majorupanishads-onepagesummaries

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MAJOR UPANISHADS

~Dennis Hill


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Major Upanishads

able of Contents

Introduction 3

Katha Upanishad 4

Prana Upanishad 5

Mundaka Upanishad 6

Mandukya Upanishad 7

aittiriyia Upanishad 8

Aitareya Upanishad 9

Chandogya Upanishad 10

Brihad-aranyaka Upanishad 11

Svetasvatara Upanishad 12

Kaivalya Upanishad 13


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Introduction

In the history o great spiritual literature o India, the Vedas came rst: Rigveda, Yajurveda,

Samaveda and Atharvaveda. Scholars date the Rigveda about 1500 BCE, although others suggest

a much earlier origin. Te Vedas are essentially the literature o the Hindu religion, and consistlargely o hymns, recitations, and stories. Tis literature largely denes the Hindu culture.

All the worlds great religions also have their respective mystical school. For example: the

mystical school o Islam is the Su Order; or Christians, the Order o the Hesychast; or the

Jews, Hasidism and the zadiks; in Buddhism, the order o monks. Tis is also true o the Hindu

religion. Te mystical school o Vedic Hinduism is Vedanta (literally, the culmination of wisdom).

Te Upanishads are the oundational literature o mystical Vedanta.

Te earliest o the ten Major Upanishads date rom about 400 BCE, with the most recent rom

the 17th century. Te term Upanishad means sitting near the teacher; as these great teachings are

handed down the generations directly rom master to student.

Tere are 108 Upanishads generally recognized in the classical set. However, the ollowingten are the ones most studied as they encompass the essence o Vedanta. Tis essence, the

undamental teaching o the Upanishads is this: Individual consciousness and Universal

Consciousness is not dierent. Respectively, in Sanskrit the term or the individual is Atman; the

Universal is the nameless ormless Brahman. So the Upanishads tell us that Atman and Brahman

are the samethat is; non-dual, or advaita (not two).

In the text o the Upanishads we see the our great sayings, or mahavakyas:

Prajnanam Brahma - Consciousness is Brahman (Aitareya Upanishad

3.3 o the Rig Veda) Ayam Atma Brahma - Tis Self (Atman) is Brahman (Mandukya

Upanishad 1.2 o the Atharva Veda)

at vam Asi - Tou art Tat (Chandogya Upanishad 6.8.7 o the Sama

Veda)

Aham Brahmasmi - I am Brahman (Brhadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.10 o

the Yajur Veda)

We also notice that each o these Upanishads is associated with a dierent Veda. Tis

illustrates that the deepest spiritual roots are related to Advaita Vedanta philosophy.

Practically speaking, what all this means to us in our own experience o lie is that we, as thelocal address o consciousness, are not separate or dierent rom Universal Consciousness. We

surmise rom this that just as we are all the same as the Universal, you and I are also not separate

or dierent in our innermost being. We have this experience in the depth o meditation immersed

in the unity o just being. See or yoursel.

In the ollowing text, these short one page summaries merely illustrate the undamental idea

o its respective Upanishad. Tis is intended only to be the brieest introduction to urther studies

o a primary reerence. Dennis Hill 2009


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-4-Katha Upanishad

Everything that is, is either created, or not created.

In the case o the physical universe, atomic building blocks o matter condensed rom hot

sub-particle plasma that accretes into atomic particles. Quantum Teory holds that empty space

is a rippling energetic eld wherein energy quanta are constantly emerging and resorbing. Teseparticles, in turn, aggregate into earth elements rom which all other things are ormed. Tese

conditions apply to physical objects arising in appearance, observed by the subject, or witness

consciousness.

In the case o consciousness; it exists, thereore it is real. But it is not created. Consciousness is

the subject; it cannot be objectied and is thus not an object o creation.

Toughts also exist, and are objects o creation. Just as neutrons are accretion o hot

quark-gluon plasma, thoughts are accretion or contraction o pure consciousness. Consciousness

is both the light o illumination by which everything is known, and the creative power o con-

sciousness to orm thought constructs. Tought occurs as a process o objectication that medi-

ates consciousness to its known object; be it sensory, drawn rom stored memory or synthesized

in imagination.

