Subject: Re: vedanta
From: Sundeep Dougal (holden@giasdl01.vsnl.net.in)
Date: Fri Feb 04 2000 - 16:31:23 EST
To add to Ed's much needed mirth-inducing list, I somehow like the idea of
_The Pedantic Vedantic_.
Nah, seriously, I haven't read ANY of the original (I do mean the
translated) texts in full and at best have read a, well, miscellany - and
once very stodgily ploughed through the two-volume _Indian Philosophy_ by
S.Radhakrishnan which offers a good enough overview of almost all the
schools of philosophy of India since the time of the Rig Veda. Very
comprehensive and detailed commentary & overview on Advaita.
_Ten Principal Upanishads_ by the same author is supposed to be the best
translation available, but I haven't been able to read beyond the long
introduction, and some browsing.
There is one slim book with selections from the Upanishads translated by
Yeats and one of the swami types which is at least not stilted and dense,
and I can look up the details, if you are interested.
JDS' references are to Advaita Vedanta, and because he studied at the
Ramakrishna Mission (the same centre's also on the web), his references are
primarily to the publications of this particular Mission, and therefore to
its own mutation of Samkara's Advaita - it's best described as the
Ramakrishna Mission take on Advaita Vedanta.
I have got some of those books and can look up references, if you are
interested. One which comes to mind, which is very accessible is Advaita
Ashram's "Vedanta: Voice of Freedom" which is a compilation of his words on
the subject from his 8 volume Complete Works and covers almost all of
S:AI/Zooey references. Based on my very limited reading, I'd suggest this
first, and then the relevant chapter in Radhakrishnan's Indian Philosophy,
Vol 2.
And, THEN, perhaps, if you are still interested, on to the Upanishads...
Otherwise, even with a good commentary, they can at best be confusing, if
not downright infuriatingly obsure and open to all sorts of interpretations.
But still it is not as maddening as reading, say, the cant of Kant in
translation. But perhaps each is worse than the other at various points.
This is sort of rushed and I think that a very detailed yet succinct
description and differentiation between the Vedic & the Vedantic, theology &
philosophy perhaps is required for the FAQ (though, like Bruce, I too don't
think it has any key, as such) but not feeling upto it -- been to two
funerals in the last three days, and a sudden power break-down for 7 hours
at a stretch.
Sonny
who loved Bruce's reading-list, and thinks he has much to catch up on.
Last book finished: The Romantics (Pankaj Mishra)
Last Salinger title: Don't remember, but I think Heart of a Broken Story
Current Book: How do I name something like 20? But last I do remember being
in the middle of, just when God had made an appearance: a re-read after
many years of Greene's _End of the Affair_
And to whoever mentioned the Varioni Brothers - thanks for this reminder. I
think that's what I'd go read now.
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