---
type: Reference
bundle: upanishadic-core
id: brahmasutra-bhashya
title: "Brahmasūtra Bhāṣya"
description: "Shankara's commentary on the Brahma Sutras; the systematic foundation of Advaita Vedanta."
tradition: Advaita Vedānta
author: "Śaṅkarācārya (c. 788–820 CE)"
language: Sanskrit
approximate_date: "c. 8th century CE"
key_concepts_in_bundle: [nirguna-brahman, saguna-brahman, laksana-brahman, antaryamin, videhamukti, jivanmukti]
timestamp: "2026-07-01"
okf_version: "0.2"
license: "CC BY-SA 4.0"
---

# Brahmasūtra Bhāṣya — ब्रह्मसूत्र भाष्य

Śaṅkara's commentary on the Brahmasūtras (Vedānta Sūtras) of Bādarāyaṇa. The foundational systematic text of Advaita Vedānta. The Brahmasūtras (c. 200 BCE – 200 CE) consolidate and systematize the Upaniṣadic teachings; Śaṅkara's Bhāṣya is the Advaita interpretation. Together with the Upaniṣads and Bhagavad Gītā, the Brahmasūtras form the Prasthāna Trayī (triple foundation) of Vedānta.

## Key Passages for Bundle Concepts

| Passage | Concept | Content |
|---------|---------|---------|
| BSB 1.1.1–4 | Lakṣaṇa-Brahman | Definition (Lakṣaṇa) of Brahman; the inquiry begins |
| BSB 1.1.11 | Saguṇa Brahman | Saguṇa Upāsanā and its purpose |
| BSB 1.2.18–20 | Antaryāmin | Antaryāmin as Brahman; Advaita reading |
| BSB 4.1.12–19 | Videhamukti | Prārabdha Karma and the continuation of the body post-Jñāna |

## The Opening Bhāṣya (BSB 1.1.1)

Śaṅkara's commentary begins with an extended preamble on Adhyāsa (erroneous superimposition) — the mechanism by which the self is confused with the not-self. This preamble is not part of the Sūtras themselves but Śaṅkara's contribution: the entire project of Vedāntic inquiry rests on identifying and dissolving Adhyāsa. Every concept in the upanishadic-core bundle — Upādhi, the three bodies, Viparīta-bhāvanā, Brahmabhāvanā — flows from this opening analysis.

## Antaryāmin Commentary (BSB 1.2.18–20)

Śaṅkara argues against the reading of Antaryāmin as the individual Jīva (which was proposed by some earlier interpreters). The Antaryāmin cannot be the individual Jīva because the text says the Antaryāmin is the inner ruler of the mind — and the individual Jīva cannot be the ruler of its own mind (it is subject to the mind's fluctuations). Therefore the Antaryāmin must be Brahman — which is consistent with the formula's conclusion "this is your Ātman."

## Recommended Editions

- Gambhīrānanda translation (Advaita Ashrama — 2 vols.)
- Swami Vireshwarananda / Swami Adidevananda (Ramakrishna Math — with Sanskrit)
