JaneSmith105
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The upanishhads were once called Vedaanta, the goal of the Vedas, although now the word Vedaanta is used for a system of philosophy based on the upanishhads. The Muktika Upanishhat.h, for instance, says
tileshhu tailavat vede Vedaantah supratishhThitah
" Vedaanta is well established in the Vedas just as oil in sesame seeds ." [Muktika.U.I.9]The traditional view that the Upanishhads contain the essence of the Vedas is tenable in a general sense if we consider the etymological meaning of the word Veda, which is knowledge. However, if we consider Veda as the corpus of knowledge consisting of the four Vedas, this view can no longer be considered completely accurate. The following verse from Shivasvarodaya bears ample testimony:
na Vedam.h Veda ityaahurvede vedo na vidyate
paraatmaa vedyate yena sa vedo Veda uchyate
" The Veda (R^igVeda, etc.) should not be called Veda because there is no veda in Veda. That is truly Veda by which the Supreme is known. "Infact " upanishhads arose as a protest against the over-emphasis given to rituals and sacrifices in the earlier portions of the Vedas " [Saraswathi Chennakesavan, A Critical Study of Hinduism].
Although it jarred on the spiritual susceptibilities of the upanishhatic seers, they did not completely do away with all sacrifices. Instead, they diverted their emphasis from mere external formalism to internal symbolism. All sacrifices were treated as allegories.
The attitude of the upanishhads towards the Vedas is ambivalent. The BR^ihadaaraNyakopanishhat, for instance, says that the four Vedas, the itihaasa and the puraaNas, as well as all other knowledge and wisdom, are the breath of the eternal brahman.h [B.U. II.4.10]. The Vedas are, however, relegated to a secondary position in others. For instance, the MunDakopanishhat says " Of these, the lower is the R^igVeda, the YajurVeda, the SaamaVeda and the AtharvaVeda..."" [M.U. I.1.5]. We have, in Chhaandogyopanishhat, a satire on the externalism and priestly ritual of the sacrificial creed [C.U. I.12.1-5].
However, it is psychologically impossible to completely abandon the existing modes of thought. As Radhakrishnan says, even the most inspired writers are the products of their environment. The upanishhads are no exceptions in that they donot attempt to shake the beliefs of the common man but to lead them on by stages to the understanding of the deeper philosophocal meaning behind their beliefs. Thus the upanishhads develop the ideas and symbols of common belief and give them, where necessary, new meanings that relieve them of their formalistic character.
Seeds of upanishhatic thought can be found in the R^igVeda. Philosophy is the result of wonder and skepticism, the beginnings of which can be found in the R^igveda:" Of whom they ask where is he? Of him they indeed also say, he is not. " [R.V. X.151.5]. In another hymn Prajaapati is praised as the creator and preserver of the world and as the one god, but verse after verse, the refrain is
kasmai devaaya havishaa vidhema
" What god shall we honor by means of sacrifice?"
Certainty leads to intellectual inertia, while doubt makes for progress.
The most striking example of superpersonal monism is to be found the hymn of creation [R.V. X.129], which seeks to explain the universe as evolving out of One. The One is no longer a god like Indra, VaruNa, Vishvakarman.h or Prajaapati. The hymn declares that all gods are of secondary origin in that they know nothing of the beginning. The first principle, and only the first principle, is uncharacterizable, without qualities and attributes, even negative attributes. (Note that creation is interpreted in the Vedas as development rather than bringing into being something not hitherto existent [Radhakrishnan] ) This idea finds corroboration in the BR^ihadaaraNyakopanishhat:
kasmin.h nu tvam.h chaatmaa cha pratishhThitau stha iti . praaNa iti. kasmin.h nu praaNaH pratishhThita iti. apaana iti. kasminvapaanaH pratishhThita iti. vyaana iti. kasmin nu vyaanaH pratishhThita iti. udaana iti. kasminnudaanaH pratishhThita iti. samaana iti. sa eshha, na iti. na iti aatmaa, agR^ihyaH, na hi gR^ihyate, ashiiryaH na hi shiiryate, asa.ngaH na hi saJNjyate, asito na vyathate, na rishyati. etaanyashhTaavaayatanaani, ashhTau lokaaH, ashhTau devaaH, ashhTau purushhaaH. sayastaan purushhaan.h niruhya pratyuhyaatyatakraamat.h, tam.h tvaa aupanishhatam.h purushhaam.h pR^icchhaami.