Te physical, objective, local universe is generally bound to our space-time dimensions. Con-

sciousness is the non-local boundaryless observer state that is not constrained by dimensions, but

is the subject, observing space-time objects (given a host by which to see).

Practically speaking these human creatures are a two-in-one apparatus. We have the physical;

created rom stardust, and the non-physical; uncreated, innite, intelligent knower o the objec-

tive creation. It is the conscious indweller that enlivens the physical host. Without the conscious

indweller, the host quickly decays.

Te ancient Katha Upanishad tells us:As one draws the pith rom a reed, so must the aspirantaer truth, with great perseverance, separate the Sel rom the body. Know the Sel to be pure and

immortal.

At some point in time this two-in-one apparatus will separate. So, which will go where? It

is evident that the stardust physical orm will decay and may someday become part o another

indweller orm. It is also evident that the uncreated and undying consciousness o the indweller

will not decay but will merge with Universal Consciousness. Tat which is truly you will continue

in awareness.

But what happens to mind, memory and identity: the illusory ego conjured by consciousness

and applied to the body? Does it retain its identity in the astral realm? Nothing that is created

ollows the uncreated. Just as matter is a creation in the physical universe, thought, memory and

identity are created in the mental universe. Tus the mind alls away with the body at the end o

this turbulent association with Spirit.

It is incumbent upon us to learn the teaching o the Katha Upanishad and, while still in the

body, discriminate the separateness o the Sel rom the body. We do this through the practice o

meditation in which the Sel becomes aware o itsel; where we experience the joyous serenity o

our true nature. Ten we are ree.


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Prana Upanishad

Portal to ranscendence

In the h question o Prana, the student Satya-kma asks the master

Pipplada what is the benet o a lietime o meditation on the syllable OM.

Te master explains that OM represents both the higher and lower, Brahman

and Ishvara, subjective and objective, respectively.

We commonly see OM represented by a single Devanagari character. However

i we go to the original Sanskrit, we see it written out in three characters, A, U, and

M. Tese three letter-orms represent the three maniestation o consciousness:

waking state, sleep state and transcendent absolute (turiya).

OMhaEma AUM

Pippalda teaches Satya-kma that meditation upon OM as a worldly object

(mandala) only results in rebirth. Meditation upon OM as thought-object in the

mind (mantra) also brings rebirth. Meditation upon OM as the transcendent

subject brings liberation rom the wheel o karma and rebirth. Tese are the three

renements in understanding that lead to the highest attainment.

Practically speaking, the lesson or us is that in our daily meditation, as we

reach the thought-ree state, we are to know this pure awareness o being as the

goal o our discipline. As we return to this inner sweetness o equanimity, again

and again, we become established in the steady state, ree o doubt, ear or anxiety,

and lled with the joy o our true nature.

Meditation is an uncommon skill and state in our culture. Everyone seeks per-

sonal happiness and inner peace but most are only partly successul. Perseverance

in the practice o meditation insures success o the most desirable quest o our lie.

Te dierence in approach is simple: seeking outwardly or feeting gratication

brings pleasure and pain. Seeking inwardly or the unchanging Sel brings endur-

ing happiness.


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Mundaka Upanishad

o Angiras came upon a time Sounaka, the amous household-

er, and asked respectuly:

Holy sir, what is that by which all else is known?

Tose who know Brahman, replied Angiras, say that there

are two kinds o knowledge, the higher and the lower.

Te lower is knowledge o the Vedas, and also o phonetics,

ceremonials, grammar, etymology, meter, and astronomy.

Te higher is knowledge o that by which one knows the

changeless reality. But this is ully revealed to the wise that which

transcends the senses, which is uncaused, which is indenable,

which has neither eyes nor ears, neither hands nor eet, which is all-

pervading, subtler than the subtlestthe everlasting, the source o

all.

Te Mundaka tells us that only those who know Brahman and have a pure

heart are allowed access to this Upanishad. raditionally, an acolyte monk wishing

to study Mundaka must rst be tested by the Ekarshi Fire Ceremony in which he

carries re upon his head to show his attainment o meditative ocus and steadi-

ness. We will not do this in class. However, we must be grateul or the ree accessto to this extraordinary literature that guides us unerringly on our quest in medita-

tion.

