Apauruṣeya, the Authorless Book of Pure Truth
Upaniṣads, just by this one word–Apauruṣeya, meaning authorless, Upaniṣads is introduced to all of you.
Before explaining a book, we have to explain what it stands for and who made it stand for that. Before explaining who made it stand for that, we have to explain who wrote it.
Whenever a book is written, the truth and the personality who presents the truth, both are expressed in that book. All books are biographies of the author, because there is no book that does not have the smell, the presence of the author. The more the personal involvement, the more it becomes fiction. In any book, the more the author is present, the less the truth is presented; more his personal touch, less the reality.
History should be kept out of the minds with vested interests. Any psychological fear or greed makes the history written by the person as for-profit industry. Unfortunately, society does not recognize the psychological fears, greeds and vested interests. When somebody is physically greedy and makes billions of dollars, you recognize it. But, the damage caused to the human consciousness by the psychologically greedy people is not at all recognized by the society.
The basic things of life should be kept out of the madness of human mind. In any field, the human mind intervenes, the fear and greed of the individual is allowed to make the decision, the truth is either diluted or killed. Fear is neither socially nor legally accepted madness of humanity.
But, unfortunately, greed has become legalized madness of the humanity. Humanity should be kept out of any for-profit vested interests, especially the ideological fears and greeds. Any society that wants to live in peace and create heaven, the Satya Loka (abode of truth) of the Upaniṣadic periods, that society should understand—the way you perceive you, the way you are taught about you is from history; and the people who write your history should be out of psychological fear and greed, and vested interests. If you read the history written by the people with vested interests, and based on those informations, if you create an idea about you, you will be suffering with the same problems that the historian was suffering with. How careful you are when you eat your food, because it is going to be part of your life, that careful you should be when you eat the ideas; it means reading books, receiving informations. Your education should be completely out of non-profit, for-profit; it should be completely free. Knowledge is free. That is why the Upaniṣads are now available to you freely.
The one and only way to purify humanity and revive the Upaniṣadic civilization is—the history should be written by the people who have the pure vision. Vision influenced by people with fear and greed distorts even while they are seeing what they are seeing. And, if they pen that down and you start imbibing that in your life, you will be imbibing the same fear and greed patterns in your life. Fear and greed in food and medicine makes your body impure. Fear and greed in the history and concepts you get, makes your psychology impure. Fear and greed in religious and spiritual ideas, makes your Consciousness bound. Religion and spirituality should be completely kept out of any physical, material, psychological vested interests.
No Upaniṣadic Ṛṣi was a servant or boss of somebody; they did not have a vested interest or an ideology to maintain or an organization to be kept alive. That kept the Upaniṣadic tradition pure without any psychological or materialistic vested interests of fear and greed. If the individual influence gets into anything, its purity is reduced. The more the individual, the less it is truthful and useful to humanity. As on now, the humanity is so person-based, so individualistic, power centric.
Upaniṣads, by the very introduction, the first line, they are mystical. Upaniṣads, just by this one word—Apauruṣeya, meaning authorless, Upaniṣads is introduced to all of you. Why authorless? Because it is not touched by any vested interests. The vested interests have different levels: Material level—money. Then, the psychological level—trying to influence people as you want, to become a leader. Next, the collective psychological level—trying to keep certain ideology alive for generations and trying to influence humanity through some ideology, and keeping humanity under control and bound through certain ideology. Upaniṣads are free from all these levels of corruptions.
Corruption-free book and knowledge source in the whole Universe is Upaniṣads. No individual is involved, glorified nor do their vested interest exists.
|| apauruṣeya aprameya acintya anirvacaniya ||
Authorless. Immeasurable. Incomprehensible. Inexpressible.
Apauruṣeya. Authorless. The names of the Ṛṣis, who penned it down did not get recorded because there is no influence of the Upaniṣadic Rṣis on the thoughts, on the great truths revealed in the Upaniṣad book. That is why it is apauruṣeya. The first verse of the Brahmasūtras starts with:
अथातो ब्रह्मजिज्ञासा ।।१. १. १।।
athāto brahma jijñāsā || 1.1.1 ||
Now let us inquire into the reality.
