The Essence of the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad : 5. Swami Krishnananda.

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Thursday, 09 Nov 2023. 06:25.

Scriptures

Upanishads

The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 

2.The Absolute and the Universe-1.

Post-5.

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The First Chapter of the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad commences with the description of a symbolic meditation, the famous Asvamedha sacrifice, renowned in the Vedas and the Brahmanas. The Asvamedha sacrifice is a liturgical performance, a ritual of the Brahmana portion of the Vedas, but the Upanishad converts every activity external into an internal contemplation. So the Asvamedha sacrifice is taken here as a symbol for cosmic meditation comparing the universe to a horse and the limbs and bodily structure of the horse to the various structural patterns of the universe;—how we can mentally perform the sacrifice and conceive sacrifice as, ultimately, a contemplation of the universal harmony of things rather than lay too much emphasis on the external performance of it by means of physical objects and oblations, etc. in a literal sacrifice.

The Asvamedha sacrifice which is a visible performance from the point of view of the ritual of the Mimamsa and the Brahmana is the object of meditation, in the very beginning of the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, occurring in the Satapatha Brahmana, the most important of the Brahmanas, belonging to the Yajurveda. There is a beautiful symbology provided to us for meditation on the whole universe as the sacrifice itself—a subject that is adumbrated in the Purusha-Sukta of the Veda and certain other hymns of the Veda where God's creation is regarded as a sacrifice on His part, a Self-alienation of God Himself, as it were, by which He has become 'the other'. This is the contemplation in the beginning of the Upanishad, the creative process envisaged as a great sacrifice on the part of God. The Upanishad has some resemblance to the Purusha-Sukta, and what follows from the Purusha-Sukta and certain other Upanishads by way of deduction.

The creative process is further elaborated in the Sections which come after the description of the contemplative Asvamedha sacrifice—how, originally, it appeared as if there was nothing, there was just non-being. This is a famous concept in philosophical parlance, that originally it was a non-being 'as it were'. The words 'as it were' are very important. It is not that something comes out of nothing. Nothing can come from nothing. It is not nothingness that 'was', it is rather an imperceptibility of things. The Nasadiya Sukta of the Veda is a famous precedent to this concept in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, even as the Asvamedha sacrifice contemplation is connected with the Purusha-Sukta. Originally, it was nothing in the sense of an imperceptibility of all things, because space, time and objectivity of things were all comprehended in the bosom of what are called the 'original waters', the 'cosmic waters', a symbology which is familiar to all religious and mystical doctrines.

There was, therefore, nothing visible, because nobody was there to see things. The seer and the seen were clubbed together into a single mass of content, which could not be described in any other way except that it was imperceptible. It was imperceptible not because it was really so, but because it was not an object of the perception of anyone. Neither was it an object of the perception of anyone nor was there any chance of its being perceived by anyone, on account of the absence of subjects, and therefore absence of objects. This supreme imperceptibility was the Supreme Being Himself, who revealed Himself as this creation, gradually, in grosser and grosser forms, in various degrees of manifestation, known to us these days, in philosophy, as Ishvara, Hiranyagarbha, Virat, for instance. 

He became the supreme seer and 'consumer' of everything—to use the word of the Upanishad, Sarvasya Atta Bhavati: God became the 'eater' of all things. The word 'eater' here means the 'consumer', the 'perceiver', the 'experiencer' and the 'being' of everything. He was the Subject of everything; there was no object before Him. As He was the experiencer of all things in an identity of Himself with all things, He could not be regarded as an individual subject, and the objects could not stand outside Him; hence, He was in a position to convert everything into the Subject of experience in the sense of 'Identity of Being'. Therefore, the whole universe was like food for Himself. He is regarded as the Supreme Eater, in a symbolic language. And one who meditates thus, also becomes That, the Absolute Eater. This is how the Upanishad began.

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To be continued

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###OPINION: PEOPLE OF BHARATHAM POSITIVE:

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1. SANATANA DHARMA, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS HINDUISM IS ETERNAL, WHOLE UNIVERSE IS EXISTING IN THIS TRUTH

2.  EVER EXISTING

3.  THERE IS NO SPACE FOR ADHARMA

4. ALL DEMONIC ELEMENTS DEMOLISHED BY DHARMA

5. SO NO QUESTION EVIL ASURIC DEMONIC FRAGMENT'S BARKING, THEY WILL BE   ULTIMATELY BURNED AND DESTROYED BY NATURE.

6. PURE CONSCIOUSNESS IS DIVINE AND SUPREME, ALL OTHERS MEANINGLESS

7. NATURE IS ABOVE ALL, EVER EXISTING, ALL OTHERS MEANINGLESS.

8. THE CONTENT OF SO-CALLED HOLY BOOK IS NO HOLY AT ALL, AS IT PREACHES HATRED AND DESTRUCTION OF OTHER MANKIND, RELIGIOUS CONVERSIONS AND LIES OF UNCIVILIZED MATERIALS

