Upanishads are the sacred texts of Hinduism; they are universal in their subject matter and touch each of the human beings. They are the concluding portion of the Vedas therefore they are called in a group as 'Vedanta' -- the end or culmination of the Vedas, since they are considered the last of the 'Sruti’, the revealed wisdom of the Rishis. The Rishis have seen directly into the heart of Reality; in that sense the wisdom of the Vedas is considered timeless and authorless. Later teachers evolved the tradition by interpreting and expanding upon the central philosophy; these commentaries are known as 'smriti' and, while not considered to be revelatory, have nonetheless had considerable impact on Indian thought.
Dr.Yajneshvar Shastri says, "The Upanishads shift the centre of interest from Vedic gods to the Reality behind changing phenomena. Upanishadic seers turned the vision more inward and gave a new direction to spiritual life. That permanent eternal and unchanging Reality is called the Brahman or the Atman, which is existence, consciousness and Bliss." Upanishadic literature also concentrates on Self -the inner controller of human being. It analyses the Self and distinguishes between its outer layer and inner Reality. The real self is pure consciousness. Not being limited by anything; it is infinite. The real Self is called Atman. Everyone contains Divinity within him and there is no difference between the individual self and the Ultimate Self or the Ultimate Reality-the Brahman. Katha Upanishad reveals the truth by stating that, this self is concealed in all things and does not appear to but is perceived by the keen insight aided by sharp and penetrating intellect.
Regarding the mystical aspect of the Upanishads we can say that Upanishad means the inner or mystical teaching. The term Upanishad is derived from upa (near), ni (down) and s (h) ad (to sit), i.e., sitting down near. Groups of acolytes sit near the master to learn from him the secret doctrine. In the quietness of the forest hermitages, the Upanishadic thinkers pondered on the problems of deepest concerns and communicated their knowledge to fit pupils near them. Shankara derives the word Upanishad as a substitute from the root sad, 'to loosen, 'to reach' or 'to destroy' with Upa and ni as prefixes. If this interpretation is accepted, Upanishad means The knowledge of the Brahman after the removal of the veil of ignorance. In this sense those treatises that deal with Brahman knowledge are called the Upanishads. The different derivations together make out that the Upanishads give us both divine vision and arguments seeking the Truth. There is a core of certainty that is in essence inexpressible except by a way of life. It is by a rigorous meditation and contemplation on the Self that one can reach the Reality.
The Upanishads more clearly put forward the prime Vedic canon like Self realization, yoga and meditation, karma and reincarnation, which were hidden or kept veiled under the symbols of the older obscure religion. The Upanishads are usually linked with a particular Veda, through a Brahmana or Aranyaka.
The subject matter of almost all the Upanishads is the Self which is Brahman itself. The Self and how to realize Self is the focal point in all the Upanishads. Self or Atman or Brahman is at the centre of all the Upanishads and everything else rotates round the Self.
The main figure in the Upanishads, though not present in many of them, is the sage Yajnavalkya. Most of the great teachings of later Hindu and Buddhist philosophy derive from him. He taught the great doctrine of "netinett, the view that truth can be found only through the negation of all thoughts about it. Other important Upanishadic sages are Uddalaka Aruni, Shwetaketu, Shandilya, Aitareya, Pippalada, and Sanat Kumara. Many earlier Vedic teachers like Manu, Brihaspati, Ayasya and Narada are also found in the Upanishads.
The spiritual meanings of the Vedic texts are brought out and emphasized in their own right in the Upanishads.
The earlier Vedas were concerned with Vedic religious rituals and the importance of sacrifice. The Upanishads herald the beginning of the profound stream of Indian exploratory thought. Composed probably by various, mostly unknown, seers, these teachings are less philosophical and more mystical in nature, and contain the fundamental core of Indian metaphysics. They are varied but deeper common threads can be discerned. The word 'Upanishad' also means 'secret teaching;' this reflects the longstanding oral tradition in India, where this knowledge was passed down from teacher to disciple directly. Some would also say that it refers to the mystical nature of the Upanishadic revelations themselves that is this divine knowledge was passed traditionally from Guru to Shishya. It is not sufficient merely to grasp the ideas intellectually; a true realization requires an immediate experience of a transcendent Reality which one cannot put into words, and which is the focus of the Upanishadic teachings. Regarding the intuitive, mystical nature of the Upanishads, it should be noted that the basis of the philosophy is highly practical; that is, it is not concerned with mere speculation, but only with addressing those issues that relate directly to the conditions of life and their improvement. Keeping this view in their mind the western philosophers take Upanishads as mere speculation and distort the mystical and hidden Reality in Upanishads. The Rishis knew that in order to improve life, one must ask basic questions concerning the basic nature of Reality and of human beings, and the ultimate goal of human existence. This speculative exploration marked the beginning of the Upanishads. Now let us analyse how different major Upanishads have interwoven in themselves these mystical aspect of the supreme Reality.
