Muktikā
Muktikā (Sanskrit: मुक्तिका) refers to the Telugu-language anthology of a canon of 108 Upaniṣhads.[1] The date of composition of each is unknown, with the oldest probably from about 800 BCE.[2][3] The Principal Upanishads were composed in the 1st millennium BCE,[4] most Yoga Upanishads composed probably from the 100 BCE to 300 CE period,[5] and seven of the Sannyasa Upanishads composed before the 3rd century CE.[6][7]
Muktikā refers to the collection of 108 Upanishads available in printed form since 1883 CE in the Telugu language.[1] The canon is part of a dialogue between Rama and Hanuman dealing with the inquiry into mukti in the Muktikā Upanishad (108 in the list). The other collections of Upanishads include Oupanekhat, a Persian language anthology of 50 Upanishads; the Colebrooke Collection of 52 Upanishads, and the 52 Upanishad Collection of Nārāyana.[8]
The canon
The canon is part of a dialogue between Lord Rama and Hanuman. Rama proposes to teach Vedanta, saying "Even by reading one verse of them [any Upanishad] with devotion, one gets the status of union with me, which is hard to get even by sages." Hanuman inquires about the different kinds of "liberation" (or mukti, hence the name of the Upanishad), to which Lord Rama answers, "The only real type [of liberation] is Kaivalya."[9]
The list of 108 Upanishads is introduced in verses 26-29:[9]
But by what means does one attain the Kaivalya kind of Moksha? The Mandukya [Upanishad] is enough; if knowledge is not attained from it, then study the Ten Upanishads. Attaining knowledge very quickly, you will reach my abode. If certainty is not attained even then, study the 32 Upanishads and stop. If desiring Moksha without the body, read the 108 Upanishads. Hear their order.
Most scholars list ten upanishads as principal, or the Mukhya Upanishads, while some consider eleven, twelve or thirteen as principal, or the most important Upanishads (highlighted).[10][11][12]
The list of 108 names is given in verses 30–39. They are as follows:
- Isha Upanishad
- Kena Upanishad
- Katha Upanishad
- Prashna Upanishad
- Mundaka Upanishad
- Mandukya Upanishad
- Taittiriya Upanishad
- Aitareya Upanishad
- Chandogya Upanishad
- Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
- Brahma Upanishad
- Kaivalya Upanishad
- Jabala Upanishad
- Shvetashvatara Upanishad
- Hamsopanishad
- Aruneya Upanishad
- Garbhopanishad
- Narayanopanishad
- Paramahamsopanishad
- Amritabindu Upanishad
- Amritanada Upanishad
- Atharvashiras Upanishad
- Atharvashikha Upanishad
- Maitrayaniya Upanishad
- Kaushitaki Upanishad
- Brihajjabala Upanishad
- Nrisimha Tapaniya Upanishad
- Kalagni Rudra Upanishad
- Maitreya Upanishad
- Subala Upanishad
- Kshurika Upanishad
- Mantrika Upanishad
- Sarvasara Upanishad
- Niralamba Upanishad
- Shukarahasya Upanishad
- Vajrasuchi Upanishad
- Tejobindu Upanishad
- Nada Bindu Upanishad
- Dhyanabindu Upanishad
- Brahmavidya Upanishad
- Yogatattva Upanishad
- Atmabodha Upanishad
- Naradaparivrajaka Upanishad
- Trishikhibrahmana Upanishad
- Sita Upanishad
- Yogachudamani Upanishad
- Nirvana Upanishad
- Mandala-brahmana Upanishad
- Dakshinamurti Upanishad
- Sharabha Upanishad
- Skanda Upanishad
- Mahanarayana Upanishad
- Advayataraka Upanishad
- Rama Rahasya Upanishad
- Rama tapaniya Upanishad
- Vasudeva Upanishad
- Mudgala Upanishad
- Shandilya Upanishad
- Paingala Upanishad
- Bhikshuka Upanishad
- Maha Upanishad
- Sariraka Upanishad
- Yogashikha Upanishad
- Turiyatitavadhuta Upanishad
- Brihat-Sannyasa Upanishad
- Paramahamsa Parivrajaka Upanishad
- Malika Upanishad
- Avyakta Upanishad
- Ekakshara Upanishad
- Annapurna Upanishad
- Surya Upanishad
- Akshi Upanishad
- Adhyatma Upanishad
- Kundika Upanishad
- Savitri Upanishad
- Atma Upanishad
- Pashupatabrahma Upanishad
- Parabrahma Upanishad
- Avadhuta Upanishad
- Tripuratapini Upanishad
- Devi Upanishad
- Tripura Upanishad
- Kathashruti Upanishad
- Bhavana Upanishad
- Rudrahridaya Upanishad
- Yoga-Kundalini Upanishad
- Bhasma Upanishad
- Rudraksha Upanishad
- Ganapati Upanishad
- Darshana Upanishad
- Tarasara Upanishad
- Mahavakya Upanishad
- Pancabrahma Upanishad
- Pranagnihotra Upanishad
- Gopala Tapani Upanishad
- Krishna Upanishad
- Yajnavalkya Upanishad
- Varaha Upanishad
- Shatyayaniya Upanishad
- Hayagriva Upanishad
- Dattatreya Upanishad
- Garuda Upanishad
- Kali-Santarana Upanishad
- Jabali Upanishad
- Saubhagyalakshmi Upanishad
- Sarasvati-rahasya Upanishad
- Bahvricha Upanishad
- Muktikā Upanishad (this text)
Transmission
Almost all printed editions of ancient Vedas and Upanishads depend on the late manuscripts that are hardly older than 500 years, not on the still-extant and superior oral tradition.[13] Michael Witzel explains this oral tradition as follows:
The Vedic texts were orally composed and transmitted, without the use of script, in an unbroken line of transmission from teacher to student that was formalized early on. This ensured an impeccable textual transmission superior to the classical texts of other cultures; it is, in fact, something like a tape-recording.... Not just the actual words, but even the long-lost musical (tonal) accent (as in old Greek or in Japanese) has been preserved up to the present.[14]
Categories
In this canon,
- 10 upaniṣads are associated with the Rigveda and have the śānti beginning vaṇme-manasi.
