History

The Upanishads do not present a rigorous philosophical inquiry in the form of identifying various doctrines and then presenting arguments for or against them. They form the basic texts and Vedanta interprets them through rigorous philosophical exegesis. Varying interpretations of the Upanishads and their synthesis, the Brahma Sutras, led to the development of different schools of Vedanta over time of which three, four, five or six are prominent

• Advaita, many scholars of which most prominent are Gaudapada (~500 CE) and Shankara (8th century CE)
• Vishishtadvaita, prominent scholars are Nathamuni, Yāmuna and Ramanuja (1017–1137 CE)
• Dvaita, founded by Madhvacharya (1199–1278 CE)
• Suddhadvaita, founded by Vallabha (1479–1531 CE)
• Bhedabheda, as early as the 7th century CE, or even the 4th century CE. Some scholars are inclined to consider it as a "tradition" rather than a school of Vedanta.
• Upadhika, founded by Bhaskara in the 9th Century CE
• Svabhavikabhedabheda or Dvaitādvaita, founded by Nimbarka in the 13th century CE
• Achintya Bheda Abheda, founded by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486–1534 CE)