The Mandukya Upanishad:
Mandukya Upanishad belongs to the Atharva Veda. It contains twelve mantras. Bridging the gap between the spontaneous and ecstatic mysticism of the early Upanishads and the systematic metaphysics of Advaitic Vedanta this short but influential Upanishad, refers to four states of consciousness. They are as under:
1. waking or gross,
2. dreaming or subtle,
3. dreamless sleep or very subtle, and
4. the Absolute or Self (Atman),
These aspects are related to each other with the three letters of the important Vedic mantra AUM, with the fourth principle indicating silence (the Unmanifest).The Mandukya Upanishads reveals the mystery of the word AUM and stresses to meditate upon this beautiful and mystical three letter syllable. The world is a mystery and the Supreme Reality is also a mystery hidden into the three letter word Aum. The seer can realize the Brahman or the Ultimate Reality by concentrating on this pious word. Everything is included or hidden in AUM. The past, present and the future is Aum.AUM is beyond time and space beyond spatio-temporality yet encompasses everything animate and inanimate into its sphere. It is said that this Upanishad is enough to lead one to liberation.
Mandukyam ekam evalam mmmuksunam vimuktaye
This is the mystery of the Supreme Reality that is hidden into this Supreme word AUM.
Now let us see the relevant Mantras of this short Upanishad:
sarvam hy etad brahman, ay am atman brahman, so'yam atma catus-pati1
(... this self (Atman) is Brahman. This same self has four quarters.)
jagrita sthano bahis-prajnaha saptanga ekonavimsati-mukhah
sthul-bhug vaisvanarah prathamah padah
[ The first quarter is vaishvanam, whose sphere is the waking state (jagarat, the world), who cognises (prajna) external objects...]
The second quarter is taijasa, whose sphere is the dream (svapna) state, who cognises (prajna) internal objects...
...The third quarter is prajna, whose sphere is deep sleep (sushupta), who has become one, who is verily a mass of cognition (prajna), who is full of bliss and who enjoys bliss, whose face is thought.
This is the lord of all, this is the knower of all, this is the inner controller; this is the source of all; this is the beginning and end of beings.
(Turiya) is not that which cognises the inner, not that which cognises the outer, not that which cognises both of them, not a mass of cognition, not cognitive, not non-cognitive. Unseen, incapable of being spoken of, ungraspable, without any distinctive marks, unthinkable, unnameable, the essence of the knowledge of the one self, that into which the world is resolved, the peaceful, the benign, the non-dual, such, they think is the fourth (Turiya) quarter. He is the self (Ativan); He is to be known.
In this Upanishad, the four quarters are four aspects of the one Reality: the four-fold classification of existence into the objective, subjective, consciousness, and transcendent-Absolute, states of consciousness. Therefore, Turiya is the Transcendent Absolute Reality, the Atman. Prajna here refers to the cosmic dimension of bliss or consciousness, which is identified with the Supreme Reality. The other two quarters, Taijasa and Vishva or Vaishvanara, represent the inner and outer, subtle and gross, psychic and physical, dimensions of the Individual being. The word Taijasa actually means "bright" or "shining".
It is not the highest but the second highest principle, Prajna or consciousness, which is identified as the source of all; the beginning and end of beings. This is actually an emanationist idea; in that Emanationism assumes the First Principle or Absolute to be too transcendent to be actually involved in Creation. It is also in keeping with the Indian Vedantic tradition, which sees the cosmic godhead as inferior to the Absolute: inasmuch as one accesses the Absolute in the essence of one's own being (the Atman), one transcends even the Gods, for one becomes one's self as well. Thus, the Vedantic monist Shankara sees the Jiva or individual soul, and Brahman, as both equally non-absolute manifestations of the one Reality.
These four states of consciousness of the Upanishads can well be compared with the four states of Sufism or Islamic mysticism. They are:
(1) The Shari'a (2) The Tariqa (3) The Marifa and (4) The Haqiqa.
