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Gita Bhashya
The ''Gita Bhashya'' (), also rendered the ''Bhagavad Gita Bhashya'', is a commentary or treatise of the ''Bhagavad Gita'' by the Hindu philosopher Ramanuja. The work asserts the deity Vishnu to be the ''parat-tattva'' (supreme truth), and details the processes of ''bhakti yoga, karma yoga,'' and ''jnana yoga'' for the achievement of '' moksha'' (spiritual liberation). It also explores the concepts of the ''avataras'' of Vishnu and the practice of ''prapatti'' (self-surrender). Content The ''Gita Bhashya'' comprises eighteen chapters that are divided into three sections; each section comprises a hexad (six chapters). First hexad The first six chapters of the work offer an exposition of an approach to self-realisation of the individual self. Ramanuja describes his process as sequential, beginning with the cognisance of the nature of the self, followed by cognisance of the concept of ''karma yoga'', and finally the cognisance of the concept of ''jnana yoga''. The commenta ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hinduism
Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global population, known as Hindus. The word ''Hindu'' is an exonym, and while Hinduism has been called the oldest religion in the world, many practitioners refer to their religion as '' Sanātana Dharma'' ( sa, सनातन धर्म, lit='the Eternal Dharma'), a modern usage, which refers to the idea that its origins lie beyond human history, as revealed in the Hindu texts. Another endonym is ''Vaidika dharma'', the dharma related to the Vedas. Hinduism is a diverse system of thought marked by a range of philosophies and shared concepts, rituals, cosmological systems, pilgrimage sites, and shared textual sources that discuss theology, metaphysics, mythology, Vedic yajna, yoga, agamic rituals, and temple building, among other to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ātman (Hinduism)
''Ātman'' (; sa, आत्मन्) is a Sanskrit word that refers to the (universal) Self or self-existent essence of individuals, as distinct from ego ('' Ahamkara''), mind (''Citta'') and embodied existence (''Prakṛti''). The term is often translated as soul, but is better translated as "Self," as it solely refers to pure consciousness or witness-consciousness, beyond identification with phenomena. In order to attain moksha (liberation), a human being must acquire self-knowledge ('' Atma Gyaan or Brahmajnana''). ''Atman'' is a central concept in the various schools of Indian philosophy, which have different views on the relation between ''Atman'', individual Self ('' Jīvātman''), supreme Self ('' Paramātmā'') and, the Ultimate Reality (''Brahman''), stating that they are: completely identical (Advaita, Non-Dualist), completely different ( Dvaita, Dualist), or simultaneously non-different and different (Bhedabheda, Non-Dualist + Dualist). The six orthodox schools ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vedarthasamgraha
The ''Vedarthasamgraha'' (), also rendered ''Vedarthasangraha'', is a treatise by the Hindu philosopher Ramanuja, comprising his exegesis of a number of ''Upanishad''ic texts. The first of his three major works, Ramanuja propounds the doctrine of the Vishishtadvaita philosophy in this work and offers a discourse on the concepts of '' Brahman, bhakti'', and '' moksha'' in '' Vedanta'' philosophy. Etymology ''Vedarthasamgraha'' literally means "summary of the meaning of the ''Veda''" in Sanskrit. Content The ''Vedarthasamgraha'' begins with the exaltation of the deity Vishnu, traditional in Vaishnava works of his period. Criticism of Advaita The work is noteworthy for its criticism of Adi Shankara's Advaita philosophy. He offers a number of arguments to oppose the postulations of Advaita: * Ramanuja argues that since Advaita claims that all is ''mithya'' (illusory), there is nothing that is required to be known. He regards this to be incompatible with the Advaita not ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sri Bhasya
