The Great Works of Literature Upanishads

Development of the Initial India Metaphysics Centered on the relationship between Self and Not

Self Brahman/ātman

Also very distinct in their construction of the notion of self/soul/ātman

Bṛhadāraṇyaka (Brhadaranyaka) Upanishad

Chandogya Upanishad

Bṛhadāraṇyaka UpanishadCākrāyana

Gives us a very clear, precise explanation about the relationship between Ātman/Brahman “The self within all is the self of yours” “You can’t see the seer who does the seeing….”

This also introduces us to an idea that will later be recognized as PuruśaPrakrti

Bṛhadāraṇyaka UpanishadGārgi

FemaleShe takes on

Yājñavalkya twice First wave

A stanch ontological inquiry into the nature of reality “upon what is ‘X’

woven upon?” Yājñavalkya warns her

not too press too hard She concedes

Bṛhadāraṇyaka UpanishadGārgi

Second wave A pressing ontological

assault Two questions

Yājñavalkya gives her two answers Time/Space is woven on

Brahman Consciousness

Brahman Consciousness is woven on the ‘imperishable’ Puruśa/Witness

Consciousness

Bṛhadāraṇyaka UpanishadŚākalya

This passage begins with the famous ‘how many gods are there’ question 303,303 33 6 3 2 1 and a half 1 Just their powers, no gods 33

Bṛhadāraṇyaka UpanishadŚākalya

He goes on to aggressively deconstruct several complex factors of Indian Metaphysics

Yājñavalkya answers all the questions except those regarding the nature of self Neti Neti

Chandogya UpanishadNature of Self and its relation to Brahman

Central Metaphors Clay in pottery Heart of a seed Salt in water

“Tat Tvam Asi”

Understanding the SelfThe point of Samkhya Yoga is to unify

yourself with your most inner selfThis comes from recognizing the three gunas

which make up prakrti Sattva

Clarity, light, lucidity Rajas

Passion, spice, engagement Tamas

Inertia, dullness, darkness

Understanding the SelfSo, the gunas in, for example, food, would

work like this Sattva

Water, Couscous, Salt Rajas

Peppers, Tomatoes, Sugar Tamas

Potatoes, Butter, Red Meat

Understanding the SelfThe aim of learning about the gunas

If you can identify the three components of a given event, be it mental or physical, then you can see that none of it is you It may seem like it’s your passion, but in truth it’s

just passion, and you’re watching it This becomes most clear when you ‘balance’ the

gunas, as you do in yoga Well, yoga as we think of it anyway