These four stages of Islamic mysticism correspond to the four states as propounded by the Upanishads. When one crosses the boundary of Vaishvanara one enters the second reign of consciousness that is taijas. ln this state one tries to divert the senses inwardly and remains detached from the outward senses. The soul becomes the guiding light. The Tariqa of Islamic mysticism also stresses on contemplation of Allah the Supreme Reality. Many Sufis called this state as inward journey. The third state of consciousness prajna of the Upanishads can well be compared with the Marifa of Sufism and the fourth turiya with The Haqiqa of Islamic Mysticism. In the Haqiqa, one merges with Allah the Supreme Reality. It is also known as Fana.When one realizes the Self and merges with the Supreme Reality, ANAL-HAQ or AHAM BRAHMASMI spontaneously flows out from one's inner being like water from the torrent. This state is the state of Fana or the supreme state of realisation of the self or merging of the soul with the Supreme soul.In the words of Shankara one sees SARVAM KHALUIDAM BRAHMAN and one realizes BRAHMAN STYAM JAGATMITHYA JIVOH BRAHMAH EVA NAPARAH, and the Sufi mystics like Hallaj Mansur. Sarmad and Hamdani spontaneously utter ANAL HAQ. It comes automatically without any strain or stress. When it happens it happens abruptly and instantly like a thunder bolt. But it happens only to the seers or to the Sufi mystics. It happens only to Astavakra or Janaka, or Shankara or Mansur or Sarmad.
Kena Upanishad:
The Kena Upanishad derives its name from the first word Kena, by whom, and belongs to the Sama Veda. It is also known as the Talavakara, the name of the Brahmana of the Sama Veda to which the Upanishad belongs.
It has four segments, two in verse and two in prose. The melodious segment deals with the Supreme Brahman, the supreme principle underlying the world of phenomenon and the prose part of the Upanishad deals with the Supreme as God, Isvara. The knowledge of the Absolute, para vidya, which secures immediate liberation (sadyo-mukti) is possible only for those who are able to pull out their thoughts and senses from material objects and focus on the ultimate fact of the universe. The knowledge of Isvara, apara vidya, puts one on the pathway that leads to liberation ultimately which is called karma-mukti. The worshipping soul
slowly but surely attains the superior wisdom that results in the consciousness of the identity with the Supreme Reality.
Commenting upon verse 4 of the Kena Upanishad Swami Krishnanand in Essays on the Upanishads says that; "Consciousness should be realised as the fundamental basis of all mental experiences. It should be realised in every state of our life in waking, dreaming and deep sleep. All thoughts are heterogeneous in their nature.
They are not connected with one another. But they are experienced as belonging to one person because of the unity of the Self within. Our body, senses and mind are all made up of scattered parts that appear to be a unified whole because of the underlying indivisible essence. If only the Self were not there, our personality would be thrown away into the condition of atoms, disconnected and varied. There is no difference at all between the building bricks of one body and of another body. All are made up of the same earth, water, fire, air and space. But bodies appear to be different, they act in different ways, because the actor is not the body. Differences are in the desires within. This shows that man is not the body. When we speak to a person we do not speak to the body at all; we speak to the character hidden within. Even the ultimate constituents of this inner character do not differ from person to person. The same force acts as the substantial essence of all minds. But this substance of minds whirls in different directions at different centres of existence, thus creating differences. This whirling is called the mind, and this way of whirling is called a desire. Therefore, desires differ from person to person, and consequently bodies also appear to be different, as the body is controlled by the mind. With all these distracting characteristics which a person is made up of, he appears to be a whole being, without differences at all. The external ugliness is hidden by the reflection of the inner beauty of the Self.
This synthesising nature belongs to consciousness and not to thought. The states of waking, dreaming and deep sleep differ from one another, and yet, a person feels that he alone exists during these three states, without difference. He identifies himself as a single unity in all changes that take place, whether in mind or in body. Waking, dreaming and deep sleep are mental conditions, manifested, slightly manifested and unmanifested. But the Self is neither the manifest nor the unmanifest. It is immutable. It is the General Ground underlying all particulars. Particulars are deviations from the natural Truth. All particularities are self imposed, i.e., created by the individuals. But the generality of the essence is common to all. Even the particulars have no life and value without this general being, even as a pot has no value without clay."
