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574 pages.

THE BRIHADARANYAKA UPANISHAD

by Swami Sivananda

Table of Contents

Preface Introduction MADHU-KANDA Santi Mantra CHAPTER I Section i Asvamedha-Brahmana Meditation on the Sacrificial Horse as the Cosmic Person, Hiranyagarbha Section ii Agni-Brahmana Creation and Evolution of the Universe—The Concepts of Death and Sacrifice Section iii Udgitha-Brahmana Meditation on the Vital Force—Allegory of the Warfare between the Celestials and the Demons Section iv Purushavidha-Brahmana The Saga of Creation Section v Saptanna-Brahmana Meditation on the Seven Forms of Food, the Objects of Desires, Manifestations of the Supreme Section vi Uktha-Brahmana Meditation on the Names, Forms and Actions as the Manifestations of Hiranyagarbha CHAPTER II Section i Ajatasatru-Brahmana Meditation on the Lower and Higher Levels of Consciousness Section ii Sisu-Brahmana Meditation on Prana—Analogy of the New-born Calf Section iii Murta-Amurta-Brahmanna Meditation on the Gross and Subtle Manifestations of Reality Section iv Maitreyi-Brahmana Instruction on the Supreme by Sage Yajnavalkya to his Wife Maitreyi—All Love rooted in the Self—The Universe is Non-different from the Self before its Manifestation, during its Existence and after its Disappearance Section v Madhu-Brahmana Mutual Relationship of Everything with Everything Else—Story of Sage Dadhyang Atharvan Section vi Vamsa-Brahmana Line of Teachers and Disciples of this Knowledge contained in the First Two Chapters YAJNAVALKYA-KANDA CHAPTER III Section i Asvala-Brahmana How to overcome the Defects in the Sacrificial Rites and their Results—Meditation combined with Rituals, the Means Section ii Artabhaga-Brahmana The Senses and Their Objects—The Supreme Being as Death of Death Section iii Bhujyu-Brahmana The Goal of Performing the Horse Sacrifice—Some Hints on Cosmic Geography Section iv Ushasta-Brahmana Brahman, The Supreme—Direct and Immediate—Unknowable through the Individual Intellect Section v Kahola-Brahmana Renunciation, the Means of Liberation—The Three Kinds of Desires—Balya, Panditya and Mauna Section vi Gargi-Brahmana Meditation on the Conditioned Brahman Section vii Antaryami-Brahmana Meditation on the Inner Controller Section viii Akshara-Brahmana Meditation on the Supreme Unconditioned Brahman Section ix Sakalya-Brahmana The Number of Gods—Meditation on the Eight Persons and Their Corresponding Deities—Meditation on the Five Directions with Their Deities and Supports—Meditation on the Essence of the Vital Force—Comparison of Man with a Tree—Source of Rebirth or Creation Established as the Supreme Brahman CHAPTER IV Section i Shadacharya-Brahmana Defects of the Meditation on Parts—Instruction on the Meditation on the Whole Section ii Kurcha-Brahmana A Short Analytical Study of the Three States of Waking, Dreaming and Deep Sleep Section iii Jyotir-Brahmana Meditation on The Supreme as The Light of Lights—Further Detailed Analysis of the States of Waking, Dream and Deep Sleep Section iv Saririka-Brahmana What becomes of the Ignorant Jiva, and of the Knower of Brahman, after the Fall of the Body. Section v Maitreyi-Brahmana A Restatement of Section iv of Chapter II Section vi Vamsa-Brahmana Line of Teachers and Disciples for the Knowledge in, Chapters III and IV KHILA-KANDA CHAPTER V Section i Om Kham Brahma-Brahmana Meditation on Brahman as The Whole, The Plenum Section ii Prajapatya-Brahmana Prajapati’s Instruction to Celestials, Demons and Men—Three Main Virtues of Self-control, Compassion and Charity Section iii Hridaya-Brahmana Meditation on the Heart as Brahman Section iv Satya-Brahmana Meditation on Truth as Brahman Section v Satya-Brahma-Samsthana-Brahmana Meditation on the Three Syllables of the Word ‘Satya’—Meditation on the Sun and on the Right Eye Section vi Manomaya-Brahmana Meditation on the Cosmic Mind and the Individual Mind as Brahman Section vii Vidyut-Brahmana Meditation on the Lightning as Brahman Section viii Vagdhenu-Brahmana Meditation with the help of the Symbol of Cow for the Veda Section ix Vaisvanaragni-Brahmana Meditation on the Universal Prana in the Meditator Section x Gati-Brahmana The Course of the Soul After Death—The Gradual Ascent of the Soul in Krama-Mukti, Gradual Liberation Section xi Vyahita-Brahmana Meditation on Illness, Death etc., as Supreme Austerities Section xii Pratrida-Brahmana Meditation based on the Correlation Between Matter and Energy Section xiii Uktha-Brahmana Meditation on the Identity of Prana with Uktha, Yajus, Saman and Kshatra Section xiv Gayatri-Brahmana Meditation on the Four Feet of the Gayatri Mantra Section xv Suryagni Prarthana-Brahmana Prayer to the Sun God and Fire God at the Time of Death CHAPTER VI Section i Prana Samvada-Brahmana Meditation on the Vital Force—Story of the Conversation between the Organs and the Chief Vital Force Section ii Karma-Vipaka-Brahmana Meditation on the Five Fires—Story of Svetaketu and King Pravahana Section iii Srimantha-Brahmana Ritual-cum-Meditation for Attaining Prosperity Section iv Putramantha-Brahmana Ritual-cum-Meditation for Attaining Progeny Section v Vamsa-Brahmana The Line of Teachers and Disciples for the Knowledge contained in Chapters V and VI, and the Whole Upanishad Santi Mantra Appendices

