Upanishads
Written primarily between 800-200 BCE. This is Sanskrit texts of the late Vedic & post-Vedic periods that “document the transition from the archaic ritualism of the Veda into new religious ideas & institutions” & the emergence of the central religious concepts of Hinduism.
The word Upanishad comes from the Sanskrit roots upa (near), ni (down), & shad (to sit). It literally describes a student sitting at the feet of a guru to receive “secret” or “higher” knowledge.
The central concern of all Upanishads is to discover the relations between ritual, cosmic realities (including gods), & the human body/person, postulating Atman & Brahman as the “summit of the hierarchically arranged & interconnected universe.” But various ideas about the relation between Atman & Brahman can be found.
The Upanishads isn’t a single book but a collection of over 200 texts (with 13 “Principal” Upanishads). Despite their diversity, they all converge on 1 revolutionary equation that changed religious thought: Atman=Brahman. Atman – the individual soul or the “true self” that resides deep within a person, beyond the ego & the body. Brahman – the ultimate, infinite, & formless reality that underlies the entire universe.
108 Upanishads are known, of which the 1st dozen or so are the oldest & most important & are referred to as the principal, or main (mukhya), Upanishads. The mukhya Upanishads predate the Common Era.
Of the remainder, 95 Upanishads are part of the Muktika canon, composed from about the last centuries of 1st-millennium BCE through about the 15th century CE.
The Upanishads argue that our suffering (Samsara) comes from the illusion (Maya) that we are separate from the universe. Liberation (Moksha) occurs the moment a person realizes that their inner self is identical to the cosmic reality.
Translation of the Upanishads in the early century started to attract attention from a Western audience.
The Upanishads gave the vocabulary for the next 2,500 years of Eastern spirituality:
- Karma:
- The law of cause & effect. While mentioned earlier, the Upanishads tied it to the moral quality of one’s actions & the cycle of rebirth.
- Samsara:
- The “wandering” or the cycle of birth, death, & rebirth.
- Moksha:
- The release from Samsara; the ultimate goal of human life.
- Om (Aum):
- Described in the Mandukya Upanishad as the primordial sound of the universe, representing the 4 states of consciousness (waking, dreaming, deep sleep, & the “4th states” of pure consciousness).
One of the oldest, & largest, it contains the famous dialogue between the sage Yajnavalkya, & his wife, Maitrey. When Yajnavalkya offers her his worldly wealth before retiring to the forest, she asks: “If this whole earth filled with wealth were mine, would I become immortal through it?” (Wise girl, we like that around here!)
His answer (which was a “Um, no ma’am. That’s not how that works around here, partner.”) leads into a profound discourse on how the Self is the only thing truly dear to us.
The Chandogya Upanishad (The “Song” Teaching) is famous for the phrase “Tat Tvam Asi” (Thou Art That). It tells of a dad teaching his son, Shvetaketu, using metaphors (parables if you’re from that world) from nature. He asks his son to dissolve salt in water. Even though the salt cannot be seen, its essence is everywhere in the water. This explains how Brahman permeates everything.
The Katha Upanishad (The Dialogue with Death) is perhaps the most “US culture”-friendly Upanishad. A young boy, named Nachiketa, finds himself at the gates of the underworld & waits for Yama (the God of Death). Yama is impressed by Nachiketa’s persistence & offers Nachiketa 3 boons/blessings/gifts (vara).
The 1st boon was Peace. Nachiketa asks that his dad’s anger be appeased & that Nachiketa would be welcomed home lovingly. This represents family harmony & emotional peace.
The 2nd boon was Knowledge of the Fire Sacrifice. Nachiketa asks for knowledge of the sacred fire sacrifice ritual (Agni Vidya) that leads to the Heavenly Realms. This represents righteous action(s) & spiritual discipline.
The 3rd boon was Self-Realization. Nachiketa asks for the mystery of what happens after death & the nature of the soul, seeking true knowledge of the Atman. Yama grants Nachiketa this request only after testing his dedication. For this last boon, Nachiketa asked: “What happens after death?” Yama’s teachings on the nature of the soul & the “chariot” of the body is a cornerstone of Vedantic thought.
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