Guest guest Posted August 18, 2003 Report Share Posted August 18, 2003 For your information, here is a message containing the main Mahavakyas (Great Sayings) relevant to Advaita from the Upanishads, with convenient links: Aham brahmasmi I am Brahman Brihadaranyaka Upanishad I.iv.10 http://sanatan.intnet.mu/upanishads/brihadaranyaka.htm Ayam atma brahma This Atman is Brahman Mandukya Upanishad I.ii http://sanatan.intnet.mu/upanishads/mandukya.htm Tat tvam asi That (Brahman) thou art. Chandogya Upanishad VI.viii.7 http://sanatan.intnet.mu/upanishads/chhandogya.htm Prajnanam brahman Consciousness is Brahman Aiterya III.i.3 http://sanatan.intnet.mu/upanishads/aitareya.htm Sarvam khalvidam brahma All this (the universe) is Brahman Chandogya Upanishad III.xiv.1 http://sanatan.intnet.mu/upanishads/chhandogya.htm See also: Mandukya Upanishad I.ii http://sanatan.intnet.mu/upanishads/mandukya.htm and: Mundaka Upanishad II.ii.10-11 http://sanatan.intnet.mu/upanishads/mundaka.htm Ekam evadvitiyam brahma Brahman is one, without a second Chandogya Upanishad VI.ii.1 http://sanatan.intnet.mu/upanishads/chhandogya.htm Brahma satyam jagan mithya Brahman is real; the world is unreal One website says this is a Mahavakya. To tell the truth, I have not yet found this one in any Upanishad, though it was said by Shankara, e.g. Vivekachudamani 20. If anyone knows where this can be found in the Upanishads, then please post a message. At any rate, it certainly follows logically from the Mahavakya 'All this is Brahman', PROVIDED we see the world as other than Brahman, as we usually do. In that case, the 'world' that we see as other than Brahman or Consciousness or our Self must surely be false. Conversely, if we do not see anything as other than Brahman, then we do not really see a 'world', at least not in the conventional sense, so the question does not even arise. Some more interesting information on the Upanishads: http://www.advaita-vedanta.org/avhp/pre-sankara.html Upanishadic Rishis - With some justification, both uddAlaka AruNI of the chAndogya upanishad and yAjnavalkya of the bRhadAraNyaka upanishad can be considered to be votaries of a non-dualistic/monistic philosophy. The name of uddAlaka is famous through the sad-vidyA section of the chAndogya upanishad. Here, uddAlaka teaches the sAmaveda mahAvAkya tattvamasi to his son Svetaketu, using a number of examples. yAjnavalkya is the key figure in the bRhadAraNyaka upanishad. It is through his teaching that one learns the mahAvAkya of the yajurveda, aham brahmAsmi . It is also in the course of his dialogue with his wife maitreyI, that one finds the via negativa teaching of neti, neti , and the famous passage 'yatra tu dvaitamiva bhavati, .... yatra tvasya sarvam AtmaivAbhUt, ....'. This forms the basis for the later theory of two truths (paramArtha and vyavahAra) in advaita, in which all duality is said to be in the vyAvahArika level, and is seen by the one who does not know the supreme AtmajnAna. On the other hand, there is no duality for one who knows the paramArtha jnAna i.e. 'yatra tvasya sarvam AtmaivAbhUt' - for whom all this is indeed known to be the Atman itself. Although the upanishads are not systematic expositions of a unique philosophical system, the seeds of the later philosophical systematization of advaita vedAnta lie in the teachings of these two upanishadic Rshis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 18, 2003 Report Share Posted August 18, 2003 Benjamin Namaste. Thank you so very much for sending along these Sites. I should know from which Upanishad each Mahavakya comes from, but I don't. So, thanks again so much. Peace and Love Always Sarojini - Benjamin Root advaitin Monday, August 18, 2003 6:55 PM Upanishadic Mahavakyas (and where to find them) For your information, here is a message containing the main Mahavakyas (Great Sayings) relevant to Advaita from the Upanishads, with convenient links: Aham brahmasmi I am Brahman Brihadaranyaka Upanishad I.iv.10 http://sanatan.intnet.mu/upanishads/brihadaranyaka.htm Ayam atma brahma This Atman is Brahman Mandukya Upanishad I.ii http://sanatan.intnet.mu/upanishads/mandukya.htm