Samyagdarshana is correct perception of things as they really are. It is a spiritual condition and not an act. It has no concern with the changes that take place in the body and even in the surface-consciousness of the mind. It is, in other words, simple knowing. All objective knowledge breeds birth and death, because knowledge of objects means an underlying desire for objects. We cannot think of anything without having a love for it, positive or negative, and every love is a deviation from the law of Self-Existence. When we love an object, we deny ourselves, or rather, we deceive ourselves, because we, thereby, sell ourselves to that object. Because the object changes itself, and because our love for that object also hunts, after it, and because our love is inseparable from ourselves, we appear to die when the object vanishes, and take rebirth in order to find that object of love. Perception of diversity means moving from death to death, because we are courting thereby self-transformation, due to our desire for identifying ourselves with the diverse forms of objects.
Self-knowledge, therefore, consists in self-identical, immediate, non-relational knowledge. Knowledge, however, cannot be an attribute of the Self. If so, what is the nature of the Self? We cannot say that the Self is other than consciousness, holding that consciousness is its attribute. Else, the Self would be unconsciousness, which, however, is not our experience. The Self is not a substance having attributes. If consciousness is an attribute of the Self, there would be rise and fall of the knowledge of the Self. It is not possible for us to say what would be the nature of the Self in essence, if it is not consciousness. Without consciousness, it would become a dull substance, ever changing, partitioned, impermanent and impure, which conclusion is, however, illogical.
The theory that the knowledge of the Self is the result of the contact of the Self with the mind is incorrect. This theory reduces the Self to unconsciousness. Several of the declarations of the Srutis (Upanishads) would be contradicted by this theory. Because the Self is all-pervading, there would be an eternal contact of the Self with the mind, as wherever the mind is, the Self also is. What, then, is the meaning of remembrance and forgetfulness? There would be no forgetfulness at all because of the perpetual contact of the Self with the mind. Moreover, it is wrong to hold that the Self can be in contact with anything, because the Upanishads deny such a possibility. Only a substance with attributes can be in contact with another substance with attributes. The mind has attributes, but the Self has none. Infinity cannot be in contact with perishability. The knowledge of the Self is not the effect of its contact with the mind, as the acceptance of this theory would be to accept that consciousness itself is transient. The Self is eternal knowledge in its very essence. It does not require any contact.
There is another theory which holds that the Self knows itself by itself, by becoming the subject as well as the object. This theory makes the Self perishable, because it divides the Self into two parts. The Self can never became an object of itself. If it does, it has to die. One thing cannot become another thing unless it dies to that one thing. The Self does not require another consciousness to know itself. Therefore it cannot be said that the Self becomes an object to know itself.
Ishopanishad:
The main theme of this Upanishad is Path of knowledge versus path of action and the Self (Atman) and How to realize the Self. The benedictory or prayer mantra establishes the supremacy and completeness of Brahman in the following verse:
Om puranam adah purnam idam purnat purnam udachyte,
Purnasya purnamadaya purnam evavashishyate.
Om shantih, shantih, shantih.
[All this is full. All that is full.
From fullness, fullness comes.
When fullness is taken from fullness,
Fullness still remains.
OM shanti shanti shanti*]
This mantra describes the fullness of the Brahman. If from fullness taken out fullness still fullness remains this is the mystery of the Brahman. This mantra brings out the mystery of the universe through the cause and effect relationship. Purnam adah purnam idam, meaning: "That is complete, this is complete." The word adah (That) refers to the Supreme Atma, Paramatma (the cause) and the word idam (this) refers to the entire animate and inanimate manifestation (the effect) pervaded by the Supreme Atma or the Ultimate Reality. The Supreme Atma is beyond this manifestation and is indescribably greater. Further, purnat purnam udacyate, meaning: "From the complete (Paramatma), only the complete manifestation (this universe) has emanated, because incomplete cannot be the result of the complete. The doctrine is: "Whateveris there in the causal form, that itself changes into the effect form. The effect of the complete cannot be incomplete" Further, the mantra declares: Purnasya purnam adaya purnam eva avashishyate. Meaning: "From That complete when this complete is negated, is taken away, what remains is still complete." It might look absurd, but it can be understood by way of an example. When taking away zero from zero, the result is still zero. Similarly subtracting infinity from infinity, what remains is still infinity. If zero is put before anything as prefix the value decreases and if put as suffix the value increases, likewise the manifest world with Brahman multiplies into millions and billions folds but when one realizes the Self one becomes merged with this Supreme Zero that is the Ultimate Reality.
