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Vedanta
(Sanskrit veda,"knowledge"; anta,"end"),
one of the six orthodox philosophies of Hinduism, chiefly concerned with
knowledge of Brahman, the universal supreme pure being. Vedanta is based
on the speculative portion of late Vedic literature, primarily the
treatises known as Aranyakas and Upanishads.
Differing Indian
traditions ascribe the first truly Vedantic manuals, the Vedanta sutras
(also called Brahma sutras), to two semi legendary figures: the
philosopher Badarayana (circa 4th century BC), and a vaguely identifiable
sage named Vyasa. To the latter these same traditions also ascribe
definitive compilations of the Vedas, as well as a compilation of the
later epic poem Mahabharata. Most modern scholars, without totally
rejecting the traditions, state that the Sanskrit name Vyasa
("arranger" or "collector,") has been applied to many
ancient Hindu authors and compilers.
Whoever first
formulated the Vedanta set down its teachings in aphorisms so pithy that
they are virtually unintelligible without the aid of interpretation.
Different interpretations have given rise to numerous schools of Indian
philosophy, the most important being Advaita, or nondualism, founded by
the Hindu philosopher and theologian Shankaracharya.
"Vedanta,"
Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2000
http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2000 Microsoft Corporation. All rights
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