The Upanishads

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

The Upanishads THE SACRED BOOKS OF THE EAST [15] 1: THE UPANISHADS TRANSLATED BY F. MAX MiJLLER PART II THE KAr^A-UPANISHAD / THE MUiVZ>AKA-UPANISHAD THE TAITTIRIYAKA-UPANISHAD THE Bie/HADARAiVYAKA-UPANISHAD THE ^VETA^VATARA-UPANISHAD v' THE PRA^iVA-UPANISHAD THE MAITRAYAiVA-BRAHMAiVA-UPANISHAD AT THE CLARENDON PRESS 1884 \_All rights reserved ] L CL pt. CONTENTS. PAGE Introduction . ... ix Ka//2a-upanishad . xxi Mu</aka-upanishad . xxvi Taittiriyaka-upanishad xxvii Brzhadara^/yaka-upanishad . XXX ^vetai'vatara-upanishad xxxi Pra^Tia-upanishad xlii Maitrayawa-brahmawa-upanishad xliii Translation of the KAr^A-uPANisHAD ^6 Translation of the Mua^zjaka-upanishad 27 Translation of the Taittiriyaka-upanishad 45 Translation of the B/e/HADARAA^VAKA-uPANisHAD 73 ^-^ Translation of the ^vETAi-vATARA-uPANisHAD . 231 Translation of the PRA^-iVA-uPANisHAD . 271 Translation of the MAiTRAYAA^A-BRAHMAiVA-uPANisHAD 287 Transliteration of Oriental Alphabets adopted for the Trans- lations of the Sacred Books of the East . .347 INTRODUCTION. This second volume completes the translation of the principal Upanishads to which 6'ahkara appeals in his great commentary on the Vedanta-Sutras^, viz, : T. i^T/^andogya-upanishad, 2. Talavakara or Kena-upanishad, 3. Aitareya-upanishad, 4. Kaushitaki-upanishad, 5. Va^asaneyi or tja-upanishad, 6. Ka//za-upanishad, 7. Muw^aka-upanishad, 8. Taittiriyaka-upanishad, 9. Brz'hadarawyaka-upanishad, 10. 6'vetaj'vatara-upanishad, 1 1 . Praj/Ta-upanishad. These eleven have sometimes^ been called the old and genuine Upanishads, though I should be satisfied to call them the eleven classical Upanishads, or the fundamental Upanishads of the Vedanta philosophy. Vidyarawya^, in his 'Elucidation of the meaning of all the Upanishads,' Sarvopanishadarthanubhuti-prakai-a, con- fines himself likewise to those treatises, dropping, however, the tsk, and adding the Maitrayawa-upanishad, of which I have given a translation in this volume, and the Nrz- si7hottara-tapaniya-upanishad, the translation of which had to be reserved for the next volume. ^ See Deussen, Vedanta, Einleitung, p. 38. 6'ankara occasionally refers also to the Paingi, Agnirahasya, Gabala, and Narayawlya Upanishads. ^ Deussen, loc. cit. p. 82, ^ I state this on the authority of Professor Cowell. See also Fitzedward Hall, Index to the Bibliography of the Indian Philosophical Systems, pp. 116 and 236. UPANISHADS. of the It is more difficult to determine which Upanishads were chosen by 5ahkara or deserving the honour of a special on the eleven commentary. We possess his commentaries with the of the Upanishads mentioned before \ exception his commen- Kaushitaki ^-upanishad. We likewise possess but we do not know for tary on the Ma;/^ukya-upanishad, certain whether he left commentaries on any of the other statements Upanishads. Some more or less authoritative have been made that he wrote commentaries on some of the minor Upanishads, such as the Atharva^iras, Atharva-i-ikha, the and the Nrzsiwhatapani^ But as, besides 5ahkaraHrya, the of disciple of Govinda, there is 5ankarananda, disciple Anandatman, another writer of commentaries on the Upa- nishads, it is possible that the two names may have been confounded by less careful copyists *. With regard to the Nr/si;;2hatapani all uncertainty might seem to be removed, after Professor Ramamaya Tarka- ratna has actually published its text with the commentary of vSankara/^arya in the Bibliotheca Indica, Calcutta, 1871. But some uncertainty still remains. While at the end of each Kha.7ida, of the Nrzsi;;/ha-purvatapani we read that the Bhashya was the work of the Paramaha;^^sa-parivra- ^aka>^arya 5ri-5ankara, the pupil of Govinda, we have no such information for the Nrzsi;;/ha-uttaratapani, but are told on the contrary that