BRIHADAARNAYAKA, The Great Upanishad

BRIHADAARNAYAKA, The Great Upanishad
Author: Kadambari Kaul
Publisher: One Point Six Technology Pvt Ltd
Total Pages: 518
Release: 2014-08-20
Genre: Self-Help
ISBN: 9381836701

Lead me from the unreal to real, from darkness to light, from death to immortality: these three profound prayers emerge from the distilled soul of eternal India. They are the quintessence of the Brihadaranyaka (Great Forest Text), that ranks amongst the oldest of the esoteric revelations which constitute the Upanishadic corpus. This pristine work of intuitive wisdom, having at its core the wondrous insight of Yajnavalkya, its pioneer-sage, offers a veritable roadmap, guiding worthy seekers of knowledge on a course of spiritual ascendance and ultimate liberation – with faith, logic and contemplation, as the pilgrims’ wherewithal. Strewn along the path of this great journey of self-discovery, are answers to mankind’s eternal questions on creation, the meaning of existence, karma, transmigration, and finally, attainment of oneness with Brahman – the Ultimate Reality. Apart from Ethics, Psychology and Metaphysics are other high grounds bridged by the Brihadaranyaka. Its in-depth examination of the sense organs and objects; of the propensity of the mind to act on the ‘pleasure principle’; and its incisive analysis of the states of dream and deep sleep; all constitute powerful testimony to the profound psychological insights of the Upanishadic Hrshi. But it is the enunciation of the Vedantic metaphysics of non-dualism, based on neti neti (negation of all empirical reality), that constitutes the deepest philosophical message of this Great Upanishad. This volume presents an innovative transcreation of the Brihadaranyaka in simple, free-flowing verse, supported by an eclectic array of elucidations and commentaries gleaned from the works of many master interpreters. It beckons the modern truth-seeker towards the liberating experience of exploring this font of ancient wisdom (prajnaa puraanee), anew.

The Upanisads

The Upanisads
Author: Signe Cohen
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 445
Release: 2017-09-27
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1317636961

The Upaniṣads are among the most sacred foundational scriptures in the Hindu religion. Composed from 800 BCE onwards and making up part of the larger Vedic corpus, they offer the reader "knowledge lessons" on life, death, and immortality. While they are essential to understanding Hinduism and Asian religions more generally, their complexities make them almost impenetrable to anyone but serious scholars of Sanskrit and ancient Indian culture. This book is divided into five parts: Composition, authorship, and transmission of the Upaniṣads; The historical, cultural, and religious background of the Upaniṣads; Religion and philosophy in the Upaniṣads; The classical Upaniṣads; The later Upaniṣads. The chapters cover critical issues such as the origins of the Upaniṣads, authorship, and redaction, as well as exploring the broad religious and philosophical themes within the texts. The guide analyzes each of the Upaniṣads separately, unpacking their contextual relevance and explaining difficult terms and concepts. The Upaniṣads: A Complete Guide is a unique and valuable reference source for undergraduate religious studies, history, and philosophy students and researchers who want to learn more about these foundational sacred texts and the religious lessons in the Hindu tradition.

The Philosophy of Swami Rama Tirtha

The Philosophy of Swami Rama Tirtha
Author: H. Maheshwari
Publisher: Readworthy
Total Pages: 266
Release: 2009-01-01
Genre: Hindu philosophy
ISBN: 8189973916

This book presents a comprehensive study of Swami Rama Tirtha's philosophy. Analysing its relevance in modern India, it elucidates Swami Rama's view on Epistemology, e.g., the limitations of perception and reason and of science and philosophy, the mystic approach to 'Reality', the 'Transcendental Absolute', the 'Immanent God', the 'Ontology of the World', the 'Transcendence and Immanence of the Self', the 'Goal of Life', 'Religion', 'Morality', 'Values', 'Sadhana', 'Vedanta and Practical life' and cognate topics.

The Classical Upani?ads

The Classical Upani?ads
Author: Signe Cohen
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 281
Release: 2024-01-26
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0197654185

The Upani?ads are rich and complex Sanskrit Hindu scriptures dating back to the 8th century BCE and are a staple of world religion courses across the globe. In this volume, Signe Cohen guide readers through on the thirteen "Classical Upani?ads," those generally regarded as the oldest: Bhadrayaka, Chandogya, Taittiriya, Aitareya, Isa, Kena, Katha, Mundaka, Svetasvatara, Mandukya, Prasna, Kausitaki, and Maitri Upanisad. Where most survey textbooks present a cursory overview of these texts, The Classical Upani?ads: A Guide provides a nuanced but accessible exploration of the Upani?ads that will benefit both scholars, students, and general readers alike. This volume explores the historical, geographical, and social context of the Classical Upani?ads and discusses issues of dating, authorship, and transmission of the texts. Cohen also breaks down central ideas in the Upani?ads, such as atman, brahman, karma, reincarnation, moksa, knowledge, and sacred sounds (mantras). The text also discusses the importance of the Upani?ads for Hinduism and Indian culture, as well as the reception of the Upani?ads in the West. Through exploring these works, their key characters and ideas, and their impact on Hinduism's core beliefs, Cohen provides the reader a thorough but approachable entry into these seminal texts.

The Role of Divine Grace in the Soteriology of Śaṃkarācārya

The Role of Divine Grace in the Soteriology of Śaṃkarācārya
Author: Malkovsky
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 452
Release: 2018-08-14
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9004379134

This volume examines the role of divine grace in the non-dualist soteriology of Śaṃkara. The author argues that grace is an essential but generally overlooked feature in Śaṃkara’s enlightenment spirituality. Introductory chapters summarize recent developments in Śaṃkara research, Śaṃkara’s epistemology and ontology, ancient Vedāntic teachings on grace, and modern scholarly disagreement about grace in Śaṃkara’s Advaita system. The heart of the book consists of two lengthy exegetical chapters examining Śaṃkara’s key passages on grace from his dozen genuine works. The final chapter presents for the first time a systematic summary of Śaṃkara’s understanding of the operation and necessity of divine grace. This book provides a useful summary of Śaṃkara’s system as a whole besides offering a radical revision of the standard understanding of Śaṃkara’s soteriology. It also reveals that Śaṃkara was much more indebted in his thinking to his Vedantic predecessors than had hitherto been thought.

Krsna and Christ

Krsna and Christ
Author: Steven Tsoukalas
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Total Pages: 327
Release: 2011-09-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1556353243

This work compares the Krsnavatara (Krsna in his avatara doctrines of Sankara and Ramanuja and the incarnation of Christ as represented by classical Christian orthodoxy, and draws out comparative theological and soteriological implications. It does so first by examining the epistemologies, theologies and world views of Sankara and Ramanuja, and the theology and world view of classical Christian orthodoxy, so that, second, an adequate foundation and subsequent thorough representation of avatara and incarnation might be accomplished, in order that, third, accurate comparisons may be drawn between avatara and incarnation. The result of this study is a demonstration that many of the popularly held similarities between avatara and incarnation are superficial, and that therefore careful consideration of epistemologies and ontologies should be undertaken when comparing theologies and soteriologies pertinent to avatara and incarnation.