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Secondary sourceBook1890

The Vedanta-Sutras

Badarayana · 1890

An 1890s English translation of Badarayana's Vedanta-Sutras, the foundational text on which Shankara's famous philosophical commentary was based.

The foundational sutras that Shankara's own commentary interprets, central to his philosophical legacy.

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About this source

What it is

A printed translation of the Vedanta-Sutras by Badarayana, part of the Sacred Books of the East series, translated by George Thibaut and published by the Clarendon Press. This particular volume presents the sutras with a commentary.

Why it matters

The Vedanta-Sutras are a core text of Vedanta philosophy, and Shankara's commentary on them helped establish Advaita Vedanta as a major school of Indian thought. This translation made the sutras and their tradition of commentary accessible to English readers in the 19th century.

Look closer

  • Why would a philosopher like Shankara choose to write a commentary on an existing text rather than a wholly new work?
  • What does the existence of multiple commentaries on the same sutras tell us about Vedanta as a tradition?
  • Why might 19th-century scholars have wanted to translate these texts into English?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Adi Shankaracharya on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Title page of 'The Vedanta-Sutras with the Commentary by Sankarakarya, translated by George Thibaut, Part I', published at the Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1890, All rights reserved.Book

Primary source

Brahma Sutra Bhashya

Adi Shankara · c. early 8th century

Scan of a manuscript page in Devanagari Sanskrit script, written in dark brown ink on aged, yellowed paper. Dense lines of text fill the page, with a marginal note at the upper left and a thin vertical border line at the edges.Document

Secondary source

Manuscript of Shankara's Aitareya Upanishad Commentary

1593 CE (manuscript copy)

Painting of a seated robed sage in red with a forehead mark and beaded necklaces, teaching four disciples seated on animal skins by a forest pond with lotuses and two swans, a hut and mountains behind.Painting

Secondary source

Portrait of Adi Shankara with Disciples

Raja Ravi Varma

Kedarnath Temple, a stone shrine with a golden-yellow sloped roof and blue trim, set against snow-capped Himalayan peaks and green mountain slopes under cloudy skies. Visitors stand near the entrance and steps, with yellow flags strung nearby.Artifact

Secondary source

Kedarnath Temple

traditionally 8th century

A wide river flows through a valley under a pale sky. A sandy bank with patches of green plants lies on the left, and dense green trees and hills stand along the far shore. A concrete structure and a yellow railing appear at the bottom edge.Artifact

Secondary source

Sringeri Sharada Peetham

traditionally 8th century; developed 14th century onward

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