Pre-Shankara Vedanta (Gaudapada)

• The Mandukya-Karika or the Gaudapada-Karika also known as the Agama-shastra is the first available system treatise on Advaita Vedanta.
• Upanisads, Brahma Sutra and the Gita are called Prasthana-traya.
• Upanissads are regarded as Srutii by Vedantins.
• Badrayan summarizedthe teachings of Upanisads in his Brahma-sutra and developed into the school of Advaita-Vedanta bby Gaudapada.
• Gaudapada is the first systematic expounder of Advaita-Vedanta.
• Gaudapada's philosophyis essentially based on Upanisads, mainly on Mandukya, Brhadaranyaka and Chhandogya.
• Doctrine of No-Origination- ajativada. It means the world being only an appearance. Reality is no-origination and the absolute is non-dual. Gaudapada agrees with Sunyavada.
• Gaudapada agrees with the Vijanavada that the world is ultimately unreal.
• Real is pure consciousness which is pure self.
• Gaudapada identifies Unborn and non-dual with the atman or the Brahman or amatra or Turiya or Advaita which can be directly realised by Pure consciousness or Asparshayoga or Vaisharadya or amnibhava.
• Absolute manifest itself in three forms-
  (1) jagrat as vishva
  (2) Svapna as Taijasa
  (3) Susupti as Prajna
• Gaudapada represents what is best in Nagarjuna and Vasubandhu.