“Glimpses of Vedanta” is a collection of a few short articles on different aspects of Hindu philosophy. These articles refer mostly to ancient scriptures like Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, and works of Sri Sankara. Considering the vastness and depth of Hindu philosophy, it is but natural that these short articles cannot explain such a complex subject in great details. The purpose of the book is to give the reader an exposure to certain fundamental concepts which are not usually presented in discourses. In all articles many references are provided in the hope that interested readers will pursue further study using these references.

The Indian philosopical heritage, particularly the advaita (non-dual) principle, is generally called Vedanta, so called due to its collective occurrence at the end of the great scriptures called the Veda-s. This text is a compilation of the weekly distributions through text and email to a small group of friends and relatives over a period of 5 years. The goal of this work is to introduce the principal sources of the Vedantic philosophy and to motivate the reader to study further this vast subject and also practice it in their daily lives. The prasthānatrayī (the set of trilogy of sources for philosophical journey) is generally considered as the fountainhead of the Vedānta philosophy. It consists of (1) the Upanishad-s (generally known as Śruti prasthāna, the set of revelations to the great sages as part of the four Veda-s; ṛk-, Yajur-, Sāma-, and Atharva-), (2) the Brahma Sūtrā-s (Nyāya prasthāna, logical set of axioms), and (3) the Bhagavad Gītā (Smriti prasthāna, part of remembered traditions). All the three parts of the trilogy are briefly covered in this text.

This introduction to the Madhva school of Vedanta is accessible to a wide audience with interest in Hinduism, Indian thought and in the comparative philosophy of religion. Deepak Sarma explores the philosophical foundations of Madhva Vedanta and then presents translations of actual debates between the Madhva and Advaita schools of Vedanta, thus positioning readers at the centre of the 700 year-old controversy between these two schools of Vedanta. Original texts of Madhvacarya are included in an appendix, in translation and in Sanskrit.

This book, A COLLECTION OF EXCERPTS FROM THE SCRIPTURES OF MAJOR WORLD RELIGIONS, consists of three major Parts. PART I (adopted from an earlier book by the author) pertains to major religions that originated in INDIA at different epochs of history; namely, HINDUISM, BUDDHISM, JAINISM, and SIKHISM. PART I I contains excerpts from the main scriptures of the three religions that originated in European and the Middle Eastern regions with their original roots in Prophet Abraham, namely, JUDAISM, CHRISTIANITY, And ISLAM. Thus, PART I contains excerpts from the Vedas and the Upanishads (Hinduism); the Dhammapad (Buddhism); the Agam (Jainism); and the Guru Granth Saheb (Sikhism.) A number of essays on the historical backgrounds, the leading figures and events, and their interrelations are also included for a deeper appreciation of the pertinent philosophies. PART II, similarly, contains excerpts from The Old Testament (Judaism) and The New Testament (Christianity) of the Bible, and the Koran (Islam), with a brief Introduction in each case. The main purpose of presenting this book is to illustrate the commonality of the Indian religions due to their common root Hinduism -- that came into being in India some 10-15 millennia ago, and was modified from time to time. These religions have coexisted peacefully and harmoniously for centuries and millennia, and have contributed much in the global spiritual development. In particular, Buddhism has been adopted in a significant portion of Asia (China, Japan, South-East Asia), and has been also attracting the intellectuals in the West in recent years. Interrelations among the other three religions are also evident due to their common root; though significant historical schisms and ideological differences among them are also well-known. As the world enters the Twentieth Century, it is imperative for world-peace that people across the globe try to understand one another better, in terms of the spiritual and religious beliefs, philosophies, mentalities, and traditional tendencies that shape their individual lives as well as their mutual interaction patterns. It is hoped that this book makes a small contribution in that direction.

The Brahma-siddhi, 'The Demonstration of Brahman' is Mandana Misra's largest work, his most important and the sole one dedicated as a whole to Vedanta. The topics occurring in the doctrine of this work which the present author intends to study here in this book are inter-related; they all have to deal with the nature and functioning of error, whether every-day error or the transcendental error, avidya, which makes us see the multiplicity of phenomena where there is nothing but the utter oneness of brahman. Thet also demonstrate the number of different sources upon which Mandana depended in erecting his own system. In spite of the number and variety of these sources Mandana created a system, the closed coherence of whose parts is a cause of admiration, even if one does not always accept his conclusions.Two appendices are also added to give a glimpse of Mandana Misra's date and his order of works. An exhaustive bibliography has been provided to facilitate the curiosity of readers. An index of important words has also been given.