It means, no vested interests, no theories, not even a presumption of 'In God We Trust.' After the study of the Brahmasūtra, the disciple can choose to be an atheist or theist. Such vast possibility. Knowledge should be from the Source of possibility and from the Source of freedom. What a pure inner-space of the Upaniṣadic Ṛṣis, without any vested interests even towards some ideologies, some ideas! That is why they were so alive even to update and reinvent themselves.
These spiritual truths are not influenced by any vested interests or fear and greed of those who penned it down. What purity of an ideology is maintained when the Truths are presented! The Upaniṣads are from the ultimate civilized and most sophisticated brains. If our civilization reaches the maturity in future, anywhere in few thousand years, the religion, the history, and the information broadcasting, all the three will become purely non-profit and uninfluenced by the individual's fear and greed, and ideologies. When the organizational priorities come into consideration and existence, the truths are compromised.
Retaining the purity of those teachings without the interference of our fear and greed, is the only way we can surrender our gratitude, love, respects to those great souls—Ṛṣis of the Upaniṣads, and their purity, sacrifice, and dedication. The Ṛṣis retained the purity of the Truth because that is the best way to exist, the best way to breathe, the best way to eat, to clothe, to entertain, to enjoy the pleasures of life, the best way to think, to feel; the best way to exist is—to be in the Source of Pure Truth.
In the Upaniṣadic tradition, the complete purity of religious and spiritual principles are maintained. Feel blessed that the Vedic tradition has kept the highest purity, without any material or psychological vested interests into the spiritual principles.
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chapter 3
The First and Most Authentic Books on Earth
Upaniṣads are the first books ever written on Planet Earth. When the Ṛṣis disappeared, these Universal Truths were expressed by Existence. Apauruṣeyatva, authorlessness authenticates the power of these Truths making Upaniṣads the most authentic scriptures.
In any truth, any concept, any theology, the more the person is present in that theology, the more it is useful only for him, not for the Whole, not for the humanity or the society. Less the individual is present, more the truth, the concept, the theology, the philosophy is useful for the humanity, for the Whole. The individual's influence should only be for the sake of enriching, never for the sake of establishing the person's identity.
History is always written by the people who won the wars. That is why no history is factual, 'as it happened.' Only when the author's individual vested interests, fear and greed to certain ideologies disappear, only then the history becomes factual, whole, useful for the whole Universe, the whole humanity.
History written by the people who do not have any vested interests is called Puraṇas. Puraṇas are more factual than any history written by the people with vested interests. Don't read any book where the author is heavily present. If the author has disappeared within him and he does not have any vested interests, fear or greed for an ideology, then 'read that person', not just his books. Read that person's very life! Be around him and learn, you will catch the Truth.
Even if the author wants to establish his name, there is a corruption, a reason, a vested interest, a fear or greed. Sometimes authors don't use their own name, but use some popular person's name, because they want that popular identity to protect their work. Only when the individual is absent, his personal vested interest, fear and greed disappears, dissolves, he becomes a pure channel for the Existence to sing its own Existence.
Apauruṣeyatva. Upaniṣads are Existence's songs about Its Existence. Existence's songs about Its Existence! Upaniṣads are so extraordinary that no one can claim their ownership.
Human beings from the beginning of humanity, have built so many cities all around the Planet Earth. But even after all this work, can we claim ownership for the Planet Earth? No! It is too big to claim ownership. Natural disasters and calamities are again and again Nature's legal notice to us saying, 'Just because you built so many cities, don't claim ownership.' These great Truths revealed in the Upaniṣads are too big. Just because through you, It got revealed, you cannot claim ownership. It is foolishness to claim ownership for a country because you found the sea-route for that country. Just because you have found that Earth is round, you cannot claim ownership for Earth.
The Truths revealed in these Upaniṣads are too vast, too big! Ṛṣis not only did not want to claim ownership, they did not even want to leave their name as the authors. Those few beings who raised themselves to vibrate in the very frequency of the Cosmos, the Brahman, they actually disappeared into That! When they disappeared into That, whatever Truths they received, whatever Truths expressed through them, that got recorded as Upaniṣads. Those Ṛṣis understood that only when they disappeared, these Truths were expressed. That is why they very clearly decided not to own those Truths even by claiming authorship.