The Sri Bhasya is the most famous work of Sri Ramanuja, (1017–1137). It is his commentary on Sri Badarayana's Vedanta/Brahma Sutra. It was completed when he was around a hundred years old. In his commentary, Ramanuja presents the fundamental philosophical principles of Visishtadvaita based on his interpretation of the Upanisads, Bhagavad-gita and other smrti texts, the previous acaryas, and of course the Vedanta-sutra itself. This is done by way of refuting Sankara's Advaita Vedanta and in particular his theory of maya. In his Sri-bhasya he describes the three categories of reality (tattvas): God, soul and matter, which have been used by the later Vaisnava theologians including Madhva. The principles of bhakti as a means to liberation (moksha) were also developed. Rāmānuja wrote the Vedānta-Dīpa and Vedānta-Sāra to aid in the overall understanding of the Sri Bhasya. Ramanuja refers to a commentary on Brahma Sutra The ''Brahma Sūtras'' ( sa, ब्रह्मसूत ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dharma
Dharma (; sa, धर्म, dharma, ; pi, dhamma, italic=yes) is a key concept with multiple meanings in Indian religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and others. Although there is no direct single-word translation for ''dharma'' in European languages, it is commonly translated as "righteousness", "merit" or "religious and moral duties" governing individual conduct.Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. (9 April 2019)Dharma. ''Encyclopedia Britannica''. Accessed 14 September 2021. In Hinduism, dharma is one of the four components of the ''Puruṣārtha'', the aims of life, and signifies behaviours that are considered to be in accord with '' Ṛta'', the order that makes life and universe possible. It includes duties, rights, laws, conduct, virtues and "right way of living".see: *"Dharma", ''The Columbia Encyclopedia'', 6th Ed. (2013), Columbia University Press, Gale, ; *Steven Rosen (2006), Essential Hinduism, Praeger, , Chapter 3. It had a transtempor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Guṇa
( sa, गुण) is a concept in Hinduism, Jainism and Sikhism, which can be translated as "quality, peculiarity, attribute, property".guna Monier Williams' Sanskrit-English Dictionary, Cologne Digital Sanskrit Lexicon, GermanyguNa Sanskrit-English Dictionary, Koeln University, Germany The concept is originally notable as a feature of philosophy. The gunas are now a key concept in nearly all schools of |
Vishishtadvaita
Vishishtadvaita (IAST '; sa, विशिष्टाद्वैत) is one of the most popular schools of the Vedanta school of Hindu philosophy. Vedanta literally means the in depth meaning ''of the Vedas.'' ''Vishisht Advaita'' (literally "Advaita means non- Duality") is a non-dualistic school of Vedanta philosophy. It is non-dualism of the qualified whole, in which Brahman alone is seen as the Supreme Reality, but is characterized by multiplicity. It can be described as qualified monism or qualified non-dualism or attributive monism. It is a school of Vedanta philosophy which believes in all diversity subsuming to an underlying unity. Ramanuja, the 11–12th century philosopher and the main proponent of Vishishtadvaita philosophy contends that the Prasthanatrayi ("The three courses"), namely the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, and the Brahma Sutras are to be interpreted in a way that shows this unity in diversity, for any other way would violate their consistency. Vedanta ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Advaita Vedanta
''Advaita Vedanta'' (; sa, अद्वैत वेदान्त, ) is a Hinduism, Hindu sādhanā, a path of spiritual discipline and experience, and the oldest extant tradition of the Āstika and nāstika, orthodox Hindu school Vedanta, Vedānta. The term ''Advaita'' (literally "non-secondness", but usually rendered as "nondualism", and often equated with monism) refers to the idea that ''Brahman'' alone is ultimately Satya, real, while the transient phenomenon (philosophy), phenomenal world is an illusory appearance (''Maya (religion), maya'') of Brahman. In this view, (''jiv)Ātman (Hinduism), Ātman'', the experiencing self, and ''Ātman-Brahman'', the highest Self and ultimate Reality, Absolute Reality, is non-different. The ''jivatman'' or individual self is a mere reflection or limitation of singular ''Ātman'' in a multitude of apparent individual bodies. In the Advaita tradition, ''moksha'' (liberation from suffering and rebirth) is attained through recogni ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kaivalya