Tat tvam asi That (Brahman) thou art. Chandogya Upanishad VI.viii.7 http://sanatan.intnet.mu/upanishads/chhandogya.htm Prajnanam brahman Consciousness is Brahman Aiterya III.i.3 http://sanatan.intnet.mu/upanishads/aitareya.htm Sarvam khalvidam brahma All this (the universe) is Brahman Chandogya Upanishad III.xiv.1 http://sanatan.intnet.mu/upanishads/chhandogya.htm See also: Mandukya Upanishad I.ii http://sanatan.intnet.mu/upanishads/mandukya.htm and: Mundaka Upanishad II.ii.10-11 http://sanatan.intnet.mu/upanishads/mundaka.htm Ekam evadvitiyam brahma Brahman is one, without a second Chandogya Upanishad VI.ii.1 http://sanatan.intnet.mu/upanishads/chhandogya.htm Brahma satyam jagan mithya Brahman is real; the world is unreal One website says this is a Mahavakya. To tell the truth, I have not yet found this one in any Upanishad, though it was said by Shankara, e.g. Vivekachudamani 20. If anyone knows where this can be found in the Upanishads, then please post a message. At any rate, it certainly follows logically from the Mahavakya 'All this is Brahman', PROVIDED we see the world as other than Brahman, as we usually do. In that case, the 'world' that we see as other than Brahman or Consciousness or our Self must surely be false. Conversely, if we do not see anything as other than Brahman, then we do not really see a 'world', at least not in the conventional sense, so the question does not even arise. Some more interesting information on the Upanishads: http://www.advaita-vedanta.org/avhp/pre-sankara.html Upanishadic Rishis - With some justification, both uddAlaka AruNI of the chAndogya upanishad and yAjnavalkya of the bRhadAraNyaka upanishad can be considered to be votaries of a non-dualistic/monistic philosophy. The name of uddAlaka is famous through the sad-vidyA section of the chAndogya upanishad. Here, uddAlaka teaches the sAmaveda mahAvAkya tattvamasi to his son Svetaketu, using a number of examples. yAjnavalkya is the key figure in the bRhadAraNyaka upanishad. It is through his teaching that one learns the mahAvAkya of the yajurveda, aham brahmAsmi . It is also in the course of his dialogue with his wife maitreyI, that one finds the via negativa teaching of neti, neti , and the famous passage 'yatra tu dvaitamiva bhavati, .... yatra tvasya sarvam AtmaivAbhUt, ....'. This forms the basis for the later theory of two truths (paramArtha and vyavahAra) in advaita, in which all duality is said to be in the vyAvahArika level, and is seen by the one who does not know the supreme AtmajnAna. On the other hand, there is no duality for one who knows the paramArtha jnAna i.e. 'yatra tvasya sarvam AtmaivAbhUt' - for whom all this is indeed known to be the Atman itself. Although the upanishads are not systematic expositions of a unique philosophical system, the seeds of the later philosophical systematization of advaita vedAnta lie in the teachings of these two upanishadic Rshis. Sponsor Discussion of Shankara's Advaita Vedanta Philosophy of nonseparablity of Atman and Brahman. Advaitin List Archives available at: http://www.eScribe.com/culture/advaitin/ To Post a message send an email to : advaitin Messages Archived at: advaitin/messages Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 18, 2003 Report Share Posted August 18, 2003 > > Brahma satyam jagan mithya > Brahman is real; the world is unreal > > One website says this is a Mahavakya. To tell the truth, I have not > yet found this one in any Upanishad, though it was said by Shankara, > e.g. Vivekachudamani 20. If anyone knows where this can be found in > the Upanishads, then please post a message. Namaste, This occurs in the nirAlaMba (Niralamba) upanishad. tapa iti cha brahma satya.n jaganmithyetyaparoksha\- j~naanaagninaa brahmaadyaishvaryaashaasiddhasa~Nkalpa\- biijasantaapa.n tapaH . "...Tapas is the act of burning through the fire of direct cognition of the knowledge that Brahman is the truth and the universe, a myth - the seed of the deep-rooted desire to attain the powers of Brahma, etc...." Regards, Sunder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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