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Vedānta
वेदान्तपुल्लिङ्ग (masculine) · वेद (veda — knowledge) + अन्त (anta — end) · समास (tatpuruṣa compound)
vedānta
Tradition and Teaching
The final knowledge of the Vedas — the portion dealing with self-knowledge
Vedānta means 'end of the Vedas' (veda + anta) — it refers to the Upaniṣads, which are the final portion and culmination of Vedic teaching. While the initial portion (karma-kāṇḍa) deals with rituals and ethics, Vedānta (jñāna-kāṇḍa) deals with knowledge of Brahman/ātman. The teaching tradition (sampradāya) uses commentaries by Śaṅkara and other ācāryas to unfold this knowledge.
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