the words ^ri-Govindabhagavat &c. have been added at the end by the editor, because he thought fit to do so. This is, to say the least, very suspicious, and we must wait for further confirmation. There is another commentary on this Upanishad by Narayaabha//a, the son of Bha//a Ratnakara ^, who is well known as the author of Dipikas on several Upanishads. * They have been published by Dr. Roer in the Bibliotheca Indica. ^ Dr. Weber's statement that 5ahkara wrote a commentary on the Kaushitaki- has been upanishad corrected by Deussen, loc. cit. p. 39. ^ See Deussen, loc. cit, p. 39. * A list long of works ascribed to ^ankara may be seen in Regnaud, Philo- de sophie I'Inde, p. 34, chiefly taken from Fitzedward Hall's Index of Indian Philosophical Systems. ^ See Tarkaratna's Vi^;7apana, p. 3, 1. 5. INTRODUCTION. XI I subjoin a list of thirty of the smaller Upanishads, pub- lished by Professor Ramamaya Tarkaratna in the Biblio- theca Indica, with the commentaries of Naraya;/abha//a. I. ^""ira-upanishadjpp.i-io; DipikabyNaraya;/a,pp.42-6o. 2. Garbha-upanishad, pp. 11-15 j pp. 60-73. 3. Nadavindu-upanishad, pp. 15-17 > pp. 73-78. 18-30 4. Brahmavindu-upanishad, pp. ; pp. 78-82. 5. Amrztavindu-upanishad; pp. 21-25 ; pp. 83-101. 6. 26-28 Dhyanavindu-upanishad,pp. ; pp. 102-114. 7. Te^ovindu-upanishad, pp. 29-30 ; pp. 114-118. 8. 1 18-122. Yogaj-ikha-upanishad, pp. 31-32 ; pp. 9. Yogatattva-upanishad, pp. 33-34 ; pp. 122-127. 10. Sannyasa-upanishad, pp. 35-39 ; pp. 128-184. 1 1. Aru;^eya-upanishad, pp. 39-41 ; pp. 184-196. 12. ibidem. Brahmavidya-upanishad, pp. 197-203 ; 13. Kshurika-upanishad, pp. 203-218 ; 14. ii'ulika-upanishad, pp. 219-228 ; 1 5. Atharvaj-ikha-upanishad, pp. 229-238 ; 16. Brahma-upanishad, pp. 239-259 ; 17. Prawagnihotra-upanishad, pp. 260-271 ; 18. Nilarudra-upanishad, pp. 272-280 ; 19. Ka;///^ajruti-upanishad, pp. 281-294; 20. Pi;/(/a-upanishad, pp. 295-298 ; A 21. Atma-upanishad, pp. 299-303 ; 22. Ramapurvatapaniya-upanishad, pp. 304-358; 23. Ramottaratapaniya-upanishad, PP- 359-3^4 ; 24. Hanumadukta-Rama-upanishad, PP- 385-393; 25. Sarvopanishat-sara/^, pp. 394-404 ; 26. Ha?/^sa-upanishad, pp. 404-416 ; 27. Paramahawsa-upanishad, pp. 417-436 ; ,, 28. (Jabala-upanishad, pp. 437-455 ; 29. Kaivalya-upanishad, pp. 456-464 ; Kaivalya-upanishad, pp. 465-479 ; Dipika by vSafikarananda, 30. Garu</a-upanishad, pp. 480 seq. ; Dipika by Naraya;/a, xii UPANISHADS. the We owe to the same editor in the earlier numbers of Bibliotheca the following editions : with Nr/siwhapurvatapani-upanishad, commentary. Nrzsiwhottaratapani-upanishad, with commentary. Sha/X-akra-upanishad, with commentary by Narayawa. and Viwanatha 5astri Lastly, Hara/^andraVidyabhushawa Indica an edition of the have published in the Bibliotheca Gopalatapani-upanishad, with commentary by Vii-vei-vara. These editions of the text and commentaries of the Upanishads are no doubt very useful, yet there are many the passages where the text is doubtful, still more where commentaries leave us without any help. Whatever other scholars may think of the difficulty of translating the Upanishads, I can only repeat what I have said before, that I know of few Sanskrit texts pre- senting more formidable problems to the translator than these philosophical treatises. It may be said that most of them had been translated before. No doubt they have been, and a careful comparison of my own translation with those of my predecessors will show, I believe, that a small advance, at all events, has now been made towards a truer understanding of these ancient texts. But I know full well how much still remains to be done, both in restoring a cor- rect text, and in discovering the original meaning of the and I have to Upanishads ; again and again had translate certain passages tentatively only, or following the com- mentators, though conscious all the time that the meaning which they extract from the text cannot be the right one. As to the text, I explained in my preface to the first volume that I attempted no more than to restore the text, such as it must have existed at the time when 5ankara wrote his commentaries. As .Sahkara lived during the ninth century A.D.