Prologue
The upaniṣads occur at the end of each of the vedas. Hence they are known as the vedānta. Or they are the conclusion or the ultimate truth. It is firmly believed by us that the vedas and the upaniṣads are not the product of human mind but they are of superhuman or divine origin (apauruṣeya). They have not been composed by any of the ṛṣis like kaśyapa. The ṛṣis are not the kartāras (loosely composers) but the draṣṭāras (loosely the receivers/seers of the revealed truth). They were able to “see” or “realize” it during their contemplation and tapas. To summarize, the paramātman made the ṛṣis capable of realizing the vedas and the upaniṣads for the betterment of the humans. These are eternal, timeless, infinite and the ultimate truth is our belief.
Upaniṣat-what does it mean? The word is made up of two prefixes ‘upa’ and ‘ni’ and the root word ‘sad’.
The word ‘sad’ has three meanings, viśaraṇa, gati, avasādana. ‘ṣadḷ-viśaraṇa gatyavasādaneṣu’ is the description given in the dhātupāṭha. Viśaraṇa = destruction, gati = go, join, avasādana = to decay. Based on these, we can derive many meanings. Śrī śaṅkara-bhagavatpāda derives the following.
- For someone who with great bhakti and śraddhā understands the ātman, whatever destroys the impediments like birth, old age and diseases, that is the upaniṣat, that is indeed the brahmavidyā.
- The root cause of the samsāra and the related difficulties for us humans is the avidyā or the ignorance. Whatever destroys it is the upaniṣat, that is indeed the brahmavidyā.
- Whatever joins someone who with great bhakti and śraddhā understands the ātman with the parabrahman, that is the upaniṣat, that is indeed the brahmavidyā.
- Some specific parts of upaniṣads deal with agnividyā and allied vidyās. Unlike brahmavidyā, even though they directly don’t lead to the parabrahman, they provide the svarga and other privileges and eventually lead to mokṣa. They, as parts of upaniṣads, make the impediments like birth, old age and other seeds of avidyā to decay. Thus they can also be thought of as upaniṣads. — as described in the bhāṣyas of the kāṭhaka and muṇḍakopaniṣads.
- Upanisīdati due to the upasargas or the prefixes means to be steady or steadfastly rooted. Since it is rooted in the brahmavidyā which is the ultimate form of śreyas, it can be said to be upaniṣat. (‘param śreyaḥ asyāmupaniṣaṇṇamiti vā’ as described towards the end of the ānandavallī bhāṣya)
In summary, upaniṣat means brahmavidyā. Whichever parts of the vedas propose this, they also by extension become upaniṣads. This has become standard usage.
The upaniṣads are verily a divine, world transcending vara for us humans which is the result of the tapas of the great ṛṣis. The bhāṣyakāras (the composers of the bhāṣyas) by expanding and providing detailed expositions have bestowed upon us a great favour. It is no exaggeration to say that these should be mandatorily studied by one and all. None would say that worldly pursuits like jobs, money etc need to be shunned totally. One should pursue them within the purview of dharma and whenever one is free, instead of wasting time, one should internalize upaniṣads and also other allied texts like the Mahābhārata - this is what the wise among us implore us to do. It is the hallmark of a discerning person to find what leads him to śreyas.
ईशकेनकठप्रश्नमुण्डमाण्डूक्यतित्तिरि ।
ऐतरेयं च छान्दोग्यं बृहदारण्यकं तथा ॥Īśa, kena, kaṭha, praśna, muṇḍaka, māṇḍūkya taittiriya, aitareya, chāndogya and bṛhadāraṇyaka
These are famously known as the ten principal upaniṣads. Śvetāśvatara is also deemed to be an important and famous one.
The upaniṣads instruct us to follow the prime instruments to attain the brahmavidyā. Śraddhā, bhakti, śamā, damā and so on. They also provide us with methods to understand the deep and the profound. One such path is via stories. Such stories are called upākhyanas or ākhyāyikās. Eleven such stories have been carefully picked from the principal upaniṣads to constitute this book. These stories would be appealing to the young and the old, if this leads the readers towards śreyas then this attempt can be assumed to have borne fruits.
By the grace of the jagadguru of the śṛṅgeri some of these were published in the monthly magazine, śrī śaṅkarakṛpā. I’d like to express my gratitude towards Shri. S Ramachandra Shastri, the editor of the magazine, and the publisher Shri. P R Hariharan who has been of inspiration and help to bring this out in the form of a book.
Bengaluru
20-08-1992
Vidwan N Ranganatha Sharma
This is the first part of the multi-part translation of the Kannada book "Upanishattina Kathegalu" by Mahamahopadhyaya Vidwan Dr. N Ranganatha Sharma. Thanks to Dr. Sharada Chaitra for granting us permission to translate this wonderful work. The original in Kannada can be read here
