Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (Chapters 1 and 2), the Katha Upanishad
Qiong Wang
About the Upanishads
The reading you are going to explore comes from the Upanishads, a collection of the ancient Sanskrit texts that are central to Hindu philosophy. The Sanskrit word, upanishad, upa-ni-shad, comes from the verb “sad”, to sit, “upa”, near, and “ni”, which means “down”. Putting these parts together, the whole word means a sitting at the feet of a master, to listen to his teaching or instruction. Actually, a student can sit so close to the master that he could whisper in his ear; so, the Upanishads are often called the secret teachings of Hinduism.
The book of Upanishads is a collection of the teachings of different Hindu thinkers which were written in different times. The oldest Upanishads were probably composed between 800 and 400 BCE; and the latest ones were written in the 15th century CE. According to most scholars, there are 108 Upanishads in total; but the first dozen or 13 Upanishads are the oldest and most important ones that are referred to as the principal or main (mukhya) Upanishads. The Upanishads are the core texts of Hinduism, which continues to be the dominant religion of India. Although the Upanishads are religious scriptures, they are also serious philosophical texts. The authors of the Upanishads provide a sophisticated and highly consistent view of the world and human life.
In the Upanishads, ancient Hindu thinkers extensively discuss and explain the nature of reality. They present two different frameworks: the framework of the superficial world and the framework of Ultimate Reality. In the framework of superficial world, there are countless individuals, including humans, animals, plants, artifacts, gods and goddesses. Each of these things have their own characteristics which distinguish them from each another. There is change, including processes of creation, preservation, destruction, life and death, spiritual fulfillment, spiritual sloth, and outright sin. But underlying the ever-changing superficial world, there is a deeper true reality—Brahman. Brahman pervades all beings; it is the source of all reality, and the condition for existence. Brahman is the Ultimate Reality, and the entire universe is a manifestation of Brahman. As it is often summarized, from it (Brahman) all things flow; by it all things sustained; and into it all things are dissolved. All is Brahman, and Brahman is everything. In the framework of Ultimate Reality, the countless individual things are all one; they are one with Brahman. Brahman is said to be a Pure Spirit, the soul of the universe. In contrast to the changing individual things in the superficial world, Brahman is the unchanging root and essence of everything. It is within everything and at the same time it is the One.
Before you read:
From the very beginning of human civilization, we have been curious about the world we live in and our own existence. This natural curiosity leads us not only to accumulation of knowledge about the natural world but also to spiritual requests and philosophical explorations. What is the world around us like? And who are we? Have you ever asked yourself these questions, at certain point in your life? In addition to what textbooks tell us, our direct observation and experience tell us that this world is filled with individual things, including humans, animals, plants, artifacts, gods and goddesses (probably), etc. Each of these things have their own characteristics that distinguish them from each other. And there is change, including processes of arising, remaining, declining, life and death, improvement, fulfillment, and advancement. But, is the world really like what it looks like? If not, what is the world really like? By asking these questions, you enter the territory of philosophy: you are asking a profound philosophical question: what is the reality of the world? For the ancient Hindu thinkers, there is a difference between appearance and reality, and they make prevalent effort in the Upanishads to explain the nature of reality. Now, let us see what their answer is.
Guiding Questions:
- How is Brahman described in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad? How does it differ from ?
- What is the significance of the neti neti (“not this, not this”) teaching in Book II? How does this approach guide one toward understanding the ultimate reality?
- Explain the salt in the water analogy.
- How does Yama us the metaphor of the chariot to describe the relationship between the body, senses, mind, reason, and the Self? (1.3.3-9)
- Why does Yama claim “’This is the only world; there is no other’, they say; and thus they go from death to death.”?
- How doe the Katha Upanishad describe the relationship between individual soul (Atman) and the supreme reality (Brahman)?
- What does Yama mean when he says, “The wise one is not born, nor does he die”?
Assigned Reading:
Title: The Early Upanishads
Translator & Editor: Patrick Olivelle
Assigned Reading: Chapters 1 & 2
Where to find this reading:
This text is not in the public domain or not shared with a creative commons license. You may be able to get access to this reading through your library via the following source(s):
- WorldCat Entry: The Early Upanisads: Annotated Text and Translation
For step-by-step instructions on how to access this title, please see Back Matter: How to Access Through WorldCat.
