rAghavAchAr intro

VEDĀRTHA-SANGRAHA
OF
ŚRĪ RĀMĀNUJĀCĀRYA
THE ACADEMY OF SANSKRIT RESEARCH
MELKOTE - 571 431
(KARNATAKA STATE)
ENGLISH TRANSLATION
BY
S. S. RAGHAVACHAR, M.A.
WITH A FOREWORD
BY
SWĀMĪ ĀDIDEVĀNANDA

PREFACE

It was nearly two years ago and to be more exact, it was on the birthday of Sri Ramanuja in the year 1954 that the idea occured to me of the desirability of rendering Vedārthasangraha into English. The work has struck all students as a magnificent treatise on account of the comprehensiveness of its theme, its vigour of execution and the luminous style of its prose. I immediately communicated my thought to Swami Adidevananda. He wrote to me promptly commanding me to take up the task and promised all possible help. I set myself to the work and submitted my draft to him for scrutiny, and another copy was submitted to Pandit Hemmige Desikachar. After collecting the detailed observations of the Swami and the criticisms and suggestions of Pandit Desikachar I rewrote the whole translation incorporating all the help thus offered. By the time my work was completed, it came to my notice that nearly fifty years ago a translation of the work had appeared serially in the Brahmavādin of Madras. It was too late for me to benefit from the first translation. So the new translation presented here is an independent one.

The translation is based completely on the Tātparyadipika of Sri Sudarsana-sūri whose guidance in the matter of understanding Śrī Rāmānuja is indispensable and is most illuminating. I acknowledge with sincere gratitude the help I have received from Pandit H. Desikachar, Sri K. V. S. Tatachar, Sri N. S. Anantarangachar, Vidvan Selva Pillai Sarma and Pandit D. Tangavelan. My indebtedness to Swami Adidevananda is indeed beyond words. He has criticized and guided me at every stage of my work. It is in the fitness of things that the work should go forth with his masterly foreword.

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The difficulty in translating a work of this kind is that the grandeur of the original produces deep discontent with one’s poor rendering of it. Under this circumstance the translator must satisfy himself with the twin aims of accuracy and intelligibility. The power and beauty of the original are beyond reproduction. How far I have achieved my modest aims I leave it to others to judge. Personally the experience of translation has been a reward in itself as it has enabled me considerably to get into grips with the architectonics of a classic in the philosophy of the Upanisads. I have put on record my analysis of the text and connected reflections in the form of a detailed introduction which is being published by The Mangalore Trading Association (Private) Limited.

Swami Shambhavananda with his characteristic generosity and readiness to help, agreed to publish the work. I acknowledge most gratefully my indebtedness to him for giving my humble work the sanctifying recognition of the great Order bearing the name of Sri Ramakrishna. I am grateful to Swami Somanathananda for the kind interest he took in the work and for making the necessary arrangement for its publication.

I acknowledge with sincere gratitude the uniform courtesy and good work of the management of the Sharada Press. My particular thanks are due to Sri A. S. Kamath, who took a personal interest in the work and has expeditiously brought out the book in a fine form.

In preparing the text I have consulted three editions and have depended throughout on the reading adopted by the Tātparya-dipika. The editions consulted are:

  1. The edition in Telugu characters published by the Saraswati Bhandara, Madras, in 1883.
  2. The Devanagari edition of Pandit Rama Misra Sastri published by Messrs. E. J. Lazarus & Co., Benares, in 1924.
  3. The Devanagari edition in the Sri Vaishnava Sampradaya Granthamala, published by T. T. Devasthanams, Tirupati, in 1953.

The work is offered in the devout spirit of service.

S. S. RAGHAVACHAR

ABBREVIATIONS

(Abbreviations: Vi. Pu. = Vishnu Purana; Chan. = Chandogya Upanishad; B.S. = Brahma Sutras;
Pu. Suk. = Purusha Suktam; Tai. = Taittiriya Upanishad; Tait. Ar. = Taittiriya Aranyaka; Brh. Ar. = Brhad-aranyaka Upanishad; M.B. = Mahabharata; Ra. = Ramayana; )

à Ai Atharva Bha. Br. Br. Mā. Bra. Cha. Gitā Isa. Ka. Kau. Ma. Maha. Matsya. Mi. Mu. Pu. Rā. Rg. $lo. Sri. Sve. Su. Tai. Vi. Vs. Ya. 曲

Taittiriya Aranyaka Aitareya Upanisad Atharvasikha Upanisad Mahābhārata Bṛhadaranyaka Upanisad Bṛhadaranyaka Upanisad (Madhyandina) Brahmasutras Chandogya Upanisad Bhagavadgitā Isa Upanisad Katha Upanisad Kauṣitaki Upanisad Manusmrti Mahānārāyaṇa Upanisad Matsya-purana Mimāmsā-sūtras Mundaka Upanisad Puruşa-sūkta .. Rāmāyaṇa (Vālmīki) Rgveda Śloka-vārtika Śrī-bhāṣya Svetasvatara Upanisad Subala Upanisad Taittiriya Upanisad Viṣņu-purāņa Vedārtha-sangraha Yajurveda

CONTENTS

  1. Priliminary statement of the philosophy of the Upanisads
  1. Substance of Advaita philosophy
  2. Bhaskara’s view
  3. Yadavaprakasa’s view
  4. Examination of the first view (a) In the light of scriptures

Paragraphs 1-2 3 4 5 6-44 (b) In terms of pure reason 45-67 6. Examination of Bhaskara’s view 68-74 7. Examination of Yadavaprakasa’s view 75-80 8. Constructive standpoint (a) Tattvamasi 81-87 (b) Brahman as the material cause 88-93 (c) Brahman is the import of all terms (d) The heart of the scriptures (e) The classification, interpretation and reconciliation of the various types of sacred texts 94-98 99-108 109-122 (f) The question of the freedom of will 123-125 (g) Parabhakti, the means for attaining Brahman. 126-130 9. Nārāyaṇa is the supreme Brahman 131-166 10. Refutation of the Prabhakara conception of śruti 167-197 11. The scriptures on the transcendent divine form, Sri, the eternal seers and the transcen- dent abode of the Lord + 198-226 12. The nature of the Vedas 227-233 4 13. Summary of the metaphysical principles 234-237 14. Summary of the doctrine of sadhana as bhakti 238-243 15. Service of the Lord 244-250 16. Concluding words on bhakti 251-252 11 17: