The Goal of Vedanta Study 179

are stated, it becomes very glorious for us. But the commentary made by
Sankaracharya is indirect, and is very dangerous for the common man, because,
by understanding the import of the Upanishad in such an indirect, disruptive
way, one becomes practically barred from spiritual realization.

According to Skanda and Vayn Puranas, “Sutra” means a condensed form
of words, which carries meaning and import of immeasurable strength
without any mistake or fault. “Vedanta” means the end of Vedic knowledge.
In other words, any book which deals with the subject indicated by all the Vedas
is called Vedanta. For example, the Bhagavad Gita is also Vedanta, because in
the Bhagavad Gita we will find that the Lord says that the ultimate end of all
Vedic research is Krishna, Therefore, Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagwatam,
which aim only at Krishna, are to be understood as Vedanta.

In transcendental realization there are three divisions of knowledge, and
they are called Prasthana Trai. The department of knowledge which is proven
by Vedic instruction, like the Upanishads, is called Sruti Prasthan. Authorita-
tive books indicating the same thing and written by liberated souls like Vyasa—
for example Bhagavad Gita, Mahabarata and the Puranas, especially the Srimad
Bhagwatam, the Maha Purana—are called Nyaaprasthana. From the Vedas we
understand that the Vedas originated from the breathing of Narayan.
Vyasadeva, Who is an incarnation of the power of Narayan, has compiled the
Vedanta Sutra. According to the Sankara commentary there appears another
name, Apantartama Rishi, who is also credited with having compiled the
codes of the Vedanta Sutra. According to Lord Chaitanya, the Codes of Pan-
charatra and the codes of Vedanta are one and the same. The Vedanta Sutra,
being compiled by Vyasadeva, is to be understood as spoken by Narayan
Himself. From the whole descriptive literature about the Vedanta Sutra, it is
understood that there were many other Rishis contemporary with Vyasadeva
who also discussed this Vedanta Sutra. The following sages—Atriya, Asmara-
thyk, Audulomi, Karshnajini, Kasakritsna, Jaimimi, Badari, and other sages
such as Parasarikarmandi—also discussed Vedanta Sutra.

Actually, in the first three chapters of Vedanta Sutra, the relationship of
the living entities with the Supreme Lord is explained, and in the Third
Chapter the discharge of devotional service is explained. In the Fourth Chapter
the result of the relationship of discharging devotional service is explained.

The natural commentary on the Vedanta Sutra is Srimad Bhagwatam. The
great Acharyas of the four sections of the Vaishnava community—namely,
Ramanujacharya, Madhvacharya, Vishnu Swami, and Nimbarka—have also
written commentaries on the Vedanta Sutra in following the principles of
