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The 32 brahma-vidyas of the Upanishad

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My friends,

 

Today, doing some research on the Internet, I came across the following

explication

of the 32 brahma-vidyas of the Upanishad.

 

Could someone please explain to me in what sense the word

"meditation" is used in these examples? Are these "things

to be thought on," that is, revelations of the divine nature

that we are to contemplate and adore in our love of God, or

does the mediation referred to here perhaps indicate more

yogic forms of meditation involving breathing and other

forms of bodily self-control?

 

Please forgive my ignorace in asking what may be obvious,

but even as descriptions, these "meditations" sound most

inspiring. As the Psalmist sang: "I will sing unto the

Lord as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I

have my being. My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will

be glad in the Lord."

 

With gratitude for your help,

Steve

 

The 32 brahma-vidyas of the Upanishads

The various meditations on Brahman (God, the Absolute)

taught in the Vedanta.

 

1. Sad Vidya -- Brahman as the ground of all being

Chhandogya Upanishad, VI

2. Antaraaditya Vidya -- Brahman as the Inner Controller

of the Sun

Chhandogya Upanishad, I.vi.6

3. Akasa Vidya -- Brahman as the Cosmic Ether

Chhandogya Upanishad, I.ix.1

4. Prana Vidya -- Brahman as the Vital Breath

Chhandogya Upanishad, I.xi.5

5. Paramjyoti Vidya -- Brahman as the Supreme Splendor

Chhandogya Upanishad, III.xiii.7

6. Sandilya Vidya -- Meditation as taught by Sandilya

Chhandogya Upanishad, III.xiv.7

7. Upakosala Vidya -- Meditation as taught to Upakosala

Chhandogya Upanishad, IV.x

8. Vaisvaanara Vidya -- Brahman as the Universal Being

Chhandogya Upanishad, V.xi

9. Bhuma Vidya -- Brahman as the Great One

Chhandogya Upanishad, VII

10. Satyakaama Vidya -- Meditation as taught to

Satyakaama Jaabaala

Chhandogya Upanishad, IV.iv

11. Dahara Vidya -- Brahman as the Imperceptible Ether

within the Heart

Chhandogya Upanishad, VIII

12. Madhu Vidya -- Brahman as Honey

Chhandogya Upanishad, III.i

13. Samvarga Vidya

Chhandogya Upanishad, IV.iii

14. Gayatri Vidya -- Brahman as the Holy Gayatri Mantra

Chhandogya Upanishad, III.xii

15. Panca Agni Vidya -- The Meditation of the Five Fires

Chhandogya Upanishad, V.iii to x.

16. Akshi Vidya -- Brahman as being present within the

Eye

Chhandogya Upanishad, IV.xv.1

17. Antaryaami Vidya -- Brahman as the Inner Controller

Brhadaaranyaka Upanishad, III.vii

18. Akshara Vidya -- Brahman as the Imperishable

Brhadaaranyaka Upanishad, III.viii.8

19. Jyotishaam jyotir Vidya -- Brahman as the Light of

Lights

Brhadaaranyaka Upanishad, IV.iv.16

20. Maitreyi Vidya -- Meditation as taught by Yajnavalkya

to his wife Maitreyi

Brhadaaranyaka Upanishad, II.iv

21. Sarvaantaraatmaa Vidya -- Brahman as the Inner Self

of All

Brhadaaranyaka Upanishad, III.iv

22. Anandamaya Vidya -- Brahman as the Self consisting of

Bliss

Taittiriya Upanishad, Anandavalli

23. Vaaruni Vidya -- Meditation as taught by the god

Varuna

Taittiriya Upanishad, Bhriguvalli

24. Nyaasa Vidya -- Self-surrender

Taittiriya Narayanam, 49-52

25. Paramapurusha Vidya -- Brahman as the Supreme Person

Katha Upanishad, I.iii

26. Naciketa Vidya -- Meditation with the Naciketa fire

Katha Upanishad, I.ii

27. Angushta-pramita Vidya -- Brahman as resident within

the Heart, of the size of the Thumb

Katha Upanishad, II.iv.12

28. Paryanka Vidya -- Brahman as the highest God seated

in the Supreme Abode

Kaushitaki Upanishad, I

29. Pratardana Vidya -- Meditation as taught to

Pratardana by the god Indra

Kaushitaki Upanishad, III

30. Baalaaki Vidya -- Meditation as taught to Baalaaki

Kaushitaki Upanishad, IV

31. Aksharapara Vidya -- Meditation on the Imperishable

Mundaka Upanishad, I

32. Isavasya Vidya -- Meditation as taught in the

Isavasya Upanishad

Isavasya Upanishad

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Dear Steve,

 

