Brahma Sutras

This is not my words.

Chandogya Upanishad, one of the ancient, it's part of the Vedas, Prastantrayi, the three ultimate authorities in our scriptures, the Upanishad, the Bhagavad Gita, and Brahma Sutras.

It said as much space is outside, that's much space is within the heart.

And it said therefore you should inquire within.

The wisdom and foresight which Nyaneshwar displayed in selecting the Gita for his commentary deserve the highest praise.

Deeply versed in all the Vedic lore, he could have selected the Brahma Sutras or any of the difficult Upanishads for his discourse.

In selecting the Gita, he might have been guided by his devotion to Sri Krishna.

Perhaps he was following, consciously or unconsciously, the trend of the national mind, which it was his mission in part to arouse.

Where you take the path of bhakti or of, uh, performing karma or jnana.

Each of these schools have their own study and literature, right? If you read about, uh, the Jnana Marga, they talk of the Brahma Sutras where they say, "Athato Brahma Jijnasa."

Mm.

That speaks of the qualifications that are required for you to become a Brahma Jijnasi.

And then there is the philosophical side of it called Nyaya Prasthana, which is the logical side of it.

The text there is the Brahma Sutras, the sutras on Brahman.

So this everybody knows.

When you study Vedanta, the foundational, um, texts are these three.

Uh, the collection of texts called the Upanishads, Shruti Prasthana.

The text called the Bhagavad Gita, Smriti Prasthana.

And the text called the Brahma Sutras, Nyaya Prasthana.

Everybody knows Prasthana Traya, triple foundations of Vedanta.

The wisdom and foresight which Jnaneshwar displayed in selecting the Gita for his commentary deserve the highest praise.

Deeply versed in all the Vedic lore, he could have selected the Brahma Sutras or any of the difficult Upanishads for his discourse.

In selecting the Gita, he might have been guided by his devotion to Sri Krishna, Perhaps he was following, consciously or unconsciously, the trend of the national mind, which it was his mission in part to arouse.

The Gita has a peculiar fascination for the leaders, especially in times of national awakening.

An expert in that line, like Prasad, will be able to explain that, because I'm not that much of an expert in the Patanjali pattern because for me, uh, it has never enchanted me to study that.

Because mo- for me, more of the Upanishad and the Gita met-- uh, Brahma Sutra method has been, you know, answering my requirements.

So, to answer you whether it is asamprajnata and samprajnata, I will not be able to say.

But from what you asked the question, the intellect, which is when it is not having the duality, where everything is abiding in the consciousness or awareness, is what is the first.

Yes.

So, uh, like my previous, the Introduction to, uh, the Philosophy of the Brahma Sutra, uh, that I think we also did a episode o- on your podcast, this book started as a dissertation, um, at University of Chicago.

It's really the bulk of the dissertation finally coming out after, what, eight years now since I've sort of received a degree for that.

Um, so the first book was, uh, I drew material on two chapters and part of the introduction, but then eight chapters were left, and, uh, uh, finally I sort of managed somehow to bring that to book, um, mo- monograph publication.

John Tabor had done that.

He has a paper called "Kumarila the Vedantin" with a question mark.

But I think part of the story shows that, well, he-- yes, we-- he was-- he clearly read, read the Brahma Sutra.

He must have read some commentaries on that.