Course Title: Advaita Vedānta of Śaṅkara

Course Code: P-006

Credit Hours: 3

Level: Postgraduate / Senior Undergraduate

Course Description

This course offers a rigorous study of Advaita Vedānta, the non-dualist school of Indian philosophy systematized by Ādi Śaṅkarācārya. Through detailed engagement with classical texts such as the Brahma Sūtra Bhāṣya, Upaniṣads, and Viveka Cūḍāmaṇi, students explore the metaphysics of Brahman, Māyā, Ātman, and Mokṣa. The course emphasizes philosophical clarity, textual interpretation, and comparative reflection.

Course Objectives

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

Grasp foundational concepts of Advaita Vedānta

Analyze Śaṅkara's interpretation of Upaniṣadic passages

Understand the principles of non-dualism, Māyā and Brahman

Evaluate the metaphysical, ethical, and epistemological implications of Advaita

Compare Advaita with rival Darśanas (e.g., Nyāya, Sāṅkhya, Viśiṣṭādvaita)

Modules & Weekly Breakdown

Module I: Historical and Philosophical Foundations. (Week 1)

Life and work of Śaṅkarācārya

Position within the Ṣaḍ Darśanas

Core ideas of Vedānta and its evolution

Reading:

Radhakrishnan, Indian Philosophy, Vol. 2, Ch. on Advaita Vedānta

Introduction to Brahma Sūtra Bhāṣya by Śaṅkara

Module II: Metaphysics of Brahman and Ātma (Weeks 2–3)

Nirguṇa Brahman: absolute, formless, eternal

Ātman as self-luminous consciousness

Sat-Cit-Ānanda: Being-Consciousness-Bliss

Reading:

Taittirīya Upaniṣad (Brahmānanda Valli)

Selections from Brahma Sūtra Bhāṣya, Adhyāya I

Module III: Māyā and the Problem of Multiplicity (Weeks 4–5)

Māyā (Prakriti) as epistemic avidyā

Two levels of truth: Vyāvahārika vs Pāramārthika

Rope-snake analogy

Reading:

Viveka Cūḍāmaṇi, verses 1–50

Upadeśa Sāhasrī (Prose, Ch. 1–2)

Module IV: Epistemology and Liberation (Jñāna Mārga) (Weeks 6–7)

Valid means of knowledge (pramāṇas) in Advaita

Śravaṇa, Manana, Nididhyāsana (hearing, reflection, meditation)

Concept of Mokṣa as realization of non-difference

Reading:

Brahma Sūtra Bhāṣya, Adhyāya II (selected sūtras)

Ātma Bodha by Śaṅkara

Module V: Ethics, Action, and Renunciation (Week 8)

Karma and Jñāna: compatibility or contradiction?

Role of renunciation (Sannyāsa) in liberation

Reading:

Bhagavad Gītā, Chapters 4–5 with Śaṅkara Bhāṣya excerpts

Viveka Cūḍāmaṇi, verses 51–100

Module VI: Polemics and Dialogue with Other Darśanas (Weeks 9–10)

Advaita vs Sāṅkhya: self and matter

Advaita vs Nyāya: epistemology and God

Response to Viśiṣṭādvaita: Brahman with attributes

Reading:

Brahma Sūtra Bhāṣya, Adhyāya III (selected sūtras)

Module VII: Contemporary Relevance and Global Impact (Weeks 11–12)

Śaṅkara's thought in modern Vedānta

Comparative insights with Western metaphysics (Spinoza, Plotinus, Hegel)

Neo-Vedānta and Indian nationalism

Reading:

Swami Vivekananda, Jnana Yoga (selected lectures)

Module VIII: Textual Review and Oral Examinations (Weeks 13–14)

Review of major texts and arguments

Primary Texts

Śaṅkarācārya, Brahma Sūtra Bhāṣya

Upaniṣads: Chāndogya, Bṛhadāraṇyaka, Taittirīya

Viveka Cūḍāmaṇi, Ātma Bodha, Upadeśa Sāhasrī (Śaṅkara)