Vidya is method to know things as they really are. Brahma vidya is the method to know anything or everything as Brahman - The only Truth or Existence. When you know, any object or all objects known through senses and mind is an appearance of Brahman and continue to know in the same way always and all the time then you are Brahma -vidyarthi or Brahmacaari (student for Brahma vidya). Let me give you an example of how we know things and what the object really is. When you come to know a beautiful female body you know it as a female body and recognize the same as beautiful and so on. Let us see what is the content of so called female body. when you go to take food at your house or at restaurant, you are served with the food along with others including your own mother or any female member of your family or other family. When food is consumed and get digested food appears to be different in different bodies, i.e., the food that your body consumed appears as your body and the same consumed by a female body appears to be female body. As a matter of fact the consumed food is same for your body and another female body and body is nothing but food, yet, the same appears as male body in your body and female body in other female body. Now in the name of Brahma vidya what you need to do is that since you know that all bodies are nothing but food and while bodies appear to the senses as male and female, you need to know the bodies as only food in all circumstance, all times and never to know the bodies as male and female, etc., though you see them as bodies through senses, then you are a practitioner of Brahma vidya.

 

What if I see bodies as only males and females?

 

1. your are not able to recognize the immediate substratum of the bodies called food.

2. This leads to difference (bheda)

3. When you recognize bodies as bodies then you tend to have imaginary distractions (bhava vikara) such as thinking about the body and its parts as beautiful or ugly etc. then you tend to like or dislike the body depends on your determination that the particular body is beautiful or ugly respectively. Such raga (likes) and dvesha (dislikes) drive you to work towards achieving or against that resulting in suffering.

4. It is suffering that all living being do not wish to have.

 

What if you see the body through sense and recognize it as only food?

 

You will not have difference among the bodies. You will be stabilized without suffering.

 

It is just a simple example. You can further inquire into the next stage of knowing the immediate substratum of the given object for instance what is that appears as food? etc., then your difference gradually ceases though the difference still appears to the senses.

 

As you have named certain Brahma vidyas in Upanisads you need to : 1. get qualified to get into Brahma vidya by Trikarana suddhi which means while you live in the society you need to maintain equanimity of your speech, thought and action by body, or by practice of four fold qualifications mentioned by Sankaracharya, or by the practice of Patanjali Yoga as mentioned in the text Yoga Sutras, etc. 2. Find a teacher who can elaborate the Brahma vidya. Any one practice of Brahma vidya is enough for all the Brahma vidyas in the Upanisads lead to the realization of yourself as Brahman, 3. Have strong determination to be absolute bliss.

 

Brahma vidya practice is neither social, spacial, spychological nor even temporal though all these get you qualified for Brahma vidya, it is just knowing the absolute substratum of all objects which is non difference of all while your senses let you know the difference. In other wards it the knowledge of non difference between the world and Brahman that is yourself.

 

If you have asked this clarification for fun or just to know and not for practice so be it. Else, if it is for the purpose of practice then understand, adjust and sacrifice your previous ways of seeing and thinking and modify the same as Brahma vidya directs. If you have further doubts you may contact me on my e-mail. Yet I am not promising you immediate reply for my own reasons.

 

Regards

mprao

 

 

My friends,

 

Today, doing some research on the Internet, I came across the following

explication

of the 32 brahma-vidyas of the Upanishad.

 

Could someone please explain to me in what sense the word

"meditation" is used in these examples? Are these "things

to be thought on," that is, revelations of the divine nature

that we are to contemplate and adore in our love of God, or

does the mediation referred to here perhaps indicate more

yogic forms of meditation involving breathing and other

forms of bodily self-control?

