The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad

Translation by Jayaram V

Ch:1.1.1 | Ch:1.1.2

The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad is one of the most important Upanishads with lot of mystic symbolism and cryptic ritual knowledge. A study of the Upanishad is significant in our understanding of the ancient wisdom of the Vedas and their relevance to human life. The Upanishad, one of the most comprehensive on the planet, provides a rare glimpse into the formative period of the Vedic tradition.

It was the time when new ideas were emerging and finding their way into the ritual and spiritual philosophies of the Vedic tradition and influencing a myriad other schools and philosophies who were trying to find a meaning and a purpose to the mysterious phenomena called life and existence. It is also one of the most comprehensive Upanishads in the Vedic literature, with over 200 verses of varying lengths. It forms part of the Satapatha Brahmana. As for the outline, the Upanishad consists of three khandas, namely Madhu-kanda, Khila-kanda and Muni-kanda. The first one deals with the nature of the Universal Self and the Individual Self. The second one with the philosophical and logical basis of the teaching and the third one with certain aspects of upasanas or methods of meditative worship. It has six chapters divided into several Brahmanas, each having one or more verses of varying lengths.

The purpose of this translation is present the historical and spiritual value of the Upanishad to our readers. I have already translated the entire Upanishad and published it as a book. From time to time, I will add translation of a few important verses from the Upaniahd to this section. Those who want to read the entire translation may please purchase the book from our book store.

Please use the following links to read the text and translation

Ch:1.1.1 | Ch:1.1.2