Theistic Vedanta originated with Ramanuja (1077-1157) was an initiate of the Srivaisnava sectarian tradition in South India. One of the processes by which the authority of the Srivaisnavas was consolidated was Ramanuja's synthesis of popular Hindu devotionalism with the philosophy of Vedanta.

This book demonstrates that by incorporating a text often thought to be of secondary importance - the Visnu Purana (1st-4th CE) - into his reading of the Upanisads, which were the standard of orthodoxy for Vedanta philosophy, Ramanuja was able to interpret Vedanta within the theistic context of Srivaisnavism. It contributes new insights to broader issues in religious studies such as canon expansion, commentarial interpretation, tradition-building, and the comparative study of scripture.

Sucharita Adluri is Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy and Comparative Religion at Cleveland State University. Her research interests include Sanskrit Commentary and Intellectual History and the History of Religions of South India.

1. Introduction

2. The Individual Self, Cosmology, and the Divine Body in the Vedarthasägraha

3. Brahman, Individual Self, and Ignorance in the Sribhäya

4. Säkhya-Yoga, K¿¿¿a, and the Foremost Devotee in the Bhagavadgitabhäya