Brahma Sutras (With Text, English Rendering, Comments According to Sri-Bhasya of Sri Ramanuja, and Index)

Badarayana's Brahma-Sutras are the aphorisms which systematize the teachings of the Upanishads. Sri Ramanuja, taking these Sutras to be 544 in number, elucidated them in his famous commentary, Sri-Bhashya, from a theistic standpoint. The present compendium in English of the Sri-Bhashya, is similar to an earlier on of Sri Shankara's commentary on the Brahma-Sutras by Swami Vireswarananda. The foreword presents a scholarly resume of the Sri-Bhashya. The Introduction contains an illuminating comparative study of the commentaries by Shankara, Ramanuja, Vallabha, Nimbarka, and Madhva. It concludes with a section drawing attention to the harmony underlying these different commentaries.

Preface

In 1936 was published my earlier work on the Brahma-Sutras according to Sankara's commentary, containing text, word-for-word literal rendering, running translation of the text made as literal as possible consistent with easy reading, and notes based on the main Bhasya of Sankara, and also on the Tikas on his Bhasya by his followers. The present volume is a similar edition of the Brahma-Sutras according to the Sri-Bhasya of Ramanuja, with the exception that it does not contain the word-for-word translation of the Sutras as in the earlier volume based on Sankara's commentary. The notes are based on the main Bhasya of Ramanuja, namely Sri-Bhasya, and also on his other two short commentaries-Vedanta-Sara and Vedanta-Dipa. The notes are also based on the various Tikas on Sri-Bhasya by later scholiasts of the Sri Ramanuja school. Upanisadic text occurring in the Sri-Bhasya quoted in the notes are rendered into English according to Dr. Thibaut's edition of the Sri-Bhasya (Sacred Books of the East Series) with slight adaptations.

Chapter I, II, and Section 1 and 2 of Chapter III appeared in Prabuddha Bharata in serial form earlier during the years 1938, 1954, and 1957 to 1960. Owing to pressure of work and later because of weakening of my eyesight it was not possible for me to complete the remaining portion of the Sri-Bhasya, namely, Sections 3 and 4 of Chapter III, and Chapter IV, which has been completed by Swami Adidevananda. I am happy he could complete it.

I have included in this volume a comparative study of the various commentaries on the Brahma-Sutras, Pointing out the difference in the interpretation of some of the main Sutras by different commentators. This also appeared serially in Prabuddha Bharata, 1953, from January to July.

I am thankful to Prof. S.S. Raghavachar for his learned Foreword and for having gone through the manuscript.

It is hoped that the present volume will be a fitting companion to my earlier work on the Brahma-Sutras based on Sankara's commentary, as also other Sanskrit works published by the Ramakrishna Order.