Laghuvasudeva Mananam
Translated by Swami Tapasyananda, 151 Pages, Paperback.
The "Laghu Vasudevamananam", in its analysis of the human condition, is thorough, neat and precise. The cause of all human misery is traced, stage by stage, to Ajnana or ignorance. And it is underlined that no word or deed can exorcise Ajnana which vanishes in toto only when supreme knowledge dawns. The needs for the seeker of knowledge are then specified and the technique of investigation is described. The distinction between self and non-self, the nature of superimposition, the nexus between Jivatman and Paramatman, the three states of consciousness, the five sheaths, the three bodies, are all explained clearly. How the Mahavakyas like "Tat tam asi" are to be interpreted and how Brahman is to be realized as Sat-Chit-ananda are next elucidated. The logic is razor-sharp and no loose ends are left anywhere. So when the author concludes with the challenging declaration, "There is nothing more to be said or heard", we gladly nod assent.
The "Laghu Vasudevamananam", in its analysis of the human condition, is thorough, neat and precise. The cause of all human misery is traced, stage by stage, to Ajnana or ignorance. And it is underlined that no word or deed can exorcise Ajnana which vanishes in toto only when supreme knowledge dawns. The needs for the seeker of knowledge are then specified and the technique of investigation is described. The distinction between self and non-self, the nature of superimposition, the nexus between Jivatman and Paramatman, the three states of consciousness, the five sheaths, the three bodies, are all explained clearly. How the Mahavakyas like "Tat tam asi" are to be interpreted and how Brahman is to be realized as Sat-Chit-ananda are next elucidated. The logic is razor-sharp and no loose ends are left anywhere. So when the author concludes with the challenging declaration, "There is nothing more to be said or heard", we gladly nod assent.
