Swami Vivekananda’s Practical Vedanta

· 2 min read

/Via Swami Sarvapriyananda’s book - What is Vedanta

Swami Vivekananda taught Vedanta as a philosophy of life for all, and called it practical Vedanta. Vedanta has always been practical, and only then a philosophy. It is meant not just for a few monks or pandits, but for everyone who aspires to a high, noble and fulfilling life. The way to enlightenment is not only through philosophical inquiry, but also through meditation, love, and selfless service. Karma, bhakti and yoga, all of which we had left by the wayside, we now accept them back in.

So, finally, what is Vedanta?

  1. Vedanta is the core philosophy of the various sects of Hinduism.
  2. It is the highest teachings of the Vedas, it is the cutting edge of knowledge.
  3. Vedanta is Upanishad pramanam. It is the texts called the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita and the Brahma Sutras and all the schools that follow from these.
  4. Vedanta is not a journey in space or time or an object - it is a journey from ignorance to knowledge.
  5. Vedanta is distinct from rituals, devotion and meditation - karma, or bhakti and dhyana.
  6. Vedanta is Tat tvam asi ‘that thou art’, and all that follows from it.
  7. Finally in its most broad and magnificent declaration in the world today, Vedanta is Swami Vivekananda’s conception of oneness of existence and the divinity within, expressed as practical Vedanta.

#vedanta #swami-vivekananda #practical-vedanta