Yogashikha Upanishad (critical study)
by Sujatarani Giri | 2015 | 72,044 words
This page relates 鈥楶lace of Upanishad in Vedanta Philosophy鈥� of the English study on the Yogashikha Upanishad鈥攁 key text from the Krishna Yajurveda, focusing on the pinnacle of Yogic meditation. This essay presents Yoga as a crucial component of ancient Indian philosophy and spirituality and underscores its historical roots in Vedic literature鈥攑articularly the Upanishads and Vedant. The chapters of this study are devoted to the faculties of the mind and internal body mechanisms such as Chakras as well as the awakening of Kundalini.
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Part 6 - Place of 鲍辫补苍颈峁诲 in 痴别诲腻苍迟补 Philosophy
鲍辫补苍颈峁诲蝉 are eternal treaties of the perceivable as well as the sublime domains of knowledge, pre-eminent guide books for the seeker of true light and unalloyed bliss and are scriptures of inclusive and integrative teaching for the allround growth of the mundane as well as spiritual aspects of life.
鲍辫补苍颈峁诲蝉 are invaluable repositiries of Vedic knowledge. These are supreme scripture of vedantic philosophy鈥揷ontaining the ultimate knowledge of individual soul and Brahman.
鲍辫补苍颈峁诲蝉 are also regarded as the source of multiple stream of Indian philosophy. The spiritual acumen and enlighten vision of the 峁涐梗颈蝉 pervaded in the 艣濒辞办补蝉 and mantras of the 鲍辫补苍颈峁诲蝉. Their massage is perennially inspiring and is as important and relevant to mankind today, as it was when first revealed in the Vedic age. 鲍辫补苍颈峁诲蝉 dignify human life as the greatest book of the almightily.
The 鲍辫补苍颈峁诲蝉 are perhaps the oldest and the most original discussions about the nature of the self and the mind in India. Traditionally they form a part of the Vedas. The Vedas have three main parts the 厂补峁僪颈迟腻蝉 the 叠谤腻丑尘补峁嘺蝉 and the 膧谤补峁噛补办补蝉 (forest talks. The 鲍辫补苍颈峁诲蝉 belong to the last portion of the 膧谤补峁噛补办补蝉. Therefore they are also called 痴别诲腻苍迟补 (Veda + anta) meaning the end of the Vedas). There are quite a large number of 鲍辫补苍颈峁诲 which cannot, from the point of view of their language be regarded to have been composed in the same age. Some of them are undoubtedly very old which are regarded as very ancient and most authoritative. They are: 滨艣补, Kena, 碍补峁环补, 笔谤补艣苍补, 惭耻峁囜笉补办补, 惭腻峁囜笉耻办测补, Aitaereya, Taittr墨ya, B峁沨ad膩ra峁噛aka, Ch膩ndagya and 艢惫别迟腻艣惫补迟补谤补.[1]
艢a峁僰ar膩c膩rya, the great commentator of the Advaita school, has written commentaries on them. Other 鲍辫补苍颈峁诲 which are more than hundred in number are called the minor 鲍辫补苍颈峁诲 not account of size perhaps, but on account of their importance. Each 鲍辫补苍颈峁诲 is more or less unique and independent of others. It contains philosophical and psychological speculations of some ancient teacher or teachers. The speculations are supposed to be based on actual experience of the great seers (峁氠梗颈蝉). They are so original and striking, yet so scattered and unrelated that it was thought necessary in later times to synthesize them into a system and this attempt gave birth the philosophy of the 痴别诲腻苍迟补 of the several attempts in this direction, most of which are now extinct, one is well known. It is the 叠谤补丑尘补蝉奴迟谤补蝉 or 痴别诲腻苍迟补 s奴tras of 叠腻诲补谤腻测补峁嘺 on which many great commentaries have been written by 艢补峁卥补谤腻肠腻谤测补 and others.
The word 痴别诲腻苍迟补 means the end of the Veda. It has been use for the 鲍辫补苍颈峁诲 which are the last portions of the Vedas. 痴别诲腻苍迟补 is therefore, another name for the philosophy of the 鲍辫补苍颈峁诲蝉. It is also called Uttara M墨m膩峁僺膩, because it deals with the text of the 鲍辫补苍颈峁诲蝉. The earliest text of this philosophy now in existence is the 叠谤补丑尘补蝉奴迟谤补 of 叠腻诲补谤腻测补峁嘺 which is also known as the 痴别诲腻苍迟补s奴tras. In course of time the 鲍辫补苍颈峁诲蝉 the 叠丑补驳补惫补诲驳墨迟腻 and the Brahma s奴tras (辫谤补蝉迟丑腻苍补-traya) came to be regarded as the basic works of 痴别诲腻苍迟补. Many great writers have written commentaries on them and laid foundation of several schools. One of these schools is the 础诲惫补颈迟补惫别诲腻苍迟补 (Doctrines of Monism). It is based on the 鈥�艢腻谤颈谤补办补 叠丑腻峁补 of 艢r墨 艢补峁卥补谤腻肠腻谤测补 on the 叠谤补丑尘补蝉奴迟谤补蝉. 艢补峁卥补谤腻肠腻谤测补 was great philosopher and lived a very short life towards the end of the 8th century or the beginning of the 9th, according to modern scholars and much earlier according to the tradition in India. 艢补峁僰补谤补 also wrote commentaries on the principal 鲍辫补苍颈峁诲蝉 and on the Bhagavad g墨t膩 and also wrote several other systematic treaties on the philosophy which his thought was based on the 鲍辫补苍颈峁诲蝉.
The Advaita 痴别诲腻苍迟补 school has flourished very much in India and a vast literature has been produced on it both in Sanskrit and in regional languages of India. Recently a lot of literature is being produced on 痴别诲腻苍迟补 in English and other foreign languages also. Today, it will not be wrong to say thanks to the services rendered by Swami Vivekanada and Swami Ramatirtha and other Swamis of 艢r墨 R膩ma K峁涐梗na mission, Advaita 痴别诲腻苍迟补 has become the national philosophy of India. The 痴别诲腻苍迟补 supplies more psychological data and theories than any other system of Indian thought does. Its analysis of the four types of human experiences and the doctrine of the self based on it is the greatest psychological contribution that India can make to the world psychology of the future.