The Vedānta Foundation
The Brahma-sūtras (also called Vedānta-sūtras or Śārīraka-mīmāṃsā) are 555 aphoristic verses attributed to Bādarāyaṇa (Vyāsa), synthesizing the diverse and sometimes apparently contradictory teachings of the Upaniṣads into a coherent system. They address: the nature of Brahman, the relationship between Brahman and the world, the nature of the individual self, and the path to liberation.
The Three Commentaries
The Prasthāna-trayī (triple basis of Vedānta) comprises the Upaniṣads, the Bhagavad Gītā, and the Brahma-sūtras. Each major Vedānta school is defined by its commentary on these three. The three most influential commentaries on the Brahma-sūtras are Śaṅkara's (Advaita), Rāmānuja's Śrī Bhāṣya (Viśiṣṭādvaita), and Madhva's (Dvaita).
Śrī Vaiṣṇava Significance
For the Śrī Vaiṣṇava tradition, the Brahma-sūtras provide the philosophical scaffold for theology. Rāmānuja's Śrī Bhāṣya interprets each sūtra through the lens of Upaniṣadic passages that identify Brahman with Śrīman Nārāyaṇa, establishing the scriptural authority for Viśiṣṭādvaita.