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Overview
INSIDEFLAP: The Upanishads form the concluding portion and contain the essence of the Vedas, which are the Scriptures of the Hindu faith. They record the direct and immediate spiritual experience of the rishis, the seers of truth, and have been passed down orally through a succession of illumined teachers. They treat of the origin and destiny of the soul, the nature of the universe, and the nature of ultimate reality. What are often presented as theological dogmas are in this new translation considered living experiences available to all. The divinity of the soul, the oneness of humanity, and the indivisibility of the Godhead are discussed not as articles of faith, but as truths of spiritual experiences. Schopenhauer once said: "The Upanishads are the most rewarding and elevating reading possible in the world: they have been the solace of my life and will be that of my death."
This new translation is both literal and graceful. It has the dignity and flavor of the original. Swami Nikhilananda has based his notes and explanations on the commentaries of Sankaracharya, the great eighth-century philosopher and mystic. Volume I contains the Katha, Isa, Kena, and Mundaka Upanishads. With two introductory chapters dealing with the historical background, the metaphysics, and the psychology of the Upanishads. Of this volume the Contemporary Review wrote: "Swami Nikhilananda has rendered us an unforgettable service. The scholar and the student will certainly find himself fully repaid by a study of this remarkable edition."
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780911206159 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Center of New York |
| Publication date: | 10/28/1990 |
| Edition description: | New Edition |
| Pages: | 319 |
| Product dimensions: | 55.00(w) x 85.00(h) x 1.00(d) |
Table of Contents
TABLE OF CONTENTS:PREFACE
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
NOTE ON PRONUNCIATION
GENERAL INTRODUCTION
DISCUSSION OF BRAHMAN IN THE UPANISHADS
KATHA UPANISHAD
Introduction
Sri Sankaracharya's Introduction
Invocation
Part One
Chapter I
Chapter II
Chapter III
Part Two
Chapter I
Chapter II
Chapter III
ISA UPANISHAD
Introduction
Sri Sankaracharya's Introduction
Invocation
Isa Upanishad
KENA UPANISHAD
Introduction
Sri Sankaracharya's Introduction
Invocation
Chapter I
Chapter II
Chapter III
Chapter IV
MUNDAKA UPANISHAD
Introduction
GLOSSARY
Sri Sankaracharya's Introduction
Chapter I
Chapter II
Second Mundaka
Chapter I
Chapter II
Third Mundaka
Chapter I
Chapter II
What People are Saying About This
A remarkably felicitous and spiritual translation which will go far toward making the great literature of the Hindu philosophical scriptures both accessible and intelligible to [the] thoughtful . . . .
A scholarly and highly illuminating work. At a time when we are all seeking to understand the soul of India and to interpret the religious heritage of the deeply spiritual people, these volumes ought to be carefully studied . . . .
Swami Nikhilananda's line by line commentary on the Upanishads is a most welcome addition to our knowledge and understanding of the country and culture which perhaps more than any other is now taking on a position of primary importance in the Oriental world.
This is by far the most satisfactory and readable translation of the Upanishads I have seen.
Anyone who is seriously interested in the religious and philosophical thought of India would be anxious to have this, as well as the other volumes of Upanishads in translation by Swami Nikhilananda.
Introduction
THE VEDIC KNOWLEDGE
The knowledge that was prized the most in ancient India by the rishis was known as Vidya. As a result of this Vidya, or Knowledge of Reality, one attains Bliss and Immortality. It is quite different from ordinary knowledge, which is the product of the intellect. Vidya is a supersenuous and supramental experience.
According to the Mundaka Upanishad, one should acquire two forms of knowledge: the apara (lower) and the Para (Higher). The lower consists of the four Vedas (that is to say, their ritualistic portions) and their six auxiliaries. It deals with the phenomenal universe. The importance of the lower knowledge was admitted by the rishis. It is conducive to a man's material welfare; but its results are impermanent.
The Higher Knowledge is that by which the Imperishable Substance is known. This Imperishable Substance was given the name of Brahman by the Indo-Aryan seers; hence the Higher Knowledge was also called Brahmavidya, the Knowledge of Brahman; and this is the knowledge to which was given the general name Upanishad. Brahmavidya was regarded as the foundation of all other forms of knowledge. Highly treasured by the rishis, it was zealously guarded by them; for they regarded it as more precious than the earth filled with riches. The secret of Brahman could be transmitted only to a qualified disciple. "He who meets with a teacher to instruct him obtains true knowledge." "Only the knowledge that is learnt from a teacher leads to the Highest Good." The qualifications of the aspirant have already been described. "If these truths have been told to a high-souled person who feels supreme devotion for God, and for his guru as for God, then they shine forth - then they will shine forth indeed."
The actual experience of Brahman, which is the culmination of the Higher Knowledge, requires extremely austere disciplines. Only the great renouncers known as paramahamsas, belonging too the highest order of sannyasins, can gain this complete Knowledge of Brahman. For Brahman cannot be perceived or comprehended by the senses or by the intellect that depends on them. Only yoga can give a man that subtle depth of understanding by which the supramental truths can be apprehended. The rishis were adept in yoga. That is why their hearts were open to the secrets of creation and the universe.
The methods of modern physical sciences for the discovery of truth are based upon a different notion of how to search than that which directed the rishis in their realization of Brahman. A scientist seeks to understand the universe through reason based on the knowledge derived from the sense-organs. But the powers of the senses are limited. Therefore he utilizes the aid of various instruments. With the help of the telescope he brings a very distant object within the range of his vision; with the help of the microscope he immensely magnifies a minute object. Similarly other instruments come to the scientist's assistance. The technicians of science are busy, day and night, inventing new instruments by means of which to strengthen and intensify the powers of the senses.
But there exist minute things in the world that cannot be detected even by the most powerful electronic microscope. And the universe is so vast and widespread that its remotest objects would not come within a man's ken even if the largest telescope known to us were to be magnified a million times and directed toward them. The final secrets of the universe will for ever remain unrevealed to physical scientists; for intellect, aided by the senses, is the only means employed by them in their quest for understanding.
The rishis, on the other hand, did not entirely depend upon reason, as this word is usually understood. They developed another faculty of understanding, which is called bodhi, or deeper consciousness. The seeker of Brahmavidya wakened the subtle power of the mind and senses by means of concentration and self-control. By withdrawing the senses from their outer objects, he made the scattered mind one-pointed. This practice of concentration presently endowed it with keenness, depth, and a new intensity, and as the power of concentration increased, the seeker became aware of deeper phases of existence. Instinct, reason, and intuition, or higher consciousness - the three instruments of knowledge - all are differing states of the same mind. Hence a lower state can be developed into a higher. The means to this end, however, are not external instruments but appropriate disciplines directed within.
The Vedic teacher prepared the soil of his disciple's mind before giving him any instruction regarding Brahman. Moreover, there were occasions when the instruction given was not oral. An ancient Sanskrit text says: "The teacher explains in silence and the disciple's doubts are resolved." When a pupil approached the preceptor for instruction, often he would be asked to meditate on the problem and seek the answer from within his own self. And so we read in the Taittiriya Upanishad that Bhrigu came to his father Varuna and asked: "Revered sir, teach me Brahman." Varuna did not give him a direct reply; he asked the boy to practise meditation and austerities. Bhrigu followed this advice and came to the conclusion that food alone was Brahman. He was asked to meditate again. This time he realized that prana alone was Brahman. His father exhorted him to concentrate further. At last the nature of Brahman was revealed in Bhrigu's heart and he realized that Brahman is Anandam, Bliss Absolute.