CHAPTER v

SOCIETY REFLECTED

I N - -

W--

The Indus va l ley c i v i l i s a t i o n i s t h e f i r s t

remarkable component pa r t i n the developnent of

Indian cu l ture . The h i s t o r i c cu l tu re of India

has i n some important respects deviated from t h i s

ancient pattern. It hae been suggested t h a t some

of t h e r e l ig ious b e l i e f s cur rent today - t h e c u l t

of t h e mother goddess, t he worship of l=, t h e

worship of Siva a r e traced back t o the ancient

cul ture . I n t h i s period . god Siva, was sup-

erimposed upon t h a t of vedic d e i t y Rudra i n mo-

dern Hinduism. The s tory of t h e f e a s t of Daksa

f r m which s i v a was excluded i s an a l l egor i ca l

reference t o t h e l a t e recognit ion of Siva.

s a k t i was regarded a s the goddess of Vegetation and

was or ig ina l ly worshipped i n spring.

When Rgveda was composed t h e p r i e s t l y c a s t e

was already formed and t h i s necessar i ly led t o

t h e g r w t h of r i t u a l and development of elaberate

forms of worship and s a c r i f i c e . The recogni t ion

of both form and s p i r i t led t o outward r i t u a l and

i nne r essence i n Indian r e l i g i o u s experience and

h i s to ry . The conception of l i f e a s d iv ided i n t o

four Aeramas developed. Wery man must g o through

1 t h e four , . fo ld s tages . They a r e i n i t i a t i o n , house-

2 3 ho lders l i f e , ret i rement i n t o f o r e s t and renun-

4 c i a t i o n of worldly bonds ' The p r i e s t l y c l a s s

d i r e c t e d a number of ceremonies f o r t h e perform-

ance of m m . These c e ~ m o n i e s comprise both dane-

s t ic rites embrace t h e whole course of a man8 S

l i f e from h i ~ i conception i n t h e mother 's w a n b up

t o $is death.,

There a r e o the r s a c r i f i c e s l i k e ~dramedha

puru?amedha etc. One who wishes t o go t o heaven

has t o do silch s a c r i f i c e s . It is very d r ead fu l

P. ~rahmadarya

2. giirhasthya

3. vanaprastha

t h a t the horse o r a human being sacr i f iced.

The Rajasiiya and ~dramedha ceremonies could only

be performed by powerful sovereigns. They w e r e

usually regarded a s a v i s i b l e symbol of t h e i r su-

premacy w e r other kings.

CASTE SYSTEM

Early vedic people formed a haaogeneous SW- Gradually two c l a s s e s emerged a s separate

sects - (1) t he p r i e s t l y c l a s s comkrol l ing rit-

ua l s and ( 2 ) t h e gwerning c l a s s camnsn a c t i v i t i e s

and re la t ionships . The p r i e s t l y c l a s s l a t e r knwn

a s Brahmanas and the governing c l a s s l a t e r knwn

a s Ksatriyas grew powefful. Existing, general

mass of population was known a s vaidya. hose

who w e r e engaged i s labour and service became

diidras. The knowledge of vedic texts and reli-

gious ceremonies was looked upon a s t h e primary

q u a l i f f c a t i o ~ ~ f o r recognition ef a person a s

Braluna?a. In Vedic period t h e diidra had no

r igh t t o approach the sacred f i r e , i.e, t o

perform s a c r i f i c e o r t o read the sacred texts.

The k?atriySs pushed the set t lements of vedic

people i n t o remote a reas and the BrShtna?ae elabo-

rated and spread t h e vedic c u l t u r e i n t o t h e newly

occupies regions and even f a r beyond. The vais-

yas and the sudras ministered t o t h e growing needs

of a wealthy people f a s t developing l i f e of eaee

and luxury, by means of trade. cmerce, manu-

facture c u l t i v a t i o n and var ious other a r t s and

c ra f t s .

Brhadzraqyakopaniqad has a s l i g h t l y d i f f -

e ren t account of the c a s t e system of t h e vedic

pef iod.

The Upani~ad says t h a t , a t f i r s t , i n t h e

beginning of the c rea t ion of t h e world, t h e

5 ksatr iyb and other c a s t s w e r e v e r i l y Brahman.

who was jus t alorie. Being alone he d id not do

h i s work properly. H e created t h e noble form

KsatriyZ, Indra, Vanqa, the Moon, Rudra Parjanya.

Yama, Death and Sun, a re k?atriy%s among t h e gods.