\ and as we possess no MSS. of so early a date, all reasonable demands of textual criticism would seem to thereby be satisfied. Yet, this is not quite so. We draw may such a line, and for the present keep within It, but scholars who hereafter take up the study of the ^ can it India, What teach us ? p. 360. INTRODUCTION. XUl Upanishads will probably have to go beyond. Where I had an opportunity of comparing other commentaries, besides those of 6"ankara, it became quite clear that they often followed a different text, and when, as in the case of the Maitrayaa-brahma;^a-upanishad, I was enabled to collate copies which came from the South of India, the opinion which I have often expressed of the great value of Southern MSS. received fresh confirmation. The study of Grantha and other Southern MSS. will inaugurate, I believe, a new period in the critical treatment of Sanskrit texts, and the text of the Upanishads will, I hope, benefit quite as much as later texts by the treasures still concealed in the libraries of the Dekhan. The rule which I have followed myself, and which I have asked my fellow translators to follow, has been adhered to in this new volume also, viz. whenever a choice has to be made between what is not quite faithful and what is not quite English, to surrender without hesitation the idiom rather than the accuracy of the translation. I know that all true scholars have approved of this, and if some of our critics have been offended by certain unidiomatic expres- sions in occurring our translations, all I can say is, that we shall always be most grateful if they would suggest trans- lations which are not only faithful, but also idiomatic.
Recommended publications
  • Divine Discourses His Holiness Shri. Datta Swami
    DIVINE DISCOURSES Volume 19 HIS HOLINESS SHRI. DATTA SWAMI Shri Datta Swami Sri Datta Jnana Prachara Parishat Copyright: © 2007 Sri Datta Jnana Prachara Parishat, Vijayawada, India. All rights reserved. Shri Datta Swami Sri Datta Jnana Prachara Parishat CONTENTS 1. SOME PEOPLE CRITICIZE EVERYONE WITHOUT ESTABLISHING ANYTHING FROM THEIR SIDE 1 Meaning of Shrauta and Smaarta 1 Religion- Specific God & Mode of Worship 7 Conservative-negative Approach Belongs to Ignorant Followers of Any Religion 8 No Point Registered As Property of Any Human Being 20 There is Tradition in Hinduism To Stress On Any Point As Absolute23 2. IF PURE NIVRUTTI-BOND EXISTS ONLY GOD’S WORK SEEN AS EXTERNAL VISIBLE PROOF OF INTERNAL INVISIBLE LOVE TO GOD 31 Develop Devotion to God So That Worldly Bonds Become Weak & Disappear Gradually As Natural Consequence 31 No Social Service Pure & Effective Without Spiritual Background 34 3. DEVOTION MEANS SACRIFICE OF ONE’S OWN MONEY & NOT GOVERNMENT’S MONEY SECRETLY 37 Ruler Should Care Comments of Every Citizen in His Kingdom 37 Money of King Not Be Spent for Any Purpose Including Divine Service Without Permission 38 Response of Rama Through His Practical Actions 40 4. ONLY HOUSE HOLDER HAS BOTH OPTIONS TO SACRIFICE WORK AND WEALTH 42 Repeated Practice Means Blind Traditional Practice 42 5. SARASWATI RIVER OF SPIRITUAL KNOWLEDGE 45 Burning Self In Fire Of Knowledge Is Penance 45 6. SARASWATI RIVER OF SPIRITUAL KNOWLEDGE 51 Phases – Properties – Time – Angle of Reference 51 Entry of Unimaginable God in Human Form Never Direct 53 7. SARASWATI RIVER OF SPIRITUAL KNOWLEDGE 57 Top Most Scholars Even Neglect Miracles Giving Top Most Importance To Spiritual Knowledge Only 57 Knowledge Can’t Be Received By Hard Minds Due to Intense Ignorance 59 8.