In this mantra, it has been declared that every living being is complete in itself as the Supreme Atma is. There may be difference in size and form, but in essence and quality there is no difference. The Shruti (Veda) also says Ayamatma Brahma, Sohamasmi - This Atma is Brahma, I am that. Once it is realized that the Atma manifested in our form is complete SatCid-Ananda, self-consciouness increases greatly. If there is still any doubt about our own totality despite the declaration of the Vedas, then, inquire why is there such a feeling? But for this, one has to take recourse in Brahmavidya, surrender to a self-realized master of this knowledge. After the benedictory mantra, the Ishopanishad gives an unparalleled message to the mankind. This message is for the uplift of mankind and for the seers this message lead them to realize the Supreme Reality and the Sufis imbibe this message into their soul and become one with the Almighty God by Tariqat, Marifat and become absorbed (Fana-Fi-Allah).
The Aitareva Upanishad:
The Aitareya Upanishad is one of the oldest of the Upanishads. It belongs to the Aitareya Aranyaka of the Rigveda. It is divided into three chapters and contains 33 verses. The Upanishad deals with the process of creation.
The first chapter discusses the creation of Purusha, (the primal Being in Its macrocosmic form and man in Its microcosmic facet), the creation of the various divinities, and how they were placed and assigned various duties. 52 Section three of the first chapter narrates how food was created and how various divinities sought to control it, but failed. In the last few verses of this section we are explained how the self entered the body and stayed there as the enjoyer.
The second chapter is more difficult to understand. We are explained here the three births of the self.
The third chapter deals with the qualities of the Self or Brahman. It contains one of the most famous expressions of the Vedanta, "prajnanam Brahma," which means Brahman is intelligence.
This Upanishad is written in symbolic language and therefore it is necessary to decipher its mystery in its true spirit. It is full of mystery. The creation of the world is very magnificently depicted in the following verse.
From Brahman came space; from space, air from air, fire from fire, water from water, Earth from Earth, plants from plants; from plants, food; and from food the human body, head, arms, legs, and heart3
Further the same Upanishad depicts in the form of a prayer a desire of the soul to merge with the Ultimate Reality.
O Lord of love, revealed in the scriptures, who have assumed the forms of all creatures, grant me wisdom to choose the path that can lead me to immorality.
0 Lord of love, may I enter into you, and may you reveal yourself unto me, the pure one masquerading as many. You are the refuge of all devotees. I am your devotee. Make me your own.
Katha Upanishad:
The Katha Upanishad reveals before us the mystery of life and death and drive home the idea that the self is deathless and indestructible and unaffected by the spatio-temporality.The following is the prayer Mantra and what follows is the story of Nachiketa with the God of Death Yama.The story is significant to discuss in detail because it has in it the very core of mysticism.
"May He protect us both together by revealing knowledge. May He protect us both by vouchsafing the results of knowledge. May we attain vitality together. Let what we study be stimulating. May we not complain at each other."
Upanishads are based on the dialogue between a realized Soul acting as the Teacher, Rishi, and a sincere seeker of Truth who approaches Him as a disciple. In Katha Upanishad the instructor is Yama - The Death Himself - and the learner is a young Nachiketa in his youth. This Upanishad is one of the most popular Upanishads for its simplicity and clarity in making the subject matter regarding the Ultimate Reality comprehensible very easily. It it Is Statist contains 120 verses. This Upanishad as 4-bave-said above is the Upanishad discussing the subject of the etemality of the Soul. The Self is nothing but the Brahman itself and hence Nachiketa enters into dialogue with the Yama. Let us see the story itself that will reveal before us like the tapestry of events as if we are seeing them before our eyes. The story runs as under:
Vajashrava, Nachiketa's father, decided to acquire fruits of sacrificial rites performed Viswajit Yajna in which the performer had to give away all his valuable belongings. Cows were considered valuable and special possessions in those days, and hence Vajashrava decided to donate all his cows to Brahmins.
Nachiketa was in his youth, and he was observing the sacrificial ritual with
innocent interest. However, he was surprised to notice that his father was
giving away only old and feeble cows, cows 'which had given up yielding milk and were not capable of bearing calves'.
This 'shrewdness' of his father ignited profound change in Nachiketa's heart. Nachiketa, in order to dissuade his father from engaging in further mean acts, asked, "O father, to whom have you decided to give me away?"
Initially, the father did not take any notice of this 'childish' question, but Nachiketa was insistent. He repeated the question thrice when the irritated father said, "All right, O Nachiketa, I give you to Death."
