Vedanta Classes

Vedānta classes are one of the principle activities of Adhyatma Vidya Mandir conducted by Pujya Swami Viditatmananda Saraswatiji for the last 40 years. Vedānta enables a person to develop a healthy appreciation of the world through a healthy understanding of one’s own experiences and of the nature of the world. Through the teachings on Vedānta, Pujya Swamiji brings to our attention the purpose behind all seeking, which is to be free from bondage, free from limitations. One becomes convinced that freedom from limitations is the goal of human life and knowledge alone is the means to attain this freedom. The knowledge of my true self as limitless is the only solution to all sorrow and unhappiness in life. For this knowledge one must seek shelter of a Guru, and of a Guru alone. A Guru, a teacher, who is not only well-versed with the scriptures, but also belongs to a lineage of Guruparampara, a succession of teachers and thereby can unfold the truth of one’s true nature as limitless. Representing such a Guruparampara, the Śānkara Guruparampara, Pujya Swamiji has been teaching Vedānta for last 40 years in Ahmedabad, Gujarat and other cities in India, as well as in foreign countries, with the sole objective of imparting the knowledge of self which is the only solution to all the sorrow and sense of inadequacy in one’s life.

A range of texts belonging to Vedānta comprised of the Prasthānatrayī: Upaniṣads, Bhagavad Gītā and Brahmasūtra, and Prakaraṇagranthas, as well as Purāṇa are taken up during the Vedānta classes. Pujya Swamiji selects the Vedānta texts to be studied during the Vedānta classes and expounds them with simplicity and in detail. The classes are held on a regular basis in the Ashram, as well as in different locations around the city. These classes are conducted both in English as well as in Gujarati. Pujya Swamiji unfolds each Vedānta text methodically in all of its details along with the Śānkara Bhāṣya and ṭikā. For years together seekers have taken advantage of these Vedānta classes, and the continuous process of śravaṇa, listening and manana, contemplating has enabled these seekers to gain clarity and firm their conviction.

Current Vedānta Classes

Brahmasūtra

ब्रह्मसूत्र Brahmasūtra

Brahmasūtra forms one of the 3 fundamental texts  of the Prasthanatrayee studied as part of the Vedanta study.  It gives us an insight that Jiva-Brahma Aikya alone is the purport of all the Upanisads. The individual self himself is Brahman.  Further the Upanisads do not disagree with each other, there is Samanvaya, congruity, consistency, and one truth alone is revealed through all these Upanisads.  The text is meant to resolve doubts based on reasoning and logic, and hence it is known in Shastra as Nyaya Prasthana. There are 5 aspects in Nyaya: Vishaya (subject matter of the sutra, particular mantra taken for deliberation or Vichara), Samshaya (to resolve doubt), Purva Paksha (when doubt is there, the opponents’ view is first presented), Uttar Paksha (doubt is resolved, siddhantin’ or Vedantin’s answer to the opponent), and Siddhanta (conclusion).  In this way Vichara or deliberation is carried out taking the particular mantra of the Upanisads which form the subject matter of discussion in a particular Adhikaranam.

The text is composed by Badarayanam, who is supposed to be VedaVyasa, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu.  The place of Brahmasutra is one of the most important.  The text is presented in the form of aphorisms or sutra.  Each sutra has a given mantra of an Upanisad in mind, and that forms the subject matter.  The text has a total of 555 sutra grouped under 191 topics which are called Adhikaranam. These Adhikaranam are included under the 4 chapters of the text.  Each chapter is called Adhyaya.  The 1st Chapter is called Samanvaya Adhyaya, and primarily establishes that there is consistency in what the Upanisads reveal: Jiva – Brahma Aikya.  The 2nd Chapter is Avirodha Adhyaya.  It establishes that there is no Virodha or contradiction to what the Upanisads has to says and what I experience.  The 3rd Chapter is called Sadhana Adhyaya where different forms of meditations are brought to discussion.  The 4th Chapter is called Phalam Adhyaya.  Here the 2 kinds of results, krama mukti and Sadyomukti are discussed.

On the Sutra, Ādi Śaṅkarācāryajī, Bhagavāna Bhasyakara has written a commentary known as Adhyasa Bhasya.  The commentary by Bhasyakar is known to be profound, Prasanna and Gambhira.  It is considered to be the most outstanding literature with the amount of depth presented.   Further upon the Bhasya, there are other commentaries.  Of these 3 principal commentaries are studied: Bhasya Ratnaprabha by Ramananda, Bhamati by Vachaspati Mishra, and Nyaya Nirnaya by Anandagiri, another disciple of Bhasyakar.  Upon these commentaries there are further more  commentaries  also written.  We find a commentary of Purnanandiya on the commentary of Ratnaprabha for the 1st 4 Sutra of Brahmasutra.

Of the whole text and of all sections, the 1st 4 sutra are most important.  Each of these 4 form an Adhikaranam, and these 4 sutras or topics essentially gives the idea of the entire principle of Vedanta.  Of these the 1st Sutra is in the form of preface to the entire Shastra, text, revealing the Anubandha Chatustaya: Vishaya (subject matter), Adhikari (audience), Prayojanam (purpose) and Sambandha (relation with the text and purpose), and thus establishes the need for the study of Brahmasutra.  The study of Prasthanatrayee is essential for every teacher, and so study of  Brahmasutra also becomes crucial for gaining the firm conviction of the vision of Vedanta.

