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The Fourth Lesson: The Vedanta System.1179
The Fourth Lesson: The Vedanta System.
The leading school of Hindu Philosophy in India, at the present time, is that
which is known as the Vedanta System, and which also bears the name of
the Uttara Mimansa, which latter term means “the subsequent investigation,”
or “the investigation of the latter part,” and is used in contradistinction to
the term applied to another Hindu philosophical system—i.e., the Purva
Mimansa, or “Prior Investigation.” Some hold that the terms “prior” and
“subsequent” relate to the date of the founding of the respective schools,
while others hold that the “prior” refers to the investigation of the first
part of the Vedas, or ritualistic and ceremonial part, while the “subsequent”
investigation is the investigation that refers to the investigation of the latter
part of the Vedas, known as the Upanishads. The latter theory seems to be
borne out by the fact that the popular name for the school—the “Vedanta”—
means “the last of the Vedas.”
The best authorities give to one Badarayana the credit of having
founded the Vedanta System, although some would dispute this claim and
bestow the honour upon Vyasa, a legendary Hindu sage and teacher. The
date of the founding of the school is not known, but it is believed to have
been previous to Buddhism, and about the time of the founding of the
Sankhya System, that is, about 700 b.c. In its teachings, the older part of the