For a milk-man, who runs a small gośala (cow-shed) with a few cows for his livelihood, asking him to give all the milk to pour on a deity as abhiśekam (sacred bath) is the biggest sacrifice; because that is the fruit of his whole life's effort. Same way, a writer giving up his name and authorship, without mentioning his name—Apāuruṣeyatva—is the biggest sacrifice! If you are an author, a writer, you will understand this; especially, the sacrifice of the Upaniṣadic Ṛṣis, after expressing such lofty ideas.
Any dust that digests the Upaniṣads, will sit as Mahādeva; it will become Mahādeva! Any śava (dead body) digests the Upaniṣads, it will become Śiva (eternal life)!
The strength, energy, enthusiasm, excitement, life, knowledge, bliss, intelligence, the way all these gets infused into you, Upaniṣads can make any śava into Śiva. It can make you, It can make anybody into Mahādeva, Śiva.
This very Apāuruṣeyatva, authorlessness makes Upaniṣads the most authentic scriptures. When the historian's individual vested interest disappears, history becomes truthful, factual. When the scientist's vested interest disappears, science becomes Universal and useful. There is nothing scientific about any scientific experiments. Most of the scientific researches now are aimed towards proving some ideas, concepts which are useful for the person funding the experiments and researches. The conclusion is already arrived at and then researches are conducted, without exploring the hypothesis. A real research, investigation should explore the hypothesis. When the vested interest enters, the Truth dies. Nowhere the satya (truth) is the goal. Very rarely people stumble upon the Truth. If you want the Truth, go behind the scientists who do not have anybody funding them for any vested interests.
This Apauruṣeyatva, authorlessness authenticates the power of these Truths, because the Ṛṣis are not even interested in establishing their name; forget about for-profit, non-profit interest. When you are overwhelmed by the greatness of the Truth, you will understand, you cannot own It. You will know that the Truth is much bigger than you. You are standing on the Truth, not the Truth on you.
The great Rṣis discovered that these Truths are Universal, they should not be corrupted by identifying them with any individual. Your opinions about the individuals always affect the words they utter. Some of the greatest Truths uttered by Swāmi Vivekānanda are Universal; but the moment you decide, 'he is a Hindu monk', you don't listen to him, the whole Universe does not listen to him; only Hindus listen to him. Your opinions about some people shut your listening to some of the great Truths they revealed. The Upaniṣadic Ṛṣis don't even want that kind of damage to happen to the Upaniṣads, the damage of the author's image getting super-imposed on the ideas. What a magnanimous sacrifice of these Upaniṣadic Ṛṣis!
If you tell a business man, 'Don't show your face anywhere. Just make money', he will be very happy to give up anything for money. But he won't give up money because he built his whole personality on that. Same way, a politician will give up money to be in the limelight because he built his whole life on that. An author will give up his food, sleep, money, everything, but not the authorship, because only on that, he built his whole life. But here, you have the greatest authors.
Upaniṣads are the first books ever written on Planet Earth! Here are the authors of the first book. What a maturity! Tyagarājas, the kings of sacrifice. As long as the Upaniṣadic ideas are alive, they will keep Planet Earth alive, existing. So, not only Upaniṣads are the first books ever written, Upaniṣads will also be the last books on the Earth, because only as long as these Truths survive, the Earth will go!
After the atrocities of human beings, still if this Planet Earth is left alive, it is only to keep these Upaniṣadic truths alive, because only human beings on Planet Earth have these great Truths with them. Neither the devatas, gods nor the asuras, demons, it is only the human beings who are hardwired to receive and radiate these great Truths.
Science becomes complete when the scientist gets dissolved into the Truth of the science. And Upaniṣadic Ṛṣis are the ultimate example! They are the highest perfected beings, the highest perfected Siddhas.
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chapter 4
The First and Foremost Sacred Texts
Upaniṣads are the first and foremost books in the Vedic tradition, which is the first and foremost spiritual tradition of the world. The Upaniṣadic lifestyle gave birth to six liberated thinking trends, Śad Darśanas, which in turn gave birth to innumerable Sampradāyas; Orders, Traditions, Religions.