(Shaakalya said) " On what are you (your body) and yourself (the self) supported? "
(YaaGYaavalkya said) " On the praaNa (inbreath). "
(Shaakalya said) " On what is praaNa supported? "
(YaaGYaavalkya said) " On the apaana (outbreath). "
(Shaakalya said) " On what is apaana supported? "
(YaaGYaavalkya said) " On the vyaana (the diffused breath). "
(Shaakalya said) " On what is vyaana supported? "
(YaaGYaavalkya said) " On the udaana. "(Shaakalya said) " On what is udaana supported? "
(YaaGYaavalkya said) " On the samaana (the equalizing breath). That self is not this, not this. It is incomprehensible, indestructible, unattached and unfettered. It doesnot suffer nor is it injured. These are the eight abodes, the eight worlds, the eight gods, and the eight persons. He who analyzes and synthesizes these and passes beyond them is the person taught in the upanishhads about whom I ask you."
This first principle is not a dead abstraction but indescribable perfection of being, the Self, as the upanishhads called it.
The R^igveda questions: " Who is aatmaa? "[R.V. I.164.4], and says it is the controller of the physical body, the unborn part, which survives death. The aatma is said to be different from the jeeva, the individual soul. The verse of the two birds dwelling in one body, taken up by the upanishhads [M.U. III.1.1, S.U.IV.6], says that the aatmaa is a passive spectator, while the jeeva enjoys the fruits of action.
Atharva Veda describes the liberated soul as " free from desire, wise, immortal, self-born...not deficient in any respect...unageing, young " [A.V. X.8.44]. Clearly, this idea has been expanded by the upanishhads.
Yajurveda and Saama Veda use the hymns of R^igveda and Atharva Veda and rearrange them in a manner suitable for rituals, so their influence on the upanishhads is implicit.
The upanishhads are thus seen to have been considerably influenced by the Vedas. Although they sometimes disagree with the latter, the upanishhads expanded upon several concepts first proposed in the Vedas.
tileshhu tailavat vede Vedaantah supratishhThitah
" Vedaanta is well established in the Vedas just as oil in sesame seeds ." [Muktika.U.I.9]
na Vedam.h Veda ityaahurvede vedo na vidyate
paraatmaa vedyate yena sa vedo Veda uchyate
" The Veda (R^igVeda, etc.) should not be called Veda because there is no veda in Veda. That is truly Veda by which the Supreme is known. "
Although it jarred on the spiritual susceptibilities of the upanishhatic seers, they did not completely do away with all sacrifices. Instead, they diverted their emphasis from mere external formalism to internal symbolism. All sacrifices were treated as allegories.
The attitude of the upanishhads towards the Vedas is ambivalent. The BR^ihadaaraNyakopanishhat, for instance, says that the four Vedas, the itihaasa and the puraaNas, as well as all other knowledge and wisdom, are the breath of the eternal brahman.h [B.U. II.4.10]. The Vedas are, however, relegated to a secondary position in others. For instance, the MunDakopanishhat says " Of these, the lower is the R^igVeda, the YajurVeda, the SaamaVeda and the AtharvaVeda..."" [M.U. I.1.5]. We have, in Chhaandogyopanishhat, a satire on the externalism and priestly ritual of the sacrificial creed [C.U. I.12.1-5].
However, it is psychologically impossible to completely abandon the existing modes of thought. As Radhakrishnan says, even the most inspired writers are the products of their environment. The upanishhads are no exceptions in that they donot attempt to shake the beliefs of the common man but to lead them on by stages to the understanding of the deeper philosophocal meaning behind their beliefs. Thus the upanishhads develop the ideas and symbols of common belief and give them, where necessary, new meanings that relieve them of their formalistic character.
