Nikhilananda Swami - Vedanta-sara

VEDANTA-SARA

(The Essence of Vedanta)

of

SADANANDA YOGINDRA

Translated by

Swami Nikhilananda

(P UBLICATION H OUSE OF R AMAKRISHNA M ATH )

5 D EHI E NTALLY R OAD K OLKATA 700 014

Published by

Swami Shuddhidananda

Adhyaksha

Advaita Ashrama

P.O. Mayavati, Dt. Champawat

Uttarakhand -262524, India

from its Publication Department, Kolkata

Email: mail@advaitaashrama.org

Website: www.advaitaashrama.org

All Rights Reserved

Seventh Print Edition, July 2014

First Ebook Edition, January 2022

ISBN 978-81-7505-110-2 (Paperback)

PREFACE TO THE SIXTH EDITION

In this edition of Vedntasra we have endeavoured to enhance the helpfulness of the publication by providing: (i) diacritical marks for Sanskrit words and names, (ii) a key to their transliteration and pronunciation, and (iii) a thoroughly-revised index.

PREFACE TO THE THIRD EDITION

Vedntasra or the Essence of Vednta of Sadnanda is one of the best and most widely read introductory books in Sanskrit for the study of Vednta. The public demand for the book has been increasing with the years. The previous edition being soon exhausted, we have brought out this third edition. This edition has been thoroughly revised, a helpful list of contents, a glossary, and an index have been added. We hope these additional features will make this standard work more popular.

KEY TO TRANSLITERATION
AND PRONUNCIATION

Sounds like

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

INTRODUCTION

The growing interest in Vednta, even among people outside the pale of Indian thought is, in a very large measure, due to its freedom from all narrowness. While it does not discard faith, whatever religion or philosophy may inculcate it, it rests ultimately on the light of Reason ( Buddhi ), a fact which naturally appeals to all rationally inclined minds, in every part of the world. This is the secret of its strength as well as its attraction. Further, its special value lies in the fact that it seeks the fruit of the knowledge of Truth in this life, not in any world to come after death. It is the effect of Vedntic knowledge on mans life here below, that is of the highest consequence to the Vedntist. The teachings therefore lay great emphasis on moral discipline as a sine qua non of even understanding Vedntic truths.

Vedntasra is one of the best known epitomes ( Prakaraa Granthas ) of the philosophy of the Upaniads as taught by akarcrya, whose followers are said to number the largest in India. Of this treatise there have been published many good editions and careful translations into English, besides other languages. Ballantynes and Jacobs English renderings are not now much in use. The latest is that of Prof. Hiriyanna of Mysore, a scholarly work. The object of the present undertaking is not to supersede such works, but only to place before the public some of the special features of the excellent commentaries on it, which are not at present accessible to those that do not know Sanskrit. The great popularity of this treatise is indicated not only by the translations, but also by the number of commentaries written on it. Of these, Subodhin, Blabodhin , and Vidvanmanorajin are well known. All these three have been published with the text rendered into Bengali by Mr. Rajendranath Ghosh, to whose valuable introduction we owe much of the information given here regarding the author. The translation as given here was made some years ago and part of it appeared in the Prabuddha Bharata of 1927.

Subodhin was written by Nsiha Sarasvat of Varanasi; Blabodhin by po Deva, the well-known authority on Prva Mms; and Vidvanmanorajin by Rma Trtha, the Guru of Madhusdana Sarasvat and the disciple of Ka Trtha who wrote a commentary on Sakepa rraka .

r Sadnanda Yogndra Sarasvat, or, as he is familiarly known, Sadnanda, the author, belongs to one of the ten distinguished orders of Sannysins (monks) of akaras school. The Sarasvat order has the reputation of having produced some of the most eminent Vedntic scholars like Madhusdana Sarasvat, author of Advaitasiddhi , and Brahmnanda Sarasvat, author of Brahmnandyam . Sadnandas Guru was Advaynanda Sarasvat and his disciple Knanda Sarasvat, whose disciple Nsiha Sarasvat was the author of the commentary, Subodhin , which is said to have been written in the aka year 1510, or 1588 A.D. Sadnanda must have therefore lived prior to this date. And the latest author whom he refers to in his Vedntasra being Vidyraya, who died in 1386 A.D., Sadnanda must have lived somewhere about the middle of the 15th century.

Vedntasra or the essence of Vednta, is but an introduction to standard works such as those of Gauapda, akara, Padmapda, Hastmalaka, Surevarcrya, Sarvajtmamuni, Vcaspati Mira, r Hara, Citsukhcrya, and Vidyraya, to all of which the author has made references in his book.

Vednta is presented in the Upaniads and by such authors as are mentioned above in various ways, so as to suit different levels of understanding and different temperamental attitudes among seekers of Truth. This treatise adopts the orthodox method which has always appealed to the largest number. After explaining the kind of moral and mental discipline needed for the pursuit of the highest Truth, the work starts with the ruti (Vedic) statement that the individual soul and Brahman are identical, as taught by the formula, Thou art That. Our not being aware of this Truth is due to an innate Nescience or ignorance, the nature of which is also explained.