102 Veddnta- Sara, or Essence of the Veddnta. QNo. \58. 



Karika, and translated the native commentaries on this work, no one 

 has published any work of importance with regard to Hindoo philosophy. 

 Without endeavoring here to enlarge on the causes of this neglect, I 

 must not omit to touch on the principal one — the want of encourage- 

 ment, with which philosophical researches are met in England. The 

 study of philosophy is of its very nature adapted but to few ; but even 

 they will be deterred from it, if that part of the public, to which they 

 are to communicate the results of their enquiries, is totally indifferent 

 to them. If philosophy generally be but in little repute in England, 

 it is easy to conclude, what must be the neglect of the systems of the 

 Hindoos in particular, which, it appears, are entirely superseded by the 

 much more elaborate systems of Europe. The Hindoos, it is said, are 

 acute enough in nominal distinctions, but their enquiries, originating 

 from an absurd and gross superstition, recur only to this root, instead 

 of explaining the phenomena of nature. Without entering into a full 

 discussion of this subject, I may be allowed to observe, that this view 

 would at once destroy all historical study. On account of their histori- 

 cal interest, we not only direct our attention to the works of Grecian 

 art, but also to those of Egypt, Etruria, Persia, Peru and of other coun- 

 tries, because they show us the characters of those nations in different 

 states of civilization. If these possess a general interest, Hindoo philo- 

 sophy is a monument, which must claim the attention of every enquiring 

 mind, as it reveals to us the inmost character of the nation, closely in- 

 terwoven as it is with all institutions of public and domestic life, with 

 their literature, religion and their views of the means, by which their moral 

 welfare might be advanced or retarded. But waiving this general inter- 

 est, we must be aware of the connexion of Hindoo philosophy with the 

 development of European science, by the new platonic philosophy, which 

 evidently contains the principles and results of Hindoo philosophy, a 

 connexion which can be only fully understood, when we know more of 

 the history of the Hindoo systems.* 



The Vedanta-Sara is an abstract of the doctrines of the Vedanta 

 philosophy, and expounds more particularly those tenets which are 

 ascribed by Colebrooke to the modern branch of this school. It com- 

 prehends in a very condensed form the whole range of the topics, which 

 are discussed more fully in the different works of this school. The ob- 

 * Ritter's Geschichte der Philosopbie. Vol. 4, p. 44. 