Therefore there i s none superior t o the Ksatriya

But i n the ~Sjasi iya sac r i f i ce t h e Brahmana adores

the Ksatriya from a lawer seat. He bestars t ha t

prestige on the k?atriya alone. Therefore the king

a t t a in s the preeminance i n t h a t sacrif ice. After

the ccmpletion of the sacr i f ice , the Koatriya places 6

himself under the Brahma~a alone . After the creation of ksatr iya also he d id

n o t prosper. He created vaisyas. The vasiis, Rudras

iiditya, the vidvadev5s and the marats.are those

c lasses of gods described i n groups. Then he crea-

ted tire d a r a piiqa~. M t e r the creation of these

Brahmana , Ksatriya, vaidya and dfidra too he did

not prosper i n h i s work. Then he created Dhanna

T h i s 'harma i s righteousness. I t i s the ru l e r of

the K ~ a t r i y a s too. Therefore the re i s nothing

greater than rightousness . Rightausness is truth.

~ h u s w a s c r e a t e d t h e fou r fo ld caste-system:

The ~ r shmapa , t h e k s a t r i y a , t h e vaidya and t h e

diidra. V i r a j became a BrShmana among t h e gods only

a s f i r e and among men a s t h e Brhhma2ar Ksa t r iya

through t h e k 5 a t r i y a gods, vaidya through t h e v a i -

dya gods and a diidra through t h e ~ d r a gods. There-

f o r e people wish t o a t t a i n t h e i r ob j ec t i ve among

t h e gods only through f i r e and among man through

bath a t a ~ r t i h m a ~ a ? But i f any one goes out of

t h i s world wi thout r e a l i s i n g t h e ob j ec t i ve of the -

i r w n s e l f , t h e s e l f does no t p r o t e c t him, just

a s t h e vedas unread. o r any o t h e r work no t perfor-

m e d . Thus i f a person who l a c k s such knowledge

does plenty. of mer i to r ious work i n t h e world,

t h a t work i s undoubtedly exhausted a t t h e end.

Therefore one ehould medi ta te only upon t h e ob-

j e c t i v e t h a t i s t h e s e l f . 8

Thus t h i s self is t h e support of a l l beings.

It i s by o f f e r i n g l i b a t i o n s i n t h e f i r e and per-

forming s a c r i E i c e s t h a t he became a support t o

t h e sages. Offer ings t o manes d e s i r i n g o f f sp-

r i n g h e g e t t h e support of t h e manes. Lodging

men and giv ing food t o them, one becames a su-

pport of meno By g iv ing food t o t h e animals.

b e a s t s and b i r d s he ga in s t h e i r support. Ju s t a s

one wishes we l f a r e t o ones body s o a l l be ings

wish s e l f a r e t o him.

A l l , Brrihmana, K?atriya, va i&a and diidra 9

a r e t h e evo lu t ion f r m Brahman . So one who g e t s

t h e knowledge of t h e s e l f (Brahman) he g a i n s t h e

s e l f r e a t i s a t i o n . Having r e a l i s e d it, he werco-

m e s thr3 worldly l i f e . So t h e r e i s no c a s t e and

creed. Hence d i f f e r e n t c a s t e s and d i f f e r e n t re-

l i g i o n s a r e due t o ignorance and t hey a r e a l l

manifes ta t ion of Brahman.

SUPERIORITY NOT BY CASTE. BUT BY KNOWLEDOE

The Upanisad then proceeds w i t h another

example t o show t h e c o n t r w e r s y t o t h e caste

system. This i s a s t o r y which i n c i d e n t a l l y thrcw

cons iderab le l i g h t on t h e s o c i a l and c u l t u r a l

developnent. The s t o r y i s thus:

BZlZki, son of Balaka of Garga descent , w a s

a Brahman learned i n t h e knowledge of Brahman and

was very proud of h i s a t ta inments . The k i n g s

bowed lcw t o men of learning, gave away wealth,

p r i nce s s and even king doms f o r t h e g i f t of t h e

knowledge i n those days. Janaka t h e monarch was

ce lebra ted f o r h i s devotion bo such men of e n U -

ghtenment, t o whom he o f fe red bejewelled cows i n

thousands.

When Balaki proposed t o t e ach qjztasatf-u

about Brahman, A ja t a sa t ru s a i d t h a t people w e r e

running t o Janaka f o r t h i s knowledge. BBlKki

knew t h e Brahman, who i s i n t h e body a s Brahman.

Aja tasa t ru a l r eady knew of t h i s mani fes ta t ion of

Brahman a s t h e embodies one and knew a l s o t h a t h e

who medi ta tes upon t h i s mani fes ta t ion becomes him-

s e l f embodied and h i s progeny becanes embodied.

gargya (BSlZki) r e a l i s e d £ran t h e d i s cus s ion

t h a t he had no t known a l l about Brahman. There

was sanething more about Brahman which w a s no t

covered by t h e manifes ta t ions . H e a sp i red t o

know more about Brahman. Then he knew t h a t f o r

t h e knawlsdge of Brahman, one should need a t ea -

cher . So gargya requested A j a t a s a t r u t o have

10 him a s a d e s c t p l e .

