(Redirected from Brihadaranyaka)
The '''' Upanishad is one of the older, "primary" (''
mukhya'')
Upanishads. It is contained within the
Shatapatha Brahmana, and its status as an independent Upanishad may be considered a secondary extraction of a portion of the Brahmana text. This makes it one of the oldest (if not the oldest) texts of the Upanishad corpus, possibly dating to as early as the
9th century BCE. It is associated with the
Shukla Yajurveda. It figures as number 10 in the
Muktika canon of 108 Upanishads and was notably commented upon by
Adi Shankara.
Content
It is widely known for its
philosophical statements, and is ascribed to
Yajnavalkya. Its name is literally translated as "great-forest-book". It includes three sections, namely, ''Madhu Kanda'', ''Muni Kanda'' (or ''Yajnavalkya Kanda'') and ''Khila Kanda''. The Madhu Kanda explains the teachings of the basic identity of the individual and the
Atman. Muni Kanda includes the conversations between the sage Yajnavalkya and his wife,
Maitreyi. Various methods of worship and meditation are dealt in the Khila Kanda. The doctrine of "
neti neti" ("neither this, nor that") is found in this Upanishad.
Editions
★ Albrecht Weber, ''The in the Mādhyandina-Çākhā, with extracts from the commentaries of , Harisvāmin and Dvivedānga'', Berlin 1849, reprint Chowkhamba Sanskrit Ser., 96, Varanasi 1964.
★ Willem Caland, ''The in the Recension'', rev. ed. by Raghu Vira, Lahore 1926, repr. Delhi (1983)
★
TITUS online edition (based on both Weber and Caland)
Translations
★
Max Müller, Sacred Books of the East (1879)
[1]
★ R. E. Hume (1921)
[2]
★
P. Lal, (1974) ISBN 81-7595-400-0
★
Swami Nikhilananda (1987) ISBN 0-911206-14-0
[3]
★
★ Swami Madhavananda, Advaita Ashrama, 1934, 4th edition 2004
[4]
See also
★
Aranyaka
★
Sri Aurobindo, ''The Upanishads''
[5].
Sri Aurobindo Ashram,
Pondicherry. 1972.
Literature
Emile Senart , ''Brihad-Aranyaka Upanishad'', Belles Lettres (1967) ISBN 2-251-35301-1
External links
★
GRETIL etext