Kaivalya ( sa, कैवल्य), is the ultimate goal of aṣṭāṅga yoga and means "solitude", "detachment" or "isolation", a '' vrddhi''-derivation from ''kevala'' "alone, isolated". It is the isolation of purusha from prakṛti, and liberation from rebirth, i.e., Moksha. Kaivalya-Mukti is described in some Upanishads, such as Muktika and Kaivalya as the most superior form of Moksha which can grant liberation both within this life, as Jivanmukti, and after death, as Videhamukti. Patanjali The 34 Yoga Sutras of Patanjali of the fourth chapter deal with impressions left by our endless cycles of birth and the rationale behind the necessity of erasing such impressions. It portrays the yogi, who has attained ''kaivalya'', as an entity who has gained independence from all bondages and achieved the absolute true consciousness or ''ritambhara prajna'' described in the Samadhi Pada. "…Or, to look from another angle, the power of pure consciousness settles in its own pure natu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vishvarupa
Vishvarupa (, IAST: ) is an iconographical form and theophany of a Hindu deity, most commonly associated with Vishnu in contemporary Hinduism. Though there are multiple Vishvarupa theophanies, the most celebrated is in the '' Bhagavad Gita'', given by Krishna in the epic ''Mahabharata'', which was told to Pandava prince Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra in the war between the Pandavas and Kauravas. Vishvarupa is considered the supreme form of Vishnu, where the whole universe is described as contained within him. Literary descriptions ''Bhagavad Gita'' In the climactic war in the ''Mahabharata'', the Pandava prince Arjuna and his brothers fight against their cousins, the Kauravas with Krishna as his charioteer. Faced with the moral dilemma of whether or not to fight against and kill his own family, Arjuna has a crisis of conscience. To appease him, Krishna discourses with Arjuna about life and death as well as dharma (duty) and yoga in form of the ''Bhagavad Gi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ajiva
''Ajiva'' (Sanskrit) is anything that has no soul or life, the polar opposite of " jīva" (soul). Because ''ajiva'' has no life, it does not accumulate ''karma'' and cannot die. Examples of ajiva include chairs, computers, paper, plastic, etc. Five categories of Ajiva In Jainism, there are five categories which ''ajīva'' can be placed into. Out of these, four categories, ''Dharma'' (medium of motion), ''Adharma'' (medium of rest), ''Akasha'' (space) and ''Pudgala'' (matter) are described as the ''asti-kaya dravya's'' (substances which possess constituent parts extending in space) while the fifth category ''Kala'' is an ''anasti-kaya dravya'' (which has no extension in space). Dharma-Astikaya Dharmastikaya is formed from the two words: Dharma & Astikaya. Dharma here isn't referring to religion, but instead its referring to the medium of motion. Astikay itself is formed of two words: Asti & Kaya. Asti means space, body or mode and Kaya means collection. So Astikaya means a col ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ishvara
''Ishvara'' () is a concept in Hinduism, with a wide range of meanings that depend on the era and the school of Hinduism.Monier Monier Williams, Sanskrit-English dictionarySearch for Izvara University of Cologne, Germany In ancient texts of Hindu philosophy, depending on the context, ''Ishvara'' can mean supreme Self, ruler, lord, king, queen or husband. In medieval era Hindu texts, depending on the school of Hinduism, ''Ishvara'' means God, Supreme Being, personal God, or special Self. ''Ishvara'' is primarily an epithet of Shiva.James Lochtefeld, "Ishvara", The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Vol. 1: A–M, Rosen Publishing. , page 306 In Shaivism, ''Ishvara'' is an epithet of Shiva. For many Vaishnavas, it is synonymous with Vishnu, like in his epithet of Venkateswara. In traditional Bhakti movements, ''Ishvara'' is one or more deities of an individual's preference ( Iṣṭa-devatā) from Hinduism's polytheistic canon of deities. In modern-day sectarian movements suc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
