VEDANTA - PARIBHASA OF DHARMARAJA ADHVARINDRA Translated and Annotated by SWAMI MADHAVANANDA WitH A FoREWoRD BY Dr. S. N. DASGUPTA, C.I.E., M.A., Pu.D. (Cal. & Cantab.), D.Litt. (Hon. Rome) THE RAMAKRISHNA MISSION SARADA PITHA BELUR MATH, Dr. HOWRAHPublished by Swami VIMUKTANANDA, Secretary, Ramakrishna Mission Sarada Pitha, Belur Math, Dt. Howrah, Printed in India by K. C. Banerjee at the Modern Art Press, 3/2, Durga Pituri Lane, Calcutta.FOREWORD I congratulate most heartily Swami Madhav- ananda on his English translation of the Vedanta Paribhasa. I also appreciate the annotations that he has given. The Vedanta Paribhasa is an epistemological work on Sarnkara Vedanta as interpreted in the Vivarana school. The episte- mological implications of the Pafica-padika of Padmapada as interpreted in the Vivarana, had already been collected and worked out by Rama- dvaya in his Vedanta Kaumudi. The work has not yet been published. When we compare the contents of the Vedanta Kaumudi with those of the Vedanta Paribhasa of Dharmarajadhvarindra, the indebtedness of the latter appears to be so colossal that its claim to originality vanishes. There are also here and there traces of confusion which his son vainly tried to justify or to explain away in his commentary on the Vedanta Pari- bhasa. On the whole, this epistemological com- pendium on account of its brevity and lucidity of exposition has commended itself to the readers of Sathkara Vedanta. It is also interesting to notice that in accordance with the scheme of epistemology formulated in the Vivarana, the perceptual situation is taken in a realistic manner. Parts of it, however, are not fully developed, and important questions which could be raised regarding it have not been anticipated. This may be regarded as a hypercriticism, but it cannot be denied that there is much scope for