A Compilation Of Glimpses Of Upnishads

A Compilation of Glimpses of Some Upnishadic Contents



The Brahma ( Almighty God – Parmatma )

The word ‘Ved’ is from the root ‘Vid’ meaning to know. Thus Ved means ‘knowledge’. This knowledge is for ever, immortal and eternal .The theme of Upnishads is the ‘Brahma’, the Supreme Being whose existence is eternal truth and an immutable and immortal reality. Brahma is absolute truth .He is beyond sound , touch , form ,and taste Without Brahma mind can not contemplate on any thing , eyes can not see and ears are not able to hear . It can not be defined in terms of dimensional or other qualities, such as , gross or subtle, small or big .The Absolute Truth is without properties , is without qualities ,is without form and therefore it can not and never be an object of not only perception but even of emotions or of thoughts . It can not be comprehended by the mind or appreciated by the intellect , nor can it be perceived by the sense organs . It is consciousness and absolute bliss. The world ‘Jagat’ one perceives with life ‘ Jeev’ and objects ‘Prakriti’ was one infinite whole before creation This universe is nothing but Brahma. This Brahma, which is the cream of Upnishads, is above cause and effect. It is every where – within and without.

One experiences Brahma when the mind is fully merged in the contemplation of Brahma and all other thoughts have been totally eliminated. This is the declaration of Upnishads, The quest for the Truth is to be done nowhere other than the sacred sanctum of one’s own self. He who has realized his oneness with the entire world and sees his own ‘Self’ as the ‘Self’ in all will no more be affected by the sorrows and desires. He has nothing to gain or aspire for from the world of objects.


Enlightened Man - Awakened Man

When there is no desire there is absolute freedom. When there is no attachment with any thing there is absolute freedom. When there is no ego ( Self) there is freedom. Freedom does not mean freedom of self. Freedom means freedom from self. It brings immense bliss and benediction. He becomes one with the Almighty having surrendered himself completely. All his actions are pious then and for the benefit of the mankind and society which nourished him and gave him the opportunity and ability to tread upon this glorious path and become enlightened. Mahavir was totally enlightened as he had no desires and had no attachment – even with the loin cloth . Kabir and Budh were also awakened men to an extent. So also Christ, though only for a brief time. Here is how :-

On the cross Jesus said, “ Lord, why have you forsaken me ”. Jesus was expecting a miracle that would save him from being crucified. Jesus had desire. Nothing happened . He became enlightened only just before his death when he raised his eyes towards the sky and said, “ Forgive me. Let Thy Kingdom come. Let Thy be done .Forgive them. They know not what they are doing.” The moment he said so, he surrendered his ego – the self with all its expectations . He surrendered his mind with all its desires He totally surrendered. In the let go he became Christ. He was one with the Universe, no expectations, no frustrations. There after he died and did not say any thing.


Background

Vedic civilization, called now by name Hinduism , began almost 5000 years ago followed by Jainism, Budhism and Confucianism . Christianity emerged 2000 years ago , Islam 1400 years ago. Sikhism 500 years ago.

Hindu Vedic scriptures – four Veds , Upnishads , Gita and Purans take you to a period before which no other literature in any form existed in the world . The four Veds – Rig Ved, Yajur Ved, Atharva Ved and Sam Ved were created during the Vedic period when the people did not know the art of writing .The ancient Veds were based on intuitive human knowledge , extra intelligence ,experience and revelation . Serious attempt is made to know – ‘ What life is’ , ‘ How did it come into being’ , ‘ Who am I’ ,’ What is the purpose of life’, ‘ Is life an empty and meaningless incident’ , ‘ Is there a mission in life’ . Veds do not contain empty philosophical hairsplitting. They seek the truth and dwell deeper and deeper into the very source of life in us . seeking the Truth they go from the gross visible world to the subtlest . The centre source is very subtle and words can not explain it. It has to be experienced completely detached from the outer world which we know from bodily sense organs. Rishis try to understand how the mind works, how the intellect functions .The enquiry is into the very nature of Reality ( Brahma , Paramatma ) . The Veds suggest technique and hypothesis which the seeker of Truth may adopt.

