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Introduction
The most characteristic system of thought coming out of India has always been Vedanta, the philosophy of Self-realization rooted in the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita. The Vedantic message of the unity of Atman and Brahman, the individual and the universal, is the prime message of all Indic thought. The great sages behind the modern Hindu renaissance and the independence of modern India since Vivekananda were all inspired primarily by Vedanta and looked back to Vedantic texts for their guidance. The prevalence of the Gita as one of humanity’s greatest and most popular books is owing to its profound Vedantic message. India in its essence is the land of Vedanta, which is the land of the Atman, the Supreme Self, symbolized by its towering Himalayan peaks.
Why has Vedanta been so important and central to the Indic tradition? It is because Vedanta is the science of Self-realization, the way of Self-knowledge through which we can transcend the external world and realize the One Being-Consciousness-Bliss that is the foundation and goal of all life. Vedanta provides us with the wisdom and the skill to realize the absolute, in which we can go beyond all churches, governments and social institutions. Because of this background Vedantic view of universality and transcendence no single organized religion or belief, even Buddhism, could come to dominate India and why spiritual experience was always placed above outer religious forms. Because of Vedanta living gurus were always made more important than old books or even than the sages of old.
Author - David Frawley
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