“Glimpses of Vedanta” is a collection of a few short articles on different aspects of Hindu philosophy. These articles refer mostly to ancient scriptures like Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, and works of Sri Sankara. Considering the vastness and depth of Hindu philosophy, it is but natural that these short articles cannot explain such a complex subject in great details. The purpose of the book is to give the reader an exposure to certain fundamental concepts which are not usually presented in discourses. In all articles many references are provided in the hope that interested readers will pursue further study using these references.

The Indian philosopical heritage, particularly the advaita (non-dual) principle, is generally called Vedanta, so called due to its collective occurrence at the end of the great scriptures called the Veda-s. This text is a compilation of the weekly distributions through text and email to a small group of friends and relatives over a period of 5 years. The goal of this work is to introduce the principal sources of the Vedantic philosophy and to motivate the reader to study further this vast subject and also practice it in their daily lives. The prasthānatrayī (the set of trilogy of sources for philosophical journey) is generally considered as the fountainhead of the Vedānta philosophy. It consists of (1) the Upanishad-s (generally known as Śruti prasthāna, the set of revelations to the great sages as part of the four Veda-s; ṛk-, Yajur-, Sāma-, and Atharva-), (2) the Brahma Sūtrā-s (Nyāya prasthāna, logical set of axioms), and (3) the Bhagavad Gītā (Smriti prasthāna, part of remembered traditions). All the three parts of the trilogy are briefly covered in this text.

The Bhagavadgita has lent itself to several readings to defend or contest various views on life, morality, and metaphysics. This book explores the the role of the Bhagavadgita in the formation of nationalist discourse. It examines the ways in which the Gita became the central terrain of nationalist contestation, and the diverse ethico-moral mappings of the Indian nation. Focusing on Bankimchandra Chatterjee, Balgangadhar Tilak, Swami Vivekananda, Aurobindo Ghose, Mahatma Gandhi, Vinoba Bhave, and B.R. Ambedkar as the representatives of different strands of nationalist discourse, this volume probes their reflections on the Gita. The author also discusses with issues such as the relation between the nation and the masses, renunciation and engagement with the world, the ideas of equality, freedom, and common good, in the context of a nationalist discourse. He argues that the commentaries on this 'timeless' text opened up several possible understandings without necessarily eliminating one another.