The entire Veds were in early period handed down from the teacher to the disciple
only by word of mouth – orally . Ved Vyas then at a much later date collected the
‘Verses’ from scattered scholars, classified, purified and preserved them in writing .
After editing, he compiled them in four volumes.

During the period of Upnishads the population was small. The land was vast. Thick forests, fertile land gave unlimited economic opportunities for every one Society was ripe with great potentialities. The society had found leisure to think and ask questions . It was a period of renaissance .People had the choice of either conquer the outer world with their undoubted mental development or work inward in depth in man as individual .They took to spirituality and did not pursue outwardly sensual pleasures . This latter recourse was subsequently adopted by Christian civilization. Greeks specialized in the subject of man in society.

Upnishads in their spacious imagination , most scientific spirit of exploration , a gigantic sweep of thought , dug inward in the individual to reveal the secrets of Universe and unraveled the mystery of self within – the immortal soul .Hinduism is not a religion .( In fact the name ‘Hindu’ was given by foreigners who reached river Sindhu in North West Bharat and learnt from the tribals the name of the river as ‘Hindu’ as they were pronouncing letter ‘S’ as ‘H’ . Even now the Bheels and other tribals do so. They called people living there as Hindus. Muslims later named the country Hindustan – the country of Hindus ) It is a philosophical way of life and unlike other religions is not an adjunct of socio- political system but is wholly spiritual. Upnishads teachings turn the senses inward , so that human awareness goes beyond the body , the senses and the external environment and the man realizes his inner self ,ie, realizes himself as immortal self beyond finite time , space and cycles of births and deaths .Soul resides only in a temporary body By meditation man penetrates inwardly and leaves behind the body , the senses , the ego and all other non self elements which being nature’s products decay and perish with time .Upnishads discover the techniques of realizing the immortal divine self ( Soul ) , the nature of infinite existence , infinite knowledge and infinite bliss. Individual souls are from one Supreme Being – God – Paramatma. Soul ( Atma ) merges with Paramatma when one gains enlightenment ,ie, when we are able to leave without conscious effort our ego ( ‘I’ , ‘Me’ , ‘Mine’ ) , pleasures and sorrows of senses , all actions ( either good or bad ) and our mind is one with our Atma , ie , in the sense that mortal self becomes zero and the body just listens and acts as per the dictates of Atma . Soul is then no more chained to the body but is free to utilize the body. One attains eternal bliss .

Ancient Indian sages followed their own teachings and became aware of pioneering quality of their efforts and discovery and its significance for all humanity . Veds and Upnishads have been created by several saints ( Rishis ) who did not put their names on their creation as they had totally given up their mortal self and ego .

Upnishads are in verse – easy to remember and memorize. There was no written word. Whatever people could remember were collected and collated in the form of printed books later. These were initially not books to replace the teacher but to help the pupils to understand what the sages explained and taught them verbally .Sometimes Upnishads confuse us as we read them today isolated from the teachings of sages of yore and without their personal experiences and explanations. There are references to ceremonials, sacrifices and worships being followed by society in those early times. In present day environment these may be difficult to comprehend.




Upnishads

Introduction

Each of the four Veds ( Rig, Yajur , Atharva and Sam Veds ) reveals the contents in four sections :-
(a) ‘ Mantra’ Portion - describes in lyrics beauty of nature and power of
phenomenal forces .
(b) The ‘ Brahman’ Portion - deals with ritualistic injunctions and prescriptions for
various ceremonies .
(c) The ‘ Aranyaka’ - contains various methods of meditation called ‘ Upasana’
(d) The ‘ Upnishads’ -These are philosophical portions appended with every Ved

Upnishads contain philosophical discussions at various times between teachers and disciples regarding external purpose of Creation and the great goal of Existence. The entire picture of evolution of man and the subtle techniques of attaining the state of self-realization are revealed. They reveal the intricate philosophy of Hinduism.