The Vedic tradition is the first and foremost spiritual tradition on Planet Earth. Same way, Upaniṣads are the first and foremost books of the Vedic Tradition. Upaniṣads, they are the source of all the spiritual thought-trends, all the spiritual thought-currents.
In Vedic tradition, we developed six ways of liberated thinking. Liberated thinking means, the thinking style which constantly keeps you excited, enthusiastic, energetic, joyful, rejuvenating yourself, naturally intelligent, naturally aligned to the laws of life, and naturally blissful. By your very nature, you are blissful, intelligent, conscious, aware. You are hardwired to experience the peak possibility, the highest existence.
The thought-trends which awaken your highest possibilities, which make you live your highest possibilities, which make you feel fully excited, fully joyful, fully awakened, fully alive, those thought-trends, we call as liberated thinking trends.
The six systems of liberated thinking trends that the Vedic tradition developed are—Sāṅkhya, Yoga, Purva Mimāṁsā, Uttara Mimāṁsā, Nyāya, Vaiśeṣika. These are the six major liberated thinking thought-trends the Vedic tradition developed.
Sāṅkhya. By understanding the Existence, the laws with which Nature, Prakṛti is functioning and the laws with which it is associated to the Source, Consciousness; by understanding those laws and aligning yourself to it, through this having the liberated thinking, is Sāṅkhya.
Yoga. Whatever you think as you–your body and mind–tuning and aligning these two to the Existence, through this experiencing that ultimate completion, fulfillment, knowledge, joy, excitement, bliss, existence, and feeling the bliss and experiencing fulfillment, this thought-trend is called Yoga.
Purva Mimāṁsā. Through your actions, aligning with the various energies of the Cosmos and experiencing the ultimate, experiencing enlightenment, fulfillment and completion, experiencing the liberated thinking, is Purva Mimāṁsā, Karma Kānḍa.
And, just by aligning your understanding, buddhi, about you, god, and the world–Jīva, Īśvara, Jagat–and living the liberated thinking, is Uttara Mimāṁsā, Vedānta.
Just by dividing, dividing, dividing, analyzing, analyzing, analyzing, just through the logic itself, understanding and having a liberated thinking is Nyāya. Just by adding, adding, adding, including, including, including, through that experiencing the liberated thinking is Vaiśeṣika.
Sāṅkhya, Yoga, Purva Mimāṁsa, Uttara Mimāṁsa, Nyāya, Vaiśeṣika—these six liberated thinking trends, the liberated thought-currents developed by Vedic tradition, each one of them is independently complete to give you the experience of liberated thinking from A to Z.
If you are practicing Sāṅkhya, you don't need any support from Yoga or other liberated thinking trends. The Sāṅkhya is enough to take you from wherever you are to wherever you have to be. Wherever you are, It can reach out to you and take you to wherever you have to be. It is an independent, intelligent, independently sufficient thinking-trend, through which you can experience Liberated Thinking. Independent intelligence, independently capable of leading you from where you are to where you have to be. Sāṅkhya, if you are practicing, you don't need support from any other thought-trends.
Upaniṣads, Source of All Liberated Thinking Trends, Darśanas
A liberated thinking trend is what we call in Saṁskṛit as Darśana, the ability to perceive. In English, you cannot translate Darśana into philosophy. Philosophy is too poor, superficial word. I will use the new word—philosia, a new possibility to see.
Śad Darśanas, the six philosias that Vedic tradition developed, all the six are developed from Upaniṣads. Upaniṣad is the mother who gave birth, who delivered all the Śad Darśanas. Each thought-trend, each liberated thinking trend gave birth to thousands and thousands of Sampradāyas, Parampāras, Orders, which is equivalent to the word 'religion' in the west. What you understood as 'religion' in the western world, the equivalent for that word in Saṁskṛit is, Sampradāya, Order; because Sanātana Dharma, the Vedic tradition is the mother from whom the six thought-currents developed, from whom many religions are born. That is why the Vedic tradition or Hinduism cannot be framed into a small frame called 'religion.' It is too small a frame because each religion is just one set of lifestyles. The Vedic tradition, the Upaniṣadic lifestyle gave birth to six liberated thinking trends, Śad Darśanas, which in turn gave birth to innumerable Sampradāyas, Orders, Traditions, Religions.
