Love (prīti/sneha) as Soteriology: Vedānta and the “Yājñavalkya-Maitreyī Dialogue” of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad

Vedānta and the “Yājñavalkya-Maitreyī Dialogue” of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad

Authors

  • Dilip Loundo

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.34019/2236-6296.2024.v27.44506

Keywords:

Vedānta; Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad; Love

Abstract

The Bhadārayaka Upaniad stands high in the firmament of Indian philosophical-soteriological tradition. Besides its uncontroversial antiquity, going back to pre-buddhist times, the Bhadārayaka Upaniad is considered by all schools of Vedānta one of the most important Upaniṣads. It embodies, as perhaps no other, the fundamental knowledge (āna) and devotional discipline (bhakti) that leads one to definitive Liberation (moka) from ignorance (avidyā) and existential suffering (dukha). The objective of the present article is to analyse the fundamental contents of the “Yājñavalkya-Maitreyī Dialogue”, which adorns section 2.4.1-14 of the Bhadārayaka Upaniad, and whose main theme is Love (prīti/sneha). The analysis will follow a comparative approach, placing face-to-face the textual hermeneutics of two of the major schools of Vedānta, viz., Advaita Vedānta (Non-Duality) and  Dvaita Vedānta (Duality) - often seen, in western circles, as mutually excluding  philosophical streams.

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References

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Published

2024-08-23

How to Cite

LOUNDO, D. Love (prīti/sneha) as Soteriology: Vedānta and the “Yājñavalkya-Maitreyī Dialogue” of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad: Vedānta and the “Yājñavalkya-Maitreyī Dialogue” of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad. Numen, [S. l.], v. 27, n. 1, 2024. DOI: 10.34019/2236-6296.2024.v27.44506. Disponível em: https://periodicos.ufjf.br/index.php/numen/article/view/44506. Acesso em: 1 sep. 2024.

Issue

Section

Dossiê: Religião e Amor