Brahma Sūtras

The Brahma Sūtras, also known as the Vedānta Sūtras (or Śārīraka and Bhikṣu-sūtras), are a foundational text of Vedānta philosophy synthesizing and harmonizing the teachings of the Upaniṣads.

Overview

Attributed to the sage Bādarāyaṇa (also identified with Vyāsa), the text was probably accumulated through incremental additions by various authors: its oldest version may date between 500 and 200 BCE, while the surviving form was completed around 400–450 CE. It consists of 555 aphoristic sutras arranged in four chapters. It addresses the nature of Brahman, the relationship between Brahman and the individual soul, and the path to liberation, arguing from a bhedābheda perspective that Brahman and ātman are different in some respects but non-different at the deepest level.

Content

The sutras engage with three key doctrines: the identity of ātman and Brahman, the world as a real manifestation of Brahman, and the means of attaining liberation through meditation and knowledge. Major commentators include Śaṅkara, Rāmānuja, and Madhva.

Significance

As the third pillar of Prasthānatraya (alongside the Upaniṣads and Bhagavad Gītā), the Brahma Sūtras define the boundaries of orthodox Vedānta interpretation.

Verification notes

Authorship is traditionally ascribed to Bādarāyaṇa. The dating remains debated among scholars.

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