Upasana
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Upasana (
Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
: उपासना ') literally means "worship" and "sitting near, attend to". The term also refers to one of three ' (, parts) of
Veda FIle:Atharva-Veda samhita page 471 illustration.png, upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the ''Atharvaveda''. The Vedas (, , ) are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Co ...
s, one that focuses on worship. The other two parts of Vedas are called
Aranyaka The Aranyakas (; sa, आरण्यक; IAST: ' ) are the part of the ancient Indian Vedas concerned with the meaning of ritual sacrifice. They typically represent the later sections of the Vedas, and are one of many layers of the Vedic texts. ...
s and
Upanishad The Upanishads (; sa, उपनिषद् ) are late Vedic Sanskrit texts that supplied the basis of later Hindu philosophy.Wendy Doniger (1990), ''Textual Sources for the Study of Hinduism'', 1st Edition, University of Chicago Press, , ...
s, sometimes identified as ' (, ritualistic sacrifice section) and ' (, knowledge, spirituality section).A Bhattacharya (2006), Hindu Dharma: Introduction to Scriptures and Theology, , pages 8-14 Vedic literature, including ''Upasana Karunakar'', is however, neither homogeneous in content nor in structure. Multiple classifications have been proposed. For example, the early part of Vedas with mantras and prayers called
Samhita Saṃhitā literally means "put together, joined, union", a "collection", and "a methodically, rule-based combination of text or verses".Brahmana The Brahmanas (; Sanskrit: , ''Brāhmaṇam'') are Vedic śruti works attached to the Samhitas (hymns and mantras) of the Rig, Sama, Yajur, and Atharva Vedas. They are a secondary layer or classification of Sanskrit texts embedded within ea ...
s together are identified as the ceremonial ', while rituals and metaphoric-rituals part called ''Aranyakas'' and knowledge/spirituality part ''Upanishads'' are referred to as the '.


Etymology

The root of the Sanskrit word ''Upasana'' is ''up'' and ''asana'' (from ''as''), which means "to sit close to someone, waiting on someone with reverence". Oldenberg explained ''Upasana'' from its root ''Upās-'', in German as ''Verehren'', or "to worship, adore, revere", with the clarification that in Vedic texts this adoration and reverence is at formless things, such as Absolute Self, the Holy, the ''Atman'' (Soul) Principle. These texts offer the concept of ''Upasana'' to distinguish meditative reverence for an internalized and intellectual concept from earlier forms of physical worship, actual sacrifices and offerings to Vedic deities. Schayer offered a different perspective, stating ''Upasana'' in Vedic context is more closer to the German word ''Umwerben'' or ''Bedrängen'', or courting and pressing on metaphysical Soul, the Absolute Self (the
Brahman In Hinduism, ''Brahman'' ( sa, ब्रह्मन्) connotes the highest universal principle, the ultimate reality in the universe.P. T. Raju (2006), ''Idealistic Thought of India'', Routledge, , page 426 and Conclusion chapter part X ...
) with hopes and petitions. Schayer further states that ''Upasana'' was a psychological act as well as a procedure, which etymologically was further developed by Renou. The concept of ''Upasana'' developed a large tradition in
Vedanta ''Vedanta'' (; sa, वेदान्त, ), also ''Uttara Mīmāṃsā'', is one of the six (''āstika'') schools of Hindu philosophy. Literally meaning "end of the Vedas", Vedanta reflects ideas that emerged from, or were aligned with, t ...
era. It flowered into the meaning of an intense kind of systematic meditation.
Adi Shankara Adi Shankara ("first Shankara," to distinguish him from other Shankaras)(8th cent. CE), also called Adi Shankaracharya ( sa, आदि शङ्कर, आदि शङ्कराचार्य, Ādi Śaṅkarācāryaḥ, lit=First Shanka ...
described ''Upasana'' as that meditation "about someone or something, consisting of continuous succession of comparable basic concepts, without interspersing it with dissimilar concepts, that proceeds according to the scriptures and on idea enjoined in the scriptures".Klaus Witz (1998), The Supreme Wisdom of the Upaniṣads: An Introduction, Motilal Banarsidass, , page 198-199 It is a state of concentration where "whatever is meditated upon" is completely identified, absorbed with self, and unified with as one identifies self consciousness with one's body. The two become one, "you are that". The "someone or something" in ''Upasana'' can be a symbolic deity or an abstract concept, states Shankara. In case of deity, ''Upasana'' is being one with god, which manifests as "be a god", and by "being a god, he attains the god."


