The Philosophy of the Bhagavadgita

by S.M. Srinivasa Chari

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This scholarly work presents a comprehensive and authentic exposition of the philosophy of the Bhagavadgita as enshrined in the original text. This book is written in consideration of the commentaries of Samkara, Ramanuja and Madhva.

In the first part of the book, Dr. Chari offers an indepth study of selected and critical verses from each adhyaya and discusses their philosophical implications with particular reference to the Vedanta doctrines and connected issues advanced by the commentators.

This analytical and comparative study helps to understand how some of the basic tenets of Vedanta embedded in the Gita are explained differently by the commentators and also to assess the extent to which these are actually reflected in the original text.

In the second part, the author has attempted to consolidate the various philosophical, theological and ethical ideas scattered throughout the Gita and reconstructed them into coherent doctrines under three broad headings: Tattvas covering Paramatman, Jivatman and Jagat; sadhana comprising karma-yoga, jnana-yoga and bhakti-yoga; and parama-purusartha.

In the final chapter, Dr. Chari examines dispassionately the views of the commentators on these theories and comes to the conclusion with sufficient textual authority that some of the tenets of Samkara and also Madhva do not fully conform to the teachings of the Gita. This book, which is the first of its kind, throws new light on the philosophy of the Gita.

About the Author:

S.M. Srinivasa Chari is a Vedanta scholar trained by eminent traditional teachers. He did his Ph.D. from University of Madras.