    [Show full text]
  • The Mahabharata
    ^«/4 •m ^1 m^m^ The original of tiiis book is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924071123131 ) THE MAHABHARATA OF KlUSHNA-DWAIPAYANA VTASA TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH PROSE. Published and distributed, chiefly gratis, BY PROTSP CHANDRA EOY. BHISHMA PARVA. CALCUTTA i BHiRATA PRESS. No, 1, Raja Gooroo Dass' Stbeet, Beadon Square, 1887. ( The righi of trmsMm is resem^. NOTICE. Having completed the Udyoga Parva I enter the Bhishma. The preparations being completed, the battle must begin. But how dan- gerous is the prospect ahead ? How many of those that were counted on the eve of the terrible conflict lived to see the overthrow of the great Knru captain ? To a KsJtatriya warrior, however, the fiercest in- cidents of battle, instead of being appalling, served only as tests of bravery that opened Heaven's gates to him. It was this belief that supported the most insignificant of combatants fighting on foot when they rushed against Bhishma, presenting their breasts to the celestial weapons shot by him, like insects rushing on a blazing fire. I am not a Kshatriya. The prespect of battle, therefore, cannot be unappalling or welcome to me. On the other hand, I frankly own that it is appall- ing. If I receive support, that support may encourage me. I am no Garuda that I would spurn the strength of number* when battling against difficulties. I am no Arjuna conscious of superhuman energy and aided by Kecava himself so that I may eHcounter any odds.
    [Show full text]
  • Invaluable Books of Brahmvidya
    INVALUABLE BOOKS OF BRAHMVIDYA VACHANAMRUT AND SWAMI NI VAATO 1 Table of Contents PART 1 - BRAHMVIDYA ......................................................................................................... 6 1.1 The capacity of the human-brain to learn several kinds of knowledge ............................................... 6 1.2 The importance of Brahmvidya (Knowledge of atma) .......................................................................... 7 1.3 The Imporance and the necessity of Brahmvidya .................................................................................. 8 PART 2 - VACHANAMRUT…………..…………………………………...………..…………14 2.1 The aspects of Vachanamrut and the subjects explained therein ....................................................... 15 2.1.1 The aspects of Vachanamrut ......................................................................................................... 15 2.1.2 The topics covered in the Vachanamrut are spiritual, not mundane or worldly………………………………………………………………..………………16 2.2 Essence, secrets, and principle of all the scriptures in Vachanamrut ......................................... 18 2.3 Opinions About The Vachanamrut ................................................................................................. 21 2.3.1 The opinions of the Gunatit Gurus .............................................................................................. 21 2.3.2 The opinions of prominent learned personalities ....................................................................... 22 2.4 The
    [Show full text]
  • JUN 0 5 1992 U~T1an"R
    MEANING IN ARCHITECTURE: AN INVESTIGATION OF THE INDIGENOUS ENVIRONMENT IN BANGLADESH SAIF-UL- HAQ Bachelor of Architecture Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology Dhaka, 1986 Submitted to the Department of Architecture in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Science in Architecture Studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology June, 1992 @ Saif-ul- Haq, 1992 The author hereby grants to M.I.T. the permission to reproduce and distribute publicly copies of this thesis document in whole or in part. Sdnature of Author Department of Architecture May 08, 1992 Saif-tIf- Haq Certified by Visiting Professor of Architecture, 'Ihesis Supervisor Ronald Bentley Lewcock Accepted by I Chairman, I Ibebartmental Committee for Graduate Students Julian Beinart Rotch MASSACHUSETS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY JUN 0 5 1992 U~t1An"r- MEANING IN ARCHITECTURE: AN INVESTIGATION OF THE INDIGENOUS ENVIRONMENT IN BANGLADESH Saif-ul- Haq Submitted to the Department of Architecture in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Science in Architecture Studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. June, 1992. ABSTRACT A meaningful environment forms a necessary and essential part of a meaningful existence. Meaning is an interpretive problem, and meaning in architecture is difficult to grasp. Theoretical insights into meaning have to be based on analysis of existing and historical environments. The history of great architecture is a description of man's search and discovery of meaning under different conditions. This, in turn, may be used to help improve today's understanding of architecture. This study is triggered by a fundamental need to understand the architecture of Bangladesh.
