Modern Perspectives on Vedanta: Proceedings of the 20th International Congress of Vedanta (December 28-31, 2011, JNU, New Delhi)

Vedanta has retained its fundamental ideas as enshrined in the Upanishads over the centuries. But it is still extremely relevant in addressing the contemporary problems of globalised and liberalised societies. It is in this context that the Vedanta Congress has met at regular intervals to debate and discuss challenges faced by contemporary societies. This volume presents a compilation of papers presented at the Twentieth International Congress of Vedanta, held at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. The papers cover a variety of topics in English, Hindi and Sanskrit: philosophy of the origin of the universe, the behaviour of matter, social structures, political systems, role of language, yoga and meditation, among others. The insightful papers discuss the Advaita concept of testimonial perception, the concept of maya, the notion of time and space in the cosmology of the Samkhya system of philosophy and the Vedantic perspective on the spiritual quest and science. They deal with the nature and theory of origin of varna in the Bhagavad-Gita, Vedantic perception of organisational behaviour, importance of Vedanta in the corporate world, and value systems in governance with reference to Indian dharmic perspectives. These papers also highlight the essence of Vedanta as it applies to modern philosophy, science and business and the influence it exerts on culture, language and lives of people in India and the world. The volume will prove valuable to scholars and students of Indology, religion and philosophy, particularly researchers of Vedanta and its relevance to modern times.