Introduction to Vedanta

Condition matched what was advertised.

Swami Dayananda is a true Guru. Total authority on Advaita Vedanta.

I enjoyed Swami Dayananda's writing style and ability to present the material in a contemporary manner

A wonderful book!

This book was a gift from my surgeon who happens to be well versed on the vedas and such. It is well written, allowing the average reader to understand in a step by step manner, the simple concept of vedanta. A must read for the reader who is inquisitive and looking for peace.

I may be biased against philosophies of this type. There is nothing practical about this and nothing I can apply to my life to live it more successfully, i.e., getting along better with people, doing a better job at work, etc. I look for practicality and this has none.

What makes human beings do what they do? What are we in search of? What is our nature, or the nature of our being? What marks the culmination of the human journey? Questions such as these are as old as humanity itself. But cogent arguments, brilliant expositions and firm answers are few.Hinduism embodies deep philosophies that are entrenched in daily lives of Hindus. The Vedas are vast and Hinduism is a panorama with extremely diverse customs, seeming contradictory worldviews, many languages, well evolved music and art forms and rigorous linguistics. Is there a fundamental worldview that has given birth to such a colorful culture? That worldview is Vedanta.Unfolding the subtle topic of Vedanta requires mastery over language and communication. In this book, Swami Dayananda Saraswati's use of words is deliberate and the language is simple. He follows several cardinal rules related to communication, such as:- Avoid using a word that has ambiguous interpretations or baggage.- Never use a new word without defining it.- Use adjectives cautiously.Even many scholars unwittingly succumb to violations of these rules, thereby making the reader unconsciously stack concepts on top of each other, giving a false sense of scholarship.In this book, Swami Dayananda Saraswati systematically demolishes many common notions. For example, is the culmination of the human journey an achievement of a state of experience or the gaining of knowledge or both? Swami Dayananda Saraswati's exposition truly illuminates the hidden mantra of ancient Indian texts - "Self Knowledge". Does God Exist? Swami Dayananda Saraswati demonstrates the fallacy in this statement: God itself needs definition. Answer: That which exists - always was, always is and always will be - is the Hindu vision of the whole. The knowledge of the world and God is transformed into the knowledge of self - hence offering a most promising journey of self-enquiry.Eastern thought has been purposely branded by British colonial administrators and scholars as mystical and esoteric and therefore dismissed as above-reason or other-worldly. One hearing of Swami Dayananda Saraswati's writing will demonstrate that such observations are based on flawed perspectives or preconceived notions.Without resorting to complex visualizations and images, the author engages the human intellect in analyzing human experiences with great skill, a dexterity that is only matched by the magnificence of the knowledge unfolded.In short, Swami Dayananda Saraswati unfolds the millennia old basic question of "What is the Fundamental Human Problem", thereby drastically altering one's (limited) view of oneself.

This slim volume contains so much in it that I have now read it five times and continued to derive value from it. Based on talks given by Swami Dayananda at the start of a three-year course for aspirants, this is not just a book about Vedanta. This book is Vedanta in action. This difference? True Vedanta leads one to a direct experience of the Self, while a book that is merely about Vedanta would simply describe the philosophy.The language used here is highly accessible. Dayananda intentionally avoids vague or loaded terms - like "spirituality" and "enlightenment" - and instead focuses on carefully articulating what he convincingly describes as "the fundamental problem", which is that we all pursue security and pleasure when our deeper need is to contact our true nature which is adequate, whole, complete, limitless. Dayananda explains that limited actions and achievements by nature can never lead us to unlimited being. Only knowledge can. He then goes on the share this knowledge for anyone with an open mind to receive. A true gift.

Read it leisurely - it’s heavy to understand but re reading each page is useful

The book is a clear explanation of the meaning of vedanta, as the way the VEDAS guide us to know what are we really. Someone just interested in understand the methods we use to get knowledge will like to read also this book.. The place of words and indirect or direct knowledge is presented and explained. Very worthwhile reading it

Very good book.

Recommended to the learners of Vedanta and those who want to learn about a well established life style ... It gives the basic knowledge of what life is according the Vedas (ending of the Vedas i.e. Vedanta)...

for learning about vedanta - it will give you a very good basic understanding - this was recommended to me but as i practice insight meditation i found it slightly confusing and feel i need to stick to what i know - this says the same thing but in a differnt way