Course Content

The word “Vedanta” means “end of the Vedas”, and encompasses the ideas and philosophies present here, with a focus on knowledge and liberation. Vedanta developed into many sub-traditions, all of which base their ideas on the authority 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 contain extensive discussion on ontology, soteriology and epistemology.

IsA-vAsya Upanisad, according to tradition, contains the important tenets of Vedanta and gives a methodic guide for a deep study of the Upanishads, in general. A superficial analysis of these three different commentaries on IsA-vAsya Upanishad, gives the reader the impression that they are too divergent. However, a deeper analysis will be presented in this course that can illumine the underlying harmony between these views.

Any student interested in a deep study of this Upanishad will benefit immensely from this course. Basic level knowledge of Sanskrit will be useful but not necessary to understand the Upanishad. Any reference to Sanskrit verses will be explained in English. There are no other prerequisites for this course.

Further, in this course, a reconciliation between these views will be attempted based on works by well-known scholars. Rarely scholars venture into such a reconciliation.