“ Mandukya Upanishad ” ( Māndūkya Upaniṣad IAST ) is the Sanskrit text, the smallest of the eleven Upanishads of the Mukhya canon, to which the most ancient Upanishads commented on by Shankara belong. The Mandukya Upanishad is associated with the Atharva Veda , and in the canon the muktika of the 108 main Upanishads is in 6th place.
"Mandukya Upanishad" is written in prose and consists of 12 aphorisms that explain the sacred syllable " Om " and various psychological states. The significance of this Upanishad is extolled in other Vedic texts. The last of the 108 Upanishads of the canon of muktik, the Muktika Upanishad, states that the Mandukya Upanishads are enough to acquire moksha .
This Upanishad contains many Buddhist terms and expressions characteristic of Buddhism. [1] For this reason, scholars believe that it was compiled in a later period compared to other Mukhya Upanishads [2] and was heavily influenced by Mahayana Buddhism . [3] Most scholars date the Mandukya Upanishad from the 1st to 2nd century . [3]
The earliest extant commentary on the Mandukya Upanishad was written by Gaudapada . This commentary, entitled Mandukya Karika, contains the earliest systematic exposition of the advaita philosophy. When Shankara later wrote his commentary on the Mandukya Upanishad, he combined its text with the commentary of Gadapada and commented on the text of the Mandukya Kariki at the same time.
Notes
- ↑ Hajime Nakamura, Trevor Leggett, A history of early Vedānta philosophy, Part 2 . Reprint by Motilal Banarsidass , 2004 page 284.
- ↑ Hajime Nakamura, Trevor Leggett, A history of early Vedānta philosophy, Part 2 . Reprint by Motilal Banarsidass Publ., 2004 page 284.
- ↑ 1 2 Hajime Nakamura, Trevor Leggett, A history of early Vedānta philosophy, Part 2 . Reprint by Motilal Banarsidass Publ., 2004 page 286.
Literature
- Eight Upanishads. Vol.2. With the commentary of Sankaracharya, Tr. By Swami Gambhirananda. Advaita Ashrama, Calcutta, 1990.
- V. Krishnamurthy. Essentials of Hinduism. Narosa Publishing House, New Delhi. 1989
- Swami Rama. Enlightenment Without God [commentary on Mandukya Upanishad]. Himalayan International Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy, 1982.
Links
- GRETIL etext
- www.hinduwebsite.com , The Mandukya Upanishad English Translation
- Mandukya Upanishad with Gaudapada Karika