THE UPANISHADS

Schopenhauer who read the Latin translation of a Persian rendering of the Upanishads felt so exalted by the deep philosophy found therein that he always had a copy of it on his table, and "was in the habit, before going to bed, of performing his devotions from its pages." "That incomparable book," he says, "stirs the spirit to the very depth of the soul. From every sentence, deep, original and sublime thoughts arise, and the whole is pervaded by a high and holy spirit. In the whole world there is no study so beneficial and so elevating as that of the Upanishad. It has been a source of constant solace to me." Max Mueller on reading the Upanishad said it is like the light of the morning, pure air of the mountains, so simple, so true, if once understood.

Nature of Brahman, the atman, the soul, the supreme intelligence:

Know it through inquiry
A Logical inquiry
Is it food?-No because food is only essential for existence. What is primary before food and all else is life energy or life force (prana)
But there is the manas (mind) too but this is a product too, is it intellectual awareness (Vijanana) no, it is bliss (ananda) which is Brahman. For in Bliss there is no dualism. It underlies subject and object and transcends both. Brahman bliss is a billion times that of human bliss.
Inquiry is through the mind which operates through the Sense organs-----:

Five of cognition - Sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell and

Five of action -- Speech, grasping, moving, evacuation, generation.

The Upanishad assumes on part of the aspirant - a high grade of ethical conduct therefore a moral life is assumed as a condition precedent to an inquiry into Brahman Atman.

Three "das" stand for three moral imperatives essential before any spiritual journey can be undertaken - Self-control, generosity, compassion. The process of realising the Brahman is therefore through three stages. Sravana, manana and nidhi dhyasna. The first is the study of the Upanishads under a proper guide. The second is conviction of what we have read through the processes of reflection and logical enquiry and the third stage is continued meditation.



HOW MANY UPANISHADS ARE THERE?

There are more than 108 books of Upanishads. The thirteen most important Upanishads are: Isa, Kena, Katha, Prasna, Mundaka, Mandukya, Aitareya, Taittirya, Chandogya, Brihad-Aranyaka, Kaushitaki, Shvetasvatara and Maitri. Some of the Upanishads are named after the great sages who are featured in them. Those sages are Mandukya, Shvetasvatara, kaushitaki and Maitri. Other Upanishads are named after the first word of the work.

We also have eleven minor Yogic Upanishads. The most important among them are Yogatattva, Dhyanabindu, and Nadabindu. Yogatattva consists of all the details about yogic practices. Nadabindu, as the name depicts, deals with the auditory phenomena that accompany certain yogic exercises. Dhyanabindu deals with the syllable AUM and with many mystic revelations.

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nature of soul || isa upanishad || kena upanishad || katha upanishad || prasna upanishad || mundaka upanishad || chandyoga upanishad || brhadarnyaka upanishad || samanya upanishad || yoga upanishad || sakta upanishad