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The ''Dakshinamurti Upanishad'' ( sa, दक्षिणामूर्ति उपनिषत्, IAST: Dakṣiṇāmūrti Upaniṣad) is an ancient Sanskrit text and is one of the minor
Upanishad 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, , ...
s of
Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or ''dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global po ...
. It is attached to the
Krishna Yajurveda The ''Yajurveda'' ( sa, यजुर्वेद, ', from ' meaning "worship", and ''veda'' meaning "knowledge") is the Veda primarily of prose mantras for worship rituals.Michael Witzel (2003), "Vedas and Upaniṣads", in ''The Blackwell C ...
, and classified as one of the 14
Shaiva Shaivism (; sa, शैवसम्प्रदायः, Śaivasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu traditions, which worships Shiva as the Supreme Being. One of the largest Hindu denominations, it incorporates many sub-traditions rangi ...
Upanishads. The text is notable for asserting that
Dakshinamurti Dakshinamurthy () is an aspect of the Hindu god Shiva as a guru (teacher) of all types of knowledge. This aspect of Shiva, as the original guru, is his personification as the supreme or the ultimate awareness, understanding and knowledge. Thi ...
is an aspect of Shiva, an aid to the liberating knowledge that Shiva is within oneself as Atman (self, soul), and everything one does in daily life is an offering to this Shiva.


Name

The text is named after ''Jnana'' (knowledge) aspect of the Hindu god
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 Hin ...
, as Dakshinamurti which means giver of knowledge. He is traditionally the expounder of the
Shastra ''Shastra'' (, IAST: , ) is a Sanskrit word that means "precept, rules, manual, compendium, book or treatise" in a general sense.Monier Williams, Monier Williams' Sanskrit-English Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Article on 'zAstra'' The wo ...
s, represented as seating under a Banyan tree in the Himalayas resplendent with energy and bliss, surrounded and revered by sages, in a yoga pose (''virasana''), holding the fire of knowledge in one hand and a book or snake or lotus or ''nilotpala'' flower in another. Dakshinamurti is the "teacher-god", with ''Atma-vidya'', literally the knowledge of
Atman Atman or Ātman may refer to: Film * ''Ātman'' (1975 film), a Japanese experimental short film directed by Toshio Matsumoto * ''Atman'' (1997 film), a documentary film directed by Pirjo Honkasalo People * Pavel Atman (born 1987), Russian hand ...
(soul, self). He is the ancient
guru Guru ( sa, गुरु, IAST: ''guru;'' Pali'': garu'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: traditionally, the guru is a reverentia ...
, who teaches One Self through silence. The term ''Upanishad'' means it is knowledge or "hidden doctrine" text that belongs to the corpus of Vedanta literature collection presenting the philosophical concepts of Hinduism and considered the highest purpose of its scripture, the
Vedas upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the '' Atharvaveda''. The Vedas (, , ) are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute th ...
.


History

In the
Telugu language Telugu (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken by Telugu people predominantly living in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, where it is also the official language. It is the most widely spoken member of the Dravidian language f ...
anthology of 108 Upanishads of the Muktika canon, narrated by
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 Being ...
to
Hanuman Hanuman (; sa, हनुमान, ), also called Anjaneya (), is a Hindu god and a divine '' vanara'' companion of the god Rama. Hanuman is one of the central characters of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. He is an ardent devotee of Rama and ...
, it is listed as ''Dakṣiṇāmūrti Upaniṣad'' at number 49. The manuscripts of the text are sometimes titled as Dakṣiṇāmūrtyupaniṣad.Vedic Literature, Volume 1, , Government of Tamil Nadu, Madras, India, pages 420-421


Contents

The Upanishad is structured as a single chapter with 20 verses. The text opens with a prelude, wherein Vedic sages including Sanaka approach sage
Markandeya Bhargava Markandeya ( sa, मार्कण्‍डेय ) is an ancient rishi (sage) born in the clan of Bhrigu Rishi (Bhargava Brahmins Community). The Markandeya Purana especially, comprises a dialogue between Markandeya and a sage ca ...
, with firewood in hand, and ask him, "how are you so blissful, what is the secret behind your long content life?" Markandeya answers that it is the knowledge of the secret of Shiva, which is knowing the Reality. The sages ask back, what is this Reality? what is the means to it, what is the aid to that knowledge, who is the deity, what offerings, how should one devote oneself to it, at what time and how? Shiva is the ''Dakshinamukha'', states the text through Markandeya, he as deity is the aid, he is the one into whom the universe will dissolve and into whom all will be absorbed back, he is who shines, he is inherently blissful and happy because he knows his true nature. After the prelude, the first three verses of the text describes the iconography of Dakshinamurti, as being of silver color, moon crested near his hair, seated in yoga posture, holding in his various hands a rosary, a vessel of ''amrita'' (nectar of eternal life), a book symbolizing knowledge, the Shiva serpent, his forehead and body marked with holy ash, with axe, deer and sages surrounding him, as he sits under a banyan-fig tree. The verse 4 of the text represents his alternate iconography as holding a vina (musical instrument). Dakshinamurti, asserts verse 5 of the text, is the essential meaning of the
Veda upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the '' Atharvaveda''. The Vedas (, , ) are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute th ...
s. True devotion, defines the Upanishad, is to meditate before Dakshinamurti, with the constant thought of "I am He", that is "I am identical with Shiva". The means to secret knowledge of Shiva, states the text, is to concentrate and realize that Shiva is no different than oneself, that all bodily human action, in one's life, is an offering to Shiva. The best time to worship this Reality, asserts the text, is in all three states of consciousness – during action when one is awake, during rest when one is dreaming in sleep, and in the state of deep sleep. The gathered sages, states the text, then ask Markadeya for the form and manifestation of Shiva, and who should be the worshipper? The worshipper, asserts the text, is one who seeks the lamp of wisdom, within whom is the oil of indifference to that which is the worldly superficiality, who has the wick of devotion for the light of knowledge. Once the darkness within is dispelled, Shiva becomes manifested in the worshipper, states the Upanishad. Shiva, asserts the text, then dwells in the devotee as his Self, the bliss, the wisdom, and he is free of all notions of
duality Duality may refer to: Mathematics * Duality (mathematics), a mathematical concept ** Dual (category theory), a formalization of mathematical duality ** Duality (optimization) ** Duality (order theory), a concept regarding binary relations ** Dual ...
. This is the secret doctrine of Shiva, the Reality. He who studies it, is delivered from all sins, and is the one who attains
kaivalya Kaivalya ( sa, कैवल्य), is the ultimate goal of aṣṭāṅga yoga and means "solitude", "detachment" or "isolation", a '' vrddhi''-derivation from ''kevala'' "alone, isolated". It is the isolation of purusha from prakṛti, and liber ...
, asserts the text.


Notes


References


Bibliography

* * * * * * {{Mukhya Upanishads Upanishads