17 votes
Accepted

What are all doctrines or philosophies discussed in Brahma Sutra?

Here are the main philosophical schools discussed by Vyasa in the Brahma Sutras (which you can read here: Vedanta: The Brahma Sutras are the defining text of Vedanta school, so in some sense all the ...
Keshav Srinivasan's user avatar
16 votes
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Is Maya superior to Brahman as per Advaita philosophy?

Maya can never be supreme as it operates only in Vyavaharik level. According to Advaita there are three levels of reality: Paramarthika Satyam Vyavaharik Satyam Pratibhasik Satyam In Vyavaharika ...
Tezz's user avatar
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12 votes
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Why did Vedvyasa mention his shishya Jaimini's opinion/saying in Brahma Sutra?

It's because Vyasa and Jaimini were working together. Vyasa and two of his disciples, Jaimini and Kasakritsna, together composed a unified work called the Mimamsa Shastra, designed to analyze the ...
Keshav Srinivasan's user avatar
11 votes

How many people have written commentaries on Brahma Sutras?

There are at least 34 commentaries. Let me try to enumerate as many commentaries as I can. Note that I'm only naming one commentary from each commentator, even if they wrote multiple. And for the ...
Keshav Srinivasan's user avatar
10 votes

From which scripture does Adi Shankara quote about Maheswara shaping name and forms of all beings from the words of Veda?

This quote with slight variation is present in Chapter 7, Purvabhaga of Kurma Purana. अव्ययं च व्ययं चैव द्वयं स्थावरजङ्गमम्। तेषां ये यानि कर्माणि प्राक् सृष्टेः प्रतिपेदिरे॥ ६४॥ तान्येव ते ...
The Destroyer's user avatar
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10 votes

Do the Devas not actually eat or drink?

The verse is actually there in the ChAndogya Upanishad (CU). CU 3.6.1 states: Tad yat prathamamritam tad vasava upajivantyAgninA mukhena | na vai deva asnanti na pivantyeadevAmritam drishtvA ...
Rickross's user avatar
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9 votes
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What scriptures describe Brahma's son Sanatkumara being reborn as Shiva's son Kartikeya?

The 37th Chapter of the Mahatmya Kanda of the Tripura Rahasya details the story of Sanatkumara incarnating as Kartikeya. Lord Dattatreya relates the story of Lord Muruga to Parashurama, listening to ...
Surya's user avatar
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9 votes

Why does the Jiva reside in Brahman during deep sleep?

It is explained in the Chhandogya Upanishad - Aadhyaya-6, Khanda-8. What is the Sushupti actually and why do we experience it?: उद्दालको हारुणिः श्वेतकेतुं पुत्रमुवाच स्वप्नान्तं मे सोम्य विजानी...
Pandya's user avatar
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9 votes

Interpreting Bhagavad Gita verse 8.16

A literal interpretation of the Gita 8.16 would be disastrous since it would contradict Sruti. We know from Manu Smriti that when there is any difference between Sruti and Smriti then Sruti will ...
Pradip Gangopadhyay's user avatar
8 votes
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Does Ramanujacharya believe that inhabitants of Brahmaloka attain Moksha when they die?

Ramanujacharya is not stating his own view. Rather, he is stating a Purvapaksha argument which Badari refutes in the next Sutra (Sutra 9). Here is how this PDF presents Ramanujacharya's commentary on ...
Keshav Srinivasan's user avatar
8 votes
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What scriptures describe scorpions born from cow dung?

This information is present in Chapter 7 of Upodghāta Pada, Brahmānda Purana. In this chapter, the birth of many creatures is described. Birth of scorpions is also mentioned. जन्तवस्तुरगादिभ्यो वि...
Sarvabhouma's user avatar
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8 votes

From which scripture does Adi Shankara quote about Maheswara shaping name and forms of all beings from the words of Veda?

There are three variants of this Shloka available: Vishnu Purana 1.5, Linga Purana 1.70, and Kurma Purana 1.7. The Vishnu Purana quote is: nāmarūpaṃ ca bhūtānāṃ kṛtyānāṃ ca prapañcanam / (63.1) ...
Triyugi Narayan Mani's user avatar
8 votes
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Are the Vedanta Sutras Smriti or Shruti?

From Manu Smriti 2.10: Srutis tu vedo vigneyo dharmashAstram tu vai smriti | OR By Sruti is meant the Veda and by Smritis are meant the Dharma ShAstras. So, the VedAnta Sutras is a Darshana ...
Rickross's user avatar
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8 votes

Why is it believed Brahma Sutras were written by Rishi Ved Vyasa?