So far 280 Upnishads have been unearthed. Scholars still research in fixing their dates and authenticity. Out of these 11 Upnishads have had exhaustive and learned expositions by master minds like Sri Sankara, Ramanuja and Madhvacharya.

These are not declarations of man of wisdom under some divine urge. In Upnishads we see an array of mighty men who had enriched their contents by their dedicated investigations in, contemplation upon, and discoveries on the source of life. A spiritual realm has been opened up to the students leading them to attain supreme wisdom.

Rishis never fanatically insist upon any belief. They minutely observe and analyze the known and very logically they deduce the possibilities of the unknown and unfold techniques to students to experience themselves Upnishdic theories. Rishis were following in their daily lives what they were propounding. Discussions were based on their actual experience. They were egoless. Hinduism symbolizes spirituality. Hindus pursue spiritualism. Hindus through supreme wisdom seek the Truth through self-realization of the divine soul within.



An idea of Upnishad Contents


Kathopanishad ( Katha Upnishad )

Like Kurukshetra scene in Bhagvat Gita, where Arjun stricken by remorse and doubt, turns to Lord Krishna, his Charioteer, for divine guidance, Katha Upnishad introduces as background, Nachiketa son of Vajasravasa, as the ideal seeker of knowledge displaying courage and resolve, when Yama ( Death ) imparts great teaching on the nature of Atma ( Soul )

After completion of elaborate sacrifice, Nachiketa’s father bestows his worldly possessions as gift to assembled guests. Nachiketa feels that his father should gift what is dear to him rather than the cows past the age of bearing. He pesters his father by asking him, “To whom are you going to give me”. Father in annoyance without meaning tells him, “I shall give you to Yama”. Any thing uttered on solemn occasions must be carried out. Nachiketa goes to Yama uninvited and much before his time. Yama was away and returned after three days. Keeping a Brahaman waiting was considered an offence. So Yama offered Navhiketa three boons. As a third boon for himself Nachiketa demanded knowledge of soul from Yama as he alone knew about soul before and after death of a living being.Yama tested Nachiketa by offering him unlimited life span, wealth, land, enjoyment of every desire etc. But Nachiketa declined as these were all perishable. Yama accepts the pupil and explains:-

In pursuit of Truth good is something different from pleasant. Whoever chooses good attains happiness. Fools choose the pleasant and perish.

The main obstacle in the path of man striving for higher life is the identification of oneself with the body. The man should realize the divine character of his own soul and its inherent freedom. Souls like God, and Prakriti ( Objects ) are unborn, eternal, everlasting and always existed. When one realizes the divine spirit within himself, all confusion of joy and grief disappears. The realization comes from ones own pure heart, resolve and earnestness of purpose. It does not come by study or learned discussions. Self realization leads to detachment. He realizes that the imperishable bodiless soul is lodged in a perishable body. The soul is divine in origin, pure and immortal. The body is like a chariot to which the senses are yoked like horses. The mind is like the reins to hold the horses ,ie, the senses, in check. The soul rides on the chariot. The road is the world of objects over which the senses move. If the reins are not held firmly and wisely, the senses like vicious horses will get out of control and the chariot will not reach the goal of supreme bliss, but will go round and round in births and rebirths .

Faith and discipline in life are necessary. The illusions arise not so much from ignorance as from attachments. Enlightenment comes with detachment, not with learning. The discipline and meditation that help the soul to detach itself from the things of the world is what is called ‘Yoga’.

Question is asked whether the soul within shines by its own light (Self-luminous soul) or does it shine by another light. Stars, sun, lighting flashes do not furnish the light there. The Supreme Spirit (Paramatma- God) shines and all things shine as a result. Everything in the universe reflects that light. Once a person realizes the pure divinity of the soul within, as spirit, his relationship with the Supreme Being is one of perfect identity. A person while seeking within himself the Truth, ie, perfect knowledge of the divinity of the soul, he discovers and experiences himself as the whole – The Supreme Being. I am Thyself as spirit.









