In Adoration of the Self: The Haristuti of Sankara With the Commentary Haritattvamuktavali of Svayamprakasayati

About the Book Sankara in his Haristuti has set forth, in forty-four verses the basic doctrines of the Upanisads, the Bhagavad-gita and ,the Vedanta-sutras. Svayamprakasayati in his commentary Hari-tattva-muktavali on it has given in a lucid and readable style coupled with great erudition and scholarship a detailed, judicious account of Advaita by identifying and discussing the, scriptural texts implied in the text. The present work, In Adoration of the Self contains the text of the Haristuti with the commentary Hari-tattva-muktavali along with Introduction, English translation of the verses and Indices.

About the Author Dr. N. Veezhinathan, former Professor of Sanskrit, University of Madras is at present a Jawaharlal Nehru Research Fellow.

Foreword Not only is Advaita a total philosophy, but it is also systematic and edifying. It is a total philosophy, because it deals with all the three metaphysical categories - Brahman, jiva, and the world - which constitute the entire subject matter of philosophy. Instead of dealing, in a piecemeal way, with the three categories, it raises the most basic question - the question of all questions - about Brahman-Atman by knowing which everything is known. Thus the total philosophy it formulates following the Upanisadic tradition is integral. Its analysis of the basic metaphysical categories is supported by a full-fledged, epistemological inquiry, which is both rigorous and systematic. It is at the same time edifying as it is intended, as Sankara observes at the end of his adhyasa-bhasya, to help the jiva overcome its finitude caused by avidya, and achieve spiritual transcendence by realizing Brahman-Atman, which is the sole reality.

Sankara elucidated the teachings of the Upanisads and consolidated the tradition of Advaita through his numerous writings. He wrote commentaries on the prasthana-traya.

Foreword It gives me immense pleasure in presenting to the world of scholars this edition of the text, Haristuti of Sankara, with the commentary, Hari-tattva-muktavali by Svayamprakasayati. The Haristuti sets forth in forty-four verses, each one in the Mattamayura metre, the basic doctrines of the Upanisads, the Bhagavad-gita and the Vedanta-sutra.

This edition is based on seven paper manuscripts in Devanagari script, five of which belong to the Asiatic Society, Calcutta, and two, to the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Pune. The details of the manuscripts are as follows:

Manuscripts at the Asiatic Society, Calcutta: (1) No. G. 8563. Substance - Country-made paper. 81 x 4 inches. Folia 89. Extent in glokas, 1700. Character, Nagara.

(2) No. G. 8904. Substance - Country-made paper. 10 x q- inches. Folia 61. Extent in glokas, 1440. Character, Nagara.

(3) No. G. 609. Substance - Country-made paper. Character, Nagara. The title of the work is given as Harimidestotra.

(4) G. 10973. Substance - Country-made paper. 13 x 7 inches. Folia 32. Extent in glokas, 1280. Character, Modern Nagara.

(5) No. G. 10479. Substance - Country-made paper. 112 x 5 inches. Folia 41. Character, Nagara.

Manuscripts at the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Pune: (1) No. 84 and 215 of 1902 - 1907. New No. 23. Folia. 84. Character, Devanagari.

(2) No. 647 of 1884 - 87. New No. 24. Folia. 38. Character, Devanagari.

Apart from these manuscripts, there are two printed editions of the text Haristuti with the commentary, Hari-tattva-muktavali, which have also been used in compiling this edition.

Introduction The Haristuti and Its Commentaries Among the miscellaneous works of Sankara, the work, Haristuti, is an important one. It consists of forty-four verses, each one set in the Mattamayura metre. It gives a comprehensive account of the nature of the Self, the only reality, its relation to the jiva and to the world, the means of realizing it and the nature of its realization. This work, according, to the commentator, Svayamprakasayati, Sankara has composed in order that those who could not grasp the essentials of Advaita Vedanta from his commentaries on the Upanisads, the Bhagavad-Gita and the Vedanta-sutra may understand them in an effortless manner.

The Haristuti has two commentaries - one by Anandagiri, the well-known commentator on many of the works of Sankara and the other one by Svayamprakasayati, which is presented herein. The text of the Haristuti with the commentary of Anandagiri known as Bhasya was published in the Adyar Library Bulletin (Vol. 35) in 1971.

Svayamprakasayati His Identity, Date and Works

Svayamprakasayati, the author of the commentary Hari-tattva-muktavali on the Haristuti, is well-known in the Advaita tradition as the author of the commentary Rasabhivyanjika, on the work, Advaita-makaranda, of Laksmidhara. This work was published at the Sri Vani Vilas Press, Srirangam in 1926. He has also written a commentary entitled ,Tattvasudha on the Daksinamurti Astaka of Sankara.

Book's Contents and Sample Pages