Tattvabodha

For anyone wishing to understand the essential tenets of Shankaracharya’s philosophy and the Advaita vision, the Tattvabodha, which broadly translates to the ‘knowledge of truth’, is mandatory reading. In it, Shankara, as the teacher, puts down the questions that pertain to different aspects of the Vedantic doctrine, and provides the answers. These questions, and the answers, are in the form of a hypothetical dialogue between a student and his teacher. The answers simplify, for both the ordinary reader and the student of philosophy, the complex terminologies used by Shankara in more elaborate expositions, such as his commentary on the Brahma Sutra. The questions and answers follow a carefully thought-out structure, guiding the reader through an analysis of the jiva or the individual, to the process of creation or shrishti, leading up to the nature of one’s real identity, and finally to the freedom that comes from moksha or liberation.

Resources on Tattavabodha