NOTE: Currently the morning classes are suspended owing to Pujya Swamiji’s health recovery. Pujya Swamiji may resume the text upon his full recovery and depending on his physical capacity.  Please take the advantage of Pujya Swamiji’s evening lectures on Śrīmadbhagavadgītā with Śānkar Bhāsya, started on December 2nd, 2024.

Śrīmadbhagavadgītā with Śānkar Bhāsya

श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता  Śrīmadbhagavadgītā with Śānkar Bhāsya

Śrīmadbhagavadgītā forms one of the 3 fundamental texts of the Prasthānatrayī studied as part of the Vedanta study. It is a स्मृति प्रस्थान smṛti prasthāna text. Pujya Swamiji explains how Gita is the very nature of Bhagavan, and sung by Bhagavan himself. It is not created, it always abides in Bhagavan’s heart and manifested when Arjuna surrendered himself to Bhagavan and asks for a teaching that will pull him out of the grief and sorrow he was facing.

Arjuna is in the battlefield to fight a war against adharma. But because of wrong identity about himself, and because of attachment with all the relations associated with him, he is deluded and unable to discriminate on what is dharma and adharma in this situation. And he wants to withdraw from the war and adopt a lifestyle of a renunciate. At that time Bhagawan Krishna as though scolds him for expressing such weak emotions at this crucial point of battle. Then as though the mother comes to rescue, and the teaching of भगवद्गीता bhagavadgītā, flows through the mouth of Bhagavan Krishna. Therefore, this grantha is considered equivalent to Veda.

The tātparya, purport of Gita is to reveal that what is considered as Jiva, limited being, in reality is limitless, pūrṇa. According to भाष्यकार bhāṣyakāra, श्री आदि शंकराचार्य śrī ādi śaṁkarācārya, knowledge is the main topic of Gita, and Bhakti or Karma is the secondary topic. Karma and bhakti are the means for knowledge. While the Acharyas of bhakti interpret that bhakti is the main topic of Gita, and knowledge is the means for that bhakti. But Bhāṣyakāra believes the teachings of Gita commences from the verse 11 of Chapter 2, अशोच्यानन्वशोचस्त्वं प्रज्ञावादांश्च भाषसे । गतासूनगतासूंश्च नानुशोचन्ति पण्डिताः, and the teaching ends with Bhagavan’s words in Chapter 18, मा शुचः mā śucaḥ. Bhagavan commences his teaching saying Arjuna is grieving for those who need not be grieved upon.

Pujya Swamiji points out that in reality we alone are the cause of any happiness in our life, as well as any grief or sorrow that we experience in life. So here Arjuna is grieving for himself, that if all these, who are my relatives will be killed, then what about me! I am theirs, and they are mine, what will I do without them! How will I enjoy life without them! How will I have happiness in life after them being killed! This is the state of Arjuna’s mind. He is lamenting about his state upon his relatives being killed in the battle. Pujya Swamiji again points out that any happiness or unhappiness that anyone experiences in life is on account of oneself. One’s identity about oneself.

Arjuna for the first time realizes that Bhagavan alone is capable of getting him out of that grief, and surrenders himself to Bhagavan. He accepts Bhagavan to be his Guru, and makes himself available as a śiṣya. And thus commences the teaching of Gita to Arjuna, and through Arjuna, the entire mankind. The purport of Gita is to remove the grief of mankind, through the fundamental error we are committing. How we are wrongly taking ourself to be other than what we truly are, and all our relations and communications are also affected by this fundamentally wrong foundation about ourselves, about the world and about Iśvara. Through Gita, Bhagavan unfolds our true nature, and Bhāṣyakāra brings out the subtle understanding of each verse, with the purport of the entire Gita and the shastras in mind. As per the commentary by Anandagiriji Maharaj the entire Gita is an unfoldment of the ‘tat tvam asi’ mahāvākya, revealing the identity between jīva, the individual and Iśvara. The first 6 chapters unfold the ‘Tvam’ padārtha, the svarupa of jīva, the second 6 chapters unfolds the ‘Tat’ padārtha, the svarupa of Iśvara, and the last 6 chapters unfolds the ‘asi’ padārtha, with primarily Ch.13-15 unfolding the identity between Jiva and Isvara, Ch.16 and Ch.17 on the adhikārītvam, and Ch.18 on tyāga and conclusion. Gita is one such shastra, where Bhagavan not only unfolds the knowledge but also the means to knowledge, and thus the teachings of Bhagavad Gita are indispensable to understand and be able to enjoy our life.

Pujya Swamiji, through these Pravachanas on Gita Śānkara Bhāṣya, brings out his assimilated knowledge, and points out how our opinions and judgements dictate our interaction with the society. That we do not have freedom in not reacting. Our efforts should be in changing our opinions and being non-judgemental. Then the reactions will also gradually be minimized. These subtleties about life one can gain only through such a Mahatma who is an embodiment of knowledge, love, compassion and simplicity. Only when approached with humility, we the seekers also can gain what Pujya Swamiji offers, and can own up the vision of Gita, the vision of Vedanta, just as Pujya Swamiji has absorbed it through his life’s activities and his personality.

Pujya Swamiji unfolds this text in Gujarati, and the classes are held at the Tattvatirtha Ashram every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday evening between 7 to 8pm.

Schedule of the current Vedānta classes :

Discourses in Gujarati

श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता Śrīmadbhagavadgītā with Śānkar Bhāsya
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday: Evening 7 to 8 pm; Tattvatirtha Ashram