Adhyatma Upanishad () or Adhyatmopanishad is one of the 108
Upanishadic
The Upanishads (; sa, उपनिषद् ) are late Vedic Sanskrit texts that supplied the basis of later Hindu philosophy.Wendy Doniger (1990), ''Textual Sources for the Study of Hinduism'', 1st Edition, University of Chicago Press, , ...
Hindu scriptures
Hindu texts are manuscripts and voluminous historical literature which are related to any of the diverse traditions within Hinduism. A few of these texts are shared across these traditions and they are broadly considered Hindu scriptures. These ...
, written in
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
. It is one of the 19 Upanishads under the
Shukla Yajurveda or White Yajurveda. It is classified as a ''
Samanya'' (non-sectarian) Upanishad.
It is also known as Ṭurīyāṭīṭa Avaḍhūṭa Upanishaḍ.
The Upanishad expounds on the nature of
Brahman
In Hinduism, ''Brahman'' ( sa, ब्रह्मन्) connotes the highest universal principle, the ultimate reality in the universe.P. T. Raju (2006), ''Idealistic Thought of India'', Routledge, , page 426 and Conclusion chapter part X ...
.
Contents
In the invocation, Brahman is praised as limitless and all-pervading in this universe. Prayer is offered for ushering peace in this world.
The ''Adhyatma Upanishad'' describes the eternal form of ''Brahman'', the unborn (''Aja'') one who remains within the recess of the heart. His body is represented as the earth (
Prithvi
Prithvi or Prithvi Mata (Sanskrit: पृथ्वी, ', also पृथिवी, ', "the Vast One") is the Sanskrit name for the earth, as well as the name of a devi (goddess) in Hinduism and some branches of Buddhism. In the Vedas, her cons ...
), water (
Apa), fire (
Agni
Agni (English: , sa, अग्नि, translit=Agni) is a Sanskrit word meaning fire and connotes the Vedic fire deity of Hinduism. He is also the guardian deity of the southeast direction and is typically found in southeast corners of Hindu ...
), air (
Vayu
Vayu (, sa, वायु, ), also known as Vata and Pavana, is the Hindu god of the winds as well as the divine massenger of the gods. In the '' Vedic scriptures'', Vayu is an important deity and is closely associated with Indra, the king of ...
), ether (
Akasha), mind (
Manas), intellect (
Buddhi
:''In Hindu mythology, Buddhi is one of the wives of Ganesha.''
Buddhi (Sanskrit: बुद्धि) refers to the intellectual faculty and the power to "form and retain concepts, reason, discern, judge, comprehend, understand".
Etymology
''Bud ...
), sense of self (
ahamkara), Subconscious mind or memory (''chitta''), unmanifestated (
Avyakta
Avyakta, meaning "not manifest", "unmanifest" etc., is the word ordinarily used to denote Prakrti on account of subtleness of its nature and is also used to denote Brahman, which is the subtlest of all and who by virtue of that subtlety is the ul ...
), indestructible (
akshara
Aksara (also ''akshara'', Devanagari अक्षर, IAST ''akṣara'') is a Sanskrit term translating to "imperishable, indestructible, fixed, immutable" (i.e. from अ, '' a-'' "not" and क्षर्, ''kṣar-'' "melt away, perish").
It h ...
), and Death (
mrityu), all of these elements act within themselves, and within the body without one's awareness.
[ Brahman is then equated with the god ]Narayana
Narayana (Sanskrit: नारायण, IAST: ''Nārāyaṇa'') is one of the forms and names of Vishnu, who is in yogic slumber under the celestial waters, referring to the masculine principle. He is also known as Purushottama, and is co ...
(Vishnu
Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism.
Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" withi ...
) who resides in the soul and cleans everything and washes away all misdeeds.[
The Upanishad states that one who shuns the ego of “I and Mine” by meditating on Brahman, will be aware of his state of ''Pratyagatma'' (Brahman in an individual), of intellect. He should fix his thoughts on '']Soham
Soham ( ) is a town and civil parish in the district of East Cambridgeshire, in Cambridgeshire, England, just off the A142 between Ely and Newmarket. Its population was 10,860 at the 2011 census.
History Archaeology
The region between De ...
'' ("I am That"). His aim should be of selflessness without pursuing worldly things with total obliviousness to sleeping, gossip, and sounds. He should surrender his Atman (soul) to Paramatman
''Paramatman'' (Sanskrit: परमात्मन्, IAST: Paramātman) or ''Paramātmā'' is the Absolute ''Atman'', or supreme Self, in various philosophies such as the Vedanta and Yoga schools in Hindu theology, as well as other Indian re ...
