas: the sacred text |
The root philosophy of Vedanta is found in the spiritual books called Vedas:
They are the most ancient religious texts that exist today.
They were revelations to masters in the Himalayas who were in completly merged in union with Brahman or the Universal Being.
The Vedas are considered the authoritative spiritual texts of Hinduism or Santana Dharma (Eternal Law) as it is called.
The 4 Vedic texts are: Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharva Veda.
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| Vedantic Texts |
There are three main texts studied by Vedanta students. They are called 'Prasthana traya' in Sanskrit. Originally passed down orally, these were only written and compiled about 1500 B.C.E.
- The Upanishads (over 200) revelations, in form of mantras to various seers
These contain the quintessence of Indian philosophy. They are in a conversational style between a Realized Master and a mature receptive student in the serenity of the Himalayan valley. The texts are sacred revelations and form the core of subjective inner contemplation for a spiritual seeker.
- The Bhagavad Gita a poem of 700 verses written by Ved Vyas
The Bhagavad-Gita is a scripture set against the background of the battlefield. Before the battle begins Lord Krishna, the incarnate God- the Perfect Master- drives Prince Arjuna's chariot between the two armies, to review the enemy - who are none other than his own cousins. Arjuna is a fearless and competent warrior. War was inevitable because his cousin refused to give back the kingdom to Arjuna and his brothers after their thirteen years of exile. The Gita is about good and evil. It is a study of the human personality. It deals with how we should live in this world and how we can transcend our confusions of the mind to reach complete freedom and peace. It is not just a story, but it is directly applicable to our life.
- Brahma Sutras written by Badarayana or Ved Vyas.
These are aphorisms - which reveal the fundamentals of Vedantic philosophy. Sri Ved Vyasa wrote them around 1500 - 2000 B.C. A commentary by Sri Adi Sankara on the Brahma Sutras provides great insight and depth into each verse. The Brahma Sutras are an extremely advanced text only taught to very senior students of Vedanta.
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