PDA

View Full Version : Sri Ishavasya Upanishad - Chanting Method



Ram11
04 November 2014, 11:06 PM
Namaste,

Today morning,all of a sudden I remembered that I was taught to chant a few verses from Sri Ishavasya Upanishad in my childhood.I used to chant them everyday but later during my teenage,I abandoned my practice.:o

I am happy that I