Upaniṣads are too vast to be framed under one religion. Upaniṣad is the source of all the best thought-trends, the best liberated thinking currents—the way of existing, the way of living with such variety of choices, possibilities are expressed in Upaniṣads. Choice proves the depth, not confusion.
The glory of Veda Matā! The way She is standing for humanity, the contribution She has done to human consciousness. Anything you see in the world now, which you can appreciate, celebrate, is from Veda Matā (mother of Vedas). It is Her gift to humanity. Whether it is Mathematics, Astrology, Astronomy, Anatomy, whatever words you may use, all the thought-currents, thought-trends, anything best or good you see and hear, is
Veda Matā's gift—the gift of the thought-trends developed from Upaniṣads.
Upaniṣads are kept as the highest books in Vedic tradition. In the sacred literatures of the Vedic tradition, Upaniṣads are kept as the topmost. Non-controversial! All Sampradāyas or Orders, all Śad Darśanas—Sāṅkhya, Yoga, Nyāya, Vaiśeṣika, Uttara Mimaṁsā, Purva Mimaṁsā—all the six Liberated Thinking trends accept Upaniṣads as the ultimate book, the first and foremost book.
The religious historians have done a big mistake of classifying Upaniṣads into one frame of religion and pushing it on Vedic tradition or described as Hinduism in the modern days. If we classify the Upaniṣads as books belonging to one religion, we may disrespect the glory and possibility of the Upaniṣads. So, first of all, Upaniṣads cannot be classified. If at all they are to be classified, I will classify them as—Source of all the liberated thinking trends, Source of all the lifestyles which evolves human beings to the higher levels. As Upaniṣads are the source of all the liberated thinking trends, which evolves human beings, obviously Upaniṣads are the first and foremost sacred texts.
Upaniṣads are Existence introducing and celebrating Itself to Itself, Existence showing itself how to become Itself. Each verse in each Upaniṣad, gave birth to a liberated thinking trend which liberated countless human beings.
Upaniṣads are the first and foremost sacred texts, based on which your lifestyle should be aligned. Upaniṣads should be read, re-read, understood, digested, realized, lived, radiated, spread, and worshipped. Upaniṣads are the purest, the pristine pure Truths.
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Upaniṣad means just sitting. When you sit, the Truth is revealed. When the Ṛṣis (perfected sages), who 'see' the mantra, sat within them in Samādhi, their being started vibrating with the sacred Cosmic Truths. That expression is Upaniṣads.
The way they introduce you to you, the way they introduce the world to you, the way they introduce god to you, the way they introduce life to you, nothing can be compared to Upaniṣads; whether it is the purity of the substance they are delivering, or the poetry they are expressing, or the very sound, within which they have nicely embedded the vibrations of Kunḍalinī awakening. Upaniṣads not only have a linguistic and poetic importance, they even have a phonetic importance. The religious historians, by classifying Upaniṣads under Hinduism, have brought great respect to Hinduism. Of course, Hindus are the inheritors but we need to live It and share It with the world. It is our inheritance, but It does not belong just to us, It belongs to the whole Universe!
Upaniṣad means sitting, that's all. Just sitting. When you sit, when You sit—I am not saying when your body sits, I am saying when You sit, Truth is revealed. Upaniṣads should be taught only from the right context.
Upaniṣads! When the Ṛṣis (perfected sages) sat within them in Samādhi, their whole being started vibrating, reverberating with the sacred Truths. The Cosmos started singing and radiating through them. That expression is Upaniṣads.
That is why, in Saṃskṛit, we define a Ṛṣi as mantra-draṣtā, 'one who sees the mantra'; not 'the one who writes or listens to the mantra.' It means that when you are experiencing, even the sound will always be perceived by the eyes. If the sound is heard by the ears, you are hearing. If the sound is perceived by all five senses, you are experiencing.
