m VEDA. 



by the native dictionaries "mystery." ffantara, the great Vedinta 

 philosopher end gloasator of the Upaniahada, assumes that the 

 word bring derived from the radial tad, with the prefixes /> and 

 i, which amongst other* baa alao the sense of " destroying," literally 

 meana the >cience which diatroya erroneous ideas or ignorance. 

 Kurnpean Kholara, on the contrary, have expreaaed the belief that it 

 " meana originally the art of kitting down near a teacher, of submis- 

 ivrly listening to him" (from Ufa " below," HI " down," and tad "-to 

 ait " (for instance. Muller, ' Anc. Sanak. Lit,' p. 319). But there U a 

 strong probability that the word haa been already used by a Hindu 

 grammarian, who preceded the existence of the Upanishad works, in 

 the sense of "secret" (Ooldstucker, ' I'an'ini,' p. 141, note 164) ; and 

 ainoe thia meaning ia not incompatible with the etymology of the 

 word which may signify " entering into that which is hidden " it 

 aeema certain that at no period the Upaniahada were looked upon as 

 mere leaaona imparted to their pupils by old divines, but as the 

 mysterious science which, through bestowing real knowledge on the 

 human mind, leads to the attainment of eternal bliss. 



For such is the object of all the Upanishads ; and the knowledge 

 they intend to convey is chiefly that of the production and nature of 

 the world, of the properties of a Supreme Divinity, and of those of the 

 human soul, which they conceive to be part of it. The same object is 

 pursued, and the same views of the nature of the divine and the human 

 soul as in the Upanishads are entertained by the Vedantn philosophy. 

 We perceive therefore at once the close connection which exists between 

 the Upanishads and this orthodox system of Hindu philosophy. Their 

 difference, indeed, is merely that which separates the beginning from 

 the end of a certain kind of philosophical reasoning. In the Vedouta 

 the Hindu mind possesses a system which endeavours to deduct and to 

 connect iU ideas on the creation of the world, on the identity of the 

 absolute and individual soul. Its method would not stand the test of 

 our philosophical reasoning; but its explanations evidently aim at 

 scientific precision and shortness of expression ; and they are generally 

 free from mythological mysticism. In the Upanishads, on the con- 

 trary, there is merely the material for a system of philosophy. The 

 subject treated of by them is frequently dealt with in a desultory 

 manner ; it is intercepted by legends and allegories ; it is adapted to 

 the form of dialogues ; it abounds in repetitions and verbose phrase- 

 ology. But all these negative features of the Upani&hads must 

 be viewed in the mirror of the Hindu mind; and then we easily 

 comprehend that, accessible to the popular understanding of the 

 educated, they became the basis of that more enlightened belief 

 which at all periods of Indian history has struggled against the 

 idolatry and the gross practices produced by a misconception of 

 the sacred texts, and doubtless also by the interested motives of a 

 degenerated class of priests. 



Within the circle of the Upanishad literature several periods are 

 clearly distinguishable, though Sanskrit philology possesses no means 

 of rendering them into intelligible dates. The first is that of the 

 Arau'yaka. As the name indicates, and as it is explained by Kii' 

 in one of his criticisms on the great grammarian J'tin'ini, this class of 

 Upanishads was studied in the solitude of the forests, apparently be- 

 cause it was thought necessary that the mind should divest itself from 

 all contact with the world when meditating on the mysteries of life. 

 These Jran'yata are more immediately connected with the Brahman 'a 

 than the Upanishads properly so called. The Br'ihad-Aran'yaka, for 

 instance, ia a part itself of the S'athapatha-Brdhman'a of the White 

 Yajurveda ; the Aitareya-Aran'yaka is added to the Aitareya-Brahman'a, 

 and the Chh&ndogya-Upaniahad, as we have seen, though not bearing 

 the name of an Aranyaka, is counted amongst the Brahman 'a of the 

 Somaveda. These works combine their speculations with a consider- 

 able amount of legendary detail, in the same way as the Brahman'a them- 

 selves ; and they are held in especial respect on account of the obscure 

 allusions in which they abound. A second class is much less burdened 

 with mythological and allegorical detail ; it is brief, and addresses itself 

 more to the philosophical mind ; it comprises the greater mass of the 

 Upanishad literature, and is apparently more recent than the Aran'yaka. 

