छान्दोग्योपनिषद्- The Chandogya-Upanisad

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About the Book The knowledge of Brahman is called Upanisad, because it completely annihilates the world, together with its cause (ignorance) with regard to such as possess this know ledge, for this is the meaning of the word sat ('to destroy', 'to go') preceded by Upani (upa, 'near, ni 'certainty'). A work which treats of the same knowledge is also called Upanisad.

The Chandogya Brahmana of the Sama Veda, whereof this Upanisad forms a part, contains ten chapters (prapathakas); of these the first two are called the Chandogya Mantra Brahmana, the rest constitute the Chandogya Upanisad.

Many students of Indian philosophy enamoured of the idea of moksa taught by it seek to achieve it by various processes, physical or mental, generally, known as Yoga. Those who do so without being fully saturated with the spirit and substance of the Upanisads merely take a leap in the dark and court certain death, spiritual as well as physical. The first requisite is proper familarity with the first principles of Advaita philosophy (Sravana); and entire love with them (Manana). Then follows that sublime state wherein the sense of separateness is being slowly forgotton. But even here noth ing but strict practice of the noble virtues and perfect altruism will be necessarily required of the student.

Preface The chronology of the Old Testament has influenced almost all the speculations of Oriental scholars in regard to the possible date of the Vedas and the Upanisads. It is very difficult to say anything with positive confidence on this subject, but this much is certain, that the Upanisads, at least the ten principal ones, are not in any way posterior to the Vedas. The argument that a philosophy like that embodied in the Upanisads cannot exist side by side with the nature-worship of the Vedas, loses its force when the Suktas of the Veda are regarded as symbolic only of those esoteric truths which were taught through the Upanisads to the select few. Symbology helps the solution of many a riddle over which philology has either sat in despair or which it has understood only to misunderstand. The history of all the great religions of the world shows, that there is nothing inconsistent in the possible existence of a sublime philosophy with the empty formalities of popular religion. And this circumstance in itself is an indirect argument against the later origin of the Vedas and the Upanisads.

Veda means knowledge, and Upanisad means both the exoteric philosophy of Brahman, the Advaita, and sittings for the discussion of that philosophy. The Upanisads are aptly called the Vedanta, the end of the Veda, that which is reserved for those who have freed themselves from the useless bonds of formal religion. The Veda consists of three parts: Mantra, Brahmana and Upanisad, including the Aranyakas.

**Contents and Sample Pages**