    [Show full text]
  • A Study of the Early Vedic Age in Ancient India
    Journal of Arts and Culture ISSN: 0976-9862 & E-ISSN: 0976-9870, Volume 3, Issue 3, 2012, pp.-129-132. Available online at http://www.bioinfo.in/contents.php?id=53. A STUDY OF THE EARLY VEDIC AGE IN ANCIENT INDIA FASALE M.K.* Department of Histroy, Abasaheb Kakade Arts College, Bodhegaon, Shevgaon- 414 502, MS, India *Corresponding Author: Email- [email protected] Received: December 04, 2012; Accepted: December 20, 2012 Abstract- The Vedic period (or Vedic age) was a period in history during which the Vedas, the oldest scriptures of Hinduism, were composed. The time span of the period is uncertain. Philological and linguistic evidence indicates that the Rigveda, the oldest of the Vedas, was com- posed roughly between 1700 and 1100 BCE, also referred to as the early Vedic period. The end of the period is commonly estimated to have occurred about 500 BCE, and 150 BCE has been suggested as a terminus ante quem for all Vedic Sanskrit literature. Transmission of texts in the Vedic period was by oral tradition alone, and a literary tradition set in only in post-Vedic times. Despite the difficulties in dating the period, the Vedas can safely be assumed to be several thousands of years old. The associated culture, sometimes referred to as Vedic civilization, was probably centred early on in the northern and northwestern parts of the Indian subcontinent, but has now spread and constitutes the basis of contemporary Indian culture. After the end of the Vedic period, the Mahajanapadas period in turn gave way to the Maurya Empire (from ca.
    [Show full text]
  • The Significance of Fire Offering in Hindu Society
    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MULTIDISCIPLINARY EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH ISSN : 2277-7881; IMPACT FACTOR - 2.735; IC VALUE:5.16 VOLUME 3, ISSUE 7(3), JULY 2014 THE SIGNIFICANCE OF FIRE OFFERING IN HINDU THE SIGNIFICANCESOCIETY OF FIRE OFFERING IN HINDU SOCIETY S. Sushrutha H. R. Nagendra Swami Vivekananda Yoga Swami Vivekananda Yoga University University Bangalore, India Bangalore, India R. G. Bhat Swami Vivekananda Yoga University Bangalore, India Introduction Vedas demonstrate three domains of living for betterment of process and they include karma (action), dhyana (meditation) and jnana (knowledge). As long as individuality continues as human being, actions will follow and it will eventually lead to knowledge. According to the Dhatupatha the word yajna derives from yaj* in Sanskrit language that broadly means, [a] worship of GODs (natural forces), [b] synchronisation between various domains of creation and [c] charity.1 The concept of God differs from religion to religion. The ancient Hindu scriptures conceptualises Natural forces as GOD or Devatas (deva that which enlightens [div = light]). Commonly in all ancient civilizations the worship of Natural forces as GODs was prevalent. Therefore any form of manifested (Sun, fire and so on) and or unmanifested (Prana, Manas and so on) form of energy is considered as GOD even in Hindu tradition. Worship conceives the idea of requite to the sources of energy forms from where the energy is drawn for the use of all 260 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MULTIDISCIPLINARY EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH ISSN : 2277-7881; IMPACT FACTOR - 2.735; IC VALUE:5.16 VOLUME 3, ISSUE 7(3), JULY 2014 life forms. Worshiping the Gods (Upasana) can be in the form of worship of manifest forms, prostration, collection of ingredients or devotees for worship, invocation, study and discourse and meditation.
