KAIVALYA UPANISHAD : “The Homogeneity of Brahman” -1. Swami Chinmayananda.

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"Reflections : by Swami Gurubhaktananda : on the Series of 8 Lectures by Swami Advaitanand Ji : Acharyaji of the 15th Batch Sandeepany Vedanta Course : held at Sandeepany Sadhanalaya, Powai, Mumbai : From 23rd November – 30th November, 2012."

Adi Shankaracharya Swami Sivananda Swami Tapovanji Swami Chinmayananda

SERVE  LOVE  GIVE  PURIFY  MEDITATE  REALISE

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KAIVALYA UPANISHAD : from the Atharva Veda (26 Mantras) : “The HOMOGENEITY of Brahman”

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Wednesday, February 02, 2022. 20:00.

INTRODUCTION : (Quoted Mainly from Swami Chinmayanandaji ) : 1.

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Among the Upanishads, there is a classification of them into two categories, ‘Major’ and ‘Minor’. The Kaivalya Upanishad is a ‘Minor’ Upanishad. However this does not mean it is less important. Those Upanishads on which commentaries were written by Bhashyakara Sri Adi Shankaracharyaji were called the ‘Major’ Upanishads. That is the only difference.

This text appears in the Atharvana Veda. The word Kaivalya comes from the basic word Kevala meaning “alone” The word Kaivalya means “homogeneous”. It refers to the Oneness of the Truth spoken about. The Upanishad also belongs to the Krishna Yajur Veda’s Kevala Shakha and perhaps also owes its name due to that fact.

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About the Kaivalya Upanishad, Swami Chinmayanandaji writes:

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“Its poetic diction, systematic development of thought – at once clear, concise and scientific – make it one of the most striking minor Upanishads. There is neither the jarring note of repetition, nor cumbersome redundancy. Spun from pure philosophy, carefully corded with subjective experience, the ideas weave themselves into a vivid pattern of the attractive Reality.”

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General Remarks on the Upanishads :

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“The Upanishads are not creedal. They constitute a science – the Science of Life. We have in Upanishadic lore an array of mighty men who had enriched its contents by their dedicated investigations, contemplations and discoveries on the Sources of Life. Each Upanishad invites the student to enter into the glorious world of light, knowledge, peace and perfection.

“No blind promises are found anywhere in the Upanishads. Never do the ishis fanatically insist upon any belief. At every stage they closely observe and analyse the known, and very logically deduce the possibilities of the Unknown.”

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In general, the Vedas cover the four admissible needs of man, known as the Purusharthas – Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha. These are dealt with in three sections:

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Dharma is the foundation of the Vedic lifestyle. The Vedas cover a wide spectrum of lifestyles, but their common basis is the life of Dharma or righteousness. The remaining three Purusharthas are covered in stages in three sections making up the whole Vedas.

i) Karma Kanda: This section concerns Punar Avritti or the “coming again” or rebirth of man. In this section Kama and Artha (desire and wealth) are in focus.

ii) Upasana Kanda: This section concerns man’s journey to the heavenly worlds such as Brahmaloka, etc. Kama and Artha are still there but the devotee also has an eye on Moksha. The Upasana Kanda is like a link between Kama / Artha and Moksha

iii) Jnana Kanda: This section concerns the journey of man to the highest spiritual perfection by which he becomes one with the Supreme Brahman. It is the path to total liberation of man while still living, and deals with Moksha (liberation). It is the path taught in this text. Some Upasana is also touched upon where necessary.

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These sections are independent of each other. They can follow each other in the given order, but not necessarily so. One chooses the Kanda he is interested in according to his Goal in life. The Karma Kanda and Upasana Kanda are NOT a pre-qualification for the path Jnana Kanda. If the desire is for Liberation, the previous two Kandas are not needed.

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Next - INVOCATION (Santhi Mantram ) - As this text is from the Atharvana Veda, the appropriate invocation is the following:

To be continued ....

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