 

Please forgive my ignorace in asking what may be obvious,

but even as descriptions, these "meditations" sound most

inspiring. As the Psalmist sang: "I will sing unto the

Lord as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I

have my being. My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will

be glad in the Lord."

 

With gratitude for your help,

Steve

 

The 32 brahma-vidyas of the Upanishads

The various meditations on Brahman (God, the Absolute)

taught in the Vedanta.

 

1. Sad Vidya -- Brahman as the ground of all being

Chhandogya Upanishad, VI

2. Antaraaditya Vidya -- Brahman as the Inner Controller

of the Sun

Chhandogya Upanishad, I.vi.6

3. Akasa Vidya -- Brahman as the Cosmic Ether

Chhandogya Upanishad, I.ix.1

4. Prana Vidya -- Brahman as the Vital Breath

Chhandogya Upanishad, I.xi.5

5. Paramjyoti Vidya -- Brahman as the Supreme Splendor

Chhandogya Upanishad, III.xiii.7

6. Sandilya Vidya -- Meditation as taught by Sandilya

Chhandogya Upanishad, III.xiv.7

7. Upakosala Vidya -- Meditation as taught to Upakosala

Chhandogya Upanishad, IV.x

8. Vaisvaanara Vidya -- Brahman as the Universal Being

Chhandogya Upanishad, V.xi

9. Bhuma Vidya -- Brahman as the Great One

Chhandogya Upanishad, VII

10. Satyakaama Vidya -- Meditation as taught to

Satyakaama Jaabaala

Chhandogya Upanishad, IV.iv

11. Dahara Vidya -- Brahman as the Imperceptible Ether

within the Heart

Chhandogya Upanishad, VIII

12. Madhu Vidya -- Brahman as Honey

Chhandogya Upanishad, III.i

13. Samvarga Vidya

Chhandogya Upanishad, IV.iii

14. Gayatri Vidya -- Brahman as the Holy Gayatri Mantra

Chhandogya Upanishad, III.xii

15. Panca Agni Vidya -- The Meditation of the Five Fires

Chhandogya Upanishad, V.iii to x.

16. Akshi Vidya -- Brahman as being present within the

Eye

Chhandogya Upanishad, IV.xv.1

17. Antaryaami Vidya -- Brahman as the Inner Controller

Brhadaaranyaka Upanishad, III.vii

18. Akshara Vidya -- Brahman as the Imperishable

Brhadaaranyaka Upanishad, III.viii.8

19. Jyotishaam jyotir Vidya -- Brahman as the Light of

Lights

Brhadaaranyaka Upanishad, IV.iv.16

20. Maitreyi Vidya -- Meditation as taught by Yajnavalkya

to his wife Maitreyi

Brhadaaranyaka Upanishad, II.iv

21. Sarvaantaraatmaa Vidya -- Brahman as the Inner Self

of All

Brhadaaranyaka Upanishad, III.iv

22. Anandamaya Vidya -- Brahman as the Self consisting of

Bliss

Taittiriya Upanishad, Anandavalli

23. Vaaruni Vidya -- Meditation as taught by the god

Varuna

Taittiriya Upanishad, Bhriguvalli

24. Nyaasa Vidya -- Self-surrender

Taittiriya Narayanam, 49-52

25. Paramapurusha Vidya -- Brahman as the Supreme Person

Katha Upanishad, I.iii

26. Naciketa Vidya -- Meditation with the Naciketa fire

Katha Upanishad, I.ii

27. Angushta-pramita Vidya -- Brahman as resident within

the Heart, of the size of the Thumb

Katha Upanishad, II.iv.12

28. Paryanka Vidya -- Brahman as the highest God seated

in the Supreme Abode

Kaushitaki Upanishad, I

29. Pratardana Vidya -- Meditation as taught to

Pratardana by the god Indra

Kaushitaki Upanishad, III

30. Baalaaki Vidya -- Meditation as taught to Baalaaki

Kaushitaki Upanishad, IV

31. Aksharapara Vidya -- Meditation on the Imperishable

Mundaka Upanishad, I

32. Isavasya Vidya -- Meditation as taught in the

Isavasya Upanishad

Isavasya Upanishad

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