- 16 upaniṣads are associated with the Samaveda and have the śānti beginning āpyāyantu.
- 19 upaniṣads are associated with the Shukla Yajurveda and have the śānti beginning pūrṇamada.
- 32 upaniṣads are associated with the Krishna Yajurveda and have the śānti beginning sahanāvavatu.
- 31 upaniṣads are associated with the Atharvaveda and have the śānti beginning bhadram-karṇebhiḥ.
The first 13 are grouped as mukhya ("principal"), and 21 are grouped as Sāmānya Vedānta ("common Vedanta"). The remainder are associated with five different schools or sects within Hinduism, 20 with Sannyāsa (asceticism), 8 with Shaktism, 14 with Vaishnavism, 12 with Shaivism and 20 with Yoga.
| Shukla Yajurveda | Krishna Yajurveda | Atharvaveda | Samaveda | Ṛgveda | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mukhya;[12] these form the core of ancient texts, predating classical Hinduism; they span the 1st millennium BCE and reflect the emergence of Vedanta from Vedic religion. | |||||
| Sāmānya; These are general Upanishads, and do not focus on any specific post-classical Hindu tradition. Some are referred to as Vedantic Upanishads.[15] |
| ||||
| Sannyāsa[16] These are Upanishads that focus on renunciation-related themes and the life of a sannyasi (monk) |
| ||||
| Śākta These are Upanishads that focus on goddess Devi-related themes | |||||
| Vaiṣṇava These are Upanishads that focus on god Vishnu-related themes |
| ||||
| Śaiva These are Upanishads that focus on god Shiva-related themes | Atharvashiras | ||||
| Yoga[17] These are Upanishads that focus on Yoga-related themes |
|
References
- ^ a b Deussen, Paul (1 January 1997). Sixty Upanishads of the Veda. Motilal Banarsidass. p. 558. ISBN 978-81-208-1467-7.
- ^ Patrick Olivelle (1998), Upaniṣhads. Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0199540259, see Introduction
- ^ Gudrun Buhnemann (1996), Review: The Secret of the Three Cities: An Introduction to Hindu Śakta Tantrism, Journal of the American Oriental Society, Volume 116, Number 3, page 606
- ^ Stephen Phillips (2009), Yoga, Karma, and Rebirth: A Brief History and Philosophy, Columbia University Press, ISBN 978-0231144858, Chapter 1, pages 28-30
- ^ Gavin Flood (1996), An Introduction to Hinduism, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 978-0521438780, page 96
- ^ Gavin Flood (1996), An Introduction to Hinduism, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 978-0521438780, page 91
- ^ Patrick Olivelle (1992), The Samnyasa Upanisads, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0195070453, pages 5, 8-9
- ^ Deussen, Paul (1 January 1997). Sixty Upanishads of the Veda. Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 556–565. ISBN 978-81-208-1467-7.
- ^ a b "Samadhi - 8 Limbs of Yoga". United We Care. June 29, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Robert C Neville (2000), Ultimate Realities, SUNY Press, ISBN 978-0791447765, page 319
- ^ Stephen Phillips (2009), Yoga, Karma, and Rebirth: A Brief History and Philosophy, Columbia University Press, ISBN 978-0231144858, pages 28-29
- ^ a b Peter Heehs (2002), Indian Religions, New York University Press, ISBN 978-0814736500, pages 60-88
- ^ Quotation of "... almost all printed editions depend on the late manuscripts that are hardly older than 500 years, not on the still extant and superior oral tradition" is from: Witzel, M., "Vedas and Upaniṣads", in: Flood 2003, p. 69.
- ^ For the quotation comparing recital to a "tape-recording" see: Witzel, M., "Vedas and Upaniṣads", in: Flood 2003, pp. 68–69.
- ^ Deussen, Paul (1997). Sixty Upanishads of the Veda. Motilal Banarsidass. p. 567. ISBN 978-81-208-1467-7.
- ^ Patrick Olivelle (1992), The Samnyasa Upanisads, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0195070453, pages x-xi, 5
- ^ The Yoga Upanishads SS Sastri, Adyar Library
- Muktika Upanishad, Translated by Dr. A. G. Krishna Warrier, Published by The Theosophical Publishing House, Chennai,[year needed]
- Flood, Gavin, ed. (2003), The Blackwell Companion to Hinduism, Blackwell Publishing Ltd., ISBN 1-4051-3251-5
External links
- Muktika Upanishad - Translated by: Dr. A. G. Krishna Warrier The Theosophical Publishing House, Chennai
- 108 Upanishads of the Muktika