This is very s t r ange t h a t a Brahmin caning

t o a k s a t r l y a a s a s tudent . I t i s con t r a ry t o

t h e course of t h i n g s t h a t a Brahmaqa comes t o a

k s a t r i y a accept ing him as a teacher . Thus a man

i r r e s p e c t i v e of h i s c a s t e could receive honour

from o t h e r s i f he was a t rue knmer.

SACRIFICE GIVES WAY TO WITATION

There a r e many a spec t s i n t h e BfhadZranya-

kEpani?ad t o be pointed ou t r e l evan t t o t h e mo-

dern s o c i a l l i f e and cu l t u r e . A t f i r s t w e may

mention t h e r e l i g i o u s r i t u a l s .

In t h e Vedic age people made offer i r igs t o

appeare t h e d e i t i e s . Thei r r e l i g i o n was pre-

eminently r i t u a l i d j c , and t h e worship of gods

was looked upon a s t h e f i r s t du ty of man.

Vedic worship meant premar i ly ob la t ion and

prayer. The p rayers w e r e c a r r i e d ou t wi th hymns

and s a c r i f i c e s . S a c r i f i c e means t h e o f f e r i ngs ,

c o n s i s t i n g of ordinary food and d r i n k s thrown

i n t o t h e f i r e , i n order t h a t they might reach

t h e gods. Animals l i k e horses , buf fa loes , b u l l s

and cows w e r e s a c r i f i c e d . The process of s a c r i -

f i c e was simple enough though t h e theory about

i t was q u i t e a complex one. Thus it was sanet imes

11 looked upon a s a bargain between god and man . The b e n e f i t s of t h e s a c r i f i c e w e r e a l ready recei

ved from them o r expected i n f u t u r e .

The Agnistoma, RZjasiiya and shamedha w e r e

some important s a c r i f i c e s . One who wished t o g o

t o heaven should do Agnis$oma s a c r i f i c e . I n ASVa

medha s a c r i f i c e a horse was k i l l e d and o f fe red

t o Agnj.. The o b j e c t of s a c r i f i c e w a s supremacy

over o ther kings. The purusamedha s a c r i f i c e i s

more e f f i c a r i o u s then t h e ~ b a m e d h a and more

-

11. Majumdar R.C. Ancient I nd i a , P.51

dread fu l i n which a human being was s a c r i f i c e d 12

i n s t ead of horse . The Bfhadira?yakopanisad, begins wi th a

horse - sac r i f i ce . It is not a n a t u r a l s a c r i f i c e

It i s only a r n e d i t a t ~ o n ? ~ It l e a d s t h e medi ta tor

t o Heaven wi thout t h e performance of t h e s a c r i

£ ice . The head of t h e s a c r i f i c i a l Horse i s

dawn I t de sc r ibe s t h e body Of t h e s a c r i f i c i a l

horse a s t h e cosmic form of P ra j apa t i , t h e pre-

s i d ing d i e t y of t h e horse s a c r i f i c e . The i d e a s

of t ime worlds, d e i t i e s and t h e cosmic body of

P ra j apa t i are superimposed on t h e horse. The

horse s a c r i f i c e i s t h e g r e a t e s t of t h e ved ic

rites, and it t a k e s i t s performer t o Brahmaloka,

t h e h ighes t heaven. This r e s u l t i s not ever-la-

s t i n g and it d i d no t de s t roy t h e ignorance.

Usas i s t h e down of t h e world. When usa s canes

t o t h i s world a l l l i v i n g beings become energe t i c .

The d m n i s t h e en l igh ten ing l i g h t which g i v e s

12. Naf umdar R C . Ancienl Irdia , P 5 f

13. BU.I.i.1.

l i g h t t o t h e whole animals E r a n ignorance. The

eye of t h e s a c r i f i c i a l horse i s t h e sun. H e r e

t h e se ing eye and t h e support of see ing a r e t h e

same. Open mouth t h e f i r e ; t h e v i t a l fo rce ,

t h e a i r , t h e back i s heaven; t h e be l l y , t h e sky;

t h e hoof, t h e ea r th ; t h e f l a n k s , t h e four d i r e -

c t i o n s ~ t h e r i b s , t h e in te rmedia te d i r ec t i ons r

t h e limbs. t h e seasons. The j o i n t s are t h e

months and t h e fo r tn igh t s ; t h e feet , t h e day

and nights1 t h e bones t h e s t a r e s 1 t h e f l e s h ,

t h e clouds; t h e ha l f d iges ted food t h e sandp

A r t e r i e s and v e i n s are t h e r i v e r s ; t h e l i v e r and

t h e spleen a r e t h e mountains, t h e h a i r s a r e he rbs

a r e herbs and trees; t h e f o r e p a r t , i s t h e r i s i n g

sun; t h e hind p a r t , s e t t i n g sun. Its yawn i s

l ightning; i ts shaking body, t h e thunder. Its

14 making water is r a in1 neighing i s speech .

