The ''Bhavana 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 ...
: Bhāvana Upaniṣad) is a
medieval era
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and t ...
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 ...
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 ...
. Composed in Sanskrit, the text is classified as one of the
Shakta
Shaktism () is a major Hindu denomination in which the deity or metaphysical reality is considered metaphorically to be a woman.
Shaktism involves a galaxy of goddesses, all regarded as different aspects, manifestations, or personificatio ...
Upanishads and attached to the
Atharvaveda
The Atharvaveda or Atharva Veda (, , from ''wikt:अथर्वन्, अथर्वन्'', "priest" and ''wikt:वेद, वेद'', "knowledge") or is the "knowledge storehouse of ''wikt:अथर्वन्, atharvans'', the proced ...
. The Upanishad identifies the human body as Srichakra yantra and elaborates on this theme,
[ and its worship.
]
History
The author and the date when ''Bhavana Upanishad'' was composed are unknown. The text was likely composed, in the same period as other Shakta Upanishads, between the 12th- and 15th-century CE. While this text is a relatively late composition in the Upanishadic collection, literary evidence confirms that Shakta Tantrism has roots in ancient times and the interaction between Vedic and Tantric traditions trace back to at least the sixth century, and the surge in Tantra tradition developments during the late medieval period, states Geoffrey Samuel, were a means to confront and cope with Islam
Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
ic invasions and political instability in and after 14th-century CE in parts of India and Tibet.[Geoffrey Samuel (2010), Tantric Revisionings, Motilal Banarsidass, , pages 60-61, 87-88, 351-356]
The ''Bhavana Upanishad'' is a sister text to '' Tripura Upanishad''. Both of these texts were commented on the 18th-century Tantra and Mother goddess
A mother goddess is a major goddess characterized as a mother or progenitor, either as an embodiment of motherhood and fertility or fulfilling the cosmological role of a creator- and/or destroyer-figure, typically associated the Earth, sky, ...
scholar Bhaskararaya
Bhāskararāya Makhin (1690–1785) was a religious exponent and writer known for his contributions to the Shakta tradition of Hinduism. He was born in a Maharashtrian Brahmin family at Hyderabad, Telangana. Bhaskara raya was welcomed by king S ...
. The text has been popular in Srividya tradition of South India
South India, also known as Southern India or Peninsular India, is the southern part of the Deccan Peninsula in India encompassing the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana as well as the union territories of ...
.
The text was translated by AG Krishna Warrier in 1967. However, scholarly reviews such as those by Brooks have questioned the translation and its conservative modern interpretation that is inconsistent with how the text was interpreted by 15th- to 18th-century Indian scholars such as Bhaskararaya
Bhāskararāya Makhin (1690–1785) was a religious exponent and writer known for his contributions to the Shakta tradition of Hinduism. He was born in a Maharashtrian Brahmin family at Hyderabad, Telangana. Bhaskara raya was welcomed by king S ...
in their bhasya
Bhashya () is a "commentary" or "exposition" of any primary or secondary text in ancient or medieval Indian literature. Common in Sanskrit literature, ''Bhashyas'' are also found in other Indian languages such as Tamil. Bhashyas are found in vario ...
(review and commentary).
Manuscripts of this text are also found titled as ''Bhavanopanisad''.[Vedic Literature, Volume 1, , Government of Tamil Nadu, Madras, India, pages 488-491] In the Telugu language
Telugu (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language native to the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, where it is also the official language. Spoken by about 96 million people (2022), Telugu is the most widely spoken member of ...
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 84.
Contents
The Upanishad describes the human body to be Sri Yantra
The Sri Yantra, Shri Yantra, or Shri Chakra (Sanskrit: श्री यन्त्र, IAST: śrī yantra) is a form of mystical diagram (''yantra'') used in the Shri Vidya school of Hinduism. Comprising nine interlocking triangles, it embodies ...
(Sri chakra), by mapping each part of the body to the chakra.[ It asserts that the Shakti is the Atman (soul) within. The text is notable for its emphasis on ''Antaryaga'' (internal worship) in contrast to external rituals and offerings. The 18th-century scholar Bhaskararaya, in his commentary, explains verse 29 of the Bhavana Upanishad to be based on the premise "all love their own self".
The text presents nondualistic ideas, presenting Goddess as the supreme reality of the universe. The philosophical premises in this text as in many Shakta Upanishads, states June McDaniel, is syncretism of ]Samkhya
Samkhya or Sankhya (; ) is a dualistic orthodox school of Hindu philosophy. It views reality as composed of two independent principles, '' Puruṣa'' ('consciousness' or spirit) and '' Prakṛti'' (nature or matter, including the human mind a ...
and Advaita Vedanta schools of Hindu philosophy
Hindu philosophy or Vedic philosophy is the set of philosophical systems that developed in tandem with the first Hinduism, Hindu religious traditions during the Iron Age in India, iron and Classical India, classical ages of India. In Indian ...
, called ''Shaktadavaitavada'' (literally, the path of nondualistic Shakti).
See also
* Atharvashiras Upanishad
* Devi Upanishad
* Mahanarayana Upanishad
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
{{Mukhya Upanishads
Upanishads