Guest guest Posted August 25, 2008 Report Share Posted August 25, 2008 Dear Anupam-ji, There are many pages of recommended books in various categories at my website – see http://www.advaita.org.uk/reading/reading.htm. I have found that most benefit is gained by reading something that you are currently interested in. (Of course it should also be well written and authentic.) You should also avoid the more academic books and the more advanced scriptures to begin with in case they put you off! Best wishes, Dennis advaitin [advaitin ] On Behalf Of anupam srivatsav Monday, August 25, 2008 4:51 AM advaitin Order of books. Dear All Group Members, Namaste. This group being an advaitic group, I request the learned members of this group, to list the order of the books to be read (along with commentaries) so that one shall get to know more about advaita. I am a student of Advaita Vedanta (though a poor student). This list of books will help me and other novice group members to pursue their quest for Knowledge. Someone told me to start with Vedanta Sara and there after with Katha Upanishad. I have immensely benefited by this. I require further guidance in this regard. (...graamaadgraama.m pR^icChan paNDito medhaavii gaandhaaraan eva upasampadyate....) Thanks to you all in advance. With regards, Anupam. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 25, 2008 Report Share Posted August 25, 2008 Dear Sri Dennis ji, > There are many pages of recommended books in various categories at my > website – see http://www.advaita.org.uk/reading/reading.htm. Thanks for the reply. I have gone through your website. All the books are given there. But, I request to know the sequence of the books to be read. Can you please share that also with me? Bhagavan Ramana Maharishi's simile (given in your website) to the reading of many books is very nice and I enjoyed it very much. With regards, Anupam. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 25, 2008 Report Share Posted August 25, 2008 Dear Anupam-ji, I am probably not the best person to advise on this since my own reading has been totally lacking in logical sequence! I guess that the more basic works of (attributed to) Shankara should be read early - tattva bodha, Atma bodha, vivekachUDAmaNi, dRRigdRRishya viveka. Also sadAnanda's vedAnta sAra looks good though I haven't yet read it fully myself. Later, Shankara's upadesha sAhasrI is very good. I would read the shorter (major) upaniShad-s first and avoid bRRihadAraNyaka and chhAndogya initially. Also, leaving the mANDUkya and gauDapAda kArikA-s until last seems to be the general advice. Having around a dozen Gita's at the last count, I have settled on Swami Gambhirananda's version as the best all-round. I particularly like the way that the translation from the Sanskrit is broken down. I would definitely recommend giving the Brahma Sutras a wide birth until much later. They are far too difficult. I found Eliot Deutsch's book to be an excellent, short overall summary of the key aspects of advaita. Finally, of course, Back to the Truth gives examples from many of these works in the process of covering pretty well everything in Advaita at a fairly advanced level. Best wishes, Dennis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 25, 2008 Report Share Posted August 25, 2008 advaitin , " anupam srivatsav " <anupam.srivatsav wrote: > Thanks for the reply. I have gone through your website. All the books > are given there. But, I request to know the sequence of the books to > be read. Can you please share that also with me? praNAms Shri Anupam-ji, Some years back, I read Swami Nikhilananda's translation of Shri Adi Shankara's Atma Bodha. The book was titled Self-knowledge. It had nearly hundred pages of very well written introduction. With what I know of your posts, I would wholeheartedly recommend it to you. Also, in Dennis-ji's wonderful website is a link http://www.advaita.org.uk/discourses/definitions/definitions.htm which has many terms/definitions. I spend time on it. Further, the material on Shri Sastri-ji's and Prof VK-ji's websites is one in which I recommend spending a lot of time. Also, I think that spending sufficient time reading the mails posted on an excellent forum like this comes under shravana. Remember only some part of shravana is from Guru's mouth. The rest is from learned elders, like the ones on this list. Further, the archives of this list contain enormous wisdom of the list members. Please use it. Hope it helps Namaste Ramakrishna Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 25, 2008 Report Share Posted August 25, 2008 advaitin , " Ramakrishna Upadrasta " <uramakrishna wrote: > > advaitin , " anupam srivatsav " <anupam.srivatsav@> wrote: Namaste, Short of having a teacher who can explain in person to the student the nuances of the classical texts, the dialogues, writings and works of recognised jnanis - Sri Ramakrishna, Sri Ramana, Sw. Chandrasekhara Sarasvati, Sw. Chandrasekhara Bharati, Sw. Abhinava Vidyatirtha, Nisargadatta, and many others, would be a preferable approach. The 7-vol. Voice of God (translation of Sw. Chandrasekhara Sarasvati's Tamil original Deivattin Kural) will be a definitive guide that will ease the learning of any text. It is worth remembering: ananta shAstraM bahu veditavyam alpashcha kAlo bahavashcha vighnAH | yatsArabhUtaM tadupAsitavyam haMso yathA kShIramivAmbumishram || Endless are the scriptures; Brief is the life-span, numerous the hindrances. The Essence is to be acquired, Like the Swan separating the milk mixed with water. Regards, Sunder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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