Thus t h i s s a c r i f i c e c r e a t e s a s p i r i t of

d i spass ion , which i s a r e q u i s i t e f o r t h e knw-

ledge of Brahman. I n t h e horse s a c r i f i c e Pra

p r a j a p a t i i s t h e pres id ing d e i t y . The horse

which i s t h e most important t h i n g i n t h i s sac-

r i f i c e i s meditated upon a s P ra j apa t i . I n t h e

absense of t h e horse, a man should imagine him-

s e l f a s t h e s a c r i f i c i a l horse and meditate upon

tak ing t h e p a r t s of h i s own body as d i f f e r e n t

p a r t s of t h e cosmic being.

The Upanisad fo l l cws t h a t t h e day v e r i l y i s

t h e golden cup i n f r o n t c a l l e d Mahiman which a r o s e

i n respec t of t h e horse. Its source i s t h e

e a s t e r n sea. The night . i s t h e silver cup be-

hind c a l l e d Mahiman, i t s source i s t h e western

sea. Those cups appeared on e i t h e r s i d e of t h e

15 horse . This i s a s a c r i f i c e where Hotr. Rtvic

etc. a r e a l l superimposed on t h e horse. The horse

i s t h e p res id ing d e i t y a l so . Hence t h i s s a c r i -

f i c e i s only an imagination. L i f e i t s e l f i s a

s a c r i f i c e . W e a l l do on our du ty without t h e

d e s i r e of any r e s u l t . I n t h i s way t h i s upani-

sad brought about a s o c i a l change. Rituals w e r e

replaced by medi ta t ion and a s a r e s u l t t h e s l a -

ughter of animals i n s a c r i f i c e s were stopped. We

ga in t h e knowledge of t h e t r u t h by t h e de s t ruc t -

i o n of ignorance. There i s a t u r n from Karma t o

meditation.. This medi ta t ion l e a d s a l l t o t h e

knowledge of t h e u l t ima te r e a l i t y . Hence t h i s

upanisad teaches t o t a l d i spas s ion and he lps t o

s t o p t h e t1:ansmigration of t h e self.

STATUS O F WOMEN

According t o Snrtis women w e r e bar red from

education, e s p e c i a l l y t h e l e a rn ing of t h e vedas.

They had nu r i g h t t o t h e upanayana ceremoney,

and a l l t h e i r ceremonies excluding marriage w e r e

performed without tne r e c i t a t i o n of vedic Mantras.

The marriaye of women normally t o& p lace a f t e r

puberty. The woman was not allowed t o a t t end

t h e p o l i t i c a l assemblies . It good wife had t o

keep her mouth s h u t and d i n e a f t e r her husband.

She had a l o t of miseries i n he r s$xial l i f e .

Polygamy c e r t a i n l y p reva i l ed . H e r s ta tus

and d i g n i t y w e r e lowered a g r e a t deal . Many

of t h e r e l i g i o u s ceremonies w e r e performed by

t h e p r i e s t s s e t l i n g lef t t o t h e wife. The wanan

learned t o dance and t o s i n g and t o p lay v a r i o u s

k inds of musical ins t ruments such a s drums, f luQes

lyee , and lymbals,

BihadSra?yak6panisad g i v e s a d i f f e r e n t p i c t -

ure of woman lea rned l i t e r a t u r e and philosophy.

The woman had a f a i r share of c u l t u r e and edu-

c a t i o n and reached high eminence i n var ious bran-

ches of a r t s and sciences. Women maintained a

high p o s i t i o n i n t h e learned world. There a r e

re fe rances t o t h e f a c t t h a t woman took conside-

r a b l e p a r t i c i p a t i o n i n deba tes and assemblies.

The Brhadaranyakbpani?ad . has i n t e r e s t i n g i n c i d e n t s

i n t h i s connection.

