Ascetics and Upanishads

Sarah BinghamAlly Philyaw

Caitlin WhitenAmy Wood

Vedas

• The Vedas are scriptures that are considered to be the world’s oldest writings.

• The Vedas may date back to as early as 5000 BCE.

• There are four scriptures in the Vedas: the Rig-Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama-Veda and Atharva-Veda.

• The four Vedas were passed down orally for many years

• They were later written in Sanskrit, which is the sacred Hindu language.

• The Vedas have hymns, incantations and rituals which reflect Indian culture.

The Rig-Veda

• Tells about thirty-three gods who all came from Brahman.

• The main goddesses, Lakshmi, Sarasvati and Kali are also associated with the Rig-Veda,

• These deities are very important in Hinduism.

Lakshmi

• The Yajur Veda describes the process of sacrificial rites

• The Sama-Veda is a collection of poems used during the Sama sacrifices

• The Atharva-Veda contains many incantations and metaphysical texts

• The Atharva-Veda was written much later than the other Vedas

Upanishads

• These are the end part of the Vedas• Upanishad is a Sanskrit word meaning “sitting down

near”• They were given this name because they were only said

very rarely in private settings• This title also refers to “sitting beside” a guru, since they

mainly contain dialogues of a guru, or spiritual leader• They are deemed to contain a higher level of knowledge

since they deal with the transcendence of knowledge about oneself

• There are about 250 Upanishads at present, but the actual number is unknown since many were lost due to the secrecy of their location

• They differ from the other Vedic writings because they don’t focus on status or caste

• The Upanishads are meant to be inspiration for any person no matter their status

• The knowledge of the Upanishads is not man made

• It was realized by sages

The Atman

• The atman, or higher self, is a central part of the Upanishads’ teachings

• The atman, a persons’ soul, must return to Brahman, the universe’s soul

• A person can then realize that he is just one part of the universal soul, not a separate identity

• This is achieved through meditation and self-sacrifice

Yajnavalkya

• The most prominent author of Upanishads• Known for spiritual wisdom and power• He is the incarnation of Brahma, who is the

Hindu god of creation• Wrote a handbook on the philosophy of yoga.• Some of his many texts are: Brihadaranyaka

Upanishad, Pratijna Sutra, and Yoga-Yājñavalkya

• http://www.hinduwebsite.com/upanishads.asp

• http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/• http://www.hindupedia.com/en/Yajnavalkya