    [Show full text]
  • An Introduction to Sanskrit Chanda
    [VOLUME 5 I ISSUE 3 I JULY – SEPT 2018] e ISSN 2348 –1269, Print ISSN 2349-5138 http://ijrar.com/ Cosmos Impact Factor 4.236 An Introduction to Sanskrit Chanda MITHUN HOWLADAR Ph. D Scholar, Department of Sanskrit, Sidho-Kanho-Birsha University, Purulia, West Bengal Received: May 22, 2018 Accepted: July 11, 2018 ABSTRACT We can generally say, any composition which has a musical sound, is called chanda. Chanda has been one of the Vedāṅgas since Vedic period. Vedic verses are composed in several chandas. The number of Vedic chandas is 21, out of which 7 are mainly used. Earliest poetic composition in public language (laukika Sanskrit) started from Valmiki, later it became a fashion and then a discipline for composition (kāvya). But here has been a difference in Vedic and laukika chandas. Where Vedic chnadas are identified by the number of syllables (varṇa or akṣara) in a line of verse or whole verse and the number of lines in the verse, laukika chanda is identified by the order of the laghu-guru syllables. The number of the laukika chandas is not yet finally defined but many texts have been composed describing the different number of chandas. Each chanda of laukika Sanskrit (post Vedic Sanskrit) consists of four pādas or caraṇas, that is, the fourth part of the chanda. Keywords: Chanda, Vedāṅgas, Chandaśāstra, pāda, Chandomañjarī. Introduction: Veda, the oldest literature in the world, is also called Chandas because the Vedic mantras (compositions) are all metric compositions (Chandobaddha). All the four Saṁhitās (with some exceptions in Yajurveda and Atharvaveda) are of this nature.
    [Show full text]
  • 108 Upanishads
    108 Upanishads From the Rigveda 36 Dakshinamurti Upanishad From the Atharvaveda 1 Aitareya Upanishad 37 Dhyana-Bindu Upanishad 78 Annapurna Upanishad 2 Aksha-Malika Upanishad - 38 Ekakshara Upanishad 79 Atharvasikha Upanishad about rosary beads 39 Garbha Upanishad 80 Atharvasiras Upanishad 3 Atma-Bodha Upanishad 40 Kaivalya Upanishad 81 Atma Upanishad 4 Bahvricha Upanishad 41 Kalagni-Rudra Upanishad 82 Bhasma-Jabala Upanishad 5 Kaushitaki-Brahmana 42 Kali-Santarana Upanishad 83 Bhavana Upanishad Upanishad 43 Katha Upanishad 84 Brihad-Jabala Upanishad 6 Mudgala Upanishad 44 Katharudra Upanishad 85 Dattatreya Upanishad 7 Nada-Bindu Upanishad 45 Kshurika Upanishad 86 Devi Upanishad 8 Nirvana Upanishad 46 Maha-Narayana (or) Yajniki 87 Ganapati Upanishad 9 Saubhagya-Lakshmi Upanishad Upanishad 88 Garuda Upanishad 10 Tripura Upanishad 47 Pancha-Brahma Upanishad 48 Pranagnihotra Upanishad 89 Gopala-Tapaniya Upanishad From the Shuklapaksha 49 Rudra-Hridaya Upanishad 90 Hayagriva Upanishad Yajurveda 50 Sarasvati-Rahasya Upanishad 91 Krishna Upanishad 51 Sariraka Upanishad 92 Maha-Vakya Upanishad 11 Adhyatma Upanishad 52 Sarva-Sara Upanishad 93 Mandukya Upanishad 12 Advaya-Taraka Upanishad 53 Skanda Upanishad 94 Mundaka Upanishad 13 Bhikshuka Upanishad 54 Suka-Rahasya Upanishad 95 Narada-Parivrajaka 14 Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 55 Svetasvatara Upanishad Upanishad 15 Hamsa Upanishad 56 Taittiriya Upanishad 96 Nrisimha-Tapaniya 16 Isavasya Upanishad 57 Tejo-Bindu Upanishad Upanishad 17 Jabala Upanishad 58 Varaha Upanishad 97 Para-Brahma Upanishad
    [Show full text]
  • The Upanishads- an Overview