The g r e a t k ing Janaka of v ideha once performed

a s a c r i f i c e a t which t h e most learned Brahmanas,

inc lud ing those from Kuru and a l a s w e r e

present . Janaka w i ~ h e d t o know t h e most learned

among those Brahma~as. So he o f f e r ed t o such one

thousand cows. To t h e herns of each caw was a t t a -

chad gold weighing t e n padas. Then Janaka spoke

t o t h e assembled BrZhma~asf " L e t t h e w i s e s t among

you dr ive away these cows". SSjfiavalkya t h e

g r e a t philosopher ordered h i s d i s c i p l e samasra-

vaa t o dr ive away those cows. The other Briihmaqa

became very angry. They asked YSjiiavalkya quast- 16

ions , he answered them convincingly . me of

the scholars was t h e venerable lady ca l led gargia

the daughter of Vacaknu. She stood up i n t h e midst

of the assembly and made a philosophic d i scuss i -

on w i t h YZjEavalkya. She asked ygjiiavalkya "when

a l l t h i s i s pervaded by water, by what water is

pervaded ?. H e r ep l i ed t h a t "water i s pervaded

by a i r " . The next quest ion i s t h a t " the sky i s

pervaded". The next quest ion i s t h a t '%hat per

vaded the world of t h e sky''. "The world of sky

i s pervaded by the gandharvas. "Then what perv-

ades the world of t h e gandharvas". "The world of

the ganciharvzs i s pervaded by t h e sun". The next

quest ion i s t h a t "what pervades t h e world of t h e

sun" 7 "The world of t h e sun i s Pervaded by t h e

s t a r s " . "What pervaded t h e world of s t a r s 7 The

world of s t a r s is pervaded by t h e world of godsU.

"What pervaded by t h e world of gods 7 l*. The

world of gods i s pervaded t h e Indra*'. "What pe r

vades t h e world of Indra. "The world of I n d t a

i s pervaded by V i r a j " . "What pervaded t h e world

of v i r a j " . "The world of v i r a j i s pervaded by

t h e world of Hira~yagarbha" . Then she asked the

ques t ions lmWhat pervaded t h e world of H i r q y a -

garbhal . Then she asked what pervaded t h e world

of Hirar?yagarbha Then ySjiiavalkya s a id r "DO no t

ask t oo many, lest your head would f a l l off". 17

That ques t ion i s about a d e i t y . who i s not t o

be knwn through reasoning. The na tu re of t h e

d e i t y i s t o be known through t h e i n s t r u c t i o n

oE a t eacher and no t by inferance . She dec la red

before t h e assembly of s cho l a r s t h a t no argum-

e n t would d e f e a t him concerning Brahman.

The second i nc iden t i s t h e d ia logue bet- g352

ween ,valleys and maitreyi'. Addressing h i s w i f e

17. BU. D I I . V i . 1

Yiijfiavalkya s a i d v e r i l y I am going away f r a n t h i s

house i n t o t h e f o r e s t , let m e make a se t t lement

between you and Katryayani". Maitreyi asked "Even

i f t h i s whole e a r t h , f u l l of weal th belonged t o

m e , should I be immortal by itu18. Yzjiiavalkya

s a i d "you have been dear t o m e ever , and nar you

say what i s dear t o my hear t . Come s i t down I

s h a l l expla in i t t o you. But whi le I expla in it

t o you. But whi le I exp la in i t concen t ra te upon

it". Then followed one of t h e most ph i losoph ica l

d e s s e r t a t i o n s about t h e un ive r sa l s e l f and i t s

r e l a t i o n t o t h e i nd iv idua l s e l f . ~ a j i i a v a l k y a

Said " v e r i l y t h e husband i s d e a r t o t h e wife

not f o r t h e sake of t h e husband, bu t it is f o r

her own sake. The wife i s dear t o t h e husband,

not f o r t h e sake of t t h e wi fe bu t tt i s f o r h i s 19

own sake . The sons a r e dea r t o pa r en t s not f o r

t h e sake of t h e sons, but it is f o r t h e sake of

t h e pa ren t s themselves. Wealth i s dear not f o r

t h e sake of wealth. but i t i s f o r one ' s own sake

The Brahmana i s does not f o r t h e sake of t h e BrS-

hamap, bu t it i s f o r one ' s awn sake. Thus

Maitreyf, t h e s e l f i s dear . It should be percei ,

ved heard of r e f l e c t e d on and meditated upon.

The episode given a b w e shows t h a t t h e r e

were highly phi losophica l deba t e s wi th wanen i n

learned assemblies. It i s s ign of t h e education-

a l developnent i n those days. These two inc ide-

n t s t e s t i f y t o t h e high pos i t i on , l ea rn ing and

mental equipment of wwnan i n anc i en t India.

Thus t h e Bfhadara~yakopanisad depu t s t h e s o c i a l

and c u l t u r a l developnent i n anc i en t times.

UNITY I N DIVERSITY

Brahman is t h e cause of a l l l i v i n g and non-

l i v i n g beings. They r e t u r n f i n a l l y t o Brahman.

