Vedanta literally means the end of knowledge. It indicates a culmination of Upanishadistic thought. The schools of the Vedanta offer an interesting perspective and an idea of how the current beliefs of the Hindu religion have come into existence.

Hindu Philosophy starts with the Vedas and ends somewhere very far from it. This situation is a result of the accomadating nature the religion has come to acquire. In many instances, celebrated systems of Indian Philosophy, like Buddhism and Carvaka have been recognised as 'Hindu' despite their atheist nature and outright contempt of the Vedas. Many of the philosophical systems do not at all deal with metaphysics. But the Vedanta, the last of the systems to come into existence has metaphysics as its chief aim.

The other systems of Hindu philosophy include the Nyaya, the Mimamsa, the Sankhya, and the Yoga.

The Vedanta system owes its existence to the Vedanta Sutras written around the 4^th century AD. They were a condensed commentary on the Upanishads, a series of books written by the saints to explain the Vedas to the commonfolk. The Upanishads were themselves written between the 2^nd century BC and the 2^nd century AD.

By the 7^th century, there were various opinions on the exact nature of thought propounded by the Vedanta sutras, and each school justified its view based on some of the verses. The extreme brevity of the Sutras gave rise to a host of possible interpretations. Scholars began writing their own commentaries on the Vedanta Sutras and hence you have a division based on ideology, but all the divided schools, sometimes even contradictory derive their systems from the Vedanta Sutra.

Despite the improbility of such a derivation containing elements of wisdom, the systems of Vedanta do give a strong emphasis on logic and many of their conclusions are indeed logical and thought-provoking. One cannot help but relate to the concepts in light of his own belief system. The systems represent India's response to the tides of monotheism sweeping towards the country towards the end of the 1^st millenium AD.

I consider them inferior to the more organised thought presented in the Indian Literary Period when the Nyaya and the Sankhya were postulated. At the same time, i suggest this reading to anyone who wishes to gain an understanding of Indian religious thought as we see it today.

In general, scriptural evidence is the most authentic means of knowledge, the scriptures being the Vedas, the Upanishads and the Vedanta Sutra. Perception and Logical inference are considered to be valid but are subordinate. This includes the commentaries given by proponents of individual systems. For avoiding complexity, i omit names of the founders and proponents of various systems. I only discuss their essential features. Should you feel to discuss any of the concepts or comment on my views, do mail me.

Advaita Vedānta (Non-dualism) is the most influential school of all. According to this school of Vedānta, Brahman is the only reality, and the world, as it appears, is illusory. As Brahman is the sole reality, it cannot be said to possess any attributes whatsoever. Ignorance of this reality is the cause of all suffering in the world and only upon true knowledge of Brahman can liberation be attained.

Maya, the illusion has a three-fold effect. One, Brahman appears as God, a separate God when in reality, there is no difference between the individual soul and God. Two, we identify ourselves as distinct from other souls, when we are actually one with them. And Three, we identify ourselves with our body, when we have little to do with it.

Liberation lies in knowing the reality of this non-difference. It is easy to see where Advaita takes us. By giving up our identity as the body, we wont fear disease, old age and death.  By giving up our identity as a separate soul, we avoid anger and hatred towards other beings.

The example of the rope and the snake illustrates the concept of maya. On a darkened road, a man sees a snake; his heart pounds, his pulse quickens. But, on closer inspection, the snake turns out to be a piece of coiled rope. Once the delusion breaks, the snake vanishes.

Similarly, on the path of ignorance, we see ourselves as mortal creatures, and around us, the universe of name and form, the universe conditioned by time, space, and causation. We become aware of our limitations, bondage, and suffering. On "closer inspection" both the mortal creature as well as the universe turn out to be Brahman. Once the delusion breaks, our mortality as well as the universe disappear forever. We see Brahman existing everywhere and in everything.

Dvaita Vedanta, coming up this December (inshallah)