Te knowledge o Brahman reerred to is the direct experience o awareness

uncluttered by thoughts in the mind. Our daily discipline in meditation takes us

into that presence; gradually. Tis practice, in turn, leads us to the pure heart that

understands ully this Upanishad:

But the wise, sel-controlled, and tranquil soulswho are

contented in spirit, and who practice austerity and meditation in

solitude and silenceare reed rom all impurity, and attain by thepath o liberation to the immortal, the truly existing, the changeless

Sel.


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Mandukya Upanishad

Te transcendent Fourth state is the light of awareness

by which all else is known

Te Mandukya tells us that OM is the Sel in our aspects. Te rst aspect is the

physical nature: the experience o sensory pleasure and pain. Te second aspect is

the mental nature: the experience o impressions o the mind. Te third aspect is

deep sleep: the experience o bliss. Te ourth aspect is beyond senses, beyond un-

derstanding; it is pure consciousness knowing itsel as ineable peace o just being.

But what is the use o knowing about the our aspects o OM as the Sel? How

is this study relevant to sitting quietly in meditation?

We must ultimately come to know who it is that is meditating. Who is the

meditator that is Sel-refecting? Is it the body that is meditating? Te body is in

repose perhaps, but the body is not the meditator. Is it the mind that is meditat-

ing? Te mind may be absorbed in the mantra, but the mind is not the meditator.

It is consciousness itsel, the indweller, that is refecting upon its own purity o just

being. In this way we are able to discriminate Sel rom non-Sel. In this way we

draw the pith rom the reed. Once we know that we are neither the physical nature

nor the mental nature; this leaves only the observero sensory and mental aspects,

the transcendent Fourth state, called turiya. We will see this word again in other

Upanishads.Once awakened to this inner revelation through our own experience in medi-

tation, we can meet the world with inner peace. Te emotional rollercoaster slips

quietly away into a distant memory. Happiness and contentment becomes our

constant companion.

Te Fourth, the Sel, is OM, the indivisible syllable. Tis syllable

is unutteraable, and beyond mind. In it the maniold universe dis-

appears. It is the supreme goodOne without a second. Whosoever

knows OM, the Sel, becomes the Sel.

Te ancient sages, authors o the Upanishads, have something wonderul to

teach us. It is a privilege to sit at their eet.


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Taittiriya Upanishad

What is better than being rich?

Te translators o this Upanishad, Swami Prabhavananda and Fredrick Man-

chester, introduce the work with an astute and succinct summary:

Man, in his ignorance, identies himsel with the material

sheaths that encompass his true Sel. ranscending these, he

becomes one with Brahman, who is pure bliss.

We should bring into discreet awareness the material sheaths: the physical

sheath (ood body), the vital sheath (prana), mental sheath (memory), intellectual

sheath (reason), and ego, so we know what the transcendent ormless Sel is not.

But how do we characterize Brahman, pure bliss? aittiriya says: Words cannot

express the bliss o Brahman, mind cannot reach it. Until we experience in medi-

tation the ullness o this bliss we can expect that it is ruth, Wisdom and Divine

Sweetness. ruth is seen when the appearance is uncluttered by thought constructs

in the mind; we see reality as is, with no commentary or imaginings o what was

or what might be. We notice the absence o dread or expectation, and simply rest

in the equanimity o the Sel. Wisdom is a direct knowing o what is needed right

at the moment. Divine Sweetness is just the bliss o being; contented joy arisingspontaneously in the stillness. Youll know it when you see it.

aittiriya explains the magnitude o this transcendent state by saying that the

joy o the seer to whom the Sel has been revealed is ten billion times that o one

who has the wealth o the world at his command. (Do the math rom the text and

see i you come to the same number.)

Okay, so how do we get to be ten billion times happier than being rich? Bhrigu

asks his ather, Varuna, this same question. Varuna replies: Seek to know Brah-

man by meditation. Meditation is Brahman.

Fortunately this does not have to be an either/or proposition. Varuna goes on

to reassure us: He who attains this wisdom wins glory, grows rich, enjoys healthand ame. Tis is a pretty cool deal; so I encourage you to meditate every day,

without ail.


