Bahvricha Upanishad
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The ''Bahvricha Upanishad'' (,
IAST The International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration (IAST) is a transliteration scheme that allows the lossless romanisation of Brahmic family, Indic scripts as employed by Sanskrit and related Indic languages. It is based on a scheme that ...
: Bahvṛca Upaniṣad) is a medieval era Sanskrit text and one of the minor
Upanishad The Upanishads (; , , ) are late Vedic and post-Vedic Sanskrit texts that "document the transition from the archaic ritualism of the Veda into new religious ideas and institutions" and the emergence of the central religious concepts of Hind ...
s of
Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...
. It is classified as one of the eight
Shakta Upanishads Shakta Upanishads are a group of minor Upanishads of Hinduism related to the Shaktism theology of a Goddess (Devi) as the Supreme Being. There are 8 Shakta Upanishads in the Muktika anthology of 108 Upanishads. They, along with other minor Upani ...
and attached to the
Rigveda The ''Rigveda'' or ''Rig Veda'' (, , from wikt:ऋच्, ऋच्, "praise" and wikt:वेद, वेद, "knowledge") is an ancient Indian Miscellany, collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns (''sūktas''). It is one of the four sacred canoni ...
. The Upanishad is notable for asserting that the Self (soul, Atman) is a Goddess who alone existed before the creation of the universe. She is the supreme power, asserts the text, she is the ultimate reality (
Brahman In Hinduism, ''Brahman'' (; IAST: ''Brahman'') connotes the highest universal principle, the ultimate reality of the universe.P. T. Raju (2006), ''Idealistic Thought of India'', Routledge, , page 426 and Conclusion chapter part XII In the ...
), from her being and because of her the universe was born, she is the knowledge, the consciousness and the soul (
Atman Atman or Ātman may refer to: Religion * ''Ātman'' (Hinduism), meaning "Self", a philosophical concept common to all schools of Hindu philosophy * ''Ātman'' (Buddhism), ''attā'' or ''attan'', a reference to the essential self ** ''Anattā'' ...
) of every being. The philosophical premises of ''Bahvricha Upanishad'' assert the feminine as non-different, non-dual (''Advaita'') from transcendent reality, she is the primary and the material cause of all existence, and the text belongs to the ''Shaktadavaitavada'' tradition (literally, the path of nondualistic Shakti).


History

Neither the author nor the composition date of ''Bahvricha Upanishad'' is known. The text was likely composed, in the same period as other Shakta Upanishads, between the 12th- and 15th-century CE. The text existed before the 14th-century, states
Max Muller Max or MAX may refer to: Animals * Max (American dog) (1983–2013), at one time purported to be the world's oldest living dog * Max (British dog), the first pet dog to win the PDSA Order of Merit (animal equivalent of the OBE) * Max (gorilla) ( ...
, as it was referenced by the 13th/14th-century Dvaita Vedanta scholar
Madhvacharya Madhvacharya (; ; 1199–1278 CE or 1238–1317 CE), also known as Purna Prajna () and Ānanda Tīrtha, was an Indian philosopher, theologian and the chief proponent of the ''Dvaita'' (dualism) school of Vedanta. Madhva called his philosophy ...
. In 19th-century compilations of the Upanishads, a part of the Aitareya
Aranyaka The ''Aranyakas'' (; ; IAST: ') are a part of the ancient Indian Vedas concerned with the meaning of ritual sacrifice, composed in about 700 BC. They typically represent the later sections of the Vedas, and are one of many layers of Vedic text ...
s from the
Rigveda The ''Rigveda'' or ''Rig Veda'' (, , from wikt:ऋच्, ऋच्, "praise" and wikt:वेद, वेद, "knowledge") is an ancient Indian Miscellany, collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns (''sūktas''). It is one of the four sacred canoni ...
was sometimes called ''
Aitareya Upanishad The Aitareya Upanishad (, ) is a Mukhya Upanishad, associated with the Rigveda. It comprises the fourth, fifth and sixth chapters of the second book of Aitareya Aranyaka, which is one of the four layers of Rig vedic text. Aitareya Upanishad di ...
'', ''Atmasatka Upanishad'' and also ''Bahvricha Upanishad''. The Devi-related medieval era ''Bahvricha Upanishad'' is different from the ancient BCE era Aitareya Upanishad, but both discuss the nature of Atman (soul, Self). Manuscripts of this text are also found titled as Bahvrcopanisad.Vedic Literature, Volume 1, , Government of Tamil Nadu, Madras, India, pages 268–270, 467–468 In the Telugu language
anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs, or related fiction/non-fiction excerpts by different authors. There are also thematic and g ...
of 108 Upanishads of the Muktika canon, narrated by
Rama Rama (; , , ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the seventh and one of the most popular avatars of Vishnu. In Rama-centric Hindu traditions, he is considered the Supreme Being. Also considered as the ideal man (''maryāda' ...
to
Hanuman Hanuman (; , ), also known as Maruti, Bajrangabali, and Anjaneya, is a deity in Hinduism, revered as a divine ''vanara'', and a devoted companion of the deity Rama. Central to the ''Ramayana'', Hanuman is celebrated for his unwavering devotio ...
, it is listed at number 107.


