Article sent from The Hindu

[Guest guest]

=============================================================

This article is emailed to you by Ram Chandran ( rchandran )

=============================================================

Source: The Hindu

(http://www.hinduonnet.com/br/2002/02/26/stories/2002022600110300.htm)

 

 

Doctrines of Advaita

 

 

 

 

 

LIBERATION MANAGEMENT Satasloki of Adi Sankara Bhagavadpada: Dr. R.

Venkataraman; Pub. by S.K.M. Consultants, 8751, Sector C, Pocket 8, Vasant Kunj,

New Delhi-110070. Rs. 275.

 

ADI SANKARA wrote commentaries on the three great scriptures, the Upanishads,

the Brahma Sutra and the Bhagavad Gita, which are the ultimate foundation of the

various schools of Vedanta.

 

Since these commentaries involve a very high level of scholarship to comprehend

their essence, taking a compassionate view of human society, he also wrote a

very large number of "Prakarana Granthas" of which the most significant are the

and the .

 

Even these three works are indeed not so very easy reading for the common man.

The the third of the longer Prakarana Granthas, has also been widely popular and

has evoked quite a few translations into Tamil and at least two in English, one

by S.N. Sastri and the other, under review, by Dr. R. Venkatraman.

 

Two valuable Tamil translations also exist, one by Muthukrishna Sastri of Hita

Bhashmi fame, Tanjore and another by Guruswami Sastrigal, who was once Professor

of Sanskrit in Thiruvananthapuram. The only extant ancient commentary on thein

Sanskrit is attributed to that great commentator on Sankara's works, Anandagiri.

 

I say "attributed" because some scholars have disputed Anandagiri's authorship

on the ground that the commentary on several slokas of the in the commentary

seems somewhat dubious and uncharacteristic of Anandagiri.

 

Adi Sankara has also shorter works on Advaita, one of them entitled and another,

has been somewhat more popular than many other of Sankara's Prakarana Grantha

works. Indeed mastery of has often won Pandita status for several persons.

 

Sankara has condensed into this 100-verse tract all the principal topics of

relevance to Advaita Vedanta.

 

It covers, among others, Jiva-Brahma Aikya, Avidya or Maya, the four primary

characteristics of Maya, an account of the universe, wherein we live, Swarupa

Nirupana of Brahman, the disciplines like Vairagya, Mumukshatva and Sanyasa,

Jivan Mukthi and Videha Mukti.

 

Dr. Venkatraman has brought out the whole range of topics, somewhat summarily

under two parts.

 

The text in Sanskrit and the English translation are reasonably satisfactory.

 

However one has to suggest careful revision of the English translation since in

many places the translation is not very exact and faithful to the original.

 

There are also printing mistakes like "contended" for "contented". The long

introduction discusses a variety of topics which bear not too close a

relationship to the text under study, but which gives us a very clear idea of

the author's views on what may be called the present human situation.

 

is a splendid call to us all to wake up. It is therefore a timelessly timely

work.

 

The author would have, it seems to me, done greater service by replacing the

title of the book, "Liberation Management" by a simpler title like "The Message

of ".

 

 

S.R.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Copyright: 1995 - 2002 The Hindu

 

Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly

prohibited without the consent of The Hindu