Rammohun Roy's Interpretation of The Vedanta

• Main Author: Killingley, Dermot Hastings
• Published: SOAS, University of London 1977
• Subjects: 253
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.462022

This study of Rammohun Roy (1772?-1833) concentrates mainly on those English and Bengali works in which he expounds or translates the Upanis• ads and the Vedanta-s~tras. Reference is also made to other works in which he quotes these texts, or §ankara's commentaries on them, as his authorities, and to his other works on religion. The introduction describes the aims of the study, and outlines the two topics of Rammohun Roy and of Vedanta (ch. 1). Rammohun's life is described up to the beginning of his Vedantic publications in 1815, and the evidence for some uncertain matters is examined afresh (ch. 2). This biographical study provides material for a discussion of Rammohun's acquaintance with Sanskritic, Islamic and European learning (ch. 3). Rammohun's works, especially those relevant to the present study, are then described, with some discussion of the evidence for his authorship (ch. 4). The central chapter deals with Rammohun's three earliest Vedantic works. The Veaanta-s~tras, on which all three are based, are described, with a brief history of their interpretation. It is then shown that Rammohun based his interpretation on SaDkara's commentary, but that at certain points he departed radically from it (ch. 5). Rammohun's translations of Upanisads into Bengali and English are • described, showing that here again he followed §aDkara close~ except in certain significant points. The differences between his Bengali and English versions are discussed, and his prefaces to some of these translations are summarised (ch. 6). His Bengali translation of the Vajras~cr Upani~~, which raises some textual problems, is described and translated (ch. 7). The final chapter considers Rammohun's Vedahtic expositions and translations in relation to the rest of his work, and attempts to assess the nature of his religious thought, the place of Vedanta in it, and its relation to various religious traditions (ch. 8).