Overview

Advaita Vedanta is one of the best-known schools of Indian philosophy, but much of its history--a history closely interwoven with that of medieval and modern Hinduism--remains surprisingly unexplored. This book focuses on a single remarkable work and its place within that history: The Ocean of Inquiry, a vernacular compendium of Advaita Vedanta by the North Indian monk Niscaldas (ca. 1791 - 1863). Though not well known today, Niscaldas's work was once referred to by Vivekananda (himself a key figure in the shaping of modern Hinduism) as the most influential book in India.The present book situates The Ocean of Inquiry as representative of both a neglected genre (vernacular Vedanta) and a neglected period (ca. 17th-19th centuries) in the history of Indian philosophy. It argues that the rise of Advaita Vedanta to a position of prestige began well before the period of British rule in India, and that vernacular texts like The Ocean of Inquiry played an important role in popularizing Vedantic teachings. It also offers a new appraisal of the period of late Advaita Vedanta, arguing that it should not be seen as one of barren scholasticism. For thinkers like Niscaldas, intellectual

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9780197638958

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We have learned much in the last two decades about forms of knowledge in early modern India. Michael Allen pushes us to consider how those forms develop in early colonial India, before the motifs of reform, revival, and renaissance condition our narratives of modern Hinduism. By weaving together his expertise in Sanskrit and vernacular traditions of philosophy, Allen shows us that the scholastic and the popular are never far apart. The Ocean of Inquiry, like its subject, will become a modern classic. * Anand Venkatkrishnan, Assistant Professor, University of Chicago Divinity School * Michael Allen's The Ocean of Inquiry examines the thought of Niscaldas, an Advaita Vedanta philosopher who made the fascinating choice to compose his works in Hindi instead of Sanskrit. Allen's book is indispensable for understanding the development of modern Vedanta. More broadly, it sheds new light on the continued re-negotiation between Sanskrit and vernacular languages in 19th century India and the gradual development of a concept of Hinduism based on a single shared path of Vedic authority. * Andrew J. Nicholson, Associate Professor, Department of Asian and Asian American Studies, Stony Brook University *

Author Information

Michael S. Allen is Assistant Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Virginia. His areas of research include Hinduism, Indian philosophy, and environmental ethics. He is the co-founder of the Hindu Philosophy unit at the American Academy of Religion, and his work has appeared in the Journal of Indian Philosophy, the Journal of Hindu Studies, the International Journal of Hindu Studies, and Dao: A Journal of Comparative Philosophy.

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