‘Upanishad’—meaning KaThopanishad.
S.B. Introduction--- saderdhatoH
vis’araNa---- vidyaa uchyate. The
word ‘Upanishad’ is derived by adding the prefixes ‘upa’ (near) and ‘ni’ (with
certainty) and the suffix ‘kvip’
to the root ‘sad’ meaning
‘ to destroy, to go to and to loosen’. By the word ‘Upanishad’
is meant the knowledge that destroys the seeds of worldly existence such
as ignorance in the case of those seekers of liberation who, after
cultivating detachment towards all enjoyments, approach (upa,sad)
this knowledge and then
deliberate on it with steadiness and certainty (ni).
Though this knowledge is the primary meaning of the word, it is used
also to denote the book that contains this knowledge, in a secondary
sense. Br.up.1.1.S.B.Introduction—saa
iyam brahmavidyaa ----upanishad uchyate. The
knowledge of Brahman is called ‘upanishad’ because it entirely
removes this relative world together with its cause from those who take
to this study; for the root ‘sad’
prefixed by ‘upa’ and ‘ni’ means that. Books also are called ‘upanishad’ as they have
the same end in view. There is no contradiction between the upanishads and the ritualistic portion (karma kanda) of the Vedas.
Br.up.2.1.20.S.B—tasmaat
na brahmaikatvam---------------------------- pramaaNaani s’rotraadivat.
Therefore the Vedaanta texts that teach the oneness of
Brahman are not antagonistic to the ritualistic portion. Nor are the
latter deprived of their scope by the former. Neither do the ritualistic
scriptures, which are based on differences such as the factors of an
action, take away the authority of the upanishads as regards the oneness
of Brahman. For the means of knowledge are exclusively powerful in their
respective spheres, just as the ear alone has the power to hear sounds
and the eye alone to see forms, etc.
The ritualistic portion of the Vedas ceases to apply only after a
person has attained Self-knowledge and has become liberated from the
cycle of birth and death. Till then it remains applicable.
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