Discussion

In one contemporary context, ''Upasana'' means methods of worship (''
Bhakti ''Bhakti'' ( sa, भक्ति) literally means "attachment, participation, fondness for, homage, faith, love, devotion, worship, purity".See Monier-Williams, ''Sanskrit Dictionary'', 1899. It was originally used in Hinduism, referring to d ...
''), usually of meditative kind. Werner translates it as "meditation", while Murty translates it as " steadfastness of mind in the thing meditated upon". ''Upasana'' is also sometimes referred to as '' Puja''. However, a formal ''Puja'' is just one type of worship in Indian philosophy.
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 ...
translates ''upasana'' as "meditation" and "worship", depending on the context. In other contexts, ''Upasana'' refers to a part of the Vedic era texts relating to worship or meditation. The first parts of Vedas, composed the earliest, relate to sacrificial rituals. The second parts are ''Upasana''-kanda, and the last parts relate to abstract philosophy and spirituality which are popularly called the Upanishads. In some cases, the Upasana chapters are embedded inside the ''Aranyakas''. For example, in Rig Veda, first five of its books are called ''Aitareya Aranyaka''. The 2nd and 3rd books are theosophical, and the first three sections of the 2nd book is called ''Prana Upasana'' (literally meaning, "worship of the vital energy"). The last three sections of the 2nd book constitutes the
Aitareya Upanishad The Aitareya Upanishad (Sanskrit: ऐतरेय उपनिषद् IAST ') is a Mukhya Upanishad, associated with the Rigveda. It comprises the fourth, fifth and sixth chapters of the second book of Aitareya Aranyaka, which is one of the f ...
. The 3rd book of Rig Veda refers to ''Samhita Upasana'' (literally meaning, "unified form of worship"). Rig Veda has many books, and it includes many more Upasanas and
Upanishad The Upanishads (; sa, उपनिषद् ) are late Vedic Sanskrit texts that supplied the basis of later Hindu philosophy.Wendy Doniger (1990), ''Textual Sources for the Study of Hinduism'', 1st Edition, University of Chicago Press, , ...
s. Other Vedas follow a similar structure where they offer sections on rituals and action (Aranyakas), worship and deity oriented ''bhakti'' (Upasanas), as well as philosophical and abstract spirituality sections (Upanishads). Edward Crangle, in his review, states that ''Upasana'' in Vedic text initially developed as a form of "substitute sacrifice", where symbolic meditation of the ''Aranyakas'' practice, instead of actual sacrifice ritual, offered a means to gain the same merit without the sacrifice. Over time, this idea shifted from meditating about the ritual, to internalization and meditation of the ideas and concepts associated. This may have marked a key evolution in Vedic era, one from ritual sacrifices to one contemplating spiritual ideas. In the
Veda FIle:Atharva-Veda samhita page 471 illustration.png, upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the ''Atharvaveda''. The Vedas (, , ) are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Co ...
s, some Upasanas are prescribed method of worship for pleasing and winning the attention of the deity or it can be a deity-less practice of austerities involving meditating upon some aspect of nature as told in specific Vedic Upasanas.
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 ...
are another source for ''upasana'' procedures. Sri
Chandrashekarendra Saraswati Jagadguru Shri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati Mahaswamigal (born Swaminathan Sharma; 20 May 1894 – 8 January 1994) also known as the Sage of Kanchi or Mahaperiyavar (meaning, "The great elder") was the 68th Jagadguru Shankaracharya of the Kanc ...
, the 68th Jagadguru Shankaracharya of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham states "Upaasana is dhyaana or concentration of meditation. A form is required for concentration. Reality is always the same and changeless. God, as the Ultimate Reality, is Formless. But Upasana of a Form is done with a purpose, namely, the attainment of a given benefit. The purpose to be attained by worshipping or concentrating on a Form differs. The scriptures tell you how to meditate and on what all Forms and with what results. For Upasana, you have to follow the Sastras or Scriptures. The different upasanas are all aids in the path to the ultimate goal, namely, understanding Reality. Scriptures prescribe Upaasana in order to train the mind to concentrate. Upasana is the affair of the individual; there is nothing collective about it".https://www.kamakoti.org/miscl/divine50b.html


See also

*
Aranyaka The Aranyakas (; sa, आरण्यक; IAST: ' ) are the part of the ancient Indian Vedas concerned with the meaning of ritual sacrifice. They typically represent the later sections of the Vedas, and are one of many layers of the Vedic texts. ...
*
Veda FIle:Atharva-Veda samhita page 471 illustration.png, upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the ''Atharvaveda''. The Vedas (, , ) are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Co ...
*
Upanishad The Upanishads (; sa, उपनिषद् ) are late Vedic Sanskrit texts that supplied the basis of later Hindu philosophy.Wendy Doniger (1990), ''Textual Sources for the Study of Hinduism'', 1st Edition, University of Chicago Press, , ...
*
Bhakti ''Bhakti'' ( sa, भक्ति) literally means "attachment, participation, fondness for, homage, faith, love, devotion, worship, purity".See Monier-Williams, ''Sanskrit Dictionary'', 1899. It was originally used in Hinduism, referring to d ...
* Puja


References


Further reading

*Klaus G Witz (1998), The Supreme Wisdom of the Upaniṣads: An Introduction, {{ISBN, 978-8120815735, Chapter 3 Hindu philosophical concepts Vedas