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Book Code: ES272
Paperback: xiv+166 pages
ISBN: NA
Book Dimensions: 7.25 x 5.0 x 0.35 inches
Shipping Weight: 150 gramsESSENCE OF
PRINCIPAL UPANISHADSby Swami Sivananda
Table of Contents
Publishers’ Note v vi CHAPTER ONE
ISAVASYA UPANISHADGlory of the Upanishads 3 Nature of the Atman 4 Bases of Brahma-jnana 6 CHAPTER TWO
KENOPANISHADThe Indwelling Power 8 Intuitive Realisation of Truth 10 The Self and the Mind 12 Truth Transcendental 14 Liberation at Hand 16 Moral of the Yaksha-upakhyana 17 CHAPTER THREE
KATHOPANISHADThe Pleasant vs. the Good 19 Marks of Delusion 21 The Glory of Brahma-vidya 22 Upanishadic Sadhana 24 Pranava 25 The Nature of the Supreme Self 26 Who Gets Atma-jnana 28 Metaphysics of Man 28 Importance of Self-control 29 The Inner Order of Priority 31 The Inward Path of Yoga 33 Philosophy of Sense-hankering 36 Beyond Fear and Grief 38 Unity of Brahman, Man and World 39 Mind-culture for Self-knowledge 40 The Inner Ruler 42 Omnipresence of Self Clarified 46 The Tree of Samsara 49 Realise the Self Now 51 The Supreme State 52 Scriptures and Guru 53 The Two Eyes of a Sadhaka 54 Renunciation: The Prerequisite 55 Knowledge of Nadis 56 CHAPTER FOUR
PRASNOPANISHADIntroduction 58 Preparation of the Vessel 60 Life and Matter 60 The Glorious Sun 62 Prana: Greater Than Senses 64 Prana: The Prime Mover 65 Prayer to Prana 65 The Mystery of Life 66 Functions of Prana
67 Dream and Deep Sleep 68 The Transcendent Experience 70 Glory of Meditation on Om 71 The Indwelling Presence 73 Fundamentals of Sankhya Philosophy 74 CHAPTER FIVE
MUNDAKOPANISHADIntroduction 76 Knowledge of the Divine Ground 76 The Origin of Things 79 An Insight into Karma 80 To the Imperishable 82 The One Becomes Many 83 The Spiritual Hero’s Target 85 Realisation and After 86 Jiva and Isvara 88 Auxiliaries to Wisdom 89 The Final Freedom
91 CHAPTER SIX
MANDUKYOPANISHADWhat Is Om? 95 Four Aspects of the Self 96 Macrocosm and Microcosm 97 The Dreamer
98 CHAPTER SEVEN
TAITTIRIYA UPANISHADIntroduction 100 SIKSHA VALLI
The Exhortation
102 BRAHMANANDA-VALLI
The Human Being’s Five Sheaths 104 Origin of Creation 106 Gradation of Bliss 107 BHRIGU-VALLI
Injunctions Regarding Food 111 Eighth Anuvaka 112 Meditation on Brahman 113 CHAPTER EIGHT
AITAREYOPANISHADIntroduction 115 The Story of Creation 116 The Story of Birth 119 Rishi Vamadeva 120 Consciousness Is Brahman 120 CHAPTER NINE
CHHANDOGYA UPANISHADUnitary Origin of Phenomena 122 The Tri-colour Analysis 123 Tat Tvam Asi 124 Steps to Infinite Bliss 126 The Three States and Beyond 132 CHAPTER TEN
BRIHADARANYAKA UPANISHADYajnavalkya-Maitreyi Samvada 135 The Inner Ruler 137 The Indestructible Being 137 The Guiding Light 139 Waking and Dreaming 141 Deep Sleep 141 The Phenomenon of Death 142 Da, Da, Da 145 CHAPTER ELEVEN
SVETASVATARA UPANISHADThe Ultimate Cause 146 The Divine Wheel 147 God, World, Man 149 The Process of Meditation 150 The Realisation 153 Prayer 156 Parable of the Two Birds 157 The Avenue of Peace 158 The Hidden Truth
159 The Path to Liberation 161 PUBLISHERS’ NOTE
The Eternal Wisdom of the Sages of India is stored up in the Upanishads. These Upanishads have been a source of great inspiration to the great philosophers, Acharyas and seekers of Truth, not only in India, but all over the world.
