Mandukya Upanishad - Sri ‘M’

Part I

The Upanishads form part of the Vedas. When we talk about the Vedas, it is generally the Samhita portions; Samhita, meaning, ‘the hymns’ of the Vedas, which are: the Rig Veda, the Yajur Veda, the Sama Veda and the Atharvana Veda. These are the four important Vedas that have been handed down to us from time immemorial. In fact, no one can say where they originated or how they came to us. They are known as shruti because it is said that they were ‘heard’. Shruti means - ‘through the ear’. Shruti, heard by the wise rishis of ancient times who passed down the body of wisdom that takes us to the essence of all life and provide the answers to questions like: what is God, what is the human being, how is human life connected to God, and so on and so forth.

The last portion of the Vedas is a section that is known as the Jnana-Kanda, which means ‘the wisdom-section’. This is the section where the Upanishads come in. So they are basically discussions on the truths which have been given in the shruti. The Upanishads themselves are considered to be shruti. They bring us to an understanding, first theoretically and then actually, of what we call the ‘Supreme Being’, Brahman or Atman or Ishwara.

Now, the meaning of the word ‘Upanishad’ – Upa means ‘to move closer’, ‘to go nearer’ and shad means ‘to sit down’ physically and also to settle down the mind. Two interpretations have been given. The first is, ‘to sit in front of the teacher’. You can imagine the situation in ancient times where there was a beautiful hermitage on the banks of a river in the mountains, where the great rishi taught his students who sat around him. The students did not sit far away, so there was always a personal contact with the students. These are matters where personal contact is very important. So, the teacher and the students sat down close to each other, and the students listened to the truths that were being expounded.

(to be continued in November, 2006 issue)

© "Wisdom of the Rishis" by Sri ‘M’, published by The Satsang Foundation, 151, Jewellers Street, Bangalore 560 001. Reprinted with permission.

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