Thus Brahman is t h e c r e a t o r , p rese rver and des t -

royer of t h e universe. It i s similar t o t h e

sp ide r who r e l e a s e s i t s thread t o form web and

a l s o withdraws t h e thread a f t e r it reaches ita

prey2'. So a l s o a l l beings sprang from t h e only

r e a l i t y , i.e. Brahman. Brahman i s t h e t r u t h ou t

of which a l l t h e s e beings a r i s e , when they have

a r i s e n l i v e and i n t o which they e n t e r and t h e

2 1 end . The e n t i r e universe i s only appearance

2 2 and not r e a l . It i s an i l l u s i o n . I n s l e e p t h e

man does not know anything. The world and t h e B r -

ahman a r e t h e same. A t t h a t time t h e r e is no du-

a l i t y . There i s only one r e a l wi thout any aecond

The d u a l i t y occurs i n waking s t a t e only. It

happemdue t o i l l u s i o n . I l l u s i o n i s indef inable .

The dua l world s e e n i n waking s t a t e i s des t royed

i n deep s l e e p and samadhi. I n t h a t s t a t e one

does not f e e l any thing. H e f e e l s only super

bliss. When ignorance i s des t royed, one g e t s t h e

knowledge t h a t t h e world and Brahman a r e r e a l .

The knowledge of non-dual Brahman i n s l e e p and

samadhi i s t o be thought of t o r e a l i z e t h a t

" A l l t h i s i s Brahman. This knowledge l e ads t o

t h e de s t ruc t i on of i l l u s i o n

~fhadSra?yak6pani@ says t h a t when t h e

s e l f b e c m e s t a s t a s l eep it i s not aware of any-

th ing whether. he i s a Daby o r a g r e a t k ing o r

worthy Brahmana. H e has reached t h e very l i m i t

2 3 of b l i s s . A s frCm a sp ide r emanates t h e th -

read o r a s from a f i re l i t t l e sparks s c a t t e r , So

a l s o frorn t h e selr i s s u e d11 organs, a l l worlds,

a l l gouv dnu a l l h v i n g beings It i s c a l l e d t h e

L4 'Truth or Truch . Thus w e can see t h a t a t t e r

t h e ignorance i s destroyed t h e u n i t y i n d i v e r s i t y

occurs. I n deep s l e e p t h e supreme s e l f knows

nothing e x t e r n a l o r i n t e r n a l . I n t h i s s t a t e a f a

t h e r i s no more a f a t h e r , a mother i s no more a

mother. worlds a r e no more worlds, god i s no more

gods, a t h i e f i s no more a t h i e f candala i s no

more a candala etc. This form i s unaffec ted by

good a c t i o n s and bad actions2'. It does not see

i n t h a t s t a t e and see, t h e r e cannot be any d i f f -

26 erence of t h e f i g h t and t h e seer .

The Upanisad a l s o mentions t h a t i n t r u t h .

no t f o r t h e husbands sake i s t h e husband dear s o

a l s o t h e wife, sons kingdom Brahmana and w a r r i e r

c a s t e , world-regions gods, l i v i n g c r e a t u r e s and

t h e universe, they a r e a l l d e a r not f o r t h e i r own

account but. f o r t h e sake of t h e s e l f . That s e l f

should be r e f l e c t e d upon. H e who has seen, heard

cmprehended and known t h e s e l f by him t h e e n t i r e

universe i s known. A t l a s t they f i nd t h a t t h e

universe and Brahman a r e t h e same. A s t h e n o t e s

of a drum, a conchshel l o r a l u t e have no exist-

ence i n themselves, and can only be received when

t h e instrument t h a t prcduces them is stuck. So a l l

o b j e c t s and r e l a t i o n s of t h e universe a r e known

b y him who knows t h e AS t h e s ea i s t h e

one merging p lace of a l l s o r t s of water and t h e

sk in i s t h e merging p lace of a l l k inds of touch

etc. s o a l l o b j e c t s and organs merge i n t h e s e l f

27. BU. I1 .iv.7-9 .

28 without any second . A lumb of s a l f t h r m i n t o

water and one cannot p ick it up, s o a l s o a l l t h e s e

beings d i s s o l v e i n t h e self wi thout any d i s t i n c t -

ion. Only t h e Brahman remains.

When there i s dua l i t y . one smells another ,

sees another , hea rs another and speaks t o another

when a l l has becae t h e vary s e l f of t h e knower of

Brahman what else should one know 7 One who g e t s

t h e knowledge of t h e Erahman t h a t he dwel l s i n ea-

r t h , water , f i r e . a i r , sky, sun, heaven, d i r a c t i -

ons, rrroon, darkness, nose, speech, e a r , mind etc.

i s t h e Brahman t h e immortal. H e should g e t t h e

2 9 r e a l i s a t i o n t h a t 'I am Brahmana .

