Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (बृहदारण्यकोपनिषत्)

Description

बृहदारण्यकोपनिषत् (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad) The Brhadaranyaka contains mainly the teachings of Yajñavalkya. Vidyaranya points out that the teacher of sacrifice is yajñavalka (p. 11) and his son is yajañavalkya. Thus he suggests that the knowledge contained here can be fruitful only if one has gone through the virtuous life first. In various passages in the Satapatha Brahmaņa and even in the Upanişad it can be clearly seen that Yajñavalkya is quite an authority in religious matters including Sacrifices. Most of the meditations in the Upaniṣads are based on details of sacrifies and one not well versed in the sacrificial lore cannot benifit by them. But the main topic in this text is the knowledge of the Supreme (pg. 15).

There are three parts in the present Upanisad. The first ‘Madhu’-part deals with the topic in a direct way. In this part the Veda gives in a nutshell all that is needed to know Brahman. The second ‘Muni’-part deals with the same logically and rationally. Many points of views and questions are raised and solutions offered to clinch the issues. The last part is an appendix to the whole Śatapatha. It deals with certain topics of the Upanisad which could not be dealt with in the main body, and also certian rituals connected with procreation, naming, etc., which were left out in the text prior to the Upanisad. It is in this part that the famous verse ‘purņamadah purnamidam’ etc. (पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदम्) occurs which is the crest jewel of the crown of the Upaniṣads. Vidyaranya points out (page 22) in the commentary on the Satapatha Brahmana that a person who only utilises the worldly objects for his own comfort does not realise that he is digging his own grave.