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COLLECTED WORKS OF K. A. KRISHNASWAMY IYER (Author of 'Vedanta or The Science of Reality') Edited by: SWAMI SATCHIDANANDENDRA SARASWATI Serial No. 143 Publishers: ADHYATMAPRAKASHAKARYALAYA HOLENARASIPUR - 573 211 (INDIA) (() : 08175 - 273820 I I 2006 First Publication 1969 1500 Copies Second Print 2006 500 Copies Pages: 10+320 I Price: Rs.80/- All Rights Reserved by The Adhyatma Prakash a Karyalaya Holenarasipur Printed at: SRI GANESHA MARUTHI PRINTERS No. 76, ill Block, 6th Main, Thyagarajanagar, Bangalore - 560 028. INDIA. (lJ: 080 - 26766342 PREFACE My part i11 the publication of these IvIiscella neous Writings of the late K. A. Krisllnaswamy Iyer has been Inostly compiling and arranging rather tha11 editing them. All these except 011e have appeared in print, but they were scattered in various periodicals, and could not have taken an easily accessible form, if the idea of collecting them all had not occured to me imlnediately after the completion of the revised edition of the Vedanta or the Science of RealihJ by the same author. The first of these writing is the Meditations hitherto hidden in a note-book written in the author s own hand. From the dates prefixed to the several instalments it is seen that it was com menced on 14-3-1900 and I do not believe that it was ever meant for publication seeing that K. Iyer never melltioned its name before his intimate friends even when he had published his Magnum Opus. It could never have been rescued from oblivion had not Sri K. S. Krishna Iyer, the author s brother-in-law so kindly lent the note book to us for publication. It is perhaps the earliest connected essay affording us a clue to the pvolution and development of the writer s philosophic ideas. His small brochure containing a critical 4 appreciation ofD eussan's Elements of Metaphys ics, was published ten years later. The Karyalaya must be greatful to Sri Garadi Rachappa of Bangalore, for having lent it a copy of the little book. The next is the 'Fundamentals of Vedanta a lecture delivered before the Mythic Society of Bangalore. This as well as the views on Deussen s Elements discloses the importance that Sri Iyer came to at tach to the Method of A vasthas almost from the beginning of his lucubrations on Vedanta. Uma' Mirror and the Drum-beat ofA ngels, are 5 the only poems to reveal that Sri Iyear had also some taste for poesy as his article on "Tiger Varadachat" discloses his proficiency in the Sci ence of Music, while we all knew that he was an adept player on fiddle. Except for his article on the Philosophy of Advaita, (p. 267), most of his other writings were essays contributed to the Vedanta Kesari of Madras on various philo sophical topics. I have every hope that this collection of Sri Iyer s works confirms us in the belief that he was really a born Vedantin in the highest sense who strove to make his fellow-beings equally happy by sharing his ennobling ideas with thelT\ through his inspired writings. For myself I con sider it the benign grace of Bhagavan Narayana 5 that blessed me with the happy company of his rare personage for some time, and urged me now to edit his works with the collaboration of the Adhyatma Prakasha Karyalaya, who have undertaken to publish them. Holenarasipur S. SARASW AT I 1-3-1969 PUBLISHER'S ACKNOWLEDGEMENT We acknowledge with thanks all the gentlemen that have lent the original or printed copies of the several writings, as well as the publishers or editors that have kindly accorded permission to reprint and include the original articles, poems or lectures in this collection. These sources have been duly acknowl edged in the body of this work. We are highly thankful to certain admirers of Sri Swamiji, who have graciously contributed to wards the printing expenses of this work. Dona J. tion by Mr. D. Buxey, Bombay, also has been grate fully appropriated for this purpose. Holenarasipur Y. NARASAPP A, 1-3-1969 