Contents

The text consists of 9 verses. Some manuscripts include a prelude in the form of an invocation asserting that the Vedas must be imbibed in one's mind, thoughts and speech, and through truth only is peace assured. The Upanishad opens with the assertion "Devi is one and she alone existed in the beginning", she is ''Kama'' (love), and she is
Atman Atman or Ātman may refer to: Religion * ''Ātman'' (Hinduism), meaning "Self", a philosophical concept common to all schools of Hindu philosophy * ''Ātman'' (Buddhism), ''attā'' or ''attan'', a reference to the essential self ** ''Anattā'' ...
(soul, Self), The second verse of the Upanishad states that not only Brahma, Vishnu and Rudra are her progeny but every being in the universe is her creation. The Upanishad describes Devi as identical to all truth and reality, and whatever is not she as unreal, non-truth and non-self. She is the ultimate unchanging reality (
Brahman In Hinduism, ''Brahman'' (; IAST: ''Brahman'') connotes the highest universal principle, the ultimate reality of the universe.P. T. Raju (2006), ''Idealistic Thought of India'', Routledge, , page 426 and Conclusion chapter part XII In the ...
), the consciousness, the bliss who shines by herself. She is everywhere, within and without, asserts the Upanishad. She is pure, she is love and she symbolized as the
Tripurasundari Tripurasundari may refer to: People *Tripura Sundari, Hindu goddess, a form of Durga * Queen Tripurasundari of Nepal, regent and writer-translator Places * Tripurasundari, Baitadi, a village in Mahakali zone, Nepal * Tripurasundari, Dolpa, a munic ...
goddess is the form of all. She is the ardha matra, last half syllable, of the Om syllable. Her ''Shakti'' is in Om. The closing verses of the text asserts that she should be contemplated as "That which I am", as ''Sodasi'' and fifteen syllabled ''
Sri Vidya __NOTOC__ Shri Vidya (ISO: '; ; sometimes also spelled Sri Vidya or Shree Vidya) is a Hindu Tantric religious system devoted to the Goddess. Shri Vidya developed out of various influences, especially Kāśmīr Shaivism, and its doctrines remai ...
'', the power of Savitur,
Sarasvati Saraswati (, ), also spelled as Sarasvati, is one of the principal Devi, goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the goddess of knowledge, education, learning, arts, speech, poetry, music, purification, language and culture. Together with the godde ...
, and
Gayatri Gayatri (Sanskrit: गायत्री, IAST: Gāyatrī) is the personified form of the Gayatri Mantra, a popular hymn from Vedic texts. She is also known as Savitri, and holds the title of ''Vedamata'' ('mother of the Vedas'). Gayatri is the ...
, the sacred, the mother, the auspicious who chooses her own partner, the mistress, the dark, the light, the
Brahmic The Brahmic scripts, also known as Indic scripts, are a family of abugida writing systems. They are used throughout South Asia, Southeast Asia and parts of East Asia. They are descended from the Brahmi script of ancient India and are used b ...
bliss.


See also

*''
Atharvashiras Upanishad The ''Atharvashiras Upanishad'' () is a Sanskrit text that is one of the minor Upanishads of Hinduism. It is among the 31 Upanishads associated with the Atharvaveda. It is classified as a Shaiva Upanishad focussed on god Rudra. The Upanishad is ...
'' *
Devi ''Devī'' (; ) is the Sanskrit word for 'goddess'; the masculine form is Deva (Hinduism), ''deva''. ''Devi'' and ''deva'' mean 'heavenly, divine, anything of excellence', and are also gender-specific terms for a deity in Hinduism. The concept ...
*''
Devi Upanishad The ''Devi Upanishad'' (Sanskrit:देवी उपनिषत्), is one of the minor Upanishads of Hinduism and a text composed in Sanskrit. It is one of the 19 Upanishads attached to the Atharvaveda, and is classified as one of the eight ...
'' *'' Mahanarayana Upanishad''


References


Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * * {{Mukhya Upanishads Upanishads