Highlights of Vedanta Philosophy

Highlights of Vedanta Philosophy
 
Vedanta means "end of the Vedas". The Upanishads, the Shrimad Bhagavad Gita and the Brahma Sutras are the pillars of the Vedanta. Total Upanishads are 108, out of which principal Upanishads are 11. They elaborate on how the soul (Atman) can be united with the ultimate truth (Brahman) through contemplation and mediation, as well as the doctrine of Karma i.e. the cumulative effects of a person’s actions. In the Brahma Sutras is the essence of the philosophical and spiritual ideas of the Upanishads. Shrimad Bhagavad Gita is the dialogues between Sri Krishna and Arjuna held in 3102 BC during war among Kauravas and Pandavas in Krukshetra, Haryana. It is cream of Vedas and Upanishads, in most simple Sanskrit language.
 
Vedanta is live. Many sub-traditions, ranging from dualism to non-dualism developed based on different but logical interpretations over period of time. These sub-traditions include Advaita Darshan, established by Adi Shankara, Vishishtadvaita Darshan established by Ramanujacharya, Dvaita Darshan established by Madhvacharya, Bhedabheda (or Dvaitadvaita) Darshan established by Nimbarkacharya, Shuddhadvaita Darshan established by Vallabhacharya, Achintyabhedabheda Darshan established by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Akshar-Purushottam Darshan established by Shastriji Maharaj.
 
Vedanta establishes three fundamental categories viz. the ultimate reality or Brahman or Isvara, the individual soul or self or Atman and the Prakiriti or Jagat or matter. If we compare the three fundamental categories with the Electric Powerhouse, Brahman is powerhouse; Atman is Power supply and Prakriti is electric appliances. Without electric current, no appliance will work. The major highlights of the Vedanta are mentioned as under:
 

1. Brahman or Isvara – The universal consciousness or God or Brahman is Satchitananda, the ultimate reality. Sat which is existence absolute or permanently exist i.e. absolute truth; Chit which is knowledge absolute or complete knowledge and Ananda which is bliss absolute or permanently blissful. God is one. There are different aspects or ways of looking at God in different Religions.
2. Atman or Soul – Atman is atomic in size, eternal and inactive.  It becomes active when connected with mind, buddhi etc., identifies itself with body and mind and feels pleasure or pain. Atman, as agent of Brahman sacrifices and performs all acts i.e. good and bad deeds done in previous births. Body is changing with age; mind is changing over time but soul in not changing.
3. Five Sheaths of Atman - Atman or soul is hidden in five coverings of gross body & finer sheaths of body, energy, mind, intellect and bliss which are called as Annamaya, Pranamaya, Manomaya, Vigyanamaya and Anandamaya Kosh respectively. The body is seen; the energy runs the entire body which manifests in form of breath; the mind is world of thoughts & sensory inputs, the intellect is knowledge, analytical power & awareness and the bliss is reflection of atman. The body has senses; mind has desires and attitudes.
4. World – World is sum total of individuals. Brahman is sum total of souls.  
5. Twenty Six attributes of Divinity - Fearlessness, purity of heart, steadfastness in knowledge and yoga, alms giving, control of senses, performing sacrifices, reading scriptures, austerity, uprightness; non-injury, truth, absence of anger, renunciation, tranquility, absence of calumny, compassion to beings, lack of covetousness, gentleness, modesty, steadiness; Boldness, forgiveness, fortitude, purity, absence of hatred, absence of pride; these belong to one born to achieve a divine state. (Gita XVI, 1-3).
6. Sanskars and Sufferings - Every action leaves an impression in our mind (samskara), which creates a tendency for the action to be repeated in the present or future life.
7. Karma theory –According to Karma theory everyone has come with its own bundle of karma. The impressions or sanskars are ultimately the cause of sufferings or enjoyments.
8. Re-birth - According to the law of Karma, it is not the parents who choose their children; it is children who choose their parents. A soul is to be born. So it looks around-“where shall I go”? Now if he did some meritorious work before, he should be born perhaps as a rich man’s son. But if he did evil actions, he may be born in a rich family but as a sick man’s son. One cannot explain the present life without admitting the previous life.
9. Free will - The person is free to act, but only within the radius determined by his physical and mental circumstances. 
10. Sufferings – lessor the one is body conscious, lesser the sufferings. As sufferings come, one can say, ‘I am not the body, so the suffering of the body is not mine. The more one can believe, or rather, the more one is convinced of this, the freer he will be from hold of the body. Our sufferings and enjoyment are based on the idea of identification or sense of possession, either I am identified with an object or it belongs to me. If the sense of possession is too strong, it brings pain.
11. Wisdom v/s Ritualism - The Vedic rituals i.e. yajna are done mainly with the aspirations of fruits or to get heaven. The Vedanta stressed on spiritual wisdom and gods were idealized into Brahman. Adi Shankaracharya established the superiority of wisdom over ritualism. 

 
Shrimad Bhagavad Gita has harmonized the Vedic rituals and spiritual wisdom of Upanishad. Shri Krishna in chapter 3 has explained that virtually any action can be transformed into yajna if it is done in the spirit of sacrifice, or offering to God. By seeing all elements of the act of offering (including the offeror himself) as nothing but Brahman (Supreme God), he attains Brahman. Even the old Vedic rituals can be performed without an eye on the results, but with a desire for the social and cosmic good.  

1. Para & Apara knowledge – There are two types of knowledge: Para and apara, supreme and relative. Supreme knowledge is the knowledge of real nature of things, Say gold bars, gold jewelry, gold necklace etc. all is basically gold. When we remove name and form, we get the abstract idea. Relative knowledge is the knowledge which is acquired through books, experiments etc.  
2. Unity of existence i.e. Brahman – when one is rooted in this idea, you become moral, sympathetic, philanthropic and ethical as there is a feeling of presence of the same divine in all.
3. Liberation or Salvation - Salvation is the goal of life.  There are four methods of attaining freedom viz. Karma yoga (detachment), Bhakti yoga (Surrender), Jnana yoga (only Brahman) and Raja yoga (Dhyana or Meditation).
4. Meditation - Senses take to the external world. To experience inner world, we need to hear inner voice. When we close our eyes, it is first step towards it. The object of meditation is to be calm, tranquil in mind. When one is fundamentally clear and focused, thoughts & distractions reduce. When the mind is absolutely calm, automatically one will know atman. But to feel the bliss of the Atman, the mind need not be absolutely calm. Even if it is partially calm, one will feel it. Because the real nature of the atman is that Bliss, so when the obstacle are removed, that blissful nature of the atman comes out. It is natural joy. 

 
Reference: Vedanta & Vivekananda by Swami Swahananda