From time to time, the truths of the Upanishads have been re-interpreted by sages and saints, to suit the time and the spiritual evolution of the people of their generation.
Sri Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj has given not only his illuminating commentary on the Principal Upanishads, but also the highly interesting "Upanishad Drama," "Dialogues from the Upanishads," "Upanishads for Busy People" and "Ten Upanishads." This "Essence" is a valuable addition to the others.
THE DIVINE LIFE SOCIETY
GOVINDOPANISHAD
God is Sat (Truth)
God is Chit (Consciousness)
God is Ananda (Bliss)
God is Wisdom (Jnana)
God is Infinite (Anantam)
God is Prem
God is Love
Goal of Life
Is Self-realisation
Attain this
Through Japa-Kirtan
Through Meditation
Practise Ahimsa
Satyam, Brahmacharya
Cultivate Viveka, Vairagya
Develop Shat-Sampat
Have burning aspiration
Approach the Guru
With faith, devotion
Practise Sravana, Manana
Nididhyasana
Get up at 4 a.m.
Meditate regularly
Introspect daily
Analyse your mind
Understand the lurking evils
Don’t be duped
That you have attained Perfection
After a little study
Perfection is
Extremely difficult
Remove defects
By cultivation of virtues
Kill lust, anger
Pride and greed
Slander not
Harm not
Grieve not
Despair not
Nil desperandum
Fear not
Tarry not
Don’t smoke
Don’t drink
Don’t utter falsehood
Don’t utter vulgar words
Harsh words
Don’t cheat
Don’t pose
As a Jivanmukta
Jivanmukti is far away
It is a great thing
Even if you develop two virtues
In this birth
Work is worship
Nishkama-Karma
Will not bind you
Get God’s Grace
Through Upasana
Practise Yoga of Synthesis
This is Yoga for Modern Man
It is the Yoga of the Upanishads
Have self-purification
Through service, charity
Pranayama, Sadvichara
Meditate and Realise
Prajnanam Brahma
Tat Tvam Asi
Aham Brahmasmi
Ayam Atma Brahma
Consciousness is Brahman
That Thou Art
I am Brahman
This Atman is Brahman
Realise this
And roam about freely
Without fear or grief
As Jivanmukta, sage
God bless youGovinda
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CHAPTER ONE
ISAVASYA UPANISHADThe whole is all That. The whole is all this. The whole was born of the whole. Taking the whole from the whole, what remains is the whole.
Om Peace! Peace!! Peace!!!
Glory of the Upanishads
1. Salutations to all Brahma Vidya Gurus or the preceptors of the knowledge of Brahman.
2. Prostrations to Satchidananda Para Brahman, who is the prop, basis and source for everything.
3. The acme of wisdom of the sages is to be found in the Upanishads.
4. The Upanishads teach the philosophy of absolute unity.
5. The knowledge of the Upanishads destroys ignorance, the seed of Samsara.
6. Behind the names and forms, there dwells the Eternal, Infinite Satchidananda Brahman.
7. This world is indwelt by Para-Brahman or the Absolute.
8. Renounce all desires. Renounce egoism, selfishness and identification of self with the body (Deha-Adhyasa). Then alone will you attain Moksha or release.
9. Desire for liberation will destroy all earthly desires.
10. Perform religious rites and daily duties without expectation of fruits.
11. Do constant selfless service to humanity with Atma-Bhava, you will get purification of heart. Then alone will Atma-Jnana dawn in your heart.
12. Works will not bind you if you perform them without egoism and expectation of fruits.
Nature of the Atman
13. This Atman is motionless, but swifter than the mind; because it is all-pervading and all-full.
14. Before the mind reaches a plane, the Atman is already there, as it is all-pervading and infinite.
15. The Atman is distant and it is near. It is within all this, and also outside all this.
16. It is distant for the ignorant. It is very far for those who are immersed in worldliness. It is very near for the enquirer, for him who is equipped with purity of mind and the four means of salvation.