Hindu philosophical thoughts concerning Soul and Paramatma



There are three schools of thought in Hindu Philosophy. They are not competing or contradicting one another but necessary stages to pass in our pilgrimage to the peak of perfection.

(1) Dualism of Sri Madhavacharya - It concludes that Paramatma and Souls ( Devotees) are two distinct entities and relationship of devotees is one of complete surrender in love and reverence to Paramatma. This philosophy views Truth with reference to his body.This is the first stage of pilgrimage when one is conscious of his body.

(2) Qualified non-ism of Sri Ramanuja argues in a different way and concludes that the devotee is a part of the whole – Paramatma. One identifies himself with the mind and intellect. I am a part of Thee. This philosophy views Truth from the psychological perception. This is the second stage of spiritual progress.

(3) Non-dualism of Sri Sankara. Once a person drops all his wrong identifications with his body or his psychological entity, he experiences the great Truth of the divine nature of his soul as pure spirit, his relationship with the Supreme Being is one of perfect identity. There can not be a relationship as it denotes existence of at least two things. This is the third and final stage.








Some idea of Isawasyopanishad

Every thing in the universe abides in the Supreme Being. Joy comes only by the giving up of desires and attachments. One should not neglect his duties but discipline his mind and control his senses. One should purify himself by discipline of conduct and by means of restraint on the senses. Our duty is towards society – social cooperation. What we perform for the well being of others is work ‘Karma’. What we do for ourselves is not work. Bad deeds and even good deeds cling to our soul and the cycles of death-rebirth continue till one secures ‘ Moksha’ ( Passing through death to immortality ) through self realization and attaining enlightenment. (Cycles of death and rebirth are essential for the sustenance of the world. Souls even after Moksha will reenter this cycle after a near infinite time.) Enlightenment is achieved through detachment, control of senses and meditation, giving up your Ego, Self, I, Me, Mine, Ahankar etc all together, so that all worldly thoughts disappear from the mind leaving a vivid empty (Shunya) state, enabling one to look inwards and realize the divinity of soul within, which is an observer ( Drishta) and a witness ( Sakshi) of ones mortal body’s actions. After realization of the relation between individual soul to the Supreme Spirit ( Paramatma) that it is of the same substance and nature and divine in origin as the Supreme Spirit one attains enlightenment. This part,ie, soul, comes from the whole which is of such a transcendental nature that the whole remains whole, and what is taken out, ie, soul, is as whole as the original. Suprme Spirit manifests and is immanent in every thing. Axioms in mathematics do not apply. On realization your immortal soulbecomes one with the Supreme Being and you get the greatest bliss. The soul gets free from the shackles and bondage of desire and ego and guides the mind and senses and all actions are as per the dictates of Supreme Being, dedicated to Him completely. ( Some of your actions may not be acceptable to a section of society though they may be for its good, yet you carry on regardless like Mahavir, GautamBudh, Kabir, Jesus, Mohammed, Shridi Saibaba, Ram Krishna Paramhans to cite a few.). Since Paramatma is formless, He does not adopt any form and no one can have a glimpse of Him. He manifests Himself as a force. Each one visualizes Him in his own way as per ones imagination.

As soul is the life of the body without which it would be dead, so is the Supreme Spirit the essence of individual souls. Supreme Spirit ( Paramatma) is the internal spirit of every thing in the universe. Supreme Spirit pervades in all souls. Once this is realized, distinction between oneself and others disappears. One sees universal spirit in all things and there is no need to protect oneself against others. One realizes the oneness of all things, illusion and grief thus vanish. Upnishad insists on the realisation of all-inclusive oneness of the soul of the universe.






A glimpse of Kenopanishad



The subject matter of the Kenopanishad is an enquiry into the nature of Reality ( Brahma - Paramatma). The Upnishad suggests the nature of Reality and pre-conditions for experiencing it. The ancient Veds were based on intuitive human knowledge, experience and revelations. They prescribe both technique and hypothesis which the seeker of Truth is expected to adopt.

