Advaita: A Conceptual Analysis

For over a millennium, Shankara s advaitism: non-dualism, has been exposed to extensive discussion, debate, and even polemic. In modern times, it has often been viewed as a system of metaphysical thought, involving a set of several subtle, though interrelated, doctrines which all have the Upanishads at their base. But, wittingly or unwittingly, modern theoreticians/scholars tend to gloss over Shankara s acumen as a philosophical analyst though his interpretations of the Upanishadic writings have indisputably shown his uncommon, rather unrivalled, genius for logic and meticulous philosophical analysis. Professor Ramamurty s work is, thus, a departure from run-of-the-mill studies attempting, as it does, an indepth conceptual analysis of advaita vedanta. The book does not just present advaita as a system of metaphysical thought. It is essentially an off-beat effort seeking to philosophically analyse the concepts of Atman, Brahman, and the World which not only count among the fundamental concepts in the philosophic thought of the Upanishads, but also help capture the true meaning, profoundity, richness and beauty of Shankara s advaita itself. Also, in the specific contexts of Shankara s philosophy vis-a-vis the Upanishadic texts, Professor Ramamurty tries to explore, perhaps for the first time, the meaning and functions of language and the problem that stem from it. Highlighting Shankara s advaitism: his insistence on the oneness of Brahman, the book offers a unique philosophic representation of the Upanishadic vision, which the scholars of classical Indian philosophy and discerning readers would love to share alike.