Professional Documents
Culture Documents
OF THE
ISHOPANISHAD,
One of the chapters of the
YAJUR VED :
SHANKAR-ACHARYA :
INCOMPREHENSIBILITY OF
AND THAT
CALCUTTA :
1816.
PREFACE.
*
I must confess how much I feel indedted to Doctor H. H.
"
*
Said to have been written by Vyas .
"
"The
vulgar look for their gods in water ; men of more
"
and others :
"
divine nature to
"
Cularnava it is written :
"
Being, who is
beyond the power of expression and
gods and goddesses,
"
slaves."
knowledge of the Supreme Being
has been there is no need to attend to
"
attained,
ceremonies prescribed by Shastras no want of a fan
"
"
"
11
lament to observe, that so far from endeavouring to
"
of well
"
"
their silence*
perceiving in their
offering."
11
Other Brahmins incessantly perform those sacrifices
11
only, seeing with the eye of divine learning, that the
of every ceremonial
"
observance."
Even
"a
householder, who acquires a livelihood honestly,
has Supreme Being, shows hospitality to
"
faith in the
"his
guests, performs sacramental rites to his fore-
11
fathers, and is in the practice of telling truth, shall
"
it said,
standing
11
unity of the Supreme Being, and direct mankind to
"
power.
Locality of habitation and a mode of existence
analogous to their own views of earthly things, are uni
of idolatry is that
"
present, as declared by
the doctrines of the Vedant, are
will clear up this point beyond all doubt ; for the Vedant
is well known as a work which inculcates only the unity
of God; but if every existing creature should be taken
for a god by the followers of the Vedant, the doctrines-
and again,
"
The Ved
has declared the Supreme Being to be mere
Morever, if we look the conduct
"
understanding." at
idolatry ;
for the believers in the godhead of Crishna,
*
Vide loth chapter of the Gita.
f Vide 23rd text of the chap, nth of the Debi-mahatmya.
Vide Rudra mahatmya in the Dan-dharam.
7
^8 PREFACE.
that
"
superstitious practices.
The Vrihadaranyaca says,
"
Again,
"
The
of the principal arguments which are alleged
last
them,
"
happiness.
INTRODUCTION.
retribution.
INTRODUCTION.
OF THE
YAJDRVED.
tion : He is
pure, perfect, omniscient, the ruler of the
respective purposes.
THE YAJUR VED. 107
* influenced by the
Prakriti (or nature) who, though insensible,
the true Being, who rules in thee. Take off that veil
i6th.
"
O thou
"
(cantinues he),
"
who nourishest
"
"light,
so that I may by thy grace behold thy most
"
in me"
1 7th. "Let
my breath," resumes he,
"
be absorbed
after death into the and
"
wide atmosphere ;
let this my
"
continues
"
1 8th. "O
illuminating fire," observing /$e,
"
to
"
saluation."*
*
This example from the Veds, of the unhappy agitation and