The Essential Vedanta: A New Source Book of Advaita Vedanta

442 Pages·2004·3.18 MB·English

by  Eliot Deutsch

Deutsch
Religion/Hinduism
& Dalvi
“[This book] is overall an excellent collection of Advaita philosophic litera- The Essential
ture, much of it quite inaccessible in translation (even some of the extant
translations are now difficult to obtain), and ought to be in the library of
everyone interested in the study of Indian philosophy.”
T
Vedanta
—Richard Brooks, in Philosophy East and West
h
V
e
“The publication of this book is an event of the greatest significance for e
everybody who is interested in the history of philosophy, and of Indian
philosophy in particular, due to at least three reasons. First, Advaita Vedānta d E
more than any other school represents the peculiarity of Indian thought, s
a
so much so that it is often identified with Indian philosophy. Second, the s
A New Source Book of
interplay between Vedānta and other Indian philosophical schools and n e
religious traditions presents to the readers, in the long run, practically a vast Advaita Vedanta
n
panorama of Indian thought and spirituality. Third, the richness of Vedānta t
sources included in the book, masterly combined with a philosophical a t
reconstruction made by Eliot Deutsch, one of the most respected contem- i
a
porary authorities both in Vedānta and comparative philosophy.”
l
—Marietta Stepaniants, Director, Institute of Oriental Philosophy,
Russian Academy of Sciences
“The learned editors deserve congratulations for providing us with a
complete picture of the origin and the development of Advaita Vedānta in
historical perspective from its inception in the Vedic texts. It is a well
conceived and well executed anthology of Vedānta philosophy from the
original texts, rich in content, most representative and complete in all
respects.”
—Deba Brata SenSharma, Ex-Director, Institute of Sanskrit and
Indological Studies, Kurukshetra University
“This volume is a significant contribution, and is a great aid to the study
of Advaita Vedānta from its primary source material. Each selection has a
useful introduction which enables the reader to enter into the spirit of the
A New
text. The publication is a significant service done to comparative
Source
philosophy.”
Book of
—P. Nagaraja Rao, in the journal Vedānta Kesari
Advaita
Vedanta
ISBN-13: 978-0-941532-52-5
World Wisdom
ISBN-10: 0-941532-52-6
Edited by Eliot Deutsch
&
World Wisdom
Rohit Dalvi
$ 24.95 US / $ 34.95 CAN
EV_July2.qxd 7/3/2004 9:53 AM Page i
World Wisdom
The Library of Perennial Philosophy
The Library of Perennial Philosophy is dedicated to the exposition of the time-
less Truth underlying the diverse religions. This Truth, often referred to as the Sophia
Perennis—or Perennial Wisdom—finds its expression in the revealed Scriptures as
well as the writings of the great sages and the artistic creations of the traditional
worlds.
The Perennial Philosophy—and its fundamental idea of the Religion of the
Heart—provides the intellectual principles capable of explaining both the formal
contradictions and the underlying unity of the great religions.
Ranging from the writings of the great sages who have expressed the Sophia
Perennisin the past, to the perennialist authors of our time, each series of our Library
has a different focus. As a whole, they express the inner unanimity, transforming
radiance, and irreplaceable values of the great spiritual traditions.
The Essential Vedānta: A New Source Book of Advaita Vedānta appears as one
of our selections in the Treasures of the World’s Religions series.
(cid:1)(cid:2)(cid:3)(cid:4)(cid:5)
Treasures of the World’s Religions
Series
This series of anthologies presents scriptures and the writings of the
great spiritual authorities of the past on fundamental themes. Some titles
are devoted to a single spiritual tradition, while others have a unifying
topic that touches upon traditions from both the East and West, such as
prayer and virtue. Some titles have a companion volume within the
Perennial Philosophy series.
EV_July2.qxd 7/3/2004 9:53 AM Page ii
Cover: Sages in a Landscape
Illustration from the Mārkandeya Purā(cid:2)adepicting Jaimuni
questioning the ascetic Mārkandeya Mahāmuni, disciple of Vyāsa
Garhwal, c. 1785
EV_July2.qxd 7/3/2004 9:54 AM Page iii
THE ESSENTIAL VEDANTA
A NEW SOURCE BOOK OF ADVAITA VEDANTA
Edited by
ELIOT DEUTSCH
&
ROHIT DALVI
EV_June18.qxd 7/21/2005 3:00 PM Page iv
The Essential Vedānta: A New Source Book of Advaita Vedānta
© 2004 World Wisdom, Inc.
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be used or reproduced
in any manner without written permission,
except in critical articles and reviews.
