वेदान्तदीपः - Vedanta Dipah of Bhagavad Ramanuja Acharya

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Foreword As one of the primary objectives of the Academy of Sanskrit Research is to bring out Nine gems of Bhagavad Ramanujacarya in the form of critical editions. We are delighted to render one of the Gems namely Vedanta Dipa 'Beacon of Philosophy' to the world of readers.

As an abridgment to the expansive and extensive text Sri Bhasyam, which at times is hard to follow for the uninitiated, Acarya himself with unbound compassion wrote Vedantadipa. This text written on the same lines of Sri Bhasyam, a commentary on Vedanta sutras, has dealt with the subject matter in an uncomplicated way to make it easily comprehensible to a general reader even.

Bhakti being the substratum, upon which every soul can transit to attain God to be with him serving eternally in the ever blissful abode of, Srimannarayaria.

I wish to express my sincere thanks to Vidwan S. Narayana; the Research Officer, Vidwan S. Krishnan, Vidwan S.N. Anandalwar, and Vidwan R. Janardhanan, Vidushi M.V. Savithri for their rich contribution by bringing this critical edition in a record time.

I would like to thank the team of Mr. Lokesh-the Artist designer including Vid. H.S. Hanumantha Rao, the Granthapala of the Academy for having brought out unique and effective cover page designs for this edition. Appreciations are also due to the team of DTP & in-house print division consisting of Sri Javare Gowda, Smt. M.B. Bharati, Smt. M.N.Saraswathy, and KS. Bettaswamy Gowda & G.N. Bette Gowda.

I will be failing in my duty if I don't think our President, Sri G. Kumar Naik, I.A.S., the Secretary cum Treasurer, Sri Mahesvara Rao I.A.S. for their source of inspiration and support and also to my beloved colleagues - the Registrar Sri B.S. Krishna Prasad & the Asst. Registrar S. Kumar and all the staff who have directly or indirectly contributed in this endeavor. Thanks are also due to the Binder Mr. Prasanna of Mysore.

My special thanks are due to the members of the Managing Committee for their support and the Government of Karnataka for their timely financial aid without which the Academy could not have undertaken such a monumental works.

I am sure the edition will be well received by the Sanskrit Scholarly World and would be used as a useful guide in any of their related research activities.

Introduction Acarya Ramanuja one the of trinity of Acaryas (aquaria and Madhya) the propounded of Vasistadvaita school of thought is believed to have written nine works. These are 1) Vedarthasangraha, a concise statement of philosophical doctrines of the Vedas, with special reference to Upanishads. 2) Vedantasara, a commentary on the Vedanta sutras in a very brief way. 3) Vedantadipa, the book under discussion, which is a longer commentary on Vedanta sutras visavishewar Vedantasara. 4) Sri Bhasyam exhaustive commentary written on Vedanta-Sutras, wherein all other schools are ably and systamatically refuted to establish the Vigistadvatic way of interpretation is the summum bonus of Vedic, Upanisadic passages. 5) garanagatigadya - a prose poetry with it’s of beauty off low of words of unconditional devotion poured out to God, and complete surrender unto His will. 6) grirangagadya - another devotional outpouring in poetic prose, for the Lord of the famous shrine at Srirangam, and its description. 7) grivaikunthagadya - a poem in prose eloping the exalted abode of the Lord grimannarayana, and his glories. 8) Gita-Bhasya - a commentary on Bhagavad-Gital and 9) Nityagrantha - a handy book guiding a grivaisnava in his daily worship of the Lord. We continue to present in the series of Acarya Romania’s nine gems, Vedantadipa here.

Vedantadipa is an abridgement of comprehensive Magnum opus grid Bhasya' of Acarya Ramanuja. Bhasya' by virtue of its enormity, of depth of interpretation of Vedanta sutras, is not as comprehensible as Vedantadipa! This scholastic work of Acarya Ramanuja though appreciated well in the circle of the learned; the purpose of ultimate knowledge reaching the common reader remained unfulfilled. The ever compassionate Acarya Ramanuja with his humanitarian concern took up the task of simplification of his original commentary written to 'Brahmasotras: to make it understandable to one and all, wrote Vedantadipa. True to its epithet 'Vedantadipa, holds its position of Beacon of ultimate philosophy'. The condensed form of commentary of 'Brahma sutras are not short on its lucid interpretation of the import.

Alluding to every authentic text to firmly expound the theory of principles of Nature of god (Supreme Being) individual self, and matter, their relation to each other, Acarya Ramanuja has shown, the coherence among the statements of upanisads, purarjas and others. (Jivatma) Individual self being sub-servient to the Supreme Being, through undivided devotion to Him (Supreme Being) could attain to the abode of eternal bliss of rimandrayaria, (Parambrahma). The school of Vigistadvaita strongly professes above all, the unconditional love and devotion unto the god as the only way to attain Salvation that is ' serving the Lord in his abode eternally beyond the grasp of transmigration of birth and death.

Book's Contents and Sample Pages