v vii   1 3 11 30 58 93 132 138 165 175 188 218 247 252 271 286 293 300 308 313 325 345 373 386 397 431 461 472 475 479 482 485 487 492 494 495 496 497 499 501 503 506 515 519 530 548 555 565 567 568

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Preface

Worshipful H.H. Sri Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj could see through the publication of his translation and commentary on the eight Upanishads,—Isa, Kena, Katha, Prasna,, Mundaka, Mandukya, Taittiriya, Aitareya,—during his physical presence in this world. But as an ardent and devout follower of ancient tradition, he was also aware and was particular that the major Upanishads, which form the philosophical foundation of spiritual culture, ten in number, should all be presented and brought out for the benefit of seekers of Truth. For various reasons, it did not become possible to bring out the remaining two Upanishads, viz., the Brihadaranyaka and the Chhandogya, the largest ones among the whole group; and Sri Gurudev did, once or twice, hint at the Management of the Divine Life Society about the necessity to bring out the Commentaries on the remaining two Upanishads also. The circumstances at that time were somehow such that this publication did not see the light of day during his lifetime. But his disciples and devotees were acutely conscious of the wish of the great Master, which they were eager to fulfil at the earliest available opportunity.

Thus, we release this pleasant and stimulating surprise to the public, this large edition of the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad,–may we call it a magnum opus—with the original Sanskrit text and an English translation of the same, together with an elaborate expository commentary. The first edition of this book was published in the year 1985. As there is consistent demand from the reading public, we are bringing out this edition.

The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad is the most detailed and magnificent revelation of the ancient philosopher-seers, which, in its six chapters packed with thought and revelation, provides to the students a practically exhaustive and concentrated teaching on every aspect of life, making it an indispensable guidebook to the student of literature as well as the philosopher, the religious devotee, and the mystical and spiritual seeker engaged in meditation for divine realisation.

—THE DIVINE LIFE SOCIETY

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Introduction

The holy corpus of the Veda, which is the repository of eternal knowledge and wisdom, is divided into four Books, known as Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda and Atharvaveda. In each of the four Vedas a distinction, has been made according to content and form: (1) Samhita; (2) Brahmana; (3) Aranyaka; (4) Upanishad.

The Samhita is a collection of hymns or prayers, to God in various Manifestations, containing also formulae necessary in the sacrificial use of these hymns, known as Mantras. On a practical basis, the Samhita is to be considered as the chief Veda, and it is the Samhita that people have in their minds mostly when they refer to the Vedas, the study of the Vedas, the greatness of the Vedas, or holding the Vedas as the foundation of India’s spiritual and religious outlook of life. The Mantras are addressed to divinities, Devas, as the infinite forms of the Supreme Being, these forms of divinities being regarded as the gradational accessible approaches to the Creator by the corresponding levels of evolution and comprehension of the worshipper, the devotee, or the seeker.

