Genesis 1:10 || Meditate the Scripture daily verse by verse
The Upanishads
1. THE UPANISHADS
“SITTING DOWN NEAR”
108 IN MUKTIKĀ
“they express the
restlessness and striving
of human mind to grasp
the true nature of reality.
They set forth fundamental
conceptions that are
sound. Their lofty ideals
and poetry have the power
to move the greatest
minds”
2. TIMELINES
< 1500 BCE – Rig Veda is composed
< 900 BCE – Yajur, Atharva and Sama Veda
< 650 BCE – Early Upanishads Composed
483 BCE – Death of Gautama, The Buddha
468 BCE – Death of Mahavira
400 BCE – Mahabharata composed by Vyasa
~ 300 BCE – Dharma Sutras composed
325 – 25 BCE – Alexander and Greek invasions
324 BCE – Chandragupta Maurya ascends. Chanakya
265 – 232 BCE – Ashoka reigns
200 BCE – 200 CE – Ramayana written by Valmiki
320 CE – Gupta Dynasty
788 CE – Adi Shanaka is Born
3. HINDU PHILOSOPHICAL ROOTS
Vedas Brāhmaṇas Āraṇyaka Upanishad
Uttarā Mīmāṃsā
Higher Enquiry – Philosophical texts related to self
realization
Pūrva Mimamsa
Explanations of the fire-sacrifices, Brahmanas and
Āraṇyakas (forest scriptures!)
Vedānta
The appendix of Vedic Hymns ~ Veda + Anta
Upanishads, Bhagawad Gita and Brahmasutras
5. CONCEPTS
Brahman and Atman – synonymous at times!
Saprapancha and Nisprapancha
Para and Apara
Vidya and Avidya (maya)
Sravana, Manana, Dhyana and Upasana
Nivritti and Pravritti
Jivanmukti, Videhamukti and Karmamukti
Jagrata, Swapna, Susupta and Turiya
Bheda and Abheda
Satyam Jnanam Anantam: Atman/Bramhan
Tajjalan – that which gives rise to the world - brahman
Brahma-vivarta-vada
6. Fundamentally Monistic
Śruti and not Smṛti
Philosophy
The Upanishadic philosophers regarded the Self as the
ultimate existence and subordinated the world and God to the
Self. The Self to them, is more real than either the world or
God
Presentation
Upanishads are primarily presented as conversations
between two persons or animals rather than expository
statements of philosophy or ideology
Fountain of Philosophical Thought
West: Curiosity
Hindu: Solve problems of life
7. DASHOPANISHAD
Īṣa - The Inner Ruler – Shukla Yajur
Kena - Who moves the world? - Sama
Kaṭha - Death as Teacher – Krishna Yajur
Praṣna - The Breath of Life - Atharva
Muṇḍaka - Two modes of Knowing -
Atharva
Māṇḍūkya - Consciousness and its
phases - Atharva
Taittirīya - From Food to Joy – Krishna
Yajur
Aitareya - The Microcosm of Man - Rg
Chāndogya - Song and Sacrifice - Sama
Bṛhadāraṇyaka - Shukla Yajur Veda
8. Doctrine: Scholars have long held the view that all
Upanishads propound the same doctrine. As to what the
exact nature of that doctrine is, they differ widely!! – Prof
Hiriyanna
Phase change: Ashwamedha as meditative act –
Brihadaranyaka
Philosophical: Onslaughts against sacrifices, rituals and
ceremonies – Mundaka Upanishad
Prime Object: removal of aham-kara; the basis of all evil;
cultivation of detachment or vairagya
Darshana – A mere reasoned conviction is NOT enough
Upanishadic God: explicit repudiation of objective
conception of god. (Agni, Vayu subordinate to Brahman –
Kena)
Upanishads have consistency of intuition rather than logic –
Dr. Radhakrishnan
9. ĪṢA UPANISHAD
DESCRIPTION OF THE NATURE OF SUPREME BEING
18 Verses
IT MOVES; IT MOVES NOT
IT IS FAR; IT IS NEAR
IT IS WITHIN; IT IS WITHOUT
10. KENA UPANISHAD
Story of Brahman, Indra, Agni and Vayu
Not that which the eye can see, but that whereby the eye can see:
know that to be Brahman the eternal, and not what people here
adore;
Not that which the ear can hear, but that whereby the ear can hear:
know that to be Brahman the eternal, and not what people here
adore;
Not that which speech can illuminate, but that by which speech
can be illuminated: know that to be Brahman the eternal, and not
what people here adore;
Not that which the mind can think, but that whereby the mind can
think: know that to be Brahman the eternal, and not what people
here adore.
