Vedanta, in Sanskrit translated as "the end of the Vedas, " sets itself standing as conceivably the most prevailing Darshana (philosophical system) in contemporary Hinduism. For those in search of delving deeply into the spiritual expositions of the Hindu Dharma, it offers unabridged applications to the Ultimate reality and the self. 

Historical Roots and Foundational Texts

The beginning chapters of the Upanishads, the metaphysical section of the Vedas which is concerned with matters of philosophy, provide the foundation on which the entire Vedanta is based. Put into systematic philosophy by Badarayana in the Brahma Sutras (also known as Vedanta Sutras) -an Aphoristic text that consists of 555 sutras said to date from around 200 BCE-this maintains coherence by squeezing the husk and elucidating upon the real sense of the otherwise seemingly disconnected Upanishadic teachings.

The first sutra and the most notable statement of Vedanta's philosophical inquiries are:  

"अथातो ब्रह्म जिज्ञासा" (BS 1.1.1)

"Now, therefore, the inquiry into Brahman."

This is a focus on Vedanta, responding to that immediate perspective and ultimately into vocabulary and problematography, which seems to invert the original concern of the word "Vedanta" from the mundane dharma to an idea of pure knowledge that is philosophically significant.

 In all, the Vedantic teachings take their authority from three texts which together may be known as Prasthanatrayi (triple canon):

Upanishads (Shruti Prasthana): The revealed textual source  

Bhagavad Gita (Smriti Prasthana): The remembered textual authority Brahma 

Sutras (Nyaya Prasthana): The logical textual foundation

Core Teachings and Key Concepts 

Vedanta's major teaching centers on the relationship between Brahman (ultimate reality), Atman (individual self), and the world of phenomena.

This is best elaborated by the Chandogya Upanishad, encapsulated in one of Hinduism's most famous statements:  

"तत् त्वम् असि" (Chandogya Upanishad 6.8.7)

 "That thou art."

The passage beautifully identifies the individual self as the ultimate reality, intimating an underlying unity beneath apparent diversity.

 Also, the Brhadharanyaka Upanishad affirms:

"अहं ब्रह्मास्मि" (Brhadharanyaka Upanishad 1.4.10)  

"I am Brahman."

 These great utterances underscore the critical realization of Vedanta: the ultimate unity within the confines of individual consciousness and universal consciousness.

Major Schools Included in Vedanta

Vedanta has articulated through the ages into several interpretive traditions, each with its perspective on the relation of Brahman, Atma, and the world:

 1. Advaita (Non-dualism)

 Advaita, popularized by Adi Shankaracharya (8th century CE), high-fives the supreme union of Brahman and Atman, branding the apparent world as Maya and recruiting Leela-will, while staunchly establishing a single reality for Brahman alone from the mundane to the absolute fullest. Shankara in his commentary on Brahma Sutras 1.1.2 

explains: "Brahman is that from which the origin, sustenance, and dissolution of this world proceeds"

2. Vishishtadvaita (Qualified Non-dualism)

Developed by Ramanuja (11th century CE), this school posits that individual souls and matter are real but constitute the body of Brahman, who is both imm*anent and transcendent. As Ramanuja declares in his Sri Bhashya: 

"The individual souls form the body of the Supreme Self; the Supreme Self is their soul."

3. Dvaita (Dualism)

Starting off with Madhvacharya (13th century CE), Dvaita advocates a view of distinctions where (Brahman defined as Vishnu) and individual souls are eternal. In the Tattva-Vada of Madhva:

"The difference between the soul and God, between soul and soul, and between God and matter is real and eternal."

 4. Achintya Bhedabheda (Inconceivable Difference-Non-difference)  

With the articulation of (16th century CE) Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and systemization by the Goswamis, this school proclaims that the relationship between God and living entities is, in an inconceivable manner, both one and different. As said in Chaitanya Charitamrita: 

"The living entity is eternally the servant of Krishna, and is simultaneously one with and different from Him."

Contemporary Relevance and Practice  

Vedanta offers great utility and practical outcomes in its present-day relevance:

Apart from a significant body of esoteric knowledge, there are three practical but simultaneous paths through which Vedanta has stepped onto the ground of practical realization:  

Jnana Yoga: The path of knowledge through philosophical inquiry and discrimination  

Bhakti Yoga: The path of devotion to the personal aspect of Brahman

Meditation: Techniques for realizing the unity of Atman and Brahman from an immediate and experiential level 

The Mundaka Upanishad (3.2.3) on what happens when developed Vedantic realization matures:

"When one sees Him-the Being and the Non-being-the knot of the heart is untied, all doubts vanish and all karma is dissolved." 

Further Study Resources

For deeper discourses in Vedanta:

"Jnana Yoga" by Swami Vivekananda is a very well founded book that brings a hitherto largely forgotten view of Advaita Vedanta to a modern audience. 

"The Principal Upanishads" by S. Radhakrishnan gives us an authoritative translation of each Upanishad, followed by a philosophical commentary.

"Brahma Sutra Bhasya"-Adi Sankaracarya, translated by Swami Gambhirananda-goes on to breathe the foundational Advaitic interpretation.

"Introduction to Vedanta" by Swami Dayananda Saraswati offers a systematic approach to Vedanta concepts. 

History has continued to spread the light of Vedanta throughout generations and across all known lands, including this wayfarer's world. It is no song beyond mere rhetoric, and yet the strict philosopher is known not by mere intellectual propriety but the indication of the practical wisdom enlivening him-the very significance of the Darshana; that is the First Baptism of Vision ever realized.