9. CHRISTIANITY IS EQUALLY DEMONSTRATED CRUELTY, THE SO CALLED HOLY BOOK FULL OF LIES

10. BOTH ARE NOT RELIGIONS BUT SAMPRADAYA (ILLITERATE MAN MADE, NOT BASED ON DHARMA

11. THE CULTURE OF BHARATHAM BASED ON UPANISHADS AND FULL OF  REALISATION TEXTS ARE PRODUCED BY GREAT RISHIS OF BHARATHAM

12. IN THIS MATERIALISTIC DESTRUCTIVE MINDED UNIVERSE, NO RELIGIONS COMPARABLE OR ABOVE SANATANA DHARMA OF BHARATHAM.

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Opinion : 

1.( i.n.d.i.a.)all stupid "GHAMMANDY"union of idiots, dynasty rascals, feudalists, congress, communists, latest announcement the caste census, is dangerous and divisive Hindus politics, and Muslim Christians vote bank politics, people of Bharat awake and stop this attempt by kick these parties out of politics.( nehru of congress used this Adharma since independence followed by dynasty politics indira,rajiv,italian bahu, and now her stupid son and daughter) 

1.1. Congress, a donkey party, its so called daydreaming stupid leader Rahul Vinci, Rahul Gandi, frequent visit to foreign countries, to abuse PM of this Nation, and Sanatana Dharma -exceeded all limits this time, his party and his family to be "condemned" and kicked away from politics, people should awake and realize the danger.

2. Congress & Communists destroyed this holy Nation Sanatana Dharama; the imported stupid secularism degenerated this Nation Ancient Culture and Civilization

3. Till 2014 nation was ruled by corrupt idiots,and all regions too, Dynasty rule dominated than Nation interests.

4. Brushing away mainstream population sides and Muslims and Christians become political parties vote banks.

5. Communists openly abused our ancient culture, Upanishads, Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bhagavtham and daites.

6. The communists next donkey group, latest stunt of America visits and the comedy programmed namely Kerala sabha!? these buggers destroyed Kerala in all and joining with radical Islam soon they will be eliminated, people of Kerala get up from donkey thoughts, otherwise Kerala shrink to extinct in all way.

7. Communists are danger to our civilization, their lunatic theories disappeared throughout the world, Time has come crush them, and eliminate them from our nation, they are danger to this holy nation.

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NOTE:

1. POLITICIANS (THOSE IGNORANT AND DEMONIC NATURED) ARE NOT THE AUTHORITY TO OPEN THEIR UGLY FOUL MOUTH AND UTTER NONSENSE UPON SANATHANA DHARMAM.

2. THE NONSENSE COMMENDY ALLIANCE ARE NOT THE AUTHORITY ON SANATHA DHARMAM.

3. DK, DMK. AIADMKA AND ALL NONSENSE POLITICIANS BEWARE YOU WILL BE AUTOMATICALLY WASHED OUT SOON.

4. COMMUNISTS AND CONGRESS ARE THE ENEMY TO MANKIND DESTROY THEM.

5.ALL SANATHANA DHARMAM FOLLOWERS (WHICH EVER YOUR POLITICAL INTEREST BE: YOUR POLITICAL MINDSET) TAKE AN OATH THAT YOU STAND AGAINST ALL EVIL MINDSET AGAINST SANATHANA DHARMAM!!!

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######6. CRUSH THE ANTI NATIONAL ELEMENTS SUCH AS CONGRESS, COMMUNISTS, LEFT LIBERALS, URBAN NAXALS, TAMILNADU REGIONAL ANTI NATIONAL CUM ANTI SOCIAL POLITICAL PARTIES (DK, DMK, AIADMK, ALL SILLY SELF-APPOINTED CASTE GROUPS), NEVER ALLOW THESE BUGGERS RAISE THER VOICE/HEADS. CRUSH THEM UNDER YOUR FEET.

#######7. "CASTES ARE MAN MADE; NOT RELATED TO DHARMA" POLITICIANS ARE IDIOTS WHO TALK NONSENSE WITHOUT KNOWING THE SUBSTANCE, REGARDING VARNA: IT IS ABOUT GUNA AND PROFESSION RELATED, DIRTY POLITICANS TWISTS KNOWINGLY, BURN THESE WEEDS FROM THE SOCIETY URGENT NEED OF THE PRESENT.

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JAI HIND
JAI BHARATHAM
VANDHE MADHARAM
BHARAT MATHA KI JAI.

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