    The Upanishads- An overview (S.N.Sastri) The word ‘Upanishad’ denotes Brahma-vidya by its derivation. Sri Sankara Bhagavatpada says in his Bhashya on the Kathopanishad that this word is derived by adding the prefixes ‘upa’ (meaning near) and ‘ni’ (with certainty) to the root ‘sad’ which means ‘to destroy’, ‘to reach’, and ‘to loosen’. Thus the meaning of the word ‘Upanishad’ is that it is the knowledge that destroys the seeds of worldly existence such as ignorance in the case of those seekers of liberation who, after becoming free from all desires approach (upa sad) this knowledge. The subject-matter of the upanishads is Brahman, the only Reality. Brihadaaranyaka upanishad, 3. 9. 26 says, “I ask you about Him, the Purusha of the upanishads”. The upanishads are the only source of knowledge about Brahman. The method adopted in Vedanta to impart the knowledge of Brahman is known as the method of superimposition ( adhyaaropa ) and subsequent negation ( apavaada ). In the Bhashya on Br.up.4.4.25 Bhagavatpada says, “The transmigrating self is indeed Brahman. He who knows the self as Brahman which is beyond fear becomes Brahman. This is the purport of the whole upanishad put in a nutshell. It is to bring out this purport that the ideas of creation, maintenance and dissolution of the universe, as well as the ideas of action, its factors and results were superimposed on the Self. Then, by the negation of the superimposed attributes the true nature of Brahman as free from all attributes has been brought out”. This is the method of adhyaaropa and apavaada, superimposition and negation, which is adopted by Vedanta.
    [Show full text]
  • Ishavasya Upanishad
    DzÉÉuÉÉxrÉÉåmÉÌlÉwÉiÉç ISHAVASYA UPANISHAD The All-Pervading Reality “THE SANDEEPANY EXPERIENCE” Reflections by TEXT SWAMI GURUBHAKTANANDA 19 Sandeepany’s Vedanta Course List of All the Course Texts in Chronological Sequence: Text TITLE OF TEXT Text TITLE OF TEXT No. No. 1 Sadhana Panchakam 24 Hanuman Chalisa 2 Tattwa Bodha 25 Vakya Vritti 3 Atma Bodha 26 Advaita Makaranda 4 Bhaja Govindam 27 Kaivalya Upanishad 5 Manisha Panchakam 28 Bhagavad Geeta (Discourse -- ) 6 Forgive Me 29 Mundaka Upanishad 7 Upadesha Sara 30 Amritabindu Upanishad 8 Prashna Upanishad 31 Mukunda Mala (Bhakti Text) 9 Dhanyashtakam 32 Tapovan Shatkam 10 Bodha Sara 33 The Mahavakyas, Panchadasi 5 11 Viveka Choodamani 34 Aitareya Upanishad 12 Jnana Sara 35 Narada Bhakti Sutras 13 Drig-Drishya Viveka 36 Taittiriya Upanishad 14 “Tat Twam Asi” – Chand Up 6 37 Jivan Sutrani (Tips for Happy Living) 15 Dhyana Swaroopam 38 Kena Upanishad 16 “Bhoomaiva Sukham” Chand Up 7 39 Aparoksha Anubhuti (Meditation) 17 Manah Shodhanam 40 108 Names of Pujya Gurudev 18 “Nataka Deepa” – Panchadasi 10 41 Mandukya Upanishad 19 Ishavasya Upanishad 42 Dakshinamurty Ashtakam 20 Katha Upanishad 43 Shad Darshanaah 21 “Sara Sangrah” – Yoga Vasishtha 44 Brahma Sootras 22 Vedanta Sara 45 Jivanmuktananda Lahari 23 Mahabharata + Geeta Dhyanam 46 Chinmaya Pledge A NOTE ABOUT SANDEEPANY Sandeepany Sadhanalaya is an institution run by the Chinmaya Mission in Powai, Mumbai, teaching a 2-year Vedanta Course. It has a very balanced daily programme of basic Samskrit, Vedic chanting, Vedanta study, Bhagavatam, Ramacharitmanas, Bhajans, meditation, sports and fitness exercises, team-building outings, games and drama, celebration of all Hindu festivals, weekly Gayatri Havan and Guru Paduka Pooja, and Karma Yoga activities.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 BLOCK-2 INTRODUCTION the Upanishads Are Hindu Scriptures
