The Philosophy of the Brahma-sutra: An Introduction

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The Brahma-sutra, attributed to Badaraya (ca. 400 CE), is the canonical book of Vedanta, the philosophical tradition which became the doctrinal backbone of modern Hinduism. As an explanation of the Upanishads, it is principally concerned with the ideas of Brahman, the great ground of Being, and of the highest good. The Philosophy of the Brahma-sutra is the first introduction to concentrate on the text and its ideas, rather than its reception and interpretation in the different schools of Vedanta. Covering the epistemology, ontology, theory of causality and psychology of the Brahma-sutra, and its characteristic theodicy, it also: Provides a comprehensive account of its doctrine of meditation Elaborates on its nature and attainment, while carefully considering the wider religious context of Ancient India in which the work is situated Draws the contours of Brahma-sutras intellectual biography and reception history. By contextualizing the Brahma-sutras teachings against the background of its main collocutors, it elucidates how the work gave rise to widely divergent ontologies and notions of practice. For both the undergraduate student and the specialist this is an illuminating and necessary introduction to one of Indian philosophys most important works.

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The Philosophy of the Brahma-sutra is a much needed retrieval of the Brahma-sutra, Badarayanas vastly influential fifth century systematization of the old Upanisads. The Sutras generated a continuous tradition of Vedanta commentary and debate, which Uskokov has restored to life for our 21st century, in his own insightful and philosophically cogent fashion. * Francis X. Clooney, SJ, Parkman Professor of Divinity, Harvard University, USA *
The Philosophy of the Brahma-sutra is a masterful interpretation of this seminal text. It is also a deeply felt and lucidly written introduction to the basic ideas of Indian philosophy, a guide to one of the worlds great intellectual traditions, by a scholar whose knowledge is unparalleled and who has the added rare gift of being able to make his insights accessible to a broad audience. * Phyllis Granoff, Lex Hixon Professor of World Religions, Emerita, Yale University, USA *
This extraordinarily useful introduction reaches back to the ancient text of the Brahma-sutra and its background, and forward to modern readers, with great freshness of insight, clarity of explication, and perceptive sensitivity to the minds of both the early commentators and present-day students and teachers. * Gary Tubb, Anupama and Guru Ramakrishnan Professor, University of Chicago, USA *

Author Bio

Aleksandar Uskokov is Sanskrit Lector in the South Asian Studies Council at Yale University, USA.