Advaita Vedānta rests upon a clearly defined scriptural foundation, often referred to as the threefold canon. At its heart stand the Upaniṣads, especially the principal ones such as Īśa, Kena, Kaṭha, Praśna, Muṇḍaka, Māṇḍūkya, Taittirīya, Aitareya, Chāndogya, and Bṛhadāraṇyaka. Alongside these are the Bhagavad Gītā and the Brahma Sūtras (also known as the Vedānta Sūtras) attributed to Bādarāyaṇa. Together, these three—Upaniṣads, Gītā, and Brahma Sūtras—form the *prasthāna-trayī*, the triad from which Advaita draws its scriptural authority and within which its non-dual vision is articulated.

Within the tradition, the Advaitic understanding of these foundational texts is shaped decisively by the works of Ādi Śaṅkarācārya. His commentaries (*bhāṣyas*) on the principal Upaniṣads, the Bhagavad Gītā, and the Brahma Sūtras are regarded as classical expressions of the non-dual standpoint. In addition to these commentaries, several independent treatises (*prakaraṇa-granthas*) associated with Śaṅkara, such as *Vivekacūḍāmaṇi*, *Ātma-bodha*, *Upadeśasāhasrī*, and *Aparokṣānubhūti*, serve as systematic guides that distill and clarify the core Advaitic insight that the individual self (Ātman) is not other than Brahman.

Subsequent Advaita teachers further elaborated this vision through their own works, which, while secondary to the *prasthāna-trayī*, have become integral to the living study of the tradition. Texts such as *Pañcadaśī* by Vidyāraṇya and *Advaita-siddhi* by Madhusūdana Sarasvatī, along with writings by Sureśvara, Padmapāda, and Toṭaka, deepen and defend the non-dual interpretation of the canonical scriptures. Manuals like *Dṛg-Dṛśya-Viveka* also serve as contemplative tools, helping seekers discern the distinction between the seer and the seen, and thereby internalize the teaching that all apparent multiplicity ultimately resolves into the one reality of Brahman.