This book is an attempt at presenting to the readers a critical analysis of
the philosophy of Advaita Vedanta by comparing the views of the Bhamati and
the Vivarana Schools, the two most important protagonists of Sankara`s
philosophy, with a detailed study of the original text. It begins with a
survery of the historical development of Advaitic thought, starting right
from the Vedas to end up with the modern period. The author has taken up
for discussion in this work the basic concepts of Advaita Vedanta as
interpreted by Vacaspati Misra and Prakasatman, encompassing the concepts
of Maya, Avidya,