Friday, July 2, 2010

Pashupatha Brahmana Upanishad

Pashupatha Brahmana (pāśupatabrahmopaniṣat) is one among the 108 Upanishads mentioned in the Muktika canon. The Upanishad  talks about very high philosophical truths. It doesn't contain any 'Mantras' for the sadhakas. As the name of the Upanishad suggests, It straight away deals with Pashupati,the Absolute Brahman.  The Upanishad is almost similar to Kena Upanishad in its approach to the Absolute. So the people who are in the path of knowledge( Jnana Marga) can understand it. But Others may find it very hard to comprehend the advanced teachings of the Upanishad. It says, paśupatiḥ is beyond eyes, ears, mouth, mind..etc. paśupatiḥ is not an object of perception. The perceiver perceives the object only because of Pashupati. In fact, The Perceiver, The perceived object and The very act of Perception, these three are but Pashupati alone. 


Pashupatha Brahmana ( translated in prose style)

Shiva, who is the Lord of all beings (paśupatiḥ), is always witness for everything. The minds of all people are controlled as well as sent to different topics by Him only. The soul acts because of him. The words talk because of Him. The eyes see shapes because of Him. The ear hears everything because of Him. Even other organs only perform the actions allotted to them because of Him. This act of His is not due to the nature but by illusion. Whatever has been taught as “What is heard?”, to the beings, has been taught so by Shiva who is Pasupathi and He gives the nature of “What is heard?” to them. He enters the minds of souls, sits there as its nature and gives it the position of the mind. He is different from all things that are known to us through organs. Of all that knowledge taught to the different organs, He is the one who is there taking suitable forms, and gives the being the relevant experience. Therefore eyes, speech and other organs do not go to His great self-shining form. That shine of the soul, which is not due to its action, is due to the soul itself and not the organs. Suppose we decide to do away with rules of logic, it can be told that he who understands Brahman himself becomes the great knower of Brahman.

This type of outside knowledge should be attained by truth, penance and other rules of life dictated by celibacy and by the paths shown by Vedanta. People in whom there are no faults see realistic object of self shine in their own body. Others do not see it. By having a discipline in food habits, mental discipline develops. By mental discipline, one gets wisdom. Step by step. the problems in the mind are solved. By the knowledge of the form of Brahman when the world becomes that which should be enjoyed, he eats the form which is he himself. There is nothing else except oneself. The savant who knows Brahman, whenever he sees the world does not see it as something different from himself. This is the Upanishad.


(Translated by P. R. Ramachander Published by celextel.org)

1 comment:

  1. Finally !! the ultimate state can be concluded this way: Brahman(Siva) Alone knows Brahman(Siva) and not Karthik(Gross Material body) knowing Lord Siva as said rightly in Katha upanishad and that Parama Pada is just a Comparison... and not the Whole truth.
    Yes indeed its similar to Kena ...when Yaksha(Lord Siva) placed a Hay stalk and asked agni and then Vayu to display their powers they failed. how inspiring and bliss generating Loving Lord is ....and finally letting you unite with Bliss alone. Thanks a lot for all the works !! i hope your Blogs inspire good to all.. May Lord Bless all

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