Upanishads - Absolute Truth

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Upanishads – Absolute Truth

Indisputably, Sruti are the roots which led Dharma to flourish, producing peace, solace and liberation to its pursuer and commanded utmost individual commitment. Upanishads, brought up the essence of non-dualistic part of it (from Advaita school of philosophy), having its own exclusive learnings and benefits. The natives of the land of its origin, inculcated its spirit as easily as it had absorbed the lessons from Smriti. The wisdoms enshrined in it came to be practiced by many and thus flourished the Guru-Shishya Parampara (Teacher-Student tradition), thanks to which we are able to have a taste of this supreme nectar.

Questions like Who am I? What am I? Why am I? have always directed humanity in search of answers bringing it face to face with certainties that were complex and seemingly contradicted the reality it existed in. Each individual at some point of time in his life is confronted by these questions of existence and finds solution either by personal pursuit/penance or absorbs one of the many answers already defined by culture, tradition and religion. More often it is the latter than the former. Upanishads on the other hand is the origin and zenith of all such philosophical quests that a man undertakes to better understand his roots.

Upanishads, as elaborated by many scholars of it, generally refers to that knowledge which is sought by sitting down near an Acharya (teacher) expounding Sruti. They are also called as Vedanta meaning that which is the conclusion of Vedas. It is highlighted by many as to be the crown of Vedas as it deals with Atmajnana (Knowledge of Self) and one’s union with Brahman (ultimate reality).

The subject knowledge of Upanishads being the knowledge of oneness with the ultimate reality, which is without a second, the study of it is considered as the final of all learnings. Many Acharyas have given commentaries on principal Upanishads in relation and support to their understanding of ultimate truth and Siddhantha (theory). The prominent of these being the ones written by Adi Shankaracharya, Madhavacharya and Ramanujacharya who were principal founder and proponent of Advaita, Dvaita and Vishishtha Advaita Siddhantha respectively. Badarayana, whose colossal work on the Upanishads in the form of Brahma-Sutras predates the work of above Acharyas’ and is of utmost significance for a student of Vedanta. The content of this is undoubtedly the pursuit of ultimate truth and brings in a methodical way of the study of Upanishads. No learning concerning Self and the ultimate truth is complete without the study of Bhagavad Gita, wherein, Lord Krishna himself gives the complete understanding of the principal tenets treasured in Upanishads in form of capsules. Together, the above three viz., Upanishads, Brahma-Sutras and Bhagavad Gita form the Prasthanathraya which paves the path for the seekers of ultimate truth.

To satiate the learner in his pursuit of the ultimate knowledge, Upanishads also presents its take on the universe and how it came into being. All of the existence, whence it came from and where it goes, the creation, the sustenance and the destruction, the whole compendium is systematically dealt with. Most of the times the nature of such information takes place in the form of a discussion between a student and his teacher.

The study of Upanishads acquaints us with the chief Mahavakyas (Power point sayings) which contains the spirit of the pursuit of Atmajnana. Tat Tvam Asi (That Thou Art), Aham Brahm Asmi (I Am That), Ayam Atma Brahman (Myself Is Brahman) and Prajnanam Brahman (Consciousness Is Brahman). These Mahavakyas in themselves are potent enough to kindle the fire within us to search for meaning of life, in its unceasing cycles of birth and death, with ephemeral happiness and sorrows, with constant conflicts and agreement, and most of all the myriad ways to understand the ultimate. Upanishads stand the test of time and shows us that the real pursuit for ultimate truth is personal and is independent of flattery. Upanishads, the pinnacle of human pursuit for Absolute truth teaches us that all of this, the universe, the comprehensible part and the incomprehensible part, the visible part and the dark part, the living part and the non-living part, is all pervaded by the same entity and that is you.

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