Hinduism - 8

[Guest guest]

8. Theme of Upanishads and Purport of Santi Mantras.

 

Upanishads contain philosophical discussions that had taken place at

various periods of time between different teachers and their students,

regarding Eternal purpose of Creation and the Great Goal of Existence.

 

We have an incomparable literature on philosophy in the volumes of

Upanishads, which are as true today as they were heard several millions

of years ago, the authors of which are unknown to us. The rishis in

their godly inspiration and intoxicating bliss, forgot to

their names or give references to their masterpieces.

 

Upanishads have given supreme importance to the acquisition and

realization of the knowledge of Brahman and have sidelined the process

of sacrificial cult. The Upanishads teach that one should attain Brahman

alone to attain immortality. The Upanishads are expounding many an

imperceptible Truth regarding the ultimate objects of life. Truths that

we cannot arrive at otherwise are expounded here. The following are some

of the unique teachings of the Upanishads.

 

· Brahman is the ultimate cause of this Universe and

everything else is dependent upon that one Supreme Cause.

 

· The Universe was created in a systematic manner

according to the will of the Supreme Cause.

 

· The entity of Jeevaatma is an eternal principle without

any origination or destruction but is going through the cycle of births

and deaths on account of the world from beginning less time.

 

* The Jeevaatma should become aware of its true nature and

destiny and has to shape itself in such a way that it gets rid of the

association with matter.

 

.. Everyone in this world is entitled to become liberated but

it waits only for his aspiration and effort.

 

· All these entities viz. man, matter, time and the celestial

abode are dependent upon the Supreme will of Paramaatma and one has to

realize his subservience to Paramaatma.

 

· The way of getting liberated from the bondage of Samsaara

(worldly pleasures and sorrows, terrestrial entanglements) is also

taught by the Upanishads. One should seek the grace of Paramaatma

through submission to His will and due participation in his duties that

pleases the Lord. The Upanishads teach that loving meditation upon the

Lord and complete surrender unto His will are the means of liberation.

 

The Upanishads are the ultimate authorities for all the different

systems of Vedanta philosophy. It is not an exaggeration if we say that

Upanishads have influenced all spiritual speculations in the world and

have been the foundation of Indian Philosophical Thought and Culture.

All systems of philosophy have drawn from Upanishads valuable thoughts

whether they acknowledge or not.

 

Upanishads like Taittiriya include a " convocation address "

delivered to the departing students from Gurukula, the university. The

teacher by way of commandments and advice focuses on: 1) advice relating

to the individual himself, 2) his relationship with others, 3) his right

actions in the world, 4) his attitude towards the eminent men of

culture, 5) the laws of charity, and 6) his duty to follow the eminent

living men of his own times. Over the shoulders of students the seers of

Upanishads addressed the entire Sanatana Dharma Community to follow

these commandments and advice.

 

The departing student was neither thrown out into the world of tension

and chaos from which he was so long and so efficiently kept away in the

Gurukula till then, as it happens more often today nor advised to follow

the life of a recluse. Spiritual education of the Upanishads was so

organized as to work perfectly in unison with the demands of the society

and the needs of living at that time, so that the student, from the day

he had walked out of his teacher's protection, proved himself to be

a fully trained soldier to fight the battle of life practicing

Varnaashranma Dharma.

 

No upanishadic study ever started without the guru and the disciple

chanting together the peace invocation. Everyday the teacher and the

taught sat together and started their discourses only after a common

prayer. The term Upanishad means " sit very near " and comes from

the practice of the teacher and the taught sitting together. This

indicates the intimate relationship between the preceptor and the

disciple. They sit close to each other to hold an intimate dialogue on

the most exalted and solemn subject namely, the Supreme Brahman. Because

of its content Upanishad is often translated to mean annihilating the

ignorance completely. Prayer is a technique by which we tune ourselves

to the highest perfection and thereby come to invoke in ourselves a

greater perfection of both mind and the intellect. To pray is to be

seated with the Lord at his feet. To pray is to aim at the target of

God-head with the arrow of intense longing, which has the sharp end of

full faith. To pray is again, to receive consolation and inspiration as

a disciple at the hands of the teacher. In prayer are included praise,

love, adoration and glorification. Just before the study of the

Upanishads, thus each day, the Master and the disciple pray, and thus

invoke the best in them to come out, through a complete surrender to the

mighty powers of the omniscient God-principle. When the mantras are

chanted with intonations, a divine atmosphere is created with holy

vibrations all round. The resplendent Self is attainable by the practice

of spiritual discipline as truth and continence. The chanting of mantras

is a great spiritual discipline.

 

There are six Santhi Mantras for the popular Upanishads—Isaavaasya,

Svetaavataara, Mundaka, Maandukya, Prasna, Kena, Katha, Taittereya,

Aitreya, Naaraayana, Mahaanaaraayana, Brihadaaranyaka, Chandogya,

Kaivalya, Kalisantarana, Ganapatyatharvaseersha, Surya and Amrita

Bindu--that are chanted both at the beginning and end of the teachings

of the Upanishad by both the preceptor and the disciple. (Some of these

mantras are common to more than one Upanishad and these mantras are

given separately as Santhi Mantras under the heading MANTHRAS in their

original in Sanskrit language along with English translation).