    BLOCK-2 INTRODUCTION The Upanishads are Hindu scriptures that constitute the core teachings of Vedanta. They do not belong to any particular period of Sanskrit literature: the oldest, such as the Brhadaranyaka and Chandogya Upanishads, date to the late Brahmana period (around the middle of the first millennium BCE), while the latest were composed in the medieval and early modern period. The Upanishads have exerted an important influence on the rest of Indian Philosophy, and were collectively considered one of the 100 most influential books ever written by the British poet Martin Seymour-Smith. The philosopher and commentator Shankara is thought to have composed commentaries on eleven mukhya or principal Upanishads, those that are generally regarded as the oldest, spanning the late Vedic and Mauryan periods. The Muktika Upanishad (predates 1656) contains a list of 108 canonical Upanishads and lists itself as the final one. Although there are a wide variety of philosophical positions propounded in the Upanishads, commentators since Shankara have usually followed him in seeing Advaita as the dominant one. Unit 1 is on “Introduction to the Upanishads.” In this unit, you will become familiar with the general tenor of the Upanishads. You are expected to recognize the differences between the Vedas and the Upanishads not only in content but also in spirit. Secondly, you should be able to notice various philosophical and primitive scientific issues which have found place in the Upanishads. In the end, you should be in a position to understand that philosophy is not merely an intellectual exercise in India, but it is also the guiding factor of human life.
    [Show full text]
  • Issues in Indian Philosophy and Its History
    4 ISSUESININDIAN PHILOSOPHY AND ITS HISTORY 4.1 DOXOGRAPHY AND CATEGORIZATION Gerdi Gerschheimer Les Six doctrines de spéculation (ṣaṭtarkī) Sur la catégorisation variable des systèmes philosophiques dans lInde classique* ayam eva tarkasyālaņkāro yad apratişţhitatvaņ nāma (Śaģkaraad Brahmasūtra II.1.11, cité par W. Halbfass, India and Europe, p. 280) Les sixaines de darśana During the last centuries, the six-fold group of Vaiśeşika, Nyāya, Sāņkhya, Yoga, Mīmāņ- sā, and Vedānta ( ) hasgained increasing recognition in presentations of Indian philosophy, and this scheme of the systems is generally accepted today.1 Cest en effet cette liste de sys- tèmes philosophiques (darśana) quévoque le plus souvent, pour lindianiste, le terme şađ- darśana. Il est cependant bien connu, également, que le regroupement sous cette étiquette de ces six systèmes brahmaniques orthodoxes est relativement récent, sans doute postérieur au XIIe siècle;2 un survol de la littérature doxographique sanskrite fait apparaître quil nest du reste pas le plus fréquent parmi les configurations censées comprendre lensemble des sys- tèmes.3 La plupart des doxographies incluent en effet des descriptions des trois grands sys- tèmes non brahmaniques, cest-à-dire le matérialisme,4 le bouddhisme et le jaïnisme. Le Yoga en tant que tel et le Vedānta,par contre, sont souvent absents de la liste des systèmes, en particulier avant les XIIIe-XIVe siècles. Il nen reste pas moins que les darśana sont souvent considérés comme étant au nombre de six, quelle quen soit la liste. La prégnance de cette association, qui apparaît dès la première doxographie, le fameux Şađdarśanasamuccaya (Compendium des six systèmes) du jaina Haribhadra (VIIIe s.
    [Show full text]