Knowledge, Liberation and the Highest Self in the Adhyātmavidyopadeśa: An Unpublished Gem of Advaita Vedānta

Abstract

The Sanskrit philosophical tradition of India has developed a rich and sophisticated discourse concerning the nature of the Self, the origin of bondage, the possibility of liberation, and the ultimate reality underlying phenomenal existence. Within this intellectual tradition, Advaita Vedānta occupies a distinctive position through its insistence upon the non-duality of the Self and Brahman. The unpublished Adhyātmavidyopadeśa (AVU), a Sanskrit text traditionally attributed to Śaṅkarācārya, represents a significant yet comparatively unexplored source for understanding this Advaitic orientation. The present study examines three interconnected philosophical themes of the text—Jñāna (Knowledge), Mokṣa (Liberation), and Brahman (the Highest Self)—and considers their relationship within the broader framework of Advaita Vedānta. The text presents ignorance (avidyā) as the fundamental cause of bondage and knowledge (jñāna) as the means through which erroneous identification with the body, mind, and senses is removed. Liberation is consequently understood not as the production of a new state but as the recognition of the Self’s ever-free nature. The AVU also emphasizes the pedagogical importance of śravaṇa, manana, and nididhyāsana, as well as the indispensable role of the guru in the transmission of Self-knowledge. Its treatment of Brahman as the non-dual Highest Self establishes the metaphysical foundation of its soteriology. The study further considers the manuscript’s multiple titles, dialogic structure, traditional attribution, and manuscript characteristics. It argues that the AVU deserves sustained textual, philosophical, palaeographical, and codicological investigation and that a critical edition would significantly contribute to the study of Sanskrit Advaita literature.