Book Reviews

Brahmasutra Shankarabhashyam Chatussutri Tr. and Commentary by Swami Shuddhabodhananda Saraswati. Published by Sri Visweswar Trust, A-203, Parijat, Lallubhai Park Road (West) Extn., Mumbai-400 056.

E-mail: sssbvt@gmail.com. 2017, hardbound, pp.406. Donation per copy Rs.500 (India) $ 18 (overseas) postage extra. https://rubhuvasishtha.wordpress.com Book Reviews

It is a rare good fortune to get unasked-for a highly scholarly and at the same time mathematically precise book for review. The translator informs us that there are as many as 150 commentaries on the Brahmasutas and many commentaries on the Chatussutri ShankaraBhashya. The speciality of this commentary is that there are as many as 72 captions with further sub-titles which makes the difficult subject easily comprehensible. There is also a detailed table of contents and an exhaustive multiple index for quick access to topics of choice. Apart from the chapters dealing with Adyasa Bhasya and the four chapters dealing with the first four sutras of the Brahmasutras, there is a Preface and an Introduction in the beginning and Summing up with epilogue in the end. The main text of the commentary has the Brahmasutra and the Shankarabhashya in Devanagari script, followed by English translation in bold letters and the commentary by the author in English. The extremely informative Introduction provides a concise description of Vedanta and Brahmamimamsa. It gives the correct perspective on the authorship, significance of prasthana-trayam, the importance of chatussutri, the gamut of Vedanta with the role of Brahmasutrasas elaborated by Madhusudana Saraswati in his Vedanta-Kalpalatika, the methods of reasoning employed in Brahmasutras, and the appropriateness of the Adyasa Bhashya. The bhashya with its translation and commentary have been classified under topicwise captions. This enables the subject matter to be grasped easily, especially where the bhashya is too lengthy. Most of the standard scriptures on the Vedanata like the Brahmasutras, commentaries and works of Shankaracharya and other great Vedantic acharyas, do not present the matter topic-wise with captions. The commentator has set a new trend which, I am sure, will have revolutionary effect on the future works on Vedanta.

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Another feather in the cap is the last chapter: Summing up. It is a brief and clear summary of all the chapters including the Introduction which helps the reader to recapitulate what he has already read. This chapter also includes Epilogue which deals specially with the scriptural texts which show the experiential nature of Brahmajnana and its essential constituents. Many Sanskrit terms used in Vedanta have no equivalent words in English. Hence at most places the original Sanskrit terms are used along with their English equivalents or with explanations, at places even at the risk of repetition or of lengthening the sentence. Most of the vague terms of Vedanta are clearly defined. The learned translator Swami has many other works, both books as well as MP3 audio CD, to his credit, a list of which is provided at the end of this volume. On going through this volume one is strongly tempted to listen to his scholarly audio CDs and get enriched, both spiritually and intellectually. Once Sri Ramakrishna had commented: ‘What is the gist of Vedanta? Isn’t it “Brahman is true and the world is unreal?” Then give up the unreal world and hold on to Brahman.’ One has just to hold on to one of the many prakriyas explained in the Epilogue and get direct Brahmanubhuti. For an uttam adhikari or highly qualified aspirant, Bramajnana is so simple! The philosophical extensions are for those who find this simple process too difficult!! ____________________ SWAMI BRAHMESHANANDA, VARANASI