Most Recent Printing Indicated by last digit below:
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2
ISBN-13 for the second printing:
978-0-941532-52-5
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
The essential Vedanta : a new source book of Advaita Vedanta / edited by Eliot
Deutsch & Rohit Dalvi.
p. cm. -- (Treasures of the world's religions)
In English; includes translations from Sanskrit.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-941532-52-6 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Advaita--History--Sources. 2. Philosophy, Hindu--History--Sources.
3. Hinduism--Sacred books. I. Deutsch, Eliot. II. Dalvi, Rohit, 1974-
III. Series.
B132.A3E77
2004181'.482--dc
222004015866
Printed on acid-free paper in Canada
For information address World Wisdom, Inc.
P.O. Box 2682, Bloomington, Indiana 47402-2682
www.worldwisdom.com
EV_July2.qxd 7/3/2004 9:54 AM Page v
Table of Contents
Source Selections vii
Preface by Eliot Deutsch ix
PART I—BACKGROUND IN TRADITION: THE THREE
DEPARTURES
Chapter 1. Revelation
Selections from the (cid:3)gveda and Upani(cid:4)ads 3
Chapter 2. Recollection
Selections from the Bhagavadgītā 59
Chapter 3. System
Contents-summary of the Brahmasūtras 81
PART II—PHILOSOPHICAL AND CULTURAL BACKGROUND
Chapter 4. Early History and Cultural Values of Vedānta 95
Chapter 5. Common Philosophical Problems 103
Chapter 6. Criticisms of Rival Systems
Selections from Śa(cid:3)kara’s Brahmasūtrabhā(cid:4)ya 109
PART III—SOURCES OF ADVAITA VEDĀNTA
Chapter 7. Gau(cid:5)apāda 157
Chapter 8. Śa(cid:3)kara 161
Chapter 9. Sureśvara 281
Chapter 10. Ma(cid:7)(cid:5)ana Miśra 289
Chapter 11. Padmapāda 305
Chapter 12. Vācaspati Miśra 317
Chapter 13. Sarvajñātman 335
Chapter 14. Vimuktātman 349
Chapter 15. Vidyāra(cid:7)ya 353
Chapter 16. Madhusūdana Sarasvatī 361
Chapter 17. Śrīhar(cid:10)a 369
Chapter 18. Sadānanda 375
Chapter 19. Dharmarāja 387
Chapter 20. Appaya Dīk(cid:10)ita 389
Chapter 21. Summary 393
Bibliography 399
Index 409
Biographical Notes 423
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Source Selections
I. BACKGROUND IN TRADITION
(cid:3)gveda X, 129 (trans. A. A. Macdonell); Chāndogya Upani(cid:4)ad VI; V,
3–10 (trans. J. A. B. van Buitenen); Taittirīya Upani(cid:4)ad II, 1–8
(trans. J. A. B. van Buitenen); Ka(cid:7)ha Upani(cid:4)ad (trans. Patrick
Olivelle); B(cid:8)hadāra(cid:2)yaka Upani(cid:4)ad II, 4, 5 (trans. Patrick
Olivelle); III, 7, 8; IV, 2, 3, 4 (trans. Franklin Edgerton)
Bhagavadgītā I, 26–35, 40–44; II, 11–25, 46–53; III, 3–9, 22–30, 36–41;
IV, 6–8, 16–23, 36–42; V, 1–7, 15–26; VII, 1–7, 24–30; VIII, 16–22;
IX, 1–10, 13–14, 25–31; XI; XII, 1–7; XIII, 1–6, 12–17, 19–27; XV,
16–20; XVIII, 45–63 (trans. Eliot Deutsch)
II. PHILOSOPHICAL AND CULTURAL BACKGROUND
Śa(cid:3)kara, Brahmasūtrabhā(cid:4)ya II, 2: 1, 2, 4–10, 12, 15, 17–21, 25–33,
37–44 (trans. George Thibaut)
III. SOURCES OF ADVAITA VEDĀNTA
Gau(cid:5)apāda, Kārikās on the Mā(cid:2)(cid:9)ūkya Upani(cid:4)ad I, 16–18; II, 1, 4,
11–13, 17, 18, 31, 32; III, 15, 19, 28, 46, 48 (trans. Eliot Deutsch)
Śa(cid:3)kara, Upadeśasāhasrī Part I (trans. Sengaku Mayeda)
Śa(cid:3)kara, Brahmasūtrabhā(cid:4)ya Introduction; I, 1: 1–2, 4, 5, 9, 11, 17,
19–20, 24, 31; I, 2: 6, 8, 18, 20, 21; I, 3: 19, 22, 28, 30, 34; I, 4: 14,
15, 22, 23; II, 1: 1, 6, 9, 11, 13–16, 18, 21–24, 27, 32–36; II, 3: 18,
32, 42, 46, 48, 50; III, 2: 3, 4, 11, 14, 15, 18, 20–22, 32; III, 3: 9, 53,
54; IV, 1: 2, 3, 13, 15 (trans. George Thibaut)
Śa(cid:3)kara, B(cid:8)hadāra(cid:2)yakopani(cid:4)adbhā(cid:4)ya I, 4, 7; IV, 3, 7 (trans.