The teacher, herein, explains to the disciple the source of all life within ourselves is called Atma (Soul). Sense organs function because of Atma. It is the spark ( Chaitanya) . The soul or spirit enables the eye to see , the ear to hear, the breath to move, and mind to think. The spirit enables one to think through his mind. Since all bodily functions depend on this spirit, hence neither by the senses nor by human reasoning can one hope to comprehend the nature of spirit, or soul. It is this source of life ( Soul) which alone can vitalize the sense organs to perform their allotted functions Hence there is a limit to thinking. This is so because the subject, the object and the means are all identical. It is the soul by which understanding itself functions. So the limitations of human knowledge, when trying to comprehend the Supreme Being is brought out in this Upnishad
.
Those who realize the limitations of the human mind with regard o the knowledge of Supreme Spirit and confess ignorance, really approach a true understanding of it.

The soul itself is immortal and one has but to know it to become immortal. It is by awakening and not by reasoning one can get a vision of the Supreme Spirit The Supreme Spirit ( Paramatma) cannot be expressed by words. It is absolute and infinite. The seeker has to realize this great Truth for himself, by himself, in himself.

The Upnishad suggests the nature of Truth and sets the seeker to pursue it. There is no dogmatic assertion. The Upnishad initiates the seeker to Truth who is expected to realize himself by following the prescribed techniques.






A glimpse of Svetasvatar Upnishad


Paramatma ( God, The Lord, The Supreme Being etc ) upholds the universe which is a union of un-manifest and manifest, the imperishable and perishable. He rules over the soul as well as the material nature which forms the field for the soul’s functioning. Man reaches liberation from all the illusions of the world by contemplation and repeated meditation until realization is attained of the true nature of Paramatma, matter and soul. The Divine self which is hidden within one’s self , can be made manifest ( Like the butter concealed in the milk is separated by churning the milk) through the practice of truth, meditation and by control of mind and senses.

The Supreme Soul ever dwells in the heart of man. He can be perceived not by the eye but the heart. He who perceives Him by the heart ( Devotion, Bhakti) attains immortality .

Soul functioning as enjoyer through the senses in man loses the consciousness of the Supreme Being and is enchained. When he realizes the divinity of his soul, he obtains release and attains immortality.

Upnishad says that direct teaching from father or teacher is essential. The disciple is required to purge his previous character and to restrain his mind and senses. Bookish knowledge would not be of much avail. ‘I am God’ would lead to arrogance and atheism without purity of character, restraint and humility and personal guidance of teacher.





A glimpse of Chhandogyopanishad


Uddalka is teaching his son Svet Ketu how the universe has evolved out of Sat, ie, Being with consciousness.

He begins with the old riddle. Was there a first cause? Vain search for causes lead us back into an interminable chain and finally we give up the theory of causation and say that universe came out of nothing. Rishis say that it cannot be so. Out of nothing, nothing could come. Non-being can not produce being. Much less, could the phenomenon of consciousness come out of nothing. We must hold that there was first, cause- Sat,-being with consciousness. The universe has been evolved out of the ‘Sat’.

Svet Ketu has doubts that universe could be produced in this simple way. Uddalka says that inside a small seed of a Banyan tree there is subtle substance which our eyes do not even perceive, yet in it a whole tree exists. Likewise all that exists in the universe was in that Sat. ‘Thou also art that’. The seed has in it its past, present and future.

Question is asked if Sat is all pervading why is it not perceived clearly. Answer is given that lump of salt is dissolved in water it disappears, so is that SAT is lost from view in the universe. As the salt is present in every part of the water so is SAT, immanent in every thing in the universe.

Next question is, ‘How do we gain knowledge of the SAT which is imperceptible?’ The teacher tells that due to our past deeds we have come to the present condition. As soon as our desires and attachments that bind our vision are removed we would find our way to Sat. Thereafter it is only a matter of waiting for natural death.