 A third and last category is marked by the tendency it has to reconcile 

 the doctrines of later sects with Vaidik theology ; Upanishads belonging 

 to it identify the universal Spirit with one or the other form of the 

 gods of the Trimurti, as it appears in sectarian belief. This latter 

 description of Upanishadii is chiefly connected with the Atharvaveda. 

 We choose as an instance of the Aran'yaka class the following passages 

 from the Aitareya Aranya : "This (world) verily was before (the 

 creation of the world) soul alone, and nothing else whatsoever active 

 (or non-active). He reflected : ' Let me create the worlds.' He created 

 these worlds, namely, the sphere of water, the sphere of the sun-beams, 

 the sphere of death, and the sphere of the waters. The sphere of 

 water lies above the heavens, the heavens are its resting place ; the 

 sphere of the sunbeams is the atmosphere; the earth the world of 

 death ; the worlds which are beneath it, are the sphere of the waters. 

 He reflected : These worlds indeed are created. Let me create the 

 protectors of the world. Taking out from the waters a being of 

 human shape, he formed him. He heated him (by the heat of hix 

 meditation). When be was thus heated, the mouth burst out as the 

 egg (of a bird), from the mouth speech, from speech fire. The 

 nostrils burst out, from the nostrils breath, from breath the win. I 

 The eyes burst out, from the eyes sight,- from the sight the nun. 



VEDA. J 



The ears burst out, from the ears hearing, from hearing the regions 



of apace, Ac He reflected : Those, worlds and protectors 



of the worlds (have been created). Let me now create food fur them. 

 He heated the waters (with the heat of his reflection). From thrm 

 when heated, a being of organised form sprung forth : the form whii-li 

 sprung forth is verily food. When created it cried (by fear), and tried 

 to flee. He (the first-born male) desired to seize it by speech, 

 he seized it by speech (all) would be satisfied by pronouncing food. 

 He desired to seize it by breath ; he could nut seize it by breathing. 

 Had he taken it by breathing (all) would be satisfied l.y -m. llmg food, 

 Ac. . . . . Of what nature is the ion! which we worship by the 

 ' this soul,' and which of the two (the universal and individu il) is the 

 soul r (Are the instruments by which objects are perceived the soul, or 

 the perceiver 1 No, not the instruments). Is it that by whi<-h the 

 soul sees form, by which it hears sound, by which it apprehends smells, 

 by which it expresses speech, by which it distinguishes what is of 

 good, and what is not of good taste ? The heart and the iuiu.1. 

 ledge about one's self, knowledge about one's power, tin- kn >u 1 

 the sixty-four sciences, the knowledge of what is practicable at 

 another time, understanding of instruction, perception, endurance of 

 pain, thinking, independence of mind, sensibility, recollection, deter- 

 mination, perseverance, desire, submission all these ore names of 

 knowledge (as an attribute of the soul in its modification as life, of the 

 inferior Brahman, not attributes of the supreme Brahman, which is of 

 no form whatsoever). This soul *is Brahman (the inferior Bruhruan), 

 this Indra, this Prajapati, this all gods and the five great elements and 

 the light .... All this is brought to existence by knowledge, is founded 

 on knowledge ; the world is brought into existence by knowledge ; 

 knowledge itself is the foundation; Brahman is knowledge." (I. 

 ' Translation of the Upan. BibL Incl.,' vol. xv. p. '28, ff.) 



