Vedanta (; Sanskrit: वेदान्त, IAST: Vedānta [ʋeːdɑ́ːntɐ]), also known as Uttara Mīmāṃsā, is one of the six orthodox (āstika) schools of Hindu philosophy and textual exegesis. The word Vedanta means 'conclusion of the Vedas,' and encompasses the ideas that emerged from, or aligned and reinterpreted, the speculations and enumerations contained in the Upanishads, focusing, with varying emphasis, on devotion, knowledge, and liberation. Vedanta developed into many traditions, all of which give their specific interpretations of a common group of texts called the Prasthānatrayī, translated as 'the three sources': the Upanishads, the Brahma Sutras, and the Bhagavad Gita. All Vedanta traditions place great emphasis on textual exegesis and contain extensive discussions on ontology, soteriology, and epistemology, even though there is much disagreement among the various traditions. Independently considered, they may seem completely disparate due to the pronounced differences in thoughts and reasoning. The main distinct traditions or movements within Vedanta are: Bhedabheda (difference and non-difference); Advaita (non-dualism); and the Vishnu-centred traditions of Dvaitadvaita (dualistic non-dualism), Vishishtadvaita (qualified non-dualism), Tattvavada (Dvaita) (dualism), Suddhadvaita (pure non-dualism), and Achintya-Bheda-Abheda (inconceivable difference and non-difference). Modern developments in Vedanta include Neo-Vedanta, and the philosophy of the Swaminarayan Sampradaya.
Most major Vedanta schools, except Advaita Vedanta and Neo-Vedanta, are related to Vaishnavism and emphasize devotion (bhakti) to God, understood as Vishnu or a related manifestation. Advaita Vedanta, on the other hand, emphasizes jñana (knowledge) and jñana Yoga over theistic devotion, though Shankara may also have been a Vaishnavite. While the monism of Advaita has attracted considerable attention in the West due to the influence of the 14th century Advaitin Vidyaranya and modern Hindus like Swami Vivekananda and Ramana Maharshi, most Vedanta traditions focus on Vaishnava theology.
Etymology and nomenclature The word Vedanta is made of two words:
Veda (वेद) — refers to the four sacred Vedic texts. Anta (अन्त) — meaning "end." The word Vedanta literally means the end of the Vedas and originally referred to the Upanishads. Vedanta is concerned with the jñānakāṇḍa or knowledge section of the Vedas which is called the Upanishads. The meaning of Vedanta expanded later to encompass the different philosophical traditions that interpret and explain the Prasthānatrayī in the light of their respective views on the relation between humans and the Divine or Absolute reality. The Upanishads may be regarded as the end of Vedas in different senses:
They were the last literary products of the Vedic period. They represent the pinnacle of Vedic philosophy. They were taught and debated last, in the Sannyasa (ascetic) stage. Vedanta is one of the six orthodox (āstika) traditions of textual exegesis and Indian philosophy. It is also called Uttara Mīmāṃsā, which means the "latter enquiry" or "higher enquiry"; and is often contrasted with Pūrva Mīmāṃsā, the "former enquiry" or "primary enquiry". Pūrva Mīmāṃsā deals with the karmakāṇḍa or ritualistic section (the Samhita and Brahmanas) in the Vedas while Uttara Mīmāṃsā concerns itself with the deeper questions of the relation between humans and Divine or Absolute reality.
Vedanta philosophy
Common features Despite their differences, all traditions of Vedanta share some common features:
Vedanta is the investigation of Brahman and Ātman. The various traditions give their own, specific exegesis of the Upaniṣads, the Bhagavadgītā, and the Brahma Sūtras (known as the three canonical sources). Scripture (Sruti Śabda) is the main reliable source of knowledge (pramana). Brahman — Īśvara (God), exists as the unchanging material cause and instrumental cause of the world. The exception is that Dvaita Vedanta does not hold Brahman to be the material cause, but only the efficient cause. The self (Ātman or Jīva) is the agent of its own acts (karma) and the recipient of the consequences of these actions. Belief in rebirth (samsara) and the desirability of release from the cycle of rebirths (moksha). Rejection of Buddhism and Jainism and conclusions of the other Vedic schools (Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Samkhya, Yoga, and, to some extent, the Purva Mimamsa).
Scripture The main Upanishads, the Bhagavadgītā, and the Brahma Sūtras are the foundational scriptures in Vedanta. All traditions of Vedanta give a specific exegesis of these texts, collectively called the Prasthānatrayī, literally, three sources.
The Upanishads, or Śruti prasthāna; considered the Sruti, the "heard" (and repeated) foundation of Vedanta. The Brahma Sūtras, or Nyaya prasthāna / Yukti prasthāna; considered the reason-based foundation of Vedanta. The Bhagavadgītā, or Smriti prasthāna; considered the Smriti (remembered tradition) foundation of Vedanta. All prominent Vedantic teachers, including Shankara, Bhaskara, Ramanuja, Madhva, Nimbarka, and Vallabha, wrote commentaries on these three sources. The Brahma Sūtras of Badarayana serve as a bhedabheda-based synthesis of the teachings found in the diverse Upanishads, and while there may have been other similar syntheses in the past, only the Brahma Sūtras have survived to the present day. The Bhagavadgītā, with its syncretism of Samkhya, Yoga, and Upanishadic thought, has also been a significant influence on Vedantic thought.
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