~e who swells i n the organ of genera t ion but

i s wi th in it. whom t h a t organ doesnot knaw, whose

body i s t h a t organ and who c o n t r o l s t h a t organ from

wi th in i s t h e i nne r c o n t r o l l e r - One's clwn s e l f .

There i s no o the r seev o r knower etc. than he.

This i s t h e only non-dual s e l f t h e only r e a l i t y

i s t h e immortal.

~ h r l s i n deep s leep , t h e s e l f is un i t ed wi th

Brahman. So it does not know any t h ing j u s t a s

t h e man f u l l y embrached by h i e dea r wife, knows

nothing e x t e r n a l o r i n t e r n a l . Thus i s t h e i n f i n i t e

e n t i t y f u l l y embraced by t h e supreme s e l f which i s

devoid of desire and beyond grief3'. D ive r s i t y

comes from ignorance. When s e l f is f ee from ig-

norance it is un i ted wi th t h e r e a l i t y .

OUTLOoK FOR P R O S R E S S

Bfhadiiranyaka d i s c u s s i n diversemethods in

var ious problems t o t h e human i n t e l l i g e n c e , t h e

abso lu te and i n f i n i t e na tu r e of Brahman. The

language uged i s f i g u r a t i v e and symbolic. It is

devided i n t o t h r e e kandas c o n s i s t i n g of lJpade$a,

Upapatti . . and UpSsana respec t ive ly . It 's p i c t u r e

sque s t y l e , t h e problems d i scussed , t h e s t y l e of

mystic secrecy, and symbol is t ic r e l a t i onsh ip , s h m

t h a t t h i s Upanisad i s a b r i g h t gem of t h e vedanta

system.

The descrdpt ion of horse s a c r i f i c e i n t h e

Upanisad i s not f o r i t s performance but f o r me-

d i t a t i o n . Thus t h e Upaniqad apraived t o w i p e

ou t t h e s o c i a l e v i l of animal s l augh te r i n

dac r i f ices.

The Upanisad conveys a pragmatic message.

Take m e from ev i l t o good t a k e m e frcm darkness

3 1 t o l i g h t . Take m e £ran dea th t o inanortal i ty . This e l eva t i ng u t t e r ance enab les one t o r e a l i s e t h e

s t a t u s of Hiravyagarbha. Upanisad says t h a t t h e

four c a s t s are t h e Brahman alone. Brahmana,

k s a t r i y a , ~ a i i y a and Sudra a r e t h e mani fes ta t ion

of Brahman. Among the se casts Sudra i s most im-

por tan t because ~ L d r a i s person ie. ea r th . The ea-

r t h nour ishes a l l beings. Among these c a s t e s t h e

Brahman c r ea t ed t h e Dharma. Dharma i s t r u t h .

Even a weak person wishes t o be s t ronger through

r ightousness. So Upanisad t eaches t h a t a m u s t

do only good and dharma. This w i l l l ead t o t h e

world of Brahman, t h e u l t imate .

The Upanisad then t eaches t h e un i t y i n

d i v e r s i t y t h a t i n deep s l e e p and i n samadhi t h e

indistidual s e l f u n i t e s w i th t h e Supreme s e l f .

Thus t h e un iverse i s only an i l l u s i o n . Only t h e

s e l f is r e a l .

In anc ien t t i m e s a arahmin caning a a a s t u -

dent t o a k q a t r i y a was not r egu la r . The Upanigad

teaches t h a t i f a man i r r e s p e c t i v e of h i s c a s t e .

3 2 i s a t r u e knower any one can approach a s a s tuden t .

Upanisad proceeds t o convey a g r e a t teaching

Athata Adesa n e t 1 n e t i . The Brahman i s no t s p y a

and can never be brought w i th in t h e scope of any

af f i rmat ion. But one may say only i n d i r e c t l y th -

3 5 rough negat ions not t h i s no t t h i s . The upanigad a l s o p o i n t s ou t t h a t t h e knowle-

dge of Brahman i s honey t o a l l beings. The pure

s p i r i t Atman i s t h e u l t ima te o b j e c t of a l l forms

of lwe an+ i s the r e fo re t o be understood a s t h e

e t e r n a l b l i s s . Atman should be r e a l i s e d through

Sravaga, manana and nididhy&sana36 O n e should ba

knowing t h e t r u t h from t h e upanisads by i n v e s t i -

ga t ion . d i scuss ion and cons tan t contemplation.

The most important po in t of t h i s Upaniqad i s

t h a t two lady philosophers s tand out a s t h e m o s t

outstanding personalikaamong t h e phi losophica l

i n t e r l o c u t o r s d i scuss ing wi th g r e a t y&jEavalkya.

