In Hinduism, the concept of the Upanishads is widespread. Often the term is found in the teachings of the Vedas, so let's find out what is the meaning of the ancient Indian treatises in the East.
What it is
The Upanishads are philosophical works written in the ancient language - Sanskrit. In other words, such treatises are teachings created by the great sages and teachers of India. Today there are a large number of texts, but it was not possible to understand who their author was. One thing we know for sure is that the concept itself refers to the process of enlightening disciples with the Vedas.
The Upanishads are teachings that carry the religious and worldly wisdom received by the Vedas over many centuries. Such philosophical texts can be compared with Christianity, where Jesus appeared before people as the messiah, wandered around the world and gathered disciples to share with them his knowledge of God.
It is a mistake to believe that the Upanishads are ancient treatises that duplicate themselves. In fact, each work is a painstaking work describing the different movements of the Vedas.
What ideas do the teachings bring
First of all, the ancient Indian treatises were created in the process of thinking of the sages and are often presented to us in the form of prose. Often there are Upanishads in the form of poems, which makes it much easier to perceive them.
Philosophical texts teach that a person should strive to know Brahman, that is, to understand the fundamental principle of our reality. Spiritual development can be obtained only if we do not practice sacrifices and perform thematic rites. The main goal of the Upanishad is to show that Brahman is in the soul of every living being, and in order to understand it and merge together, you need to practice yoga and meditation. These practices help to separate from worldly goods and concerns, to learn the energy of the universe.
The Upanishads are a long way that talks about karmic laws, the transmigration of souls, and the possibility of rebirth. All this is based on Brahman - the beginning of everything that can destroy and create completely new, and vice versa, help those who seek to know the fundamental principle.
Origin
Ancient treatises began to appear in the 7th century BC, while the Upanishads themselves were created over dozens of centuries. They can be attributed to the comments of the Vedic texts, which either inspired philosophers or aroused skepticism and doubt.
The very word "Upanishad" came from Sanskrit and consists of three parts. The first excuse is upa, which means "to be close." The second preposition is ni, meaning "below." The third preposition is sad, translated from the ancient language as "sit." The word can be interpreted as follows: students sitting at the feet of a teacher who was broadcasting about the meaning of being, the universe and world perceptions.
Today, there are 108 major Upanishads that play a significant role in ancient religion. In fact, there are at least 2,000 such works.
Thoughts and Practices
Thanks to the Vedas, the Upanishads arose in our lives. Ancient treatises became the basis of Indian philosophy, hiding the secret meaning of the pristine. The Vedas called on people to make sacrifices and arrange bloodshed for the mercy of the deities, and perhaps humanity would still seek salvation on the sacrificial altars. The Upanishads, on the contrary, teach us that prayers and spiritual practices will help us to be closer to the great. It was the teachings of the ancient philosophers in their treatises that made a huge step in the Eastern religion, so that a person could free himself from worldly fetters and learn the truth.
The main feature of such comments is the ability to plunge into one’s consciousness, learn to manage it and find salvation alone, having relieved one’s nature of senseless suffering, worries and anxieties. The meaning of the Upanishads is that throughout life, a person should strive to find the infinite, to become aware of and enlighten his mind. Daily practices such as yoga, meditation, prayers, and reading thoughtful texts can help.
Spiritual practices as a means of knowing oneself
Yoga is included in the teachings of the Upanishads, it helps to know our inner world. Together with meditation and breathing exercises, one can renounce all earthly feelings, rethink being and find something individual. Yoga is able to teach a person to feel his body, which leads to control over emotions and desires. Thanks to such spiritual practice, one can combine one’s consciousness with the atman (Creator).
Meditation, on the contrary, allows you to focus on the important and learn to control your thoughts, feelings, desires. Spiritual practice forces you to analyze the outside world, which leads to an understanding of the infinite. In addition, that yoga, that meditation help to get rid of worldly problems, namely to change the view of all situations that occur outside our body. Thanks to this, a person learns to control his emotions, to sift out the negative, to concentrate on the important thing - knowing oneself.
Aytarea
Today, 108 Upanishads of India are important, but only ten are considered the most valuable, and the book of Aytarei is one of them. A philosophical treatise, issued in the form of prose, tells us about the Creator, or atman. The book also touches on such an important topic as the unity between the individual and Brahman.
In Hinduism, the atman is a spirit that is imprisoned in the human body. It is he who gives us energy, while the atman is not something material or physical. It reflects a single beginning - eternal and unchanging. The spirit can fall into the wheel of samsara, which is why there was a belief in the reincarnation of souls - the atman, being in an eternal cycle, is subject to constant rebirth until a person finds spirituality.
Aytarea is one of the oldest books of the Upanishads. The brahmin Aytarei participated in the writing of philosophical comments, which is why the identical name of the doctrine arose. Today it is a large treatise, divided into 8 parts, which talk about worldly duties and the meaning of sounds in meditation and while reading mantras. In addition, the doctrine tells us about the birth, the appearance of all things, as well as the importance of the respiratory system and organs of the human body.
Brihadaranyaka
The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad is the most popular Indo-Indian treatise on human nature, the universe, and worldviews. In this book you can read about the philosophy of Hinduism, where the sages tried to learn about the gods, about their number. It all comes down to the fact that it’s actually difficult to understand how many deities exist.
Surprisingly, more than 50 years ago, Brihadaranyak was translated into Russian from Sanskrit. Until now, this book is considered one of the largest and most influential Upanishads. Brihadaranyaka allows self-realization and rethinking all religious movements, because it is not without reason that an excerpt from this amazing work is so often quoted, which describes the philosopher’s approach to one sage and his question about the number of gods. In addition, the scripture is unique in that it contains a large number of prayers and mantras written in Sanskrit.
Chandogya
Chandogya Upanishad is another work consisting mainly of commentaries on Vedic texts. Reflects the world and scriptures of the Indian Vedas, their religious beliefs and movements.
The book consists of 8 parts that talk about how to achieve perfect spiritual development and learn the truth of the universe. For this, the scripture calls for purification of consciousness through various practices that will help to know Brahman. The Upanishad talks about karma and its influence on future reincarnation, thus Chandogya calls for purity, righteousness and wisdom.
The main feature of the comments is that we can study the conduct of spiritual rites and rituals that are very different from the classic Vedic sacrifices. Authors often make comparisons based on simple everyday objects that reflect eternal truths hidden from blurred consciousness. The Atman is also mentioned in the Upanishad as the originality of our being, and the rebirth of souls that have fallen into the eternal wheel of samsara, and rebirth with karmic consequences, and the energy within us that can accumulate all the events and information of past lives.
Prashna and Mandukya
Prashna tells the reader about the traditional and ancient technique - prana. In the religious beliefs of India, it is believed that breathing is an important component during yoga and meditation, which fill our body with universal energy.
The uniqueness of Prashna is that the author described in detail how respiration affects brain activity, the musculoskeletal system, the blood-forming organs, and the digestive system. Prana is a special technique, because it allows not only to immerse a person in a deep meditative state, but also to open up the opportunity to clear the mind. Moreover, one must understand that prana is not just proper breathing, but a practice that nourishes our body with an eternal spirit, energy. She is around us, but not visible to the human eye.
The Mandukya Upanishad begins with initiation into Brahman and Atman. The treatise then teaches the person the importance of the Aum sound, which is more than just the contracting muscles of the larynx. Aum in ancient religion is all that surrounds us, surrounded or will surround us. The book talks about the importance of other sounds, which can often be heard in mantras, such as "m", "om", "a".