The Essence of the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad : 1.1 Swami Krishnananda
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Tuesday, April 11, 2023. 07:00.
Introduction-1.
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In all principles which guide human life, there are two aspects known as the ‘exoteric' and the ‘esoteric'. The routine of daily life is mostly guided by what we call the exoteric principles which have a working value and a validity within the realm of human action. In this sense, we may say, the values which are called exoteric are relative, inasmuch as every activity in life is relative to circumstances.
But, this exoteric mode of living, religious or secular, is based on another principle which is known as the esoteric value of life, because there must be some rationality behind our conduct in life, whatever be that conduct—religious or otherwise. Why do we go to the temple? Why do we go to the church? Why do we worship any god? Why should there be any kind of attitude at all? This is because there is a fundamental rock-bottom of a deciding factor, though it always happens to be inside and never comes outside before the vision of the human eye. The principle of ultimate law is always invisible, though its activity can be seen in outward life. When law acts, we can see how it acts. But law, by itself, cannot be seen with the eyes. Law is a general impersonal principle. This impersonal general principle of living, which is not subject to the changes of time, and which is permanently of a standard value, is known as the esoteric principle of life. And we have, thus, the aspects of exotericism and esotericism, both in religious and secular life, which means to say, there is an internal, secret, guiding principle as well as an outward manifestation of it in every form of life.
Now, primarily, at present, we are concerned with a very important subject, the principle of life which can guide every individual, whether of the East or of the West, of the North or of the South, of today or of tomorrow, under every condition. Is there such a principle? We have in the Dharma-Shastras, or the law codes and ethical mandates, mention made of Dharmas, known as Samanya-Dharmas and Visesha-Dharmas. ‘Dharma' is a principle of behaviour and action, a law, a regulating system. And it is Samanya, general, or Visesha, particular. The general Dharma or the generally applicable principle of life is called the Samanya Dharma, but that which varies from individual to individual, from one class to another class, from one condition to another condition, etc. is the Visesha-Dharma.
The laws of life are esoteric and exoteric, even as they are general and particular. All these divisions of law and principle are manifestations of an inviolable principle, that is, the ultimate principle of life which is impossible to grasp easily, inasmuch as our intellects, our minds, our personalities are all involved under certain conditions of living. We cannot extricate ourselves from the circumstances in which we are involved.
In ancient times, masters and sages sat together in congregation, and discussed the problems of life of here and hereafter. What is life? What is this world? What is our duty? What are we expected to do, and in what way are we to behave, and so on. Is there a life beyond, or, is this life everything? Is this earth the evaluating principle of all, or is there something beyond? These questions were discussed in great detail, through centuries, right from the time of the Vedas.
We have, in India particularly, a series of records available of such discussions of ancient masters, which are given to us today in the form of what we call the Veda-Rasi or the lore of sacred wisdom, usually known as the Vedas. It is a book of wisdom, or we may call it a group of books of wisdom, records of such discussions, findings, realisations and experiences of various experts who have tried to dive into the depths of ‘being' and brought out the pearls from the ocean of existence, and proclaimed the value of it all, and the meaning of it, to everyone.
The Veda-Shastras are classified into the exoteric and the esoteric, as in the case of every religious lore.. The Vedas are, therefore, a general term for this entire group of scriptures, which discuss by a long range of development of thought, every approach to Reality possible, from the lowest to the highest. These layers of approach, recorded in the Vedas, are available to us in the groupings, today known as the Samhitas, the Brahmanas, the Aranyakas and the Upanishads. The Samhita portion of the Vedas is constituted of hymns and prayers to deities, transcendent powers, spiritual forces, which guide the embodiments in the form of created beings. They are the summonings of the soul in terms of the higher spirits which were felt to be present in the depths of contemplation and visions of various kinds.
These hymns, known as the Samhitas, in the Vedas, could be applied for two purposes—for meditation as well as for ritual. When they become instruments of meditation or contemplation, they are the contents of what are known as the Aranyakas; and when they become the guidelines for action, ritual, sacrifice and worship, they are called the Brahmanas. So, there are two developments in the Vedic thought—the Brahmanas and the Aranyakas, developed from the Samhitas, branching forth in two different directions—contemplation and action. But there was a time when the peak of experience spiritual culminated in a blend of all these, in what are known as the Upanishads. The Upanishads represent the quintessence of thought, the essence that is drawn out from the Vedic knowledge, and the honey that is sucked, as it were, from the body of knowledge—Samhitas, Brahmanas and Aranyakas—not representing conditioned life merely, but reaching the utmost of effort to discover the nature of the unconditioned Reality
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To be continued
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