Chairlnan, A. P. Karyalaya ~¢-~ 6 PUBLISHER'S NOTE FOR SECOND PRINT Sri K. A. Krishnaswamy Iyer was a Vedantin par excellence, with a deep lUlderstanding of Vedanta as a whole and Shankara's works in particular, backed up by a wide learning extending upto the western from all ti,e SCll\..1~..lrS brilliant pandits of this land from where Vedanta spratlg up. The present book gives a glimpse of his eruditioll, didactic discussions and dictum on tI,e subject, cllaracterised by his continual thoughts, the clear logic of his presentation, and his command over the English language wllicl, runs through an easy flow to represent his understandillg of tI,e subject mattter never even once digressing from the main stream. During his time he was respected for l,is authoritative hold on Vedanta, wllich none tI,e less was never intrusive. But somehow his fame did not run down to tlle next generations, may be, because his output in terms of books was not quite large. He was a generous man, vel)F considerate with all the concern for others. His help to Sri Yallambalase Sttbrahmanya Sharma (later Sri Sri Satcllidanandendra Saraswatlli Swamiji) in his school days at Bangalore, providing him shelter and arranging for his food at l,ome and at other friends' houses and more importantly, having come to know of his inclination and interest in Vedanta, he ga"e lessons to the youngster on Vedanta everyday after he came back from school. Later when he realised the quick grasp and the quick silver sharpness in deductions, he was liberal to treat the youngster as a friend for his discussions. His gesture in pointing out the wrol'h lllterpretations, 7 by the later commentators, of SI,a11kara's views in his Bhashyas' resulth1g in its material disfiguremel1t in total contrast to ti,e original, bltt still entertained as gospellrutll by all who followed right upto the present great Vidwans also, paved tl1e way for Sri Sllarma to bring out 'MulnrJidya Nirasa' a masterly piece of scholarship and clarity ; this also led l,is incisive mind to every other aspect, 11lmtiIlg and drawing out several such seriolts discrepal1cies from Silankara. Naturally, Sri Sharma held this elder in great esteem as his 'glint' and tl1eir friendship lasted their life time. Therefore, Sri Satcllidanandendra Saraswathi Swamiji was happy to get tllis book publislled at Adllyatma Prakaslla Karyalaya, jllst as he wrote a l011g introductory review on Sri Krishnaswamy I yer's 'The Science of Reality' - his magnum opus. What this book misses is a sinlilar from the Swamiji. introci\.~ction This is the second print of tllis book, brought Ollt by scanning the original first print in 1969; hel1ce, it comes out as it was in 1969, in a new garb with nothing added or taken away. The Karyalaya deems it a good task rendered, if only the discerning followers of Vedanta readily take to this book, and make use of it, which would prove to be a good collection in their library. The Karyalaya is grateful to Sri M. V. Ramacllal1dra for his munificent donation for the pllblication of this tllOllgllt pltl\'Oking book. 23.09.2006 Publishers 8 CONTENTS Pages 1. Meditations 1-71 2. Some Views on Paul Deussen's Elements of Metaphysics' 78-92 3. The Fundamelltals of Vedanta 93-109 4. Uma'sMirror 110-132 5. The Drum-Beat of Angels 133-162 6. Heroes of ancient Ind. 163-165 7. The Spirit of Vedic Ind. 166-168 8. Was S'ankara '\ Crypto-Buddhist? 169-176 9. Vedic Support for Non-Dualism 177-196 10. The System of Ramanuja with side-lights on tllose of Madhva and S'aitkara 197-226 11. The System of Sankhya 227-234 12. The System of Thought revealed in the Bhagavad-Gita 235-266- 13. The Philosophy of Advaita or Non-dualism 267-315 14. Tiger' Varadachar 316 - 320 Books You ougllt to read - by Satchidanandendra Saraswathi Swamiji 321- 325 - by D B GaJlgolli 326 - 328 ¢-~~ 9 ERRATA Page LinelTOP Existing Corrected No. Bottom 3 10 top The word onlv ... 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