Swāmī Mādhavānanda)
Śa(cid:3)kara, Bhagavadgītābhā(cid:4)ya III, 3, 4, 8, 9; IV, 18, 19; V
(Introduction); XIII, 2 (trans. A. Mahādeva Śāstri)
vii
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The Essential Vedānta: A New Source Book of Advaita Vedānta
Sureśvara, Nai(cid:4)karmya Siddhi I, 68–79, 107–110; III (Comm.); IV,
49–51, 56–58 (trans. A. J. Alston)
Ma(cid:7)(cid:5)ana Miśra, Brahmasiddhi Chapter I (parts) (trans. R.
Balasubramanian)
Padmapāda, Pañcapādikā II, 2–4; III, 8, 9; IV, 12; V, 13; VI, 16; VII,
17, 18; IX, 24; XXI, 70; XXIX, 107–111; XXX, 112–114; XXXI,
115–117; XLII, 159, 160; XLVII, 180, 181 (trans. D. Venkataramiah)
Vācaspati Miśra, Bhāmatī I, (Superimposition) (trans. S. S.
Suryanarayana Sastri and C. Kunhan Raja); Bhāmatī II, 1, 22; 1, 26,
27 (trans. P. K. Sundaram)
Sarvajñātman, Sa(cid:11)k(cid:4)epaśārīraka I, 20–24, 31–37, 319–330, 452–454,
464–465, 513–526; II, 9–15, 25–40, 60–68, 132, 134–139, 183–187,
218–220; III, 105–109, 115, 125–131, 139–140 (trans. T.
Mahadevan)
Vimuktātman, I(cid:4)(cid:7)a Siddhi III, 22–24; IV, 17–21 (trans. P. K. Sundaram)
Vidyāra(cid:7)ya, Pañcadaśī I, 15–23, 33–37, 44, 45; II, 47–49, 59; III, 13,
17, 18, 26–30, 37–42; IV, 12–13, 19–22, 29–31, 34–37; VI, 1–10,
74–76, 128–142 (trans. Hari Prasad Shastri)
Madhusūdana Sarasvatī, Vedāntakalpalatikā 19–22; 46, 47; 49, 50
(trans. R. D. Karmarkar)
Śrīhar(cid:10)a, Kha(cid:2)danakhan(cid:9)akhādya VI, 99-102; VII, 103-105 (trans.
Ganganatha Jha)
Sadānanda, Vedāntasāra I, 6, 15; II, 32–56, 122, 123; IV, 137–157,
159–180 (trans. Swami Nikhilananda)
Dharmarāja, Vedāntaparibhā(cid:4)ā VII (trans. S. S. Suryanarayana Sastri)
Appaya Dīk(cid:10)ita, Siddhāntaleśasa(cid:11)graha 2:32; 3:711 (trans. S. S.
Suryanarayana Sastri)
viii
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Preface
In 1971, the University of Hawaii Press published ASource Book of
Advaita Vedānta, edited by myself and the late distinguished
Professor of Sanskrit and Indic Studies at the University of Chicago, J.
A. B. van Buitenen. The present volume, edited by myself and Rohit
Dalvi, is basically a 2ndedition of the earlier work. Some changes and
additions have been made in the selections from the Upani(cid:4)ads and
new materials from Śrīhar(cid:10)a have been added to the selections from
the major Advaitic philosophers.
In the preface to the first edition we noted that the purpose of this
book is to help make possible a study of Advaita Vedānta in its clas-
sical form as this great tradition of thought actually functioned in
Indian culture and as this tradition represents distinctive philosophi-
cal achievements. We are concerned in short to understand Advaita
Vedānta both in terms of cultural history and philosophy.
We are presenting translations of selections from the major Sanskrit
writings of some of the most important Advaitic thinkers, together
with the appropriate background materials. We have not included in
this work any material from the neo-Vedānta that has developed in
India in recent decades (e.g., Vivekananda, Aurobindo, Radhakrish-
nan) as the literature of this movement, having been written in
English, is readily accessible.
In a collaboration of this sort the authors, while standing behind
the entire work, have naturally divided it into areas of special indi-
vidual responsibility. Van Buitenen has worked primarily with chap-
ters 1–4, and Deutsch with chapters 5–21.
The authors are extremely grateful to the publishers of the select-
ed Sanskrit translations for their permission to use material previous-
ly published by them. Publishers are cited in the publication
information preceding each quoted passage. Notes, footnotes, and
some translator’s interpolations have been deleted from the quoted
material and diacritic marks have been altered where necessary to
conform with contemporary usage.
Eliot Deutsch
ix