Introductions to Vedanta Texts

Brahmalina his holiness Sri Sri Satchidanandendra Saraswati ji (Born 1880 Brahmalina 1975) was a crusader all his life for extricating into their pristine purity and beauty of Sankara’s commentaries on Upanisads Gita and Vedanta Sutras (especially the last) from the misinterpretations by later sub commentaries like Parica padika and Bhamati. By the time he cast off the mortal sheath he was internationally recognized as an authority on Sankara Advaita Vedanta as freed from post sankara Vedanta. His yeomen service in this field brought forth nearly two hundred books in addition to extensive tours and Vedanta Saptahas in India. Apart form his lucid and erudite translations of the bhasyas on Prasthana traya into Kannada he contributed works in Samskrta and English also. Some of these were based on scriptures and others were independent works. He had an uncanny ability to crystallize a whole book into a few pages and introductions now placed before the readers were aperitifs to samskrta works. Obviously the publication targets readers who cannot read the original works in samskrta but still huner for the unique teachings in them.

Of the introduction the one to Vedanta Prakriya Pratyabhina the magnum opus among Swamiji’s works delineating the historical development of the method of Vedanta showing what the particular contribution of each author was for the development of Vedantic. Study and how into a doctrine which propounded intuition (as Atman one’s own real nature) as the voucher for all voucher for all Pramanas (valid means of Knowledge) even logic was smuggled, distorting the whole beauty and destroying the hope for emancipation, has been separately published.

In the work now placed before the readers, three are introductions to Samskrta commentaries by His Holinesson Upanisads, one on Gita and others are independent works, including on some PRAKARANA works. ‘Vedanta Sara’ of Sadananda and ‘Vedanta Paribhasha’ by Dharmaraja, often quoted in interpreting Vedanta, are all works of Vivarana School, often departing from the Acarya. Hence, to set the record right, ‘Visuddha Vedanta Sarah, and Visuddha Vedanta Paribhasa’ were written. In Panca Paditka Prasthanam, His Holiness clearly exhibited how Parica- Padika has twisted certain statements of the Acarya to include a concept, which was not even noticed by the Acarya. "Brahmavidya Rahasya Vivritih" expounds a meditative process : Dagaravidya, contained in Chapter V-III of Chhandogya Upanisad. Three introductions in the present collection pertain to explanations on the Bhasya of the Acarya on the Vedanta Satras.

‘Naiskarmya Siddhi’ is a Prakarana .text by Sureswaracarya, who alone can be unequivocally taken as a direct disciple of the Acarya. The text explains most beautifully the practice of Anvaya vyatireka succeeded by the knowledge arising out of listening to Vedantic propositions as causing emancipation. Klesapaharini is an independent and lucid commentary by his holiness on this text. Lastly Madukya Rahasya Vivritih was another unique work of his holiness to expound very clearly how the method used by Gaudapadacarya in his Karikas on Mandukya upanisad was neither borrowed form Vijnanavadin Buddhists nor dependent on it as surmised by a few writers.

The publishers are grateful to Sri International 156 Suydam NJ, USA through its president Prof. Shyam Bhatnagar Ph.D. and treasurer Ms. Adolphina Hohe M.A. (Rotterdam) for having provided full financial assistance for publishing this book as well as the latest editions of intuition of reality and how to recognize the method of Vedanta.