A Bengali Vaishnava Contribution to Vedānta:
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa on the Word ‘atha’ in Brahmasūtra 1.1.1
Keywords:
Brahmasūtra, Vedānta, Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa, Gaudīya theology, Sanskrit exegesis, philosophical semanticsAbstract
Focusing on the opening word of the Brahmasūtra—“atha” (“now”)—Okita examines Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa’s nuanced commentary and how it reflects the distinctive Gaudīya Vaishnava reading of Vedānta. Rather than treating “atha” as a mere transition, Vidyābhūṣaṇa sees it as a theological marker of spiritual readiness and divine grace. Okita situates this within broader Vedantic traditions, showing how Gaudīya contributions uphold a deeply personalist view of reality while addressing concerns of philosophical rigor and orthodoxy.