No its just a Vedanta forum not Advaita Vedanta. It is for all Vedantians.
Yes. Just a Primer by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami:
The Vedas are considered to be the mother, and
Brahmā is called the grandfather, the forefather, because he was the first to be instructed in the Vedic knowledge. In the beginning the first living creature was
Brahmā. He received this Vedic knowledge and imparted it to
Nārada and other disciples and sons, and they also distributed it to their disciples. In this way, the Vedic knowledge comes down by disciplic succession.
Vedic knowledge is called
śabda-
pramāṇa. Another name is
śruti.
Śruti means that this knowledge has to be received simply by aural reception. The Vedas instruct that in order to understand transcendental knowledge, we have to hear from the authority.
Originally there was only one
Veda, and there was no necessity of reading it. People were so intelligent and had such sharp memories that by once hearing from the lips of the spiritual master they would understand. They would immediately grasp the whole purport. But five thousand years ago Vyāsadeva put the Vedas in writing for the people in this age,
Kali-
yuga.
He knew that eventually the people would be short-lived, their memories would be very poor, and their intelligence would not be very sharp. "Therefore, let me teach this Vedic knowledge in writing." He divided the Vedas into four:
Ṛg,
Sāma,
Atharva and Yajur. Then he gave the charge of these Vedas to his different disciples.
He then thought of the less intelligent class of men-
strī,
śūdra and
dvija-
bandhu. He considered the woman class and
śūdra class (worker class) and
dvija-
bandhu.
Dvija-
bandhu refers to those who are born in a high family but who are not properly qualified. A man who is born in the family of a
brāhmaṇa but is not qualified as a
brāhmaṇa is called
dvija-
bandhu.
For these persons he compiled the Mahābhārata, called the history of India, and the eighteen Purāṇas. These are all part of the Vedic literature: the Purāṇas, the Mahābhārata, the four Vedas and the Upaniṣads. The Upaniṣads are part of the Vedas. Then Vyāsadeva summarized all Vedic knowledge for scholars and philosophers in what is called the
Vedānta-
sūtra. This is the last word of the Vedas.
Vyāsadeva personally wrote the
Vedānta-
sūtra under the instructions of
Nārada, his
Guru Mahārāja (spiritual master), but still he was not satisfied. That is a long story, described in
Śrīmad-
Bhāgavatam. Vedavyāsa was not very satisfied even after compiling many Purāṇas and Upaniṣads, and even after writing the
Vedānta-
sūtra.
Then his spiritual master,
Nārada, instructed him, "You explain the
Vedānta-
sūtra."
Vedānta means "ultimate knowledge," and the ultimate knowledge is
Kṛṣṇa.
Kṛṣṇa says that throughout all the Vedas one has to understand Him:
vedānta-kṛd
veda-
vid eva cāham.
Kṛṣṇa says, "I am the compiler of the
Vedānta-
sūtra, and I am the knower of the Vedas." Therefore the ultimate objective is
Kṛṣṇa.
That is explained in all the
Vaiṣṇava commentaries on
Vedānta philosophy. We
Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas have our commentary on
Vedānta philosophy, called
Govinda-
bhāṣya, by
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa. Similarly, Rāmānujācārya has a commentary, and Madhvācārya has one. The version of
Śańkarācārya is not the only commentary. There are many
Vedānta commentaries, but because the Vaiṣṇavas did not present the first
Vedānta commentary, people are under the wrong impression that
Śańkarācārya's is the only
Vedānta commentary.
Besides that, Vyāsadeva himself wrote the perfect
Vedānta commentary,
Śrīmad-
Bhāgavatam.
Śrīmad-
Bhāgavatam begins with the first words of the
Vedānta-
sūtra: janmādy
asya yataḥ [
SB 1.1.1]. And that janmādy
asya yataḥ is fully explained in
Śrīmad-
Bhāgavatam. The
Vedānta-
sūtra simply hints at what is
Brahman, the Absolute Truth: "The Absolute Truth is that from whom everything emanates."
This is a summary, but it is explained in detail in
Śrīmad-
Bhāgavatam. If everything is emanating from the Absolute Truth, then what is the nature of the Absolute Truth? That is explained in
Śrīmad-
Bhāgavatam. The Absolute Truth must be consciousness. He is self-effulgent (
sva-
rāṭ). We develop our consciousness and knowledge by receiving knowledge from others, but for Him it is said that He is self-effulgent.
The whole summary of Vedic knowledge is the
Vedānta-
sūtra, and the
Vedānta-
sūtra is explained by the writer himself in
Śrīmad-
Bhāgavatam. We finally request those who are actually after Vedic knowledge to try to understand the explanation of all Vedic knowledge from
Śrīmad-
Bhāgavatam and the Bhagavad-
gītā.