Vedanta

[ vi-dahn-tuh, -dan- ]

/ vɪˈdɑn tə, -ˈdæn- /

Save This Word!

noun

the chief Hindu philosophy, dealing mainly with the Upanishadic doctrine of the identity of Brahman and Atman, that reached its highest development a.d. c800 through the philosopher Shankara.Compare Advaita, dvaita (def. 2).

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "WAS" VS. "WERE"!

Were you ready for a quiz on this topic? Well, here it is! See how well you can differentiate between the uses of "was" vs. "were" in this quiz.

Question 1 of 7

“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.

true

false

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of Vedanta

<Sanskrit, equivalent to vedaVeda + anta end

OTHER WORDS FROM Vedanta

Ve·dan·tic, adjectiveVe·dan·tism, nounVe·dan·tist, noun

Words nearby Vedanta

vector sum, vecture, vecturist, Veda, vedalia, Vedanta, V-E Day, Vedda, Veddoid, vedette, Vedic

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use Vedanta in a sentence

The whole pantheism of the Vedanta is contained in the symbol of the bisexual deity Ardhanari.
From the Caves and Jungles of Hindostan|Helena Pretrovna Blavatsky
This would be contrary to justice, disproportionate, to use an expression of Vedanta philosophy.
From the Caves and Jungles of Hindostan|Helena Pretrovna Blavatsky
Vedanta points out that God is the only Reality; all creation or separate existence is maya or illusion.
Autobiography of a YOGI|Paramhansa Yogananda
To these belong, first, the "Vedanta," (end of the Veda) or the dogmatic-apologetic exposition of the Veda.
A Comparative View of Religions|Johannes Henricus Scholten

They are without much difficulty reducible to three leading schools of thought—the Nyaya, the Sankhya, and the Vedanta.
Two Old Faiths|J. Murray Mitchell and William Muir

British Dictionary definitions for Vedanta

Vedanta

/ (vɪˈdɑːntə, -ˈdæn-) /

noun

one of the six main philosophical schools of Hinduism, expounding the monism regarded as implicit in the Veda in accordance with the doctrines of the Upanishads. It teaches that only Brahman has reality, while the whole phenomenal world is the outcome of illusion (maya)

Derived forms of Vedanta

Vedantic, adjectiveVedantism, nounVedantist, noun

Word Origin for Vedanta

C19: from Sanskrit, from Veda + ánta end

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012