The Upanishads | Page 4

shut from him what he felt to be profound and vital teaching.
The desire to unlock the closed doors of this ancient treasure house,
awakened at that time, led to a series of classes on the Upanishads at
The Vedanta Centre of Boston during its early days in St. Botolph
Street. The translation and commentary then given were transcribed
and, after studious revision, were published in the Centre's monthly
magazine, "The Message of the East," in 1913 and 1914.. Still further
revision has brought it to its present form.
So far as was consistent with a faithful rendering of the Sanskrit text,
the Swami throughout his translation has sought to eliminate all that
might seem obscure and confusing to the modern mind. While retaining
in remarkable measure the rhythm and archaic force of the lines, he has
tried not to sacrifice directness and simplicity of style. Where he has
been obliged to use the Sanskrit term for lack of an exact English
equivalent, he has invariably interpreted it by a familiar English word
in brackets; and everything has been done to remove the sense of
strangeness in order that the Occidental reader may not feel himself an
alien in the new regions of thought opened to him.

Even more has the Swami striven to keep the letter subordinate to the
spirit. Any Scripture is only secondarily an historical document. To
treat it as an object of mere intellectual curiosity is to cheat the world of
its deeper message. If mankind is to derive the highest benefit from a
study of it, its appeal must be primarily to the spiritual consciousness;
and one of the salient merits of the present translation lies in this, that
the translator approaches his task not only with the grave concern of the
careful scholar, but also with the profound reverence and fervor of the
true devotee.
Editor
Boston, March, 1919

Contents

Introduction Isa-Upanishad Katha-Upanishad Kena-Upanishad

Introduction

The Upanishads represent the loftiest heights of ancient Indo-Aryan
thought and culture. They form the wisdom portion or Gnana-Kanda of
the Vedas, as contrasted with the Karma-Kanda or sacrificial portion.
In each of the four great Vedas--known as Rik, Yajur, Sama and
Atharva--there is a large portion which deals predominantly with rituals
and ceremonials, and which has for its aim to show man how by the
path of right action he may prepare himself for higher attainment.
Following this in each Veda is another portion called the Upanishad,
which deals wholly with the essentials of philosophic discrimination
and ultimate spiritual vision. For this reason the Upanishads are known
as the Vedanta, that is, the end or final goal of wisdom (Veda, wisdom;
anta, end).
The name Upanishad has been variously interpreted. Many claim that it
is a compound Sanskrit word Upa-ni-shad, signifying "sitting at the feet
or in the presence of a teacher"; while according to other authorities it
means "to shatter" or "to destroy" the fetters of ignorance. Whatever
may have been the technical reason for selecting this name, it was
chosen undoubtedly to give a picture of aspiring seekers "approaching"
some wise Seer in the seclusion of an Himalayan forest, in order to

learn of him the profoundest truths regarding the cosmic universe and
God. Because these teachings were usually given in the stillness of
some distant retreat, where the noises of the world could not disturb the
tranquillity of the contemplative life, they are known also as Aranyakas,
Forest Books. Another reason for this name may be found in the fact
that they were intended especially for the Vanaprasthas (those who,
having fulfilled all their duties in the world, had retired to the forest to
devote themselves to spiritual study).
The form which the teaching naturally assumed was that of dialogue, a
form later adopted by Plato and other Greek philosophers. As nothing
was written and all instruction was transmitted orally, the Upanishads
are called Srutis, "what is heard." The term was also used in the sense
of revealed, the Upanishads being regarded as direct revelations of God;
while the Smritis, minor Scriptures "recorded through memory," were
traditional works of purely human origin. It is a significant fact that
nowhere in the Upanishads is mention made of any author or recorder.
No date for the origin of the Upanishads can be fixed, because the
written text does not limit their antiquity. The word Sruti makes that
clear to us. The teaching probably existed ages before it was set down
in any written form. The text itself bears evidence of this, because not
infrequently in a dialogue between teacher and disciple the teacher
quotes from earlier Scriptures now unknown to us. As Professor Max
Mller states in his lectures on the Vedanta Philosophy: "One feels
certain that behind all these lightning-flashes of religious and
philosophic