Upanishads

Upanishads

 
The term Upanishad means sitting down near; this implies the students sitting
down near their Guru to learn the big secret. In the splendid isolation of their
forest abodes, the philosophers who composed the Upanishads contemplated upon
the various mysteries of life and its creation – whether common, or
metaphysical. The answers were however not open to all, but only for select
students. The reason for this was simple: not everyone can handle knowledge.
The composition of the Upanishads marks a significant and stride forward in
the direction of knowing the mystery of earth's creation and one comes
tantalizingly close to the answers. Through episodes, commentaries, stories,
traditions and dialogue, the Upanishads unfold the fascinating tale of creation,
life, the essence of life and of that beyond to the seeker of truth.
There is no exact date for the composition of the Upanishads. They continued
to be composed over a long period, the core being over 7th -5th centuries BC.
The Upanishads were originally called Vedanta, which literally means the
conclusion to the Vedas.
In the Upanishads, views about Brahman (the Absolute, or God) and atman
(one's true self) were proposed.
There are 18 principal Upanishads viz:
Brhad-aranyaka Upanishad
The Brhad-aranyaka Upanishad is widely
accepted to be the most important of all Upanishads. It has three khandas or
parts. The madhu khanda contemplates on the relationship between the individual
and the Universal self. The muni khanda or yajnavalkya is a debate which goes on
to give the philosophical backing to the earlier teaching. The khila khanda
tackles various rituals of worship and meditation.
Chandogya Upanishad
This Upanishad is a part of the Sama-Veda (see
The Vedas). The name comes from the singer of the songs (samans) who is called
Chandoga. The initial chapters of the Upanishad, discuss the ritual of
sacrifice. The others debate the origin and profundity of the concept of Om,
among other things.
Aitareya Upanishad
This one forms part of the Rig-Veda. The purpose
is to make the reader understand the deeper meaning of sacrifice and to take him
away from the outer trappings of the actual act.
Taittriya Upanishad
A part of the Yajur-Veda, this Upanishad is
divided into three sections or vallis. The siksa valli deals with the phonetics
of the chants, while the others, brahmananda valli and bhrgu valli deal with
self-realization.
Isa Upanishad
Also called the Isavasya Upanishad, this book deals
with the union of God, the world, being and becoming. The stress is on the
Absolute in relation with the world (paramesvara). The gist of the teachings is
that a person's worldly and otherworldly goals need not necessarily be opposed
to each other.
Kena Upanishad
The name of this Upanishad comes from the first word
kena, or by whom. It has two sections of prose and two of poetry. The verses
deal with the supreme spirit or the absolute principle (brahmaana) and the prose
talks of ishvara (god). The moral of the story is that the knowledge of ishvara
reveals the way to self-realization.
Katha Upanishad
Also called the Kathakopanishad, this Upanishad
uses a story (katha) involving a young Brahmin boy called Nachiketa to reveal
the truths of this world and the other beyond the veil.
Prashna Upanishad
Prashna literally means question, and this book
is part of the Athrava-Veda. It addresses questions pertaining to the ultimate
cause, the power of Om, relation of the supreme to the constituents of the
world.
Mundaka Upanishad
This book also belongs to the Atharva-Veda. The
name is derived from 'mund' or to shave, meaning that anyone who understands the
Upanishads is s(h)aved from ignorance. This book inscribes the importance of
knowing the supreme brahmaana, only by which knowledge can one attain
self-realization.
Mandukya Upanishad
The Mandukya is an exquisite treatise which
expounds on the principle of Om and its metaphysical significance in various
states of being, waking, dream and the dreamless sleep. The subtlest and most
profound of the Upanishads, it is said that this alone will lead one to the path
of enlightenment.
Svetasvatara Upanishad
The name of this Upanishad is after its
teacher. It comments on the unity of the souls and the world in one
all-encompassing reality. The concept of there being one god is also talked
about here. It is dedicated to Rudra, the storm god.
Kausitaki Brahmana Upanishad
The Upanishad has come down to us in
bits here and pieces there. The core of the text is dedicated to illustrating
the fact that the path to release is through knowledge.
Maitri Upanishad
This is a comparatively later Upanishad as it has
references to the Trinity of Hindu Gods (Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma) which is a
later development, and plus references to the world being illusory in character
reflects Buddhist influence.
Subala Upanishad
Belonging to the Yajur-Veda, this Upanishad puts
down a dialogue between the sage Subala and Brahma the creator of the Hindu
Trinity of Gods. It discusses the universe and the absolute.
Jabala Upanishad
Belonging to the Athrava-Veda this Upanishad
addresses some questions pertaining to renunciation.
Paingala Upanishad
The Paingala is again a dialog, this between
Yajnavalkya, the sage mentioned the Brhad-aranyaka's muni khanda and Paingala, a
student of his. It discusses meditation and its effects.
Kaivalya Upanishad
This Upanishad delves into the state of kaivalya
or being alone.
Vajrasucika Upanishad
Belonging to the Sama-Veda the Vajrasucika
reflects on the nature of the supreme being.
The core of the teachings of the Upanishads is summed up in three words: tat
tvam as… you are that.