Thus ordained, young Nachiketa went to the kingdom of Yama - The Death - where he waited for the return of Death from his duties. On his return, Yama was told about the 'Brahmin boy waiting for him for there days without food or water'.
Yama praised sincerity of Nachiketa to wait for him, but as he was responsible for keeping a Brahmin boy waiting for him granted three boons to Nachiketa for three days waiting.
The Boons: The three boons sought by Nachiketa and granted by Yama are as under;
The First Boon:
"O Death, of the three boons you have offered me, I ask for the first to the effect that my father may become free from worry about me and take me and talk to me when freed by you. 'The boon was granted.
The Second Boon:
As the second boon Nachiketa asked for granting him the knowledge of the means to attain higher life in the heaven and immortality.
There is a dialogue between Yama and the boy about the primordial Fire and sacrificial rituals to attain to heavenly life. Yama tells him about the methods and ways of performing these Yajnas etc. Death tells him that only the enlightened one becomes fit to go to heaven. In heaven there is no fear, fear of old age, etc. having transcended both hunger and thirst, and crossed over grief, one enjoys in the heavenly world.
The Third Boon:
Then comes the main subject matter of this Upanishad. As regards his third boon, Nachiketa wants to know:
"This doubt that arises, consequent on the death of a man - some saying 'It (The SELF) exists', and others saying 'It (The SELF) does not exist'. I would like to know this, under your instruction, O Death, what is the Truth." I. i. 20.
Nachiketa had asked for the ultimate knowledge. What is death, what is after death! What is Reality and what is Truth. Yama tries to dissuade the young boy from going into these subtle questions of immense intricacies for Death was not sure whether Nachiketa was qualified to receive this knowledge for which only an occasional and rare aspires.
Yama exhorts Nachiketa to ask for health, life, riches, jewels, and enjoyment. 'Ask for lasting kingdom and armies, ask for anything in this world or of heaven, I will grant you all this as your third boon, but do not force me to go into the secrets of life and death. Do not insist for ultimate knowledge.'
"Ask for sons and grandsons that will be hundreds of years old. Ask for many animals, elephants and gold, and horses, and vast spread of the earth. And you yourself live for as many years as you like." l. i. 23.
"If you think some other boon to be equal to this, ask for that. Ask for wealth and long life. O Nachiketa, you become a ruler over a vast region. I make you fit for the enjoyment of all delicious things." I. i. 24.
"Whatever things there be that are desirable but difficult to get - pray for all those cherished things according to your choice. Here are these women with chariots and musical instruments - such are surely not to be had by mortals. With these, who are offered by me, you get yourself served. O Nachiketa do not inquire about death." I. i. 25.
But Nachiketa argues that all worldly treasures and heavenly pleasures come to an end sooner or later. If not day after, after hundred years. These are not permanent means of enjoyment. Nachiketa says, "O Death, transient are these, and they waste away the vigour of all the organs that a man has. All life without exception is short indeed. Let the vehicles be yours alone; let the dances and songs be yours." I. i. 26.
He insists to get the ultimate knowledge of Self, 'for, O Death, you have promised me the third boon'.
Seeing the determination, faith, sincerity, and perseverance of Nachiketa, seeing him to be the perfect disciple, Death agrees to tell him about the Ultimate Reality: Brahman or Atman*
Death says, "The preferable is different indeed; and so, indeed, is the pleasurable different. These two, serving divergent purposes, bind men. Good befalls him who accepts the preferable among these two. He who selects pleasurable over preferable falls from the true end." I. ii. 1.
"The preferable and pleasurable approach man. The man of intelligence, having considered them, separates the two. The intelligent one selects the electable in preference to the delectable; the non-intelligent one selects the delectable for the sake of growth and protection of the body, etc." I. ii. 2.
"0 Nachiketa, you, such as you are, have discarded, after consideration all the desirable things that are themselves delightful or are the producers of delight. You have not accepted this path of wealth in which many a man comes to grief." I. ii. 3.
"Living in the midst of ignorance and considering themselves intelligent and enlightened, the senseless people go round and round, following crooked courses, just like the blind led by the blind." I. ii. 5.
"This wisdom that you have, O Nachiketa, which leads to sound knowledge when imparted only someone else, other than logician, by the wonderful expounder, is not to be attained through argumentation. You are, O compassionate one, endowed with true resolution. May our question be like you, O Nachiketa!" 1. ii. 9.
