Brhadaranyaka Upanishad

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Sri:

 

Dear BhakthAs :

 

It is with great pleasure I wish to acknowledge reciept of

VedAntha Vidwan Dr.N.S.Ananatha RangAcchAr Swamy 's

monograph on Brahadaranyaka Upanishad . This is volume III

in the series entitled " Principal Upanishads " with the Text , English

Translations and Brief Notes according to Upanishad BhAshyakArar ,

Sri Ranga Ramanuja Muni .

 

Ubhaya VedAntha Visishta Vidwan Dr.NSA Swamy has dedicated

this volume to HH Srimath Paramahamsa ParivrAjakAchArya

Sri Sri Srinivasa Mahaa Desikan ( Vaikunta Vaasi Sri Poundarikapuram

Andavan and the Founder of Poundarikapuram Aasramam) with a moving

acknowledgement :

 

" {Dedicated with all humility and profound respect at

the holy feet of Sri Poundarikapuram Andavan ,

who graciously blessed me with SamAsrayaNam

and on account of whose grace I was able to know

my Svarupam} ".

 

Our most sincere Thanks to Dr. NSA Swamy

**************************************

Through the completion of this third and final volume on

BrahadhAraNyaka Upanishad , Dr. NSA Swamy has established

a major mile stone in his prolific career as the Teacher , Writer

and intrepreter of VedAnthic doctrines with ease and acumen

to laymen and scholars . The clarity and the skill with which

he captures the quintessence of complex VedAnthic doctrines

is unique to him . His explanatory notes on the passages from

Upanishad BhAshyakArar's commentaries are brilliantly chosen

to enrich our understanding of the nuances of the individual manthrAs

of the different BraahmaNams of this Upanishad . His preface to

this volume is itself a brilliant overview to the BrahadhAraNyaka

Upanishad's Six chapters housing 57 BrahmaNAs . Here are some

HIGHLIGHTS in his own words form his informative preface/overview

to this volume :

 

1. This Upanishad has some passages that are more powerful

than the passages of ChAndhOgya . This Upanishad contains some

supreme uttrances of VedAntha .

 

2. Scholars have found the Upanishad to be the confluence of

the teachings of all principal Upanishads. For example , the critical

passages of Isa, Kena and Katha are parts of the JyOthirbrAhmaNa of

this Upanishad.

 

3. There is concordance between AitrEya Upanishad and this Upanishad

in supreme utterances like " aathmaiva idham agra aaseeth " and

" Praj~Anam Brahma ".

 

4. The main current of the teaching of this Upanishad is to expound

the fact of Brahman being the inner controller (antharyAmi Brahman)

of all other entities . The many teachings of Sage Yaj~nyavalka to

his wifeMaitrEyi and other sishyAs -- all of these-- establish the importance of

antharyAmi Brahman doctrine. Sage Yaj~nyavalka expounds the nature of

antharyAmi Brahman to Uddalaka as the One who dwells in all other entities

and who is within them and whom those entities do not know and for whom

all those entities are the bodies , and who rules all form within.

This doctrine of Antharyaami Brahman is a significant contribution of

this Upanishad , which unites all multiplicity with the Unity of one

Supreme without harming any one of them .

 

We are deeply indebted to Dr.NSA Swamy for his three volumes

on the Principal Upanishads in general and the complete coverage

of ChAndhOgya and BrahadhAraNyaka Upanishad in particular.

 

Dr.NSA has done yeoman service to the VisishtAdhvaitha Community

by bringing us close to the commentary of Upanishad BhAshyakArar

that follows closely the views of AchArya RaamAnuja expounded in

Sri Bhaashyam and related Sri Sookthis .

 

Additional thoughts on the Importance Of BrahadhAraNyaka Upanishad

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Our PoorvAchAryAs have recognized Brahadaranyaka and ChAndhOgya

upanishads as " the two pillars of the ancient Sri VisishtAdhvaitha philosophy ".

 

Among these two , BrahadAraNyakam belongs to Sukla

Yajur Veda Saakhai (Sathapatha BrAhmaNam) and

ChAndhOgyam is affiliated with the Saama Veda Saakhai .

 

BrahadArNyaka Upanishad is a big one in size and mighty in scope .

Prakrutham Srimad Andavan points out in this context that the VisishtAdhvaitha

philosophy would not have survived but for BrahadAraNyaka Upanishad .Among

the many reasons for the excellence of this Upanishad , HH Srimad Andavan

cites the extraordinary importance of AntharyAmi BrAhmaNam housed here :

 

" AntharyAmi BrAhmaNam , which establishes body and Soul relationship

between the Jivan and Brahman on one hand and world and Brahman on

the other hand , effects compromise between bhEdha sruthis and abhEdha

Sruthis ( Upanishadic passages)" .

 

The importance of AntharyAmi BrAhmaNam of BrahadhAraNyaka Upanishad

for VisishtAdhvaitha philosophy is described by HH Sri Ranga PriyA Swamy this way :

 

" The BrahadhAraNyaka Upanishad declares this body-soul relationship THIRTEEN TIMES

in very clear terms showing that the above relationship is NOT a minor point . The sentences

in the BrahadhAraNyaka Upanishad and other places , which apparently show the identity

of the Brahman and the world with individual selves , really mean that the world and the Jivas

have an organic relationship with Brahman , having Him as their Self.

The three ( World , Jivan

and Brahman ) are naturally different entities , being one organic

whole. This view vindicates

the VisishtAdhvaithic standpoint " .

 

This body-Soul relationship or the SarIra-SarIri Bhava is " the corner stone of VisishtAdhvaithic

darsanam . This is unique and unmistakable hall mark ( PradhAna-prathitamtrA ) to

VisishtAdhvaitham . This doctrine is elucidated elegantly by AchArya RaamAnujA in

all of His Sri sookthis . This doctrine instructs us that Jivan ( Soul) and Prakruthi (world)

have no independent existence apart form that of Brahman( Iswaran/Parama Purushan).

This Brahman of VisishtAdhvaitham is described by Acharya RaamAnuja as " akhila hEya

pratyanIka, Samastha KalyANa guNAkaran " ( Free from all blemishes and is the ocean of

all auspicious attributes ).

 

Once again , we are rpofoundly in the service of Dr.NSA Swamy for

his unflagging Kaimkaryam to educate us all about the teachings of

this most important Upanishad , whose passages have been used by

BaadharAyaNa in His VedAntha (Brahma) SutrAs . Dr.NSA Swamy is

85 years young and has an unrelenting schedule of KaalakshEpams,

and the preparation of substantive monographs on VedAntha in

general and VisishtAdhvaitham in particular in multiple languages .

His journey is an amazing journey due to the ParipoorNa anugraham

of the great POundarIkapuram Andavan and other AchAryaas of

that Paramparai.

 

It is our prayer to Sriman NaarAyaNa to bless Dr.NSA SWamy

with arOga dhruDa sareeram to continue with the noble task

of sharing his encyclpaedic knowledge about our precious

treasures .

 

NaarAyaNa , NaarAyaNa , NaarAYaNa !

Daasan , Oppiliappan KOil VaradAchAri Sadagopan