A glimpse of Mundak Upnishad

The disciple is instructed that two types of learning’s are worthy of being learnt, of which the learned treat one as higher and the other as lower. The four Veds (Veds were the encyclopedia of all knowledge of those days and not a hymn book only), grammar, etymology, meter, astronomy, ayurved, intonation, ritual and all else that is commonly known as learning constitute the lower knowledge. The higher is that by which the ever-existing is realized.

The Upnishad deals with the relationship between the individual soul and the Absolute Being. The soul is like the spark that is thrown out and reabsorbed by the blazing fire. The Upnishad leaves it to be inferred that it is of the same nature as the fire and does not exist apart from it.

The whole universe is a manifestation and product of that universal, formless, causeless, Being. The sun, the moon and the souls of all existing beings are parts and manifestations of that single all immanent Being. All life and all qualities, functions and activities are forms of that single energy.

From Him have come all the mountains and the seas, the rivers, the trees and plants and their life bearing essences. He who thus knows the Supreme Spirit that dwells within the heart shakes off all the knots of ignorance which bind man.

He is the whole universe. However, earth and sky, our mind and life breath are all woven into Him. All other knowledge is mere snare of words to be escaped from. He is the one and only Existence. This knowledge is the bridge leading to Immortality.

When His presence in our own bodies and His immanence in every aspect of existence is realized, all doubts, all attachments and all activities vanish. Man’s suffering lasts only until he sees the Supreme Being that dwells within himself. Distinction between good and evil drops out. He is freed from the passions and reaches the goal – becomes one with the Universal.

How can one be enabled to have a vision of the Supreme Being within oneself? He cannot be apprehended by the eyes, nor by speech nor through other senses, not even by austerities or ceremonials. Mere learning does not reveal Him. He is to be apprehended only by mind into which all the senses have been drawn in. he whose mind is pure and serene (ie, all thought is interwoven with the senses, and it is only when the mind is released from all this and is in a state of perfect freedom, tranquility and equanimity ) can by meditation attain a vision of the Indivisible – The God reveals Himself.

One has to realize that the Supreme Being is the life that lives and the light that shines in every thing. When he realizes this he loses his dependence on externals and finds bliss in himself.

Truth, penance, understanding and purity are essential requisites for this revelation within. Truth is the only pathway to God and seers pursue this to reach Him. This emphatic dependence on truth is the dominating character of the Upnishad.

Much learning or scholarly discussions, or force of intellect can not enable one to realize the spirit within. The spirit that yearns for self-realization releases itself. The yearning for realization automatically destroys other desires and attachments, and enables one to reach self-realization.

The feeble minded, who do not make earnest effort through well directed meditation and control of mind and senses, cannot hope to realize the soul; within. The will to realize and strenuous efforts are necessary. Mere austerities without devotion would not help.

Knowledge and discipline are mutually complimentary. “vedant’ explains the true nature of what we seek. ‘Yoga’, detachment and self discipline purify the mind and enables it to perceive the Truth. Those whose understanding has been thus enlightened as well as purified become one with the Universal Spirit. They join the Supreme Being and lose themselves in Him as all the rivers join and lose themselves in the great ocean.






A glimpse of Taittiriy Upnishad

Here we have valedictory exhortation by the teacher to the pupils on completion of their study of Veds, when the pupils have to end their stay with the teacher. Following are the instructions:-

Speak what is true. Never swerve from Truth and Duty. Do your duty. Study Veds daily without neglect. Refresh your memory in respect of what you have learnt. Achieve excellence.

Bring forth progeny.

Respect your ancestors, mother, father, teacher, guest and better men.

Use your understanding to distinguish the good from the blameworthy. Avoid the later. In case of doubt follow the example of pious in the neighborhood.

Give alms with faith and joy and with humility and kindness.

Food is sacred. By food we live and after death we become food for other beings. Produce plenty of food and never turn away any one who comes for food. Never speak ill of food.