Seeds of upanishhatic thought can be found in the R^igVeda. Philosophy is the result of wonder and skepticism, the beginnings of which can be found in the R^igveda:" Of whom they ask where is he? Of him they indeed also say, he is not. " [R.V. X.151.5]. In another hymn Prajaapati is praised as the creator and preserver of the world and as the one god, but verse after verse, the refrain is
kasmai devaaya havishaa vidhema
" What god shall we honor by means of sacrifice?"
Certainty leads to intellectual inertia, while doubt makes for progress.
The most striking example of superpersonal monism is to be found the hymn of creation [R.V. X.129], which seeks to explain the universe as evolving out of One. The One is no longer a god like Indra, VaruNa, Vishvakarman.h or Prajaapati. The hymn declares that all gods are of secondary origin in that they know nothing of the beginning. The first principle, and only the first principle, is uncharacterizable, without qualities and attributes, even negative attributes. (Note that creation is interpreted in the Vedas as development rather than bringing into being something not hitherto existent [Radhakrishnan] ) This idea finds corroboration in the BR^ihadaaraNyakopanishhat:
kasmin.h nu tvam.h chaatmaa cha pratishhThitau stha iti . praaNa iti. kasmin.h nu praaNaH pratishhThita iti. apaana iti. kasminvapaanaH pratishhThita iti. vyaana iti. kasmin nu vyaanaH pratishhThita iti. udaana iti. kasminnudaanaH pratishhThita iti. samaana iti. sa eshha, na iti. na iti aatmaa, agR^ihyaH, na hi gR^ihyate, ashiiryaH na hi shiiryate, asa.ngaH na hi saJNjyate, asito na vyathate, na rishyati. etaanyashhTaavaayatanaani, ashhTau lokaaH, ashhTau devaaH, ashhTau purushhaaH. sayastaan purushhaan.h niruhya pratyuhyaatyatakraamat.h, tam.h tvaa aupanishhatam.h purushhaam.h pR^icchhaami.
(Shaakalya said) " On what are you (your body) and yourself (the self) supported? "
(YaaGYaavalkya said) " On the praaNa (inbreath). "
(Shaakalya said) " On what is praaNa supported? "
(YaaGYaavalkya said) " On the apaana (outbreath). "
(Shaakalya said) " On what is apaana supported? "
(YaaGYaavalkya said) " On the vyaana (the diffused breath). "
(Shaakalya said) " On what is vyaana supported? "
(YaaGYaavalkya said) " On the udaana. "
(YaaGYaavalkya said) " On the samaana (the equalizing breath). That self is not this, not this. It is incomprehensible, indestructible, unattached and unfettered. It doesnot suffer nor is it injured. These are the eight abodes, the eight worlds, the eight gods, and the eight persons. He who analyzes and synthesizes these and passes beyond them is the person taught in the upanishhads about whom I ask you."
This first principle is not a dead abstraction but indescribable perfection of being, the Self, as the upanishhads called it.
The R^igveda questions: " Who is aatmaa? "[R.V. I.164.4], and says it is the controller of the physical body, the unborn part, which survives death. The aatma is said to be different from the jeeva, the individual soul. The verse of the two birds dwelling in one body, taken up by the upanishhads [M.U. III.1.1, S.U.IV.6], says that the aatmaa is a passive spectator, while the jeeva enjoys the fruits of action.
Atharva Veda describes the liberated soul as " free from desire, wise, immortal, self-born...not deficient in any respect...unageing, young " [A.V. X.8.44]. Clearly, this idea has been expanded by the upanishhads.
Yajurveda and Saama Veda use the hymns of R^igveda and Atharva Veda and rearrange them in a manner suitable for rituals, so their influence on the upanishhads is implicit.
The upanishhads are thus seen to have been considerably influenced by the Vedas. Although they sometimes disagree with the latter, the upanishhads expanded upon several concepts first proposed in the Vedas.
