Vedanta in Practice*

SWAMI GAMBHIRANANDA
(Translated by Shotir!ishore "hatter#ee$ At the ot set it is nec es sary to be e%
&licit on one &oint' (i)e oth ers I too a* a st + dent o, Vi-e)ananda lite r a tre'
There + ,ore I can not clai* that I ha-e ,lly n der stood the i*& ort o,
Vi-e)ananda.s /riti n0s' As sch it is in e- i ta ble that there /old be -a0e ness
and in co* &leten ess in /hat I a* 0o in0 to say' Also1 at &rese nt I a* not in a &os i
tion to de -ote as *ch ti*e and &t in as *ch hard /or) as /old be re 2ired to
do #s tice to all as &ects o, this -ast sb #ect'
Acharya Shan)ara and S/a*i Vi-e)ananda It /as the all+&er -a si-e ness and &er,
ec + tion o, Brah *anthat /ere ta)en & by S/a*i Vi-e)ananda as the bas is to ,or
*l ate his 0id in0 &hil os o &hy o, li,e and &ro0ra**e o, so cial & li,t1 or in other
/ords1 the ,ra*e /or) o, his 3Prac ti cal Vedanta.' The ear lier *as ters had said and
del ib er ated a 0ood deal abot this Brah *an' It is nec ess ary to co*& reh end in
/hat res &ects S/a*i#i as an e%&onder o, Brah *an a0reed /ith and di, ,ered ,ro*
the*' 4, corse1 so ,ar as trth 0oes1 there cann ot be any di5 er ence be t/een
S/a*i#i.s Ad-aitic (non+dalist$ &o si tion and that o, the earl ier *as ters' Bt
/hereas Shan)aracharya is bent &on e% &os in0 and sho/ in0 the trth in its n sl
lied ,or*1 S/a*i#i1 seei n0 the sa*e trth as &er- ad in0 one and all1 is det er* ined
to a& +
&ly it in &rac tice' Whereas Shan)ara1 at e- ery ste&1 sho/s the * tal in co* &at i
bil ity o, /or) and )no/l ed0e1 S/a*i#i.s e, ,orts are di + rected to /ards har *o ni6
in0 the t/o in the &rac ti cal 7eld' Whereas the ,or *er re 0ards )no/l ed0e as Brah
*an It sel,1 es tab lished in Its o/n 0lory1 in S/a*i#i.s -ie/ the sa*e is a bla6i n0
beac on 0id in0 h* ani ty on the road to &ro0 ress' There ,ore to n der stand
S/a*i#i1 it is nece ss ary to nd er stand Shan)aracharya also to so*e e%t ent' I
ta)e this as *y starti n0 &oint' The &ath chal)ed ot by S/a*i#i is not in de &end
ent o, the 8&anishads and the Gita9 they ,or* the ba sis o, S/a*i#i.s &hi los o &hy'
There ,ore /e ha-e to e% a* ine their re la tion to S/a*i#i.s thin)i n0' :inally1 /e
ha-e to con + sider the &lan o, /or) ,or * lated by S/a*i#i' We &ro &ose to &ro
ceed thro0h these -ar i os sta0es' S/a*i Vi-e)ananda /anted to brin0 Ve+ danta
ot o, ,or est con, ines and es tabl ish it in the habi tats o, &eo& le' The ser- ice o,
*an in the s&irit o, /ors hi& that he &reached is based on this Ad-aita Vedanta' The
&ath o, &ro0r ess that he &res cribed ,or h *ani ty is also laid ot on this 0rond o,
Ad-aita' In this con te%t one 2es tion nat rally arises' Shan)aracharya s* *a
ri6ed Ad-aita Vedanta in the /ords; 3Brah*asatya< #a0an*ithy=9 Brah *an is real1
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