, the Supreme Soul. In order to realize Atman, he should not pay any attention to his impure body, a parental burden, which is to be shunned like an out caste.[ As a confined space becomes one with the infinite space, one should absorb his atma (self) with the Supreme Soul.][
The Macrocosm and microcosm, which are the storehouses of all impure things, are to be rejected to become the "self-luminous Substratum". Shunning ]egoism
Egoism is a philosophy concerned with the role of the self, or , as the motivation and goal of one's own action. Different theories of egoism encompass a range of disparate ideas and can generally be categorized into descriptive or normativ ...
amounts to a blissful and bright state, similar to the moon shining bright after an eclipse. Getting rid of impulsive thoughts will usher a feeling of freedom.[ An intelligent person avoiding truth gets into an illusory state, in the same way as a reed pulled out does not remain straight.][
The ''Adhyatma Upanishad'' also dwells on the concept of ]samadhi
''Samadhi'' (Pali and sa, समाधि), in Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism and yogic schools, is a state of meditative consciousness. In Buddhism, it is the last of the eight elements of the Noble Eightfold Path. In the Ashtanga Yoga ...
. The consecutive sequence of benefits of Vairagya
Vairāgya (वैराग्य) is a Sanskrit term used in Hindu as well as Eastern philosophy that roughly translates as dispassion, detachment, or renunciation, in particular renunciation from the pains and pleasures in the temporary materia ...
(detachment or renunciation) in life leads to '' bodha'' (spiritual knowledge) to ''uparati
Uparati, is a Sanskrit word and it literally means "cessation, quietism, stopping worldly action". It is an important concept in Advaita Vedanta pursuit of moksha and refers to the ability to achieve "dispassion",Eliot Deutsch (1980), Advaita Veda ...
'' (restraint of mind); to ''Shanti'', inner calmness achieved through perfect happiness of the mind. Nivṛṭṭi, the inward contemplation will achieve a unique sense of perfect happiness and spirituality. Illusion's ''upadhi
Upādhi () is a term in Hindu philosophy meaning "imposition" or "limitation". In Hindu logic, an upādhi is the condition which accompanies the major term and must be supplied to limit the too general middle term. For instance, "the mountain ha ...
'' encompasses the universe.[
This self (soul) is the ultimate in the entire universe and it is constituted of the deities ]Brahma
Brahma ( sa, ब्रह्मा, Brahmā) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the trinity of supreme divinity that includes Vishnu, and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp. 21 ...
, Vishnu, Indra and Shiva
Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...
.[ Extra sensory perception is embedded in the ''chitta'' (mind) and hence one's focus should be on the mind.][ While the thought process leads to reasoning so is the meaning of a sentence understood by listening.][
]Reincarnation
Reincarnation, also known as rebirth or transmigration, is the philosophical or religious concept that the non-physical essence of a living being begins a new life in a different physical form or body after biological death. Resurrection is ...
on account of millions of karma
Karma (; sa, कर्म}, ; pi, kamma, italic=yes) in Sanskrit means an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptivel ...
s (past actions, works and deeds) vanishes with devoted attention which eventually results in moral principles taking roots. This situation is explained by the Yogi
A yogi is a practitioner of Yoga, including a sannyasin or practitioner of meditation in Indian religions.A. K. Banerjea (2014), ''Philosophy of Gorakhnath with Goraksha-Vacana-Sangraha'', Motilal Banarsidass, , pp. xxiii, 297-299, 331 Th ...
s as “the cloud of virtues”.[ As universal space is always in a detached, so is the sage who is aware of his Reality also remains detached from futures events.][
The sequence of communication of the teachings of the ''Adhyatma Upanishad'', was from the Sage Apantaratama (sometimes regarded as the previous birth of ]Vyasa
Krishna Dvaipayana ( sa, कृष्णद्वैपायन, Kṛṣṇadvaipāyana), better known as Vyasa (; sa, व्यासः, Vyāsaḥ, compiler) or Vedavyasa (वेदव्यासः, ''Veda-vyāsaḥ'', "the one who cl ...
) to the god Brahma, Sage Angiras
Angiras or Angira ( Sanskrit: / ', pronounced ) was a Vedic rishi (sage) of Hinduism. He is described in the '' Rigveda'' as a teacher of divine knowledge, a mediator between men and gods, as well as stated in other hymns to be the first ...
, Sage Raikva and the god Rama
Rama (; ), Ram, Raman or Ramar, also known as Ramachandra (; , ), is a major deity in Hinduism. He is the seventh and one of the most popular '' avatars'' of Vishnu. In Rama-centric traditions of Hinduism, he is considered the Supreme Bein ...
, who propagated it to all.[
]
Commentaries
Indian spiritual guru Osho
Rajneesh (born Chandra Mohan Jain; 11 December 193119 January 1990), also known as Acharya Rajneesh, Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, and later as Osho (), was an Indian godman, mystic, and founder of the Rajneesh movement. He was viewed as a controv ...
authored an commentary named ''Finger Pointing to the Moon'' on the ''Adhyatma Upanishad'', which was first published by its original Sanskrit name in Hindi
Hindi ( Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...
in 1976.
References
Bibliography
*{{cite book, last= Prasoon , first=Prof.S.K. , title=Indian Scriptures, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PvmAwVXPKbQC&pg=PT82, date=1 January 2008, publisher=Pustak Mahal, isbn=978-81-223-1007-8
External links
Adhyatma Upanishad
in Sanskrit
Upanishads