So, when the sound is seen, the mantras are seen, when your eyes experience the sound, the lines you experience are called Akṣara. Our Ṛṣis experienced each sound. अ ('a'), when they experienced that sound, what was the line through which their eyes experienced that sound, that line becomes Akṣara. They were so highly evolved, so free of worries; all their survival needs were fulfilled and they were in such high space. That is the beauty!
Gaṅgā (River Ganges) is responsible for the Upaniṣads. The way She made the Ganges Valley rich! All the basic needs, everything She provided. Fortunately, there was no war and so, no need for the Ṛṣis to fight or defend for survival. All natural energies were supporting, all needs were fulfilled. That ambience, that space created such an amazing possibility for them to 'sit' within themselves, with the Cosmos, with the Universe, with the Nature. Existence has started singing about Itself through them.
The background setting of each Upaniṣad is so different, but the Truths radiated by them are all so beautifully synchronized. One reveals the truth about the Universe, one reveals the truth about the humans, one reveals the truth about the death, one reveals the truth about the life. It is like all your questions are blasted, and you are there—in the cognition of the Cosmos and the whole Cosmos is there in your cognition. Cosmic Cognition! When Cosmos is in your cognition, you are in the cognition of the Cosmos.
The Cosmic Cognition! To put a human being into Cosmic Cognition whatever understanding is required, everything is beautifully presented and repeated, and all the possible doubts that can arise are answered. That is why, Upaniṣads belong to the whole Universe. We may have It, but It belongs to the whole Universe. We may own and inherit the Upaniṣads, but It belongs to the whole world. Whoever is suffering with delusion, māyā, the illusion, should be given these Upaniṣads. We should share with them.
Every sound, every letter, every word, every line of these Upaniṣads is vibrant with a powerful cognition. Powerful cognition! Still Upaniṣads keep Bharat alive. It is Upaniṣads which are the backbone of Bharat, the concept of Bhārat. All the spiritual aspirations and realizations we have, put together, are Upaniṣads. Upaniṣads are the embodiment of billions of people's millions of years of spiritual realization.
No Commentary or Editing Possible On Upaniṣads
There is nothing left unsaid in Upaniṣads; not a single word is unnecessary. You can neither edit them nor comment on them. Commentary means something is left unexplained; you need to explain it. Editing means something extra is there which is not required. Editing is not only not possible, not permissible. Commentary is permissible but practically not possible, because there is nothing left unexplained. All bhāṣyas, commentaries, whether written by Śaṅkara, Rāmānuja, Madhvā, are the repetitions of some ideas that they wanted to highlight. Highlighting may be possible, commenting itself is not; because nothing is left unsaid in these great Upaniṣads. Commentaries on Upaniṣads are not possible. Dhārmically, it is permissible, but not possible.
Editing is neither possible nor permissible. All Ācāryas (spiritual teachers), even those who don't accept Hinduism, had the basic ethics of 'no editing.' For example, Rāmānujācārya may not accept some paragraphs in Upaniṣads, but he never did editing. Same way, Cārvākas, the materialistics may not accept some of the verses; but no editing. Even Buddhists, who accept one Upaniṣad, the Mahānirvāṇa Upaniṣad, and may not accept the other Upaniṣads; never did editing. You will find that the palm leaves of Upaniṣads maintained in any Buddhist Monastery or University are as authentic as the palm leaves from the original Hindu Monasteries. Never will there be any confusion in the original text; no editing, no manipulation, no distortion. Same way, if you see the palm leave archives of the Buddhist Sūtras in the Śaṅkara Maṭḥs (Hindu monasteries), they will be hundred percent Truth, exactly as it is! They may not accept Buddhism, but never will anyone dare to interpolate, manipulate or delete words.
In this great Hindu culture, lifestyle and tradition, even the books that you don't accept, you do not manipulate, edit or distort. What an honesty and integrity! That is unimaginable integrity and respest to Vāṇī, Sarasvatī (goddess, energy of sacred voice)! These Upaniṣads, which are the lifeline of Vedic tradition, lifeline of Hindu tradition, lifeline of Bharat are a joy even to remember.
Cosmic Cognition! When Cosmos is in your cognition, you are in the cognition of the Cosmos.