Appendix

Glossary Of Words For Better Understanding Of Vedic Scriptures

Formless - Niraka

Knowledge - Gyan, Vidya

Thought - Vriti

Duality -Dwaitavad

Non-duality -Adwaitvad

Differentiation - Bhed

Sense-control - Sam

Mental-control - Dam

Contemplation - Uprathi

Self-absorption - Samadhi

I and Mine - Asmita

Desires - Rag

Passions - Dwesh

Sorrow - Shoka

Attachment -Moha

Ignorance - avidya

Merits - Punya

De-merits - Pap

Eternal - Nitya

Constant -Nirantar

Blissful nature - Anand Swarup

Faith - Shradha

Devotion - Bhakti

Meditation - Dhya

World of objects - Prakriti

Individuality - Jeev ( Living Being )

Ved - Knowledge, Vidya

Vedant - Conclusion of all Veds- the end. Vedant is but another
name for the Upnishads

Entire visible universe - Jagat

Living beings in Jagat - Jeev


Delusions - Fantasy of wrong ideas

Illusion - Misinterpret what one sees or hears

Hellunciations - One may see, hear, feel, taste or smell things that are
not there.

Vasanas - Mental impressions - desires

Pravriti - Path of action

Nivriti - Path of renunciation

Karma Yog - Path of action for self development

Gyan Yog - Path of knowledge

Yog - The term signifies means that connect lower way of
life with the higher through a technique of self
self development. Joining oneself with the Supreme

Moksh - Attain ultimate freedom from cycles of death and
birth- salvation

Sadhu - Ascetic

Sidh - Perfect one

Sadhak - seeker after perfection

Indrian - Means of perception and action

Dakhina - Ritual gifts

Bhawana - feeling, attribute

Dhyan - Meditation

Sadhana - Means of inward growth

Abhyas - Practice

Vairagya -Detachment

Chetna -Consciousness

Atma - Soul , Spirit, Jeev, Living

Prakriti - Nature ( Nirjiv- non-living)

Jap - Prayer

Tap - Penance

Tapashcharya -Austerity

Adhyayan -Study

Brahm Vidya -Eternal Reality

Eikagrata -Concentration , one pointedness

Prapati - Surrender to God

Satapya - Constancy

Samarpan - Complete dedication, total surrender

Karma - Concrete outward action performed as
Per one’s duty ( Swadharma)

Vikarma - Participation of mind and heart in one’s
actions.

Akarma - Participation of mind and heart in
unision with the body. ( Karma plus
Akarma ) – Inaction in action


Four Paths to reach the
Ultimate Goal (1) Bhakti Yog – Path of devotion
(2) Gyana Yog _ Path of knowledge
(3) Karma Yog _ Path of action
(4) Hatha Yog _ path of mysticism

Five elements of manifest world - (1) Akash (Ether)
(2) Vayu ( Air )
(3) Jal (Water)
(4) Prithivi (Earth)
(5) Agni (Fire)

Five Senses - See, Hear, Touch (Feel),Taste and Smell
( Netra, Shrotra, Twacha, Jiwha, and nasika)

Three states of mind - (1) Satwic - Pure and noble - unactivity
(2) Rajasic – Agitated, strong, passionate and ambitious -
activity
(3)Tamsic – Dull and inactive – inactivity

Man - Mind is an instrument of feelings and emotions

Budhi, Vivek ( Intellect ) - Intellect is the one which discriminates and judges
Discrimination is in two categories :-
(1) Gross Intellect ( Tikshna Budhi)—world of
objects discrimination
(2) Subtle Intellect ( Sukshma Budhi )—It discriminates between spirit and matter or transcendental and the terrestrial

Gross Body ( Sthool Sharir)

- Contains organs of perception ( Eyes, ears, nose, tongue and skin) and five organs of action ( Hands, legs, speech, genital organs and the organ of evacuation). It is the medium through which the individual contacts the outer world of objects and expresses his joys and sorrows.

Subtle Body ( Sukshma Sharir)

It constitutes of thoughts both mental ( Mind ) and intellectual. Mental contains emotions and feelings and intellect is ideas and ideals.


Casual Body ( Karan Sharir)

It controls the intellect . It is made up of ignorance of the self ( Vasana, Avidya) existing in deep sleep state of consciousness. ( Non appreciation of Reality)