17. The Atman is very subtle. It is Antaratma, the inner self of all beings. It fills and covers everything. It is all-full. Hence it is within and without.
18. The Atman is the substratum or support (Adhishthana) of all beings.
19. The sage sees all beings in the Atman and the Atman in all beings.
20. He who sees the Atman as pervading everything, and everything in the Atman, does not wish to guard himself, because he has no fear from anyone.
21. A sage who has realised the Atman beholds that all objects and all beings are not distant from his own Self and that his Atman is the Atman of all.
22. The Atman is the common consciousness in all beings.
23. The Atman is the same in the king and the peasant, the saint and the sinner, the cobbler and the barber, the ant and the elephant, the tree and the stone.
24. How can that freed soul who rests in his own Atman and who has an exalted cosmic consciousness shrink from any being or object with a feeling of repulsion? How can he dislike anything? How can he hate anything?
25. Mere intellectual assent that the one Self abides in all beings will not do. Actual Self-realisation or direct perception, Aparoksha-Anubhava is indispensably requisite.
26. The knower of Brahman becomes fearless. The knower of Brahman transcends delusion and sorrow.
27. The three knots of the heart (Hridaya-granthi),—Avidya (ignorance), Kama (desire) and Karma (action) are torn asunder by the knowledge of Brahman. The knower becomes absolutely free.
28. A knower always rejoices in the bliss of the Atman. Even the heaviest sorrow cannot shake him a bit.
29. This Atman is all-pervading, bright bodiless, pure, untouched by sin or evil actions, omniscient, transcendent, self-sprung or self-existent. It is scatheless and without muscles.
30. This Atman is without the physical body, astral body and causal body.
31. The Atman is independent. It never depends on another.
32. The Atman is beyond the reach of the senses and the mind.
33. The Atman is the Mind of the mind, Ear of the ear.
34. Behind the breath, the senses and the mind, there is the supreme Brahman or the Absolute.
35. By the light of Brahman alone do the mind, the Prana and the senses function.
Bases of Brahma-jnana
36. When Karma is done without expectation of fruits, it purifies the mind and generates in the aspirant a strong desire for the final emancipation.
37. The desire to know Brahman and attain freedom from births and deaths can arise only in the person who is endowed with a pure and calm mind, who is desireless and who is disgusted with the sensual objects of this illusory world.
38. Brahman cannot be attained by mere logical discussion.
39. The Srutis say: "In order to know Brahman, let the aspirant approach, with sacrificial sticks (Samit) in hand, a preceptor who is well-versed in the Vedas and who is centred in Brahman."
40. The Srutis say: "He knows, who has studied under a preceptor."
41. Only that knowledge which is acquired by studying under a preceptor does good.
42. When one attains knowledge of Brahman, Avidya or ignorance which is the seat of bondage and the cause of Karma performed for the attainment of objects of desire, is totally destroyed.
43. The Srutis say: "There is neither sorrow nor delusion for the knower of the Self, who beholds the one Atman everywhere. He who knows the Atman goes beyond sorrow."
44. Moksha cannot be attained by Karma or knowledge combined with Karma. Jnana alone can confer Moksha. Karma purifies the mind and helps the aspirant to attain knowledge.
45. The performance of Karma will take one to the world of manes (Pitriloka); but it cannot make one immortal.
46. Brahman, the only real entity, cannot be attained by any other means than the removal of ignorance through knowledge of the Self.
47. When one attains the supreme Brahman which is unborn, unchangeable, birthless, undecaying, immortal, fearless, eternal, self-luminous, all-blissful, and all-pervading,—one is freed from births and deaths.
48. Para-Brahman or the Absolute controls and guides the mind, life (Prana) and the senses.
49. Brahman is the ear of the ear, the mind of the mind, the tongue of the tongue, the speech of speech, the life of life, and the eye of the eye.
50. Having abandoned the sense of I-ness in these, and rising above sense-life, the wise becomes immortal.
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