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Aitareya Upanishad

Te power of consciousness is to know the Self

Aitareya asks, Who is this Self...? Of what nature is this Self?Tis is a natural

question that we might ask in the study and practice o meditation. Te answer is

given; Tis Self, who is pure consciousness, is Brahman. Tis answer is one o the

our Vedic Mahavakyas: great teachings. We will visit the remaining mahavakyas

in subsequent Upanishads. It is commonly accepted in Vedanta that the Sel,

Brahman, is pure consciousness. But let us look a little deeper into this assertion.

Te eminent Vedic scholar, Proessor S. Radhakrishnan, translates this passage o

Aitareya as, Brahman is intelligence. Why does he use this word, intelligence, rather

than consciousness?Perhaps going directly to the Sanskrit will help us with this mahavakya. Te

original declares:prajnanam brahman.Prajna, in the Sanskrit Dictionary, is de-

ned as: Wisdom; pure bliss; pure consciousness.

In the tradition o Kashmir Shaivism the nature o the Sel is described as

Prakasha and Vimarsha: light of illumination by which everything is known, and the

power of consciousness to know itself. Te inner Sel is an exceedingly subtle pres-

ence; some would see it as emptiness. However, emptiness reers to the contents o

the mind (hence, no-mind); the conscious observer o the emptiness is ever-pres-

ent and all-knowing. Becoming the conscious intelligent observer is the ullness o

the emptiness, the bliss o Nirvana.

We know that the word is not the thing itsel, nevertheless, these words point

the way to conrming our experience to the mind. It helps our concept o Sel to

think about the cluster o descriptors: intelligence, consciousness, bliss, wisdom,

light o illumination, etc.

It is especially interesting to note that the Sanskrit wordprajnapti, meaning

experience, is rooted in prajna.

As we sit quietly, looking in at the seer, we eel the serenity o stillness. We

are aware that awareness itsel is the creator o lies little dramas. How oen do

we want the world to be dierent than it is? Angst arises because o the desire tochange something that is beyond our domain o power. In these circumstances we

have the choice either to return to the bliss o the Sel, or to smolder in our discon-

tent.

Te more amiliar the meditative state becomes through daily practice, the more

oen we will choose the bliss o the Sel; thus an unshakable happiness enters our

lie. Please welcome it.


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Chandogya Upanishad

I am Consciousness

Chandogya is the source o another o the maha-vakyas (great teachings) that

we also encountered in the Mandukya and Aitareya Upanishads. So lets just list

the maha-vakyas, translation and their sources, since they are the bedrock teach-

ings o this proound and revered literature. Each is a variation on the single prem-

ise o the essential identity between the individual and the ranscendent Eternal.

Vedanta holds that meditation upon a maha-vakya brings direct awareness o its

verity. ry it!

Ayam Atma Brahma - Tis Self (Atman) is Brahman (Mandukya Upanishad) Prajnanam Brahma - Consciousness is Brahman (Aitareya Upanishad)

at vam Asi - Tou art Tat (Chandogya Upanishad)

Aham Brahmasmi - I am Brahman (Brhadaranyaka Upanishad)

Te rst maha-vakya establishes that the individual soul (Atman) is not di-

erent than the Absolute (Brahman). Next, the Universal Absolute is characterized

as being none other than consciousness itsel. Tese two together suggest that the

individual inner sel is also conscious awareness that can know itsel. Tis we can

experience or ourselves in meditation. When the mind is still, we are witness to

our own light o consciousness that illumines the appearance.

Here in the Chandogya Upanishad, Uddalaka teaches his son, Svetaketu: All

that is has its self in him alone. He is the truth. He is the subtle essence of all. He

is the Self. And that, Svetaketu,thou are that. As we see above, the Sanskrit

phrase this line is translated rom is tat tvam asi. Te term atis the impersonal

pronoun or ranscendent Eternal (bliss o consciousness). Uddalaka is telling his

son that he (Svetaketu) is, in truth, the divine presence oat. In this story, the

student is told over and over again, the same thing so that aer awhile, he gets

it. Similarly, we must be told this repeatedly until we get used to the idea. In the

process, we conrm these teachings in our own experience. Tis experience bringsa certainty and contentment that is not possible through opinion, deduction or

inerence.

ranslating the maha-vakyas into personal experience begins with the insight

that what is written can be experienced. Next we capture that meditative stillpoint

at the end o the breath and draw it into ullness. When we can rest contentedly in

the conscious intelligent seer, this equipoise becomes inused in our persona. We

live ully in wisdom and inner peace. We are so ortunate.