And as Death goes on elaborating the subtlety and nuances of means and methods to achieve that transcendental state, consciousness of Nachiketa also is getting established in that altered state to experience those Truths.
"The intelligent man gives up happiness and sorrow by developing concentration of mind on the SELF and thereby meditating on the old Deity who is inscrutable, lodged inaccessibly, located in the intellect, and seated in the midst of misery." I. ii. 12.
"The SELF is neither born nor does It die. It did not originate from anything, nor did anything originate from It. It is birthless, eternal, undecaying, and primordial. It is not injured even when it is killed." I. ii. 18. "The SELF that is subtler than the subtle, and greater than the great, is lodged in the heart of every creature. A desireless man sees the glory of the SELF through the serenity of the organs and thereby he becomes free from sorrow." I. if. 20. And on and on goes the dialogue between the two great knowers of the Truth...
It is wonderful fact that if the Teacher and the taught are of highest qualifications, it is a matter of minutes to enter the state of Samadhi. As the Teacher explains so does the disciple experiences the Truths spoken. Nachiketa gets established into highest state of bliss where 'knowledge of Brahman becomes a fact of direct experience'. The same thing can be seen when Arjuna experiences the cosmic form of Sri Krishna when the Lord is telling him the Gita!"
The Upanishads are the treasures of the Spiritual knowledge. They are the torrents flowing with nectar that any one can drink the manna from them and make his/her life meaningful. The seers of the Upanishads have left for us the Divine chest full of spiritual knowledge and at the same time they have also left the key to this Divine knowledge not anywhere else but they have left the key with us only. The key is meditation and austerities and we can find this key which is hidden in our heart by meditation on the Supreme reality. This Supreme Reality is the Self or the Brahman or the consciousness. But this Brahman consciousness must not be mixed up with ordinary consciousness. The ordinary consciousness because of Maya or Avidya becomes the hurdle in the path of meditation and there by to self realization. Regarding the ordinary consciousness Swami Krishnananda* says;
'The definition of Brahman as consciousness should not be mistaken to be an attempt to bring down the nature of Brahman to the level of our understanding. We say Brahman is consciousness because nothing of this world is conscious. It is just to differentiate reality from appearance that we term Brahman consciousness. It is to exalt it and not lower it. Even when we accept that Brahman is Sat or Chit we do not confuse it with anything that we know. It is beyond the Sat and the Chit which we know of. We reject everything which we know and refuse to be satisfied with anything that comes to us as an experience. We may have the highest possession of experience, but we have to abandon it. Whatever experience one may have, grand and glorious, one should not be under the impression that one's achievement is over. It is an infinite rejection of things and states that we have to practice. There is no end for our denials. One cannot suspect whether one is in the state of Brahman or in a state of Brahman or in a state to be denied. It will be clear when one experiences it. Dissatisfaction and the awareness of T-ness will be the indicators of the imperfection of a particular state of experience. Brahman is doubtless existence and we can experience Brahman only after self- effacement. It is not easy to know it."
The subject matter of almost all the Upanishads is the Self or the Brahman. They do differ in style and versification but the content remains the same throught all the major Upanishads and it is only the Self or the Brahman. The Brihadaranyak talks about the deathlessness of the soul. Kena talks about the cause behind every living and non living being, and Taittiriya and Aitariya talks about the manifestations of the Brahman. The Ishopanishad is beyond comparison. It is par excellence in Brahman knowledge. Extolling the beauty and content of the Isha Upanishad Mahatma Gandhi has said ; "If all the Upanishads and all the scriptures happened all of a sudden to be reduced to ashes, and if only the first verse of the Ishopanishad were left in the memories of the Hindus, Hinduism would live forever." This is the beauty of the Upanishads and this is the magnanimity of their ambience, and vastness of their spiritual depth. Upanishadas are not merely the scattered utterances of the Rishis. they are complete in all respect and the tying thread that binds them all with the Self which occupies the pivotal position in pages of the Upanishads. The central theme running throughout almost all the Upanishad is the discussion of the Self and realization of it through contemplation.
- Intaj Malek
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1.Verse 11 Mandukya Upanishad
2. Mandukya Upanishad Verse III
3. Taittiriya Upanishad II -1.1 Translation Eknath Easwaran
4 Taittiriya Upanishad IV verse 1 and 3
5 Ibid verse 3
Painting by pashk pervathi