The possible explanation of your question is provided by author of the book Vedanta-Darshan (Brahma Sutra) Harikrishna Das Goyandaka by Gita Press. In his introduction of the book , the author is ...
SwiftPushkar's user avatar
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8 votes
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Where can I find a good comparitive study of the prasthana trayi commentaries?

Following are some books on Brahma Sutra comprising analysis of principal commentaries of Adi Shankaracharya (Advaita), Sri Ramanujacharya (Vishishtadvaita and Madhvacharya (Dvaita) available on ...
Pandya's user avatar
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7 votes

Which Upanishads are quoted in sage Vyasa's Brahma Sutras?

Although Brahma Sutras are very concise 555 aphorisms and they do not themselves mention from where they are taken. However they can be traced to 13 Upanishads as I also mention in my answer here ...
Tezz's user avatar
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7 votes

Are there any surviving quotes from Baudhayana's commentary on the Brahma Sutras?

Yes, Ramanujacharya quotes from Baudhayana's Vritti several times.. First of all, in this section his commentary on Adhyaya 1 Pada 1 Sutra 1 of the Brahma Sutras, Ramanujacharya gives two quotes from ...
Keshav Srinivasan's user avatar
7 votes

Why does the Pancharatra Agamas contradict the Vedanta Sutras?

As per the Pancharatra Agamas which are followed by the Sri Vaishnava community, there is no restriction for followers and learners based on varna. Shudras even serve as priests in the Vaishnava ...
Keshav Srinivasan's user avatar
6 votes

What does Brahma sutras say about Susupti state?

The Jiva dwells in Brahman during deep sleep.. In this section of his Brahma Sutra Bhashya, Adi Shankaracharya says that even though the Upanishads speak of the Jiva dwelling in the veins or ...
Keshav Srinivasan's user avatar
6 votes

From which scripture does Adi Shankara quote about Maheswara shaping name and forms of all beings from the words of Veda?

Here is a verse that's only found in the Southern recension of the Shanti Parva of the Mahabharata that's almost identical to the verse given by Adi Shankaracharya: nānārūpaṃ ca bhūtānāṃ karmaṇāṃ ...
Keshav Srinivasan's user avatar
6 votes
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Where can I read online the Vedanta Sutras along with commentaries of Ramanujacharya, Adi Shankaracharya and Madhvacharya in English?

1. Here is the link of The Vedanta-sutras, with the Sri-bhashya of Shree Ramanujacharya : You can Download as well as can read the book Online. 2. Here is the link of The Vedanta Sutras with ...
SwiftPushkar's user avatar
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6 votes
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How many Brahma Sutras are there?

In his Introduction to his translation of Ramanuja's Sri Bhasya, Swami Vireswarananda writes (p xxviii): It has already been stated that the Sutra literature, owing to its extreme brevity of ...
Swami Vishwananda's user avatar
6 votes
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Is initiation/diksha carried over to the next birth?

Krishna answers this in Gita chapter 6, verses 37-45. The Lord says (Swami Nikhilananda translator): Arjuna said: A man who is endowed with faith, but not with steadfastness, and whose mind has ...
Swami Vishwananda's user avatar
6 votes

How many sages are referred to in the badrayana vyasa's Brahma sutras?

Here are all the figures that Vyasa names in the Brahma Sutras other than himself (using the Sutra numbering here) Jaimini: He's mentioned 17 times, starting in Adhyaya 1 Pada 2 Sutra 28: ...
Keshav Srinivasan's user avatar
6 votes
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Why is it believed Brahma Sutras were written by Rishi Ved Vyasa?

According to Kanchi Paramacharya (Chandrashekarendra Saraswati) too, Veda Vyasa and Badarayana are the same person. He mentions about this in this chapter of the book called "Hindu Dharma", which is ...
Rickross's user avatar
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5 votes
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What commentary on the Brahma Sutras does the Saiva Siddhanta Church support?

The Saiva Siddhanta Church doesn't subscribe to the Brahma Sutras. I emailed the editors of Hinduism Today, the popular magazine published by the Saiva Siddhanta Church. They replied that unlike ...
Keshav Srinivasan's user avatar
5 votes
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What arguments Adi Shankara makes to claim that Supreme is devoid of any attributes?

Sri Shankaraacharya discusses the nature of the Supreme in Brahma Sutra Bhasya. Brahman is only formless to be sure, for that is the dominant mode (of the Upanishad teaching). Brahman is ...
Pradip Gangopadhyay's user avatar
5 votes

What arguments Adi Shankara makes to claim that Supreme is devoid of any attributes?

Supreme is beyond all of the things and attributes. However it is not wrong to say him Satcitananda. (as I've discussed for this question when OP asked it is neither called sat nor asat and my reply ...
Pandya's user avatar
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