Description

The Brhadaranyaka is the greatest of the Upanishads; and Sri Sankara’s Bhasya on this Upanishad is the greatest of his commentaries on the Upanisads.  The Brhadaranyaka is the greatest not only in extent, but it is also the greatest in respect of its substance and theme.  It is the greatest Upanisad in the sense that the illimitable, all-embracing, absolute self-luminous, blissful reality – the Brhat or Brahman, identical with Atman, constitutes its theme.  And, according to Sri Sankara, it may be said to be the greatest Upanisad, also for the reason that it comprehends both the upadesa or revelation of the true nature of the mystic experience of the Brahman-Atman identity and the upapatti or logical explanations of that great doctrine of Advaita through the employment of the dialectic modes of argumentation known as jalpa (arguing constructively as well as destructively for victory) and vada (arguing for the truth).