I n t h i s Upanisad t h e r e a r e s e r i ous d i s cus s ions

i n t h e c o u r t of k ing Janaka and t he d i s cus s ions

a r e followed by many many argumentations of t h e

u l t ima te t r u t h . The g r e a t sage Y&jfiavalkya t ea -

ches Maitreyi t h a t even i f t h e whole e a r t h belongs

to her she w i l l no t ga in immortali ty. It i s ga i -

ned by t h e knowledge of Brahman by t h e i n s t r u c t i o n

of a guru and stravar? manana and nididhyasana.

~t l a s t one should g e t t h e r e a l i s a t i o n t h a t

t h e i nd iv idua l s e l f and supreme s e l f a r e t h e same.

Thus one should g e t t h e r e a l i s a t i o n t h a t '1 am

Brahman" Aham BrahmHsmi . The knmledge t h a t

t h e Atman i n a l l beings i s one he lps a person t o

view everything wi th equa l i ty . If proper ty t augh t

t h i s can lead t o a socia l i sm no t only of human

beings not a l s o of a l l c r e a t u r e s .

The moist s t r i k i n g message i n t h e e t h i c a l

s i d e i s embodied i n t h e l e sson of t h r e e ' d a a s of a

thunder. The sons of P ra jZpa t i a r e of t h r e e k inds

t h e gods, men and demons. They l i v e d w i th t h e i r

f a t h e r P r a j a p a t i a s s tuden t s . Af ter they f in i -

shed t h e i r t e r m P r a j apa t i s a i d t o them a l l t h e s y

l l a b l e *darn 37. The gods understand t he s y l l a b l e

'da' a s 'dam yata 'meaning ' c o n t r o l yourselves '

The men understood it a s "datba" "Be cha r i t ab l e* .

The demons understood it a s "dayadhvam" - *be merciful". One should l e a r n t he se threo- s e l f

c o n t r o l c h a r i t y and mercy. These t h r e e words

can apply t o d i f f e r e n t s e c t i o n s of man according

t o t h e dominant tendencies and c h i r a c t e r i s t f c s .

The men who l ack s e l f c o n t r o l bu t are otherwise

possessed of good q u a l i t i e s a r e smi lar t o gods.

They should p r a c t i s e s e l f con t ro l . The cruel sel-

f i s h men a r e l i k e demons. They should p r a c t i s e

mercy u sua l l y men a r e greedy. They should p r a c t i -

n cha r i t y . Thus Upaniqad t e aches t h a t a l l t h e

t h r e e d i s c i p l i n e s should be p r ac t i s ed by men.

THOUGHTS ON EUGENICS

The Upanitj;ad be t r ays t h e d e s i r e and b e l i e f

of t h e people of t h e Upanisadic Period t o g e t

c h i l d r e n of: t h e i r cho ice by planned procreat ion. 38

The methodt; may be p r imi t i ve and w e may not f i n d

t h e expected r e s u l t s a s prescr ibed by following

those methods, However, w e may app rec i a t e t h e

e f f o r t on t h e p a r t of t h e people of t h a t t i m e t o

have good ch i ld r en .

38, BU.VI . i~ 14-18.

A SOCIAL PRAYER - There i s a prayer i n t h e Bfhadaranyakopniqad

which revea l s t h e d e s i r e f o r knowing t h e t r u t h and

f o r being f r e e from a l l evils. This seems t o be

a s o c i a l prayer t augh t by t h e sages t o keep t h e

soc i e ty pious and f r e e from s e l f i s h competit ions.

The payer reads:

The f a c e $ r e a l na tu r e ) of t h e Satyabrahman i s 9

covered by a golden ve s se l . 0 nour isher t ake it

away so that. I, who a m i d e n t i f i e d wi th t h e Satyabra-

I ' hman !nay see, 0 nour isher , 0 s o l i t a r y t r a v e l l e r ,

1 '

0 c o n t r o l l e r , '0' Sun, 0 Son of God, remove t hy r ays ,

reduce t h y radiance. I would see t h a t form of t h i n e

1 1 which i s mo;st auspic ious , I am t h a t being (when my

body f a l l s ) may my v i t a l f o r ce go t o t h e immortal

cosmic v i t a l f o r c e and t h i s body reduced t o ashes.

t o t h e e a r t h 0 f i r e whose symbol i s Cm a . 0 d e i t y

of resolution, recol lect my actions, '0 deity of

resolution recol lect my actions. 0 f i r e lead us

along the superior way for the attainment of our

> deserts. '0 lord thou art aware of a l l our mental

7

states . RemWe from us the tleacherous e v i l . We

offer three profuse expressions of salutation' 39

lsavasyopanisad a lso mentions t h i s prayer. 4 0