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Brihad-aranyaka Upanishad

ruth of the ruthis the SelfEarly in Brihad-aranyaka we nd a dialog between the pretentious Gargya and the king o

Benares. In this story, Gargya hopes to explain Brahman to the king with his brag o how heworships Brahman in empirical orms. King Ajatasatru replies with an appreciation o Brahmanin the transcendent. Finally Gargya sees the superciality o his vision and asks to be taught bythe king. Ajatasatru educates Gargya by revealing that it is the Sel that is the source o all thingsempirical. Ten he says a very mysterious thing: His secret name is ruth of the ruth (satyasyasatyam). What could this possibly mean?

We will see this phrase satyasya satyam again in the Maitri Upanishad, so lets examine itnow, remembering that the Sanskrit word satya means ruth. Ajatasatru wants Gargya to knowthat the empirical objective appearance is true, however the underlying truth o it is the Sel. Youcan experience this or yoursel. During your eyes-open meditation what you see out there is thedynamic becoming appearing on the screen o the mind. Tis appearance would be impossiblewithout the presence o consciousness. Tus, consciousness is the creator of what we see. Tink

about this.Gargya was seeing the Divine in the objects o existence; King Ajatasatru saw the Divine innerruth in the Sel (consciousness) that gives lie to existence. Tis is the ruth o the ruth. It is im-portant that you veriy this in your own experience to understand the concepts and stories o thisgreat literature. Tis practice deepens ones meditation.

Lest we orget too quickly, the author o this Upanishad, in the subsequent dialog betweenYajnavalkya and his wie Maitreyi, says:

Through the knowledge o the Sel, Pure Intelligence, all things and beings are known. There is

no existence apart rom the Sel.

Here again we are pointed to the ruth o the ruth. Remembering the Aitareya Upanishad,we see the Sel reerred to again as pure intelligence.

Practically speaking, how do we sustain our ocus on the inner Sel? Yajnavalkya speaks to this,saying:

He alone is the true knower o Brahman who directs his mind towards the Sel, and shuns all

other thoughts as distractions... he is ree rom craving, and is orever established in the knowl-

edge o Brahman.

Here he shows us the goal o happiness and contentment we wish to attain. Te way this greatstate arises in us is through constancy in meditation. Progress is gradual, but the goal is attainable.

Besides joy and peace in lie, why else would we want this attainment? I we would like to nishin this lietime, Yajnavalkya tells us what to expect i we have been virtuous.

When all desires which once entered into his heart have been driven out by divine knowledge,

the mortal, attaining to Brahman, becomes immortal. Brahman may be realized while yet one

dwells in the ephemeral body. When he thus departs, lie departs: The Sel remains conscious.

The path o liberation is subtle, and hard, and long. By the puried mind alone is Brahman

perceived. To know him is to become a seer.

Tese lines eectively summarize the lielong benets o meditation and discovery o the na-ture o our true Sel.


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Svetasvatara Upanishad

Purifying the egoTe Svetasvatara is commonly known as the White Mule Upanishad. Literal translation

rom the Sanskrit is One who owns a white mule; so why is this? Sveta, while meaning white,also means pure.Asva, besides mule, can also mean senses, reerring to samskaras (stubborn,get it?). In ancient times there was a renown teacher o this Upanishad whose name, Swetasva-tara, inerred one whose conditioned tendencies had been puried, and the Upanishad was thusnamed aer him. Later scholars however, considered it humorous to use the alternate translationto reer to this great teaching.

Tis Upanishad begins with the question: What is the cause o this universe? How can weever know the answer to this sweeping query? We werent there to see it happen. Or were we?

