Book excerpt: This erudite and wide-ranging anthology offers a panoramic view of Vedānta in Śaṅkara’s own words, with selections from standard translations of his commentaries on the Upaniṣads, the Brahma-sūtra (Vedānta-sūtra) and the Bhagavad-gītā—texts which together form the scriptural canon of Vedānta—and an independent treatise, the Upadeśa Sāhasri, on whose authenticity there is unanimity. Exhibiting a deep empathy with the living tradition, Sudhakshina has selected passages that explain all the important concepts and teachings, including up-to-date deliberations on Śaṅkara. Her general and sectional introductions illuminate and demystify the esoteric concepts, providing a holistic perspective of Vedānta and making it eminently accessible to the modern reader.