Ajnana and Duhkha (sorrow) cannot be destroyed by rituals and rites (Karma) - this is the lesson the Upanishads teach us. In fact, what is happening now is Man has forgotten his real nature. He believes that he is the body, the senses etc. They crave for objective pleasures and he convinces himself that this is wanted by himself and under this mistaken notion, he seeks to fulfil their cravings. He deludes himself that he can secure Ananda by catering to the body and the senses. However, he cannot earn Ananda through such attempts. Instead, he is rewarded with disillusionment, defeat and even disaster. He reaps sorrow, and not joy.

Involvement in objective pleasure ultimately leads to grief. So, man needs to be directed towards the right means to attain Ananda. Wherefrom can one gain Ananda? It does not inhere in external objects. The pleasure one can obtain from external objects brings along with it grief also.

The Brahma Sutra, the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita - the Three Source Texts - clarify the Truth that you are the very embodiment of Ananda. These three sources stand on one to help man attain the highest wisdom.

It is a hard task to grasp the meanings of the aphorisms contained in the Brahma Sutra. Unless one has acquired the necessary qualifications, one cannot unravel them and master them.

What, then, are the qualifications? Four Sadhanas are laid down by the scriptures. When one is equipped with these four, the meanings become as patent as a fruit on the palm. For, these four have to be earned by man as a preliminary for knowing the truth of oneself.

The Brahma Sutra is also known as Saareeraka Sastra and Vedanta Darsana. Sareera means the Body. Saareeraka means all the components of the Embodied - Atma: Ego (Jivi), Senses etc. Sastra implies "examining the nature of all these to the greatest possible degree". That is to say, the Sastra establishes that the Brahman (the Cosmic Self) is the basis on which all else is imposed, that one's Reality is Ananda itself.

Now about the name Vedanta Darsana: Darsana means 'sight'. Darsana promotes the sight or experience of the Truth. The Darsanas are well-known. They have been propounded by vision-blessed sages. Sankhya Darsana was established by Kapila. The Nyaya Darsana was authored by Gautama, the Vaiseshika by Kanaada, the Poorva Mimamsa by Jaimini and the Uttara Mimamsa by Veda Vyasa. Among these, Kapila and Vyasa are believed by the sages to be partial embodiments of Vishnu Himself. The Brahma Sutra of Veda Vyasa is the text that has confirmed and consolidated the Uttara Mimamsa.