वेदान्त a &c. See p.1017.
वेदान्त m. bm. end of the
वेद (= ‘complete knowledge of the
वेद’
cf. वेदा-न्त-ग),
[TĀr.] ;
[MBh.] ज्ञान-काण्ड N. of the second and most important part of the
मीमांसा or third of the three great divisions of
Hindū philosophy (called
वेदान्त either as teaching the ultimate scope of the
वेद or simply as explained in the
उपनिषद्s which come at the end of the
वेद; this system, although belonging to the
मीमांसा [q.v.] and sometimes called
उत्तर-मीमांसा, ‘examination of the later portion or [q.v.] of the
वेद’, is really the one sole orthodox exponent of the pantheistic creed of the
Hindūs of the present day - a creed which underlies all the polytheism and multiform mythology of the people; its chief doctrine [as expounded by
शंकर] is that of
अद्वैतi.e. that nothing really exists but the One Self or Soul of the Universe called
ब्रह्मन् [neut.] or
परमात्मन्, and that the
जीवात्मन् or individual human soul and indeed all the phenomena of nature are really identical with the
परमात्मन्, and that their existence is only the result of
अज्ञान [otherwise called
अविद्या] or an assumed ignorance on the part of that one universal Soul which is described as both Creator and Creation; Actor and Act; Existence, Knowledge and Joy, and as devoid of the three qualities [see
गुण]; the liberation of the human soul, its deliverance from transmigrations, and re-union with the
परमात्मन्, with which it is really identified, is only to be effected by a removal of that ignorance through a proper understanding of the
वेदान्त; this system is also called
ब्रह्म-मीमांसा and
शारीरकमीमांसा, ‘inquiring into Spirit or embodied Spirit’; the founder of the school is said to have been
व्यास, also called
बादरायण, and its most eminent teacher was
शंकराचार्य),
[Up.] ;
[MBh.] &c.
वेदान्त m. m. pl. the
उपनिषद्s or works on the
वेदान्त philosophy,
[Kull.] on
[Mn. vi, 83.]