The ''Atma Upanishad'' ( sa, आत्मा उपनिषत्), is one of the minor Upanishadic texts of Hinduism, written in Sanskrit language. It is one of the 31 Upanishads, associated with the ''
Atharvaveda
The Atharva Veda (, ' from ' and ''veda'', meaning "knowledge") is the "knowledge storehouse of ''atharvāṇas'', the procedures for everyday life".Laurie Patton (2004), Veda and Upanishad, in ''The Hindu World'' (Editors: Sushil Mittal and G ...
''. It is classified as a Samanya (general) and Vedantic Upanishad.
The Upanishad describes three types of Self (''
atman Atman or Ātman may refer to:
Film
* ''Ātman'' (1975 film), a Japanese experimental short film directed by Toshio Matsumoto
* ''Atman'' (1997 film), a documentary film directed by Pirjo Honkasalo
People
* Pavel Atman (born 1987), Russian hand ...
''): the ''Bahya-atma'' or external self (body), the ''Antar-atma'' or inner self (individual soul) and the ''Param-atma'' or highest self (the Brahman, Purusha). The text asserts that one must meditate, during Yoga, on the highest self as one's self that is partless, spotless, changeless, desireless, indescribable, all-penetrating.
The text has also been referred to as ''Atmopanishad''.Rajendralala Mitra Notices of Sanskrit Manuscripts Government of Bengal (1871), page 56 In the Telugu language
anthology
In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs or excerpts by different authors.
In genre fiction, the term ''anthology'' typically categ ...
of 108 Upanishads of the Muktika canon, narrated by Rama to Hanuman, it is listed at number 76.
Structure
The Upanishad is a short text, structured as a mix of prose and verse poetry. It is presented as a sermon by the Vedic sage Angiras on body, mind, soul and ''Paramatma''.
Contents
The text opens with Sage Angiras stating Purusha manifests itself as three types of ''
atman Atman or Ātman may refer to:
Film
* ''Ātman'' (1975 film), a Japanese experimental short film directed by Toshio Matsumoto
* ''Atman'' (1997 film), a documentary film directed by Pirjo Honkasalo
People
* Pavel Atman (born 1987), Russian hand ...
'' (Self): ''Ajayat-Atma'' or ''Bahya-atma'' or external atman (born self, body), ''Antar-Atma'' or the internal atman (individual soul), and the '' Param-atma'' or the highest atman (Brahman, the universal soul).Michael Nagler (2007), in ''The Upanishads'' (editor: Eknath Easwaran), Blue Mountain, , pages 280, 286-287, 375
The external or outer self, states the text is composed of the anatomical organs and parts to see, perceive, act, react and procreate. The outer Self is the physical body, it is born and it perishes.
The internal self is what perceives the five
elements
Element or elements may refer to:
Science
* Chemical element, a pure substance of one type of atom
* Heating element, a device that generates heat by electrical resistance
* Orbital elements, parameters required to identify a specific orbit of ...
Akasha
Akasha or Akash (Sanskrit ' ) means space or sky or æther in traditional Indian cosmology, depending on the religion. The term has also been adopted in Western occultism and spiritualism in the late 19th century. In many modern Indo-Aryan la ...
(ether). This inner self, asserts the text, is discerned as consciousness, through activities such as perceiving the empirical world, speaking, dancing, singing, yawning; manifestations such as memory; it is the victim of ambition, likes and dislikes, anger, fear, greed, pleasure and pain, doubts and delusion. The inner self discriminates and distinguishes between philosophies such as
Nyaya
(Sanskrit: न्याय, ''nyā-yá''), literally meaning "justice", "rules", "method" or "judgment",Mimamsa,
Puranas
Purana (; sa, , '; literally meaning "ancient, old"Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature (1995 Edition), Article on Puranas, , page 915) is a vast genre of Indian literature about a wide range of topics, particularly about legends an ...
and various Dharmashastras. These abilities, the mind (''Manas'') and consciousness (''Cit'') constitute the inner self, defines the Atma Upanishad.
The highest Self is the one who is venerated by syllables of the Om, and adored in the Vedas. One mediates over this highest Self by practising yoga: breath-control, withdrawing in the mind and other yogic exercises. Like the seed of the ficus tree or
millet
Millets () are a highly varied group of small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food. Most species generally referred to as millets belong to the tribe Paniceae, but some millets al ...
cannot be comprehended by even by breaking into 100,000 parts, similarly Paramatman cannot be comprehended by breaking it into parts, as it is partless, it has no property and no quality (Guna), it is pure and is not the effect of works. It is the infinite Brahman, the Purusha that is neither born nor dies nor decays, states the text. It cannot be divided, burnt or destroyed. It has no limbs, no stains, no conflicts, no expectations and is untouched by the feelings of the sensory organs or ego. It is detached from outer self and inner self, it is all pervading, pure, changeless.
Commentary
The German Indologist
Paul Deussen
Paul Jakob Deussen (; 7 January 1845 – 6 July 1919) was a German Indologist and professor of philosophy at University of Kiel. Strongly influenced by Arthur Schopenhauer, Deussen was a friend of Friedrich Nietzsche and Swami Vivekananda. In 1 ...
states the ''Atma Upanishad'' converts the "beautiful poetic" section on the Atman in the ''
Chandogya Upanishad
The ''Chandogya Upanishad'' (Sanskrit: , IAST: ''Chāndogyopaniṣad'') is a Sanskrit text embedded in the Chandogya Brahmana of the Sama Veda of Hinduism.Patrick Olivelle (2014), ''The Early Upanishads'', Oxford University Press; , pp. 166-16 ...
'', into "most dry" scholastic description. The Upanishad explains and references hymn fragments from ancient texts, including classical Upanishads. The description of Paramatman in this text is derived from the ''Chandogya Upanishad'', the ''
Shvetashvatara Upanishad
The ''Shvetashvatara Upanishad'' ( sa, श्वेताश्वतरोपनिषद् or or , IAST: ' or ') is an ancient Sanskrit text embedded in the Yajurveda. It is listed as number 14 in the Muktika canon of 108 Upanishads. The Upa ...
'', the ''
Prashna Upanishad
The Prashnopanishad ( sa, प्रश्नोपनिषद्, ) is an ancient Sanskrit text, embedded inside Atharva Veda, ascribed to ''Pippalada'' sakha of Vedic scholars. It is a Mukhya (primary) Upanishad, and is listed as number 4 in t ...
'', the ''
Bhagavad Gita
The Bhagavad Gita (; sa, श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता, lit=The Song by God, translit=śrīmadbhagavadgītā;), often referred to as the Gita (), is a 700- verse Hindu scripture that is part of the epic ''Mahabharata'' (c ...
Yogashikha Upanishad
The ''Yogashikha Upanishad'' (Sanskrit: योगशिखा उपनिषत्, IAST: Yogaśikhā Upaniṣad) is a Sanskrit text and one of the minor Upanishads of Hinduism. It is one of twenty Yoga Upanishads in the four Vedas.
Two versi ...
'' and the ''
Maitrayaniya Upanishad
The ''Maitrayaniya Upanishad'' ( sa, मैत्रायणीय उपनिषद्, ) is an ancient Sanskrit text that is embedded inside the Yajurveda.Paul Deussen, Sixty Upanishads of the Veda, Volume 1, Motilal Banarsidass, , pages ...