4 Sections, 35 Verses
11. KAṬHOPANISHAD
ATMA – CHARIOTS PASSENGER
BODY – CHARIOT ITSELF
CONSCIOUSNESS – DRIVER
MIND – REINS
OBJECTS PERCEIVED BY THE
SENSES ARE THE CHARIOT'S PATH
3 Sections, 109 Verses
12. PRAṢNA UPANISHAD
QUESTIONS TO SAGE PIPPALADA
The son of Katya, Kabandhi: “Root
cause of the universe”
Bhargava of Vidarbha: “Relation
between senses and prana”
The son of Ashwala, Kausalya: “From
whom prana orignates”
Souryayanee Gargya: “Which
elements in a human actually sleep”
Shaibya Satyakama: What fruit does
one get who regularly meditates on
holy syllable OM till his/her death?
Son of Bharadwaja the Sukesha:
Description of the vedic divine being
6 Sections, 67 Verses
13. MUṆḌAKA
64 Mantras
Question for Angiras -
I want to know from you if there is
something I can learn which will
explain everything to me – Para
and Aprara
There is a sacred word -- OM --
which is the bow; your own self is
the arrow and Brahman is the
target. Without trembling, hit the
mark, and like the arrow, lose
yourself in It!
Shivo Bhutva Shivam Yajet
My son, when you know that
Brahman, you become that
Brahman
15. TAITTIRĪYA
ANNAMAYA – MADE OF FOOD
PRANAMAYA – MADE OF BREATH
MANOMAYA – MADE OF MIND
VIJNANAMAYA – MADE OF KNOWLEDGE
ANANDAMAYA – MADE OF JOY
Matru devo bhavaḥ,
Pitru devo bhavaḥ,
Acharya devo bhavaḥ,
Atithi devo bhavaḥ
3 Sections, Quite long
16. AITAREYA
Aitareya Aranyaka of Rig Veda
Chapter 1: Creation of Purusha, other divine
beings, creation of food
Chapter 2: Three births of the self
Chapter 3:
Pragyanam brahma: Consciousness is Brahman
33 Verses
17. CHĀNDOGYA
Tat tvam asi
Dialogues between father
Uddalaka and son
Svetaketu
8 Chapters, Quite long
upa- (nearby), ni- (at the proper place, down) and ṣad(to sit) thus: "sitting down near"
Vedas and Upanishads were Sidelined after the coming of Ashoka and Adi Shankara re-established the Vedic Dharma
Cosmic and acosmicBrahman does not change but merely appears as the world
"unembodied, omniscient, beyond reproach, without veins, pure and uncontaminated“"moves and does not move', who is 'far away, but very near as well'" and who "although fixed in His abode is swifter than the mind“"For the enlightened one all that exists is nothing but the Self“Tatvampushanapavrinu - A golden vessel covers the fact of truth, O thou nourisher, remove the cover so that votary and seeker of truth may see him.THAT (BRAHMAN) IS WHOLETHIS (CREATION) IS ALSO WHOLE FROM THAT WHOLE (I.E. BRAHMAN ONLY)THIS WHOLE HAS COME OUT (CREATION)BUT EVEN THOUGH THIS WHOLE HAS COME OUT OF THAT WHOLEYET THAT WHOLE REMAINS WHOLE ONLYGod pervades all all this that we see in the Universe. Therefore we must give up the idea of 'I' and 'Mine', accept gratefully whatever is given to us by God and use it sharing it with our fellow beings. Eschew all feelings of greed and selfishness. Remember that everything really belongs to God alone.
Vajashravasa - 'one who is famous (-shravA) for his charity of giving grains (vAja-) and he performs a sacrifice in which he was required to give away all his worldly possessions1) to be allowed to return to his father alive, and that his father not be angry with him (1.1.10);2) to be instructed as to the proper performance of Vedic fire-sacrifice in order to gain immortality (1.1.12–13);3) to be given knowledge about life after death (1.1.20).
ShivoBhutvaShivamYajet
ShikshaValliBrahmanandaValliBhr.gu Valli
I live; yet not I but God liveth in meJanshruti. “The King’s merit is no more than that of Raikva”Food is my deity.If Prana pervades the universe, it must pervade me too. Who am I but a part of the universe... am I not?