In the Br'ihad-Aran'yaka it is told that Jauaka, the king of the 

 Videhas, performed a sacrifice at which many Brahmans were asset 

 The king having a great desire to know who among those Brahmaiu 

 knew beet the Vedas, tied a thousand cows in a.stable, and covered tin- 

 horns of each of them with ten pada of gold. II.- then said to the 

 pious men : " venerable Brahmans, whoever amongst you is the 

 beat knower of Brahman shall drive home these cows." The Brahmans, 

 however, did not venture to come forward. Then said Yajnavalkya 

 to his student : "Drive home those cows." But the Brahmans became 

 angry, and began to examine the sage as to his knowledge of the Veda. 

 " Then asked him Uddolaka, the son of Arun'a," the legend continues, 

 " ' Yajnavalkya,' said he, ' in the country of the Madras we abode in 

 the house of Pantchala, of the family of Kapi, for the sake of studying 

 the science of offering. His wife was possessed by a Oandh u \.i. \\ . 

 asked him (the Gandharva), ' Who art thou?' He said,' 

 the son of Atharvan'a,' He said to Patanchala, of the family of 

 and to (us) priests, ' Kapya, knowest thou that Thread by which this 

 world, and the other world, and all beings arc bound together * ' 

 Patanchala, of the family of Knpi, said, ' I do not know it, O V< n> r 

 able.' He said to Pantanchala, and to (us) priests, ' Knowest 



Kapya, that Inner Ruler who within rules this world, and tin 

 world, and all beings?' Patanchala said, 'I <1 not know this, U 

 Venerable.' He said to Patanchala, and to (us) priests, ' K 

 whoever knows the Thread aud the Inner Ruler, knows Brahman, 

 knows the worlds, knows the gods, knows the Vedas, knows the 

 elements, knows the soul, knows all.' Then (the Gandharva) said 

 (all about the Thread and the Inner Killer) to them. ' Therefore do I 

 know this. If thou, O Yajnavalkya, ignorant of the Thread and the 

 Inner Ruler, hast taken away the cows (destined for the best knower of 

 Brahman), thy head will certainly drop down.' 'I know , 

 Gautama, the Thread and the Inner Kuler.' ' Any one may say this, 



1 know, I know, but tell the manner in which thou knowest' He said, 

 ' The wind, O Gautama, is the Thread ; by the wind, as by a thread, are 

 this world, the other world, all beings bound together, Gautama. 

 Therefore, O Gautama, it is said of a dead man, that his members are 

 relaxed; for by the wind, Gautama, as by a thread, they are bound 

 together.' ' This is so, Yajnavalkya ; now explain the Inner Ruler.' 

 ' He who dwelling in the earth is within the earth, whom the earth 

 does not know, whose body is the earth, who within rules the earth, 

 is thy soul, the Inner Kulcr immortal. He who dwelling in the 

 waters U within the waters, whom the waters do not know, whose 

 body nre the waters, who within rules the waters, is thy soul, t he 

 Inner Ruler immortal. He who dwelling in the fire is within tin 



fire, Ac he who dwelling in the atmosphere, Ac he v.l, 



dwelling in the wind, &c in the heavens, Ac in the sun, 



A-c. in the regions of space, Ac. . . . . in the moon and stars, 



Ac in the ether, Ac in the darkness, Ac in the 



light, Ac. .... in all elements, Ac in the vital air, Ac 



in speech, Ac in the eye, Ac in the ear, Ac in 



the mind, Ac in the skin, Ac. .... in knowledge, Ac ; 



he who dwelling in the seed is within the seed, whom the seed does 

 not know, whose body is the seed, who from within rules the seed, is 

 thy soul the Inner Ruler immortal. Unseen, he sees ; unheard. h.- 

 hears; unminded, he minds; unknown, he knows. There is none 

 that sees. Lnt h. : there is none that hears, but he; there is none that 

 minds, but he ; there is none that knows, but he. He is thy soul 

 the Inner Ruler - imniort.il. Whatever in different from him i ) 

 able.' " (IU, vol. ii. part iii., p. 1 '''.', ff.) 



