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If philosophy is but life brought to the focus of self-consciousness, then, assuredly, Vedanta, as Max Muller Puts it, "is clearly the native philosophy of India". The ideas of vedanta permeate and enliven the cultural atmosphere in a way in which those of other indigenous systems of thought do non, indeed. It is true that every Hindu is suckled at the breast of the Vedantic ethos. The literal rendering of the term`vedanta` has an obvious reference to the body of doctrines set forth in the concluding sections of the vedass, otherwise known as the upanishads. The vedantas as the tradition would have it, referes primarily to the upanishads, the bhagavadgita, and the brahmasutras constituting in point of their authoritativeness what may be called the `canon` of the vedanta. It is the accredited trio that has acquired the designation of the `three institutes of the vedanta`-the upanisads making the institute of revealed knowledge, the Bhagvadgita, that of the traditional knowledge and the Brahmasutras that of the philosophical knowledge. Badarayana was the first to attempt to set fourth the unanimous teachings of the various upanishads. His sutras beings brief were liable to different interpretaions, various commentaries thus came to be written to elaborate the doctrines of the vedanta. Thus we have the schools of great philosophers like sankara, ramanuja, madhava, vallabha, nibaraka and many others. Each school of the vedanta consists not simply of the philosophers who theoretically accept its view but also of large number of followers who try to mould their lives accordingly. It is in this way that the Vedanta in its different forms still persists in the lives of millions. After the chief commentaries, the literature of the Vedanta developed through the innumerable sub-commentaries, glosses and independent treatises written by leading intellectuals. This pioneering reference work attempts at harmonizing the understanding of the vedanta philosophy by bringing together for the first time ever the best representative writings on the subject by som of the leading and foremost indologists. Pp 22 +1650. International Editors and contributors. Extensive Bibliographicies.cross references, cloth bound, jacket, boxed. Size 23*16 cm.ISBN 81-7755-292-9
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