The word ‘Samhita’ means a collection of the Mantras belonging to a particular section of the Veda, which are either in metrical verses (Rik) or sentences in prose (Yajus) or chants (Sama). The Rigveda Samhita consists of 10580 Mantras or metrical verses; the Samaveda Samhita contains 1549 verses (with certain repetitions the number is 1810) many of which are culled from the Rigveda Samhita. The Sama hymns are modulated in numerous ways for the purpose of singing during either prayer or sacrifice. The Yajurveda Samhita consists of two recensions known as the Krishna (black) and the Shukla (white), and consists of prose sentences and long verses. The Atharvaveda Samhita, while it is included among the four sections of the Veda, is generally not studied as a prayer book and is used only during certain specific forms of sacrifice and also for incantations of different kinds to receive benefits to the reciter, both material and spiritual.

The Brahmanas teach the practical use of the verses and the chants presented in the Samhitas. However, the Brahmanas, though they are supposed to be only sacrificial injunctions for purpose of ritualistic utilisation of the Mantras of the Samhita, go beyond this restricted definition and contain much more material, such as Vidhi (a directive precept), Arthavada (laudatory or eulogising explanation), and Upanishad, (the philosophical or mystical import of the chant or the performance).

The Aranyakas are esoteric considerations of the practical ritual, which is otherwise the main subject of the Brahmana. The opening passage of the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, in which the horse-sacrifice is treated as a symbol, would serve as an example of how a ritualistic symbol and material is used as a cosmological concept for purpose of religious contemplation and philosophic meditation. The Panchagni-Vidya of the Chhandogya Upanishad may also be cited as an illustration of a cosmological or astronomical and physical event being taken as a spiritualised symbol for mystical contemplation.

The Upanishads, except the Isavasya, which occurs in the Samhita portion of the Yajurveda, occur as the concluding mystical import and philosophical suggestiveness of some Brahmana or the other. The philosophical sections of the Brahmanas and Aranyakas are usually detached for the purpose of study, and go by the name of Upanishads, brought together from the different Vedas to form a single whole, though it appears that originally each school of the Veda had its own specialised ritual textbook with an exegesis or practical manual. The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad belongs to the Shukla-Yajurveda group and is the most elaborate of them all, touching on almost every issue relevant to human life, and rising to such heights of philosophic genius as may rightly be considered as the greatest achievement of the human mind in history.

There is also a tradition that the Brahmacharin, or the celibate student (which is the first part of the dedication of human life) occupies himself with a study of the Samhita; the Grihastha, or the householder (which is the second part of the dedication of life) is expected to diligently perform the rituals detailed in the Brahmanas in relation to their corresponding Mantras from the Samhitas. The Vanaprastha, or the recluse, the hermit (the third part of the dedication of life) rises above prayer as a chant and performance as a ritual, and busies himself with pure inward contemplation of the more philosophical and abstract realities hidden behind the outward concepts of divinity and the external performances of ritual. The Sannyasin, or the spiritually illumined renunciate (the fourth and concluding part of the dedicated life) occupies himself with direct meditations as prescribed in the Upanishads, whose outlook of life transcends all-empirical forms, outward relations, nay, space and time itself.

Among the ten Upanishads, the Isa, Kena, Katha, Prasna and Mundaka may be regarded as more introductory, providing preliminary details of a more or less preparatory nature in the understanding of the great truths of the universe. The Kathopanishad, with its musical tone, literary excellence and homely message of the value spiritual, should, indeed, form a fitting text for the beginner in the study of the Upanishads. It is sometimes held that the Brihadaranyaka is a vast commentary on the suggestions made in the Isa Upanishad, while the Brihadaranyaka has a certain internal connection with the precise adoration of the Almighty sung in the Purusha-Sukta of the Samhita. The Mundaka also serves as a good introduction.

But it is the Brihadaranyaka, Chhandogya, Aitareya, Taittiriya and Mandukya, that rise above the level of ordinary instruction and stand as most exalted specimens of a direct encounter with Reality. The Brihadaranyaka is like an omnibus, where anything can be found anywhere. The Chhandogya is more realistic form, and, while it covers a very wide range of subjects like the Brihadaranyaka itself, is characteristically different in make, and presents itself as being more intimate with the hearth and the home and the more concrete values capable of easy comprehension. The Aitareya is the story of creation, cosmology. The Taittiriya is many-sided, but its main issues are psychological, explaining the composition of the individual, thus forming, together with the Aitareya, a practical text on the story of creation. The Mandukya Upanishad is very brief and seems to sum up the intentions of all the Upanishads in just twelve Mantras, dealing, as it does, with the structure of levels of reality as indicated in the stages of consciousness, namely, waking, dream and sleep, suggesting thereby the presence of a Transcendent Universal, timeless and eternal.

The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad is a veritable research reservoir and may be taken up for intensive study by those who are pure in heart, sincere in their aspirations, and wholly devoted to a Godly life.

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