Introduction to

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
Peter Emmanuel A. Mara, AB
 The Upanishad
• Upanishad
– (etym.) “sad” – to sit down
– “Upa” – Nearby
– “ni” – devotedly
– “to sit down devotedly nearby the master”
• It is a secret teaching
– Intended for the priestly class to teach and
study
• Kinds: (Philosophical Significance)
• Isha, Kena, Katha, Prashna, Mundaka,
Mandukya, Taittiriya, Aitareya, Chandogya,
Svestasvatara, Kaushitaki, and
 Vital Concepts: Brahman and
Atman
• Brahman
– (Sanskrit) “Brihma”, “Brh” – to expand, to
burdt forth.
– Neuter
– Encompassing and Underlying reality present
in all things
– Ultimate and Divine reality pervading in the
Universe
– UNIVERSAL SELF
– Absolute and Ultimate cause of this Universe.
– OBJECTIVE REALITY
 Vital Concepts: Brahman and
Atman
• Atman
– The INNER, PARTICULAR SELF of all
beings
– Present in all living beings
– Differences are now seen (e.g. gender)
attributed to the nature of the
respective body it occupies.
– SUBJECTIVE Reality
 Brahman and Atman:
Significant Distinctions
1. B – presented as older
A – seen as the later
3. B – less intelligible
A – more significant
5. B – unknown that needs to be explained
A – the known through which the unknown
finds its explanation
7. B – the first principle so far as it is
comprehended in the universe
A – the first principle so far as it is known in
the inner self of man.
9. B – the cosmical principle of the universe
A – the psychical principle.
 Precautions
• Indian Philosophical Thought is different
from that of the Western Tradition
– They give less importance on mundane reality,
instead they gear their lives in pursuit of what
is beyond this world, the after-life.
• Their Philosophy is Religion and their Religion
is Philosophy
• “Human beings are not of this world”
• We do not belong to this world. Transience of human
existence in pursuit of the things beyond myself.
• The Indian Philosophical Attitude does not
emphasize rationality, but instead on
spirituality in search for the inner self (atman),
towards the attainment of the Highest Self,
Brahman, thereby the Union of Atman and
Brahman.
Reading Brihadaranyaka
Upanishad
Ten Themes about Brahman
1. Brahman is self (atman) and consciousness.
2. Brahman is world ground.
3. Brahman is transcendent of names forms,
transcendent of finite individuality.
4. Brahman is unitary, the oincidence of opposite,
omnipresent.
5. Brahman has non-dual self-awareness.
6. Brahman is the essence or finest part of
everything.
7. Brahman is the locus of Value, with awareness
of Brahman as the supreme personal good and
liberation from fear and evil
8. Brahman is mystically discoverable.
9. Brahman is beyond the power of thought.
 To Understand Further….
The story of “Tat Tvam asi” (That Thou
Art)
A dialogue between Uddalaka (Father) and
Svetaketu (son).

Uddalaka: “Fetch me fruit of the Nyagrodha Tree”

Svetaketu: “Here is one, sir”
Uddalaka: “Break it.”
Svetaketu: “It is broke, sir”
Uddalaka: “What do you see there?”
Svetaketu: “These seeds, infinitessimal.”
Uddalaka: “Break one.”
Svetaketu: “It is broken sir”
Uddalaka: “My son, that subtle
essence, which you do not perceive
there, of that very essence this great
Nyagrodha tree exists. Believe me
my son, that which is subtle essence,
in it all that exists has its Self. It is
the Self and thou art it.”
“Tat tvam asi, Svetaketu!”
 Brahman in Atman
• The most subtle and infinitesimal in us is our
entire essence.
• The discovery of the Absolute lies on our
search for what is in our innermost
being.
• As one goes deeper within himself into his Self
one will go to the essence of man and generally
to the essence of everything – This is Brahman.
• Whoever therefore knew his own atman, knew
the atman of the Universe; Brahman too.
• Atman – essence of all INTERNAL Reality
Brahman – transcendental unity of the world.
 “TAT TVAM ASI”
• Thus, Tat tvam asi means that “You
are to know and realize that there is
identity between your innermost
essence (atman) and the invisible
being of all things (Brahman).
 Conclusion
The Hindu thought provides us an authentic viewpoint
of the Human Person. The Hindu concept of the
Human Person is grounded primarily on his “duty” to
search for his inner Self. This way allows him to direct
himself towards the cultivation of his spirituality,
aspire for what lies beyond this world (after-life), and
most importantly, to be united with the Higher reality,
and the Universal Self, Brahman, which is invisibly
incorporated in my innermost Self. In gearing towards
one’s interiority (atman , one meets a more complex
self (Brahman), which holds the entire Universe. “I am
part of the Universe, but the Universe is also
embedded in my innerness. In the Christian sense, in
order to search for God, I need not to go anywhere.
The only thing I must do, is to go deep into myself,
God’s dwelling place.
The Hindu attitude invites us not only to emphasize
the visible presence of man in this world. But more