Empirically we know that consciousness exists. I it exists, it was either created rom some-thing else, or it has always existed. As there is nothing that creates consciousness, it remains theuncreated supracausal. Tere is only one essence, and no eect can exist separate rom the cause.

Te cause is inherent in every eect. For example, electricity is the cause o the light o the bulb,but separate rom it. Similarly, consciousness enlivens the body but is not the body. I the lamentbreaks, the light goes out, but electricity remains. Likewise, when the body dies, consciousness,the essence o the universe, remains.

Consciousness, the subject, can never be an object. Te physical universe is the ephemeral ob-ject, and is the result o the original cause. What we see is the eect o the cause. Te seer, there-ore, is the cause o the seen; this is true locally as well as universally.

[...] by continuous meditation merge both mind and intellect in the eternal Brah-

man. Unite the light within you with the light o Brahman. Thus will the source o

ignorance be destroyed, and you will rise above karma.

A pervasive theme in Svetasvatara is that omerging. What is this about?When we take birth in this incarnation every eort is made in our amily and culture to bring

our attention out o the inner bliss and ocus on the outer world with its attachments, pleasureand pain, past and uture, loss and gain. When enough o this we have had, and we discover thepath back to the inner bliss, we begin by thinking we are separate rom our true nature.

Then meditate upon the light in the heart o the re - meditate, that is, upon pure

consciousness as distinct rom the ordinary consciousness o the intellect. Thus the Sel,

the Inner Reality, may be seen behind physical appearance.

At rst this does not seem natural, as our mind preers its own entertainments to the exclu-sion o the inner bliss. What to do?

As a charioteer holds back his restive horses, so does a perservering aspirant hold

back his mind.

As you become absorbed in meditation, you will realize that the Sel is separate

rom the body and or this reason will not be afected by disease, old age, or death.

Recentering rom the outward seeking ego to the inner bliss is merging into the eternal. Medi-tation every day is the quickener.


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Kaivalya Upanishad

One without a second

Te Sanskrit term kaivalya means absolute oneness, perect detachment, reedom, liberation.

It is the goal and ulllment o Yoga, the state o complete detachment rom transmigration, per-ectly transcendent, the ultimate realization. Any commentary on the luminous clarity o the text

would be surperfuous, thus ollowing are excerpts rom the translation by Swami Prabhavananda

and Fredrick Manchester. Te Upanishads: Light o the Eternal, Vedanta Press, 2002.

Not by work, nor by progeny, nor by wealth, but by devotion to him and by indierence

to the world, does a man reach immortality.

Retire into solitude. Seat yoursel on a clean spot and in erect posture, with the head

and neck in a straight line. Be indierent to the world. Control all the sense organs.Bow down in devotion to your Guru. Ten enter the lotus o the heart and there medi-

tate on the presence o Brahmanthe pure, the innite, the blissul.

Unmaniest to the senses, beyond all thought, innite in orm, is God.

Te seers meditate on him and reach the source o all beings, the witness o all.

He who knows him conquers death. Tere is no other way to liberation.

Te mind may be compared to a restick, the syllable OM to another. Rub the twosticks together by repeating the sacred word and meditating on Brahman, and the

fame o knowledge will be kindled in your heart and all impurities will be burnt away,

He, as the Sel, resides in all orms, but is veiled by ignorance. When he is in the state o

dream that men call waking, he becomes the individual sel... he is happy or miserable

because o the creations o his mind.

In the three states o consciousness, whatever appears as the enjoyer or the object o

enjoyment, I am the witness thereo, separate rom all. I am pure consciousness. I am

the eternal Shiva.

I am the knower.... I was not born; I have neither body, nor senses, nor mind, I, the

Supreme Sel, dwell in the lotus o the heart. I am pure. I am One without a second.

Om Tat Sat

/ tata sata /


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Further Reference:

Swami Prabhavananda & Manchester, Frederick (2002). Te Upanishads:Breath o the Eternal. Holywood CA: Vedanta Press.

Swami Nikhilananda (1994). Te Upanishads. New York NY. Harper &Row.

Radhakrishnan, S (1997). Te Principal Upanishads. New Delhi, India.Indus.

Swami Madhavananda (1992). Minor Upanishads. Himalayas, India. Ad-vaita Ashram.

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