From my personal experience, I am convinced with Advaita (non-dual) philosophy that there is only ONE God. The entire universe is ONE and all are inter-connected. What qualifies me to write on this topic? I am in no way superior to any of you, readers. I am a companion to you in life - a seeker of 'existence' in the present body.
My writings are based on what I learned, understood, experienced and convinced about. The benefits of Upanishads are enormous. Lectures on Upanishads must be attended on a regular basis with a guru consistently in a group discussion often called satsang. Soon you begin to observe that your attitude toward life and your priorities changes resulting in less stressful life. Your mind becomes calm, fearless, thoughts reduced, negative thoughts eliminated, you are able to see a bigger picture of life and thereby you enjoy the bliss continuously for the rest of your life.
'Upanishads are a mine of strength' said swami Vivekananda. I started studying Sanathana Dharma philosophy in 1997. I come from a simple, middle class family. My father passed away when I was 13 and his demise led me to question the existence of me, my mother and my siblings at that age. Though this thought was constantly in mind I was too young to discuss, share or ask questions. I did not really meet anyone who would talk on such topics. I studied in Bombay, married and lived in Bangalore, Madras and migrated to the USA. I was neither ritualistic nor spiritualistic but performed the regular prayer at home because that is what my mother did. It was nothing but a routine tradition that I inherited, though I believed there is some supernatural power governing us. The question of 'existence' and thoughts like 'Who am I, Why am I here?" persisted continuously at the back of my mind. I, very often feel like a visitor on this universe performing my duties.
In the past twenty-two years, I took world religion class, traveled far and wide, met several people, and visited many missions including Hare Rama Hare Krishna camps, Self Realization Fellowship, Sankara Matt, and Vedantic Society of California. I attended their weekly lectures and pursued the lectures and satsang with Chinmaya Mission, Los Angeles, closer to my home.
When my uncles and aunts passed away, my enquiry on life was kindled again and again. When my husband and mother passed away, I focused on deeper study of Upanishads which answered all my questions on life. The study of Upanishads has given me tremendous mental strength, physical strength, fearlessness, objectivity towards life and positive attitude. I feel totally free, cheerful, relaxed and peaceful.
The credit goes to Upanishadic studies, understanding and reflection of it and I decided to share what I learned in simple understandable language as requested by readers.
Upanishads cannot be understood academically, nor can they be completely studied in one life period. Tkke your time to fully comprehend and do not rush into completing the book on hand. The language, the interpretations, the intentions of what is said cannot be understood by literal meaning. Also some words in Sanskrit are interpreted differently in each Upanishad. Often times, literal meaning may appear contradictory within the same sentence or paragraph. These can be learned only when the meaning is understood with reference to that context, in that particular text under the direction of a guru.
One such word is renounce. Renounce or sacrifice (not a literal meaning) does not mean to physically leave everything and live alone in the forest. It simply means renounce the idea of you are the owner of something or anything. Realize that you may lose anything, any time and be prepared to let go. This mental attitude is renouncing. You can still be in the family, own a house, have possessions but be prepared to let go. Realize your body might not be alive to enjoy them or you might lose them for whatever reason.
Vedas came into existence directly from the Lord as revelations more than 5000 years ago. No one knows the exact period. These were passed along by word of mouth for many centuries to many generations. There is no one author but they are interpreted in different ways. Often the idea is repeated to reiterate the theme for a common man to understand.
Vedas are of two parts. Karma Kanda and Jnana Kanda. Karma kanda has three sections. Veda Samhitas, Brahamana and Upanishads. Upanishads are also called Vedanta (Veda anta, the end of the Vedas). Vedas are divided into four sections - Rg, Yajur, Sama and Atharva. Rg is in poetic form, Yajur is in prose form, Sama is a mixture of both, while Atharva is primarily Rg and yajur, named after a rishi by name Atharva.
There are a total of 108 upanishads. Adi Sankaracharya commented on ten of them. He opened up the treasures to the general public between 788-820 A.D. Brihad Aranyaka Upanishad and Chandogya Upanishad are very large and profound. Some Upanishads are smaller with few verses.
We use Science and Technology and focus on the world outside of us living in an urbanized world, surrounded by violence, deforestation, pollution, and endangered species while the rishis of ancient India lived peacefully in hermitages, more like retreats. They closed their eyes and entered into a world and got answers to all their questions on life.
With full confidence in what they learned, the statement 'There is No Other Way' often appears in Upanishads. NOW is the time to learn about the Upanishads!!
Silence until next....
Awesome Power is an organization committed to encourage, motivate, inspire, coach and support individuals to believe in themselves and reach their fullest potentially in all areas of their life.
The author of this article is a Life Coach, Changing Agent, Motivational Speaker, Professional Writer, dedicated to make a difference in other's lives. All my writings are from my direct experiences in my life.
The author is also deeply interested in spiritual studies and believes our life is the consequences of our own actions and that the spiritual study is the way for inner peace. We are on this earth to realize that all is ONE and that ONE is in all.
Your feedback is welcome, appreciated and considered valuable on the topics written.
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