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:: CULTURE, SPIRITUALITY & LIFESTYLE ::
 "The
Upanishads - what (or who!) are they?"
This would be the response of many Hindus of today if asked about the Upanishads! The Upanishads are in fact Hindu scriptures. They can be thought of as portions of the Vedas, but are also separate texts in their own right. They form the basis of what is known as 'Vedanta', meaning 'the end of the Vedas', implying that the Upanishads can be thought of as the essence of the Vedas. They have a very important place in Hinduism, forming the basis of mainstream Hindu philosophy, and being accorded an authoritative status by most almost every sect. The Upanishads deal with the absolute realities of existence, and how to experience and live in tune with these realities. In several respects, their philosophy is very much in tune with modern science. It was said by one British scholar of Hindu philosophy, that:
Such views are not rare. Many individuals from the scientific community who have undertaken a serious study of these texts have expressed similar sentiments. This is because the Upanishads teach many scientific ideas, such as evolution and the idea of the universe as a constantly expanding entity. The most important teaching from the Upanishads, which may have very important implications for future of science, is the idea that the primary substance or building block of the universe is consciousness (chit), rather than matter or energy. The Upanishads contain the essence of Hindu philosophy. The extensive range of topics covered by the Upanishads includes the origin of the universe, the essential nature of the Divine Principle, the nature of the individual soul (Atman) and the essential nature of reality as Brahman (the absolute). They contain the unique teaching that the underlying reality to everything we see (or think we see) is essentially One spiritual essence. God, Man and the Universe are seen as part and parcel of the same ultimate reality, Brahman. When this knowledge is achieved, an individual is enlightened and sees the world as it truly is, instead of living in duality and delusion. The Bhagavad Gita, the most popular text of modern Hinduism, is in fact a synthesis of Upanishadic teachings. The Gita is described thus: the Upanishads are the cow; Arjuna is the calf, Krishna is the milkman and the Gita is the milk drawn by Krishna from the cow, and wise men drink that milk. It means that the Gita is a guide on bringing the Upanishad's teachings into the realm of human life and struggle. There are numerous Upanishads, of which 12 are considered authoritative. These are the Aitareya, Brhadaranyaka, Chandogya, Isha, Katha, Kauhsitaki, Kena, Mandukya, Mundaka, Prashna, Shvetashvatara and Taittiriya Upanishads. The Upanishads have their own unique style of writing ranging from
simple dialogue with question and answers, narration and episodes
to powerful similes, metaphors and symbolism to portray abstract concepts
thus providing both spiritual vision and philosophical argument. They
contain many short but powerful aphorisms such as 'Aham Brahmasmi'
(Brhadaranyaka Upanishad) - I am Brahman and 'Tat tvam asi' (Chandogya
Upanishad) meaning 'Thou art that', you are Brahman. In no other texts
will you find such wonderful praises expressing the essential divinity
of man. This age old unique teaching of the inner divinity of man
is today becoming one of the most popular and practical ways of thinking
about God, particularly in the West through the New Age movement.
But whilst the teaching spreads we must not forget to acknowledge
its source - Hinduism. Click
here to read the 'Isha Upanishad', the shortest yet one
of the most beautiful Upanishads. It contains just 18 verses, after
which you can justly claim to have read an Hindu scripture in its
entirety. |