Wk04 Wednesday, Apr 18 KaU Graphic Novel 1
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Today Olivelle s Upaniṣads Kaṭha Kena Supplemental readings: Singh (1994) Death-contemplation and contemplative living: Socrates and the Katha Upaniṣad Monday Olivelle s Upaniṣads Praśna, Māṇḍūkya, Īśāvāsya Next Week Supplemental readings: Williams, Kyle Lee. 2008. "Understanding Oṃ (Aum), Turīya, and the Three States of Consciousness in the Maṇḍūkya Upaniṣad. Jones, Richard H. 1981. "Vidyā and Avidyā in the Īśa Upaniṣad." Wednesday: Introduction to Yoga Sūtras 3
Weekend Reflections Identify & discuss philosophicals theme of interest, e.g.: Principle of Identification Ritual Om ātman Brahman Puruṣa Breath / Fire / Food Senses Death Worlds / Creation Paradoxes, etc. Existent : Non-existent :: chicken : egg Anything else? Run it by me Explore development, changes, variations, inconsistencies, etc. Ground your writing in source materials Do draw on secondary literature as needed Brahman v. Brahmā v. brahmin Brahman, neuter ultimate reality, ground of all being Brahmā, masc. creator god brāhmaṇa, m. = brahmin (Eng. eqvt.) member of highest Hindu caste Bṛāhmaṇas, texts explaining Vedic ritual 4
Kaṭha Upaniṣad Kaṭha Upaniṣad Later work of Black YV, Taittirīya Brāhmaṇa Composed last few centuries BCE, post Buddha Eastern Punjab? Slim evidence Theistic? Yogic Practices? Precursor to BG? to Sāṅkhya? Difficult text, layers 5
KaU 1: Naciketas & Death Naciketas = son of Uśan Vājaśravasa (Uddālaka Āruṇi per 1.11) Name is a play on One who does not know One who does not decay Strong ties to ritual Sarva-medha, sacrifice of everything giving barren, dry cows? Brahmin hospitality. See p. 375, n. 1-4 Human sacrifice? KaU 1, cont d Three boons (cf. Helfer, p. 360) 1. to be reconciled with father (10-11) presumption 2. Knowledge of fire-altar (12-19) 3. Knowledge of what happens to one after death (20) Death balks, then counters on 3 rd boon (21-25): Sons, grandsons, longevity Livestock, elephants, horses, wealth Great domain Prominence Divine damsels Naciketas holds firm (22, 26-29) 6
KaU 2: Death s Answer 2: wise choose the beneficial, fools the gratifying 5: blind leading the blind 7: Rarity of access. (Cf. BG 2.29) 8-9: Need for a teacher, beyond realm of reason, can t grasp by tarka, arg. 10: by fire altar gain the eternal by the eternal typo p. 236, fleeting eternal 12: gained by inner contemplation 11: foundation of the world = desire rejection of rituals 13:drawing it out Cf. KaU 6.17, ātman KaU 2: The Self 15-17: Om = brahman 18-19: Paradox, Cf. BG 2.19-20 20-22: Paradoxes 23: This self (ātman) cannot be grasped by intelligence Only by one he chooses (vṛṇute) / who is prayed to (vivṛṇute), whose body he chooses as his own. 24: Don ts 25: Devourer image 7
KaU 3: The Chariot Analogy ātman = rider body = chariot intellect = charioteer mind = reins senses = horses objects = paths 7-8: round of rebirth = saṃsāra earliest mention KaU 3.8-9: Viṣṇu s three steps 8
KaU 3, cont d 10-11: senses < sense objects < mind < intellect < immense self (ātman/mahat) < unmanifest (avyakta) < person (puruṣa) nothing higher than puruṣa avyakta =? prakr ti (Saṅkhya creative principle) 12-13: Meditation? keen vision, sharp mind curb speech & mind tranquil self KaU 3, cont d 14: The Razor s Edge Wake up! Pay attention! A razor s sharp edge is difficult to traverse. 15: no sound/touch/appearance/taste/smell, no beginning/end, undecaying, eternal when perceived, freed from the jaws of death Heart Sutra? 16-17: this chapter recited at death anniv. Ceremonies Brahman s world??! 9
KaU 4: The Self 1: Turning sight inwards introversion. See?! 2: Do not seek the stable/permanent in the unstable/impermanent. 3: Experiencer of sense objects, understanding 4: Perceives waking & sleep states 6: Masc. creative principle 7: Fem. creative principle (cf. Aditi, RV 10.72.4-5) 8-9: Ritual equivalence 10-11: Perception of diversity = death, rebirth Cf. BU 4.4.19 KaU 4, cont d 6-7, 12-13: Meditation on the heart puruṣa (person) w/in body (ātman) heat/water/breath all divinity, all living beings beyond time like fire free from smoke 14-15: Vivid images rain flowing hither/thither = one perceiving diversity pure water into pure water 10
KaU 5: What happens on death 1: 11-gated citadel 2 eyes, 2 nostrils, mouth, 2 ears, 2 excretory, navel, top of head Alt: 5 sense organs, 5 organs of action (speech, hands, feet, excretion, procreation), mind 2: = RV 4.40.5, Goose =sun, Vasu = wind, Hotṛ = fire, born of cows earth = plants, born of rocks mountains = rivers 7: Karma, rebirth. Stationary things have ātman?! 8: Puruṣa = Brahman, support of all worlds, creating all desires KaU 5, cont d 9-11: fire / wind / sun within beings = digestive / breath / vision Single self, remains distinct??? 12-13: eternal happiness (sukha), bliss peace (śānti) 15: na tatra sūryo bhāti = MuU 2.2.10, ŚU 6.14 11
KaU 6: Paradoxes 1: Upside down tree: cf. BG 15.1 4: knowledge of Brahman re-embodiment?? 7-8: sense < mind < essence (sattva) [intelligence in 3.10] < immense self (mahān ātman) < unmanifest (avyakta) < puruṣa [cf. KaU 3.10-11] KaU 6: Paradoxes, cont d 9-10,12: can t be seen by 5 senses + mind + reason 9: by heart (hr dā), insight (maṇīṣā), thought (manas) 11: Yoga definition 14-15: free of desires/knots immortal 16-17: 101 veins, one through the crown separate puruṣa like reed from sheath 12
Singh (1994) on KaU & Death-contemplation Kena Up. 13
Kena Upaniṣad 9 th chapter of Jaiminīya / Talavakāra Brāhmaṇa Sāma Veda Also known as Talavakāra Upaniṣad Known by its first word, kena, by whom 4 sections, khaṇḍas First two in verse Next two in prose Different presentation of Brahman in both halves Kena Vedic gods in 2 nd half Agni, = Jātavedas, fire Vāyu, = Mātariśvan, wind Indra, = Maghavan, king of the gods Only other female Upaniṣadic presence Umā (possibly Vāc), d. o. Himavat Explains Brahman to Indra 14
Kena 1 Q: By whom impelled / compelled is: Mind? Breath? Speech? Sight? Hearing? Cf. BU 4.4.18 A: Brahman Can t be apprehended by [faculty] By which [faculty] is apprehended First Cause 1.3cd: farther than the unknown tr. fail. Kena 2 2.2-3: Paradoxes on knowing Brahman 2: nāhaṃ manye suvedeti, no na vedeti veda ca. yo nas tad veda tad veda, no na vedeti veda ca. 3: yasyāmataṃ tasya mataṃ, mataṃ yasyanavedasaḥ. aviṇātaṃ vijānatāṃ, vijātam avijānatām. 4: Known by awakening, pratibodha By one s self, ātman [1 st of only 2 mentions] Gains immortality through knowledge, vidyā 5: Liberation? ab: When living? cd: After death? 15
Kena 3-4 Brahman personified, but still neuter gender. Each god (Agni, Vāyu, Indra) Doesn t recognize Brahman Powerless before Brahman RoS, ādeśa Divine: Ah! Like lightning, blinking Self / body, ātman: Like thought, recollection Tadvana, to be worshipped 4.8: Foundation of Upaniṣad, hidden connection: Austerity, tapas, self-control, dama, and rites?? karma, Limbs: Vedas, abode: truth 16