The kaivala upaniṣad is a short work of 28 mantras. It’s simple style makes it a popular introductory work. For example, in the cinmayānanda study group syllabus, it is the second upaniṣad studied.
In the second mantra, brahmā tells the seeker, āśvalāyana, how to realize the self. Firstly through śraddhā, bhakti, and dhyāna.
śraddhā-bhakti-dhyāna-yogād avehi || 2
I found śankarānanda’s dīpikā interesting.
- śraddhā = āstikya-buddhiḥ
- bhaktiḥ = bhajanam, tadeka-tātparya-buddihḥ
- dhyānam = vijātīya-pratyaya-śūnya-sajātīya-pratyaya-pravāhaḥ
upaniṣad-brahma-yogī takes dhyāna as a separate step, as the final culmination.
- yogaḥ = maduktārtha-paryavasāna-dhīḥ
Both of these yogīs take this to be a culminative process, starting with basic faith in the teaching, reflecting on it, and then putting it to the test through intense sādhanā. śaṁkarānanda’s three-fold division fits in quite nicely with śravaṇa, manana and nididhiyāsana respectively.
No comments:
Post a Comment