Hinduism - 7

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7. The Upanishads

 

The Upanishads are diverse in character and outlook. They recognize

intuition rather than reason as a path to ultimate truth. They also

represent a strong reaction against the merely ritual and sacrificial

duties on which stress had been laid earlier. The Upanishads are

supposed to be 108 or more in number. Twelve of them are generally

recognized as the principal units. The Isa Upanishad begins with the

statement that whatever exists in this world is enveloped by the

Supreme. It is by renunciation and absence of possessiveness that the

soul is saved. In the Kena Upanshad, the Goddess Uma, Haimavati in the

form of Supreme Knowledge expounds the doctrine of the Brahman or

Supreme Entity. The Katha Upanishad embodies the aspiration of

Naciketas, who declined his father's offer of property and went into

exile, making his way to the region of Yama, the God of Death.

Naciketas, in his dialogue with Yama, declines all the worldly

possessions and dignities offered by Yama and asserts that all

enjoyments are transient and the boon he asks for is the secret of

immortality. In This Upanishad occurs the famous saying 'The knowledge

of the Supreme is not gained by argument but by the teaching of one who

possesses intuition'

 

In the Mundaka Upanishad occurs the verse which is the germ of the

Bhagavad-Gita. People who perform actions and are attached to the world

are pursuing a futile path, and This Upanishad accordingly declares:

'Let the wise man, having examined the world and perceived the motives

and the results of actions, realize that as from a blazing fire sparks

proceed, living souls originate from the indestructible Brahman and

return to Him. All doubts disappear and the attachment to work subsides

when the Supreme Being is cognized.'

 

These basic doctrines are further expounded in the Taitiriya Upanishad,

which contains This famous verse repeated in other Upanishads: ''May we

both (teacher and disciple) be protected; may we both obtain sustenance;

let both of us at the same time apply (our) energies (for the

acquirement of knowledge); may our reading be illustrious; may there be

no hatred (amongst us). Peace, peace, peace. In the more recent

Svetasvatara Upanishad is found a summary of the main Upanishadic

doctrines, and the idea of devotion to a personal God is also developed.

The Chandogya Upanishad, one of the earliest, states that the main

doctrines of the Upanishads were first expounded by the Kshatriyas and

not by the Brahmins. Later, as is evident from the Kausitaki Upanishad,

the Brahmins took up the intensive study of philosophy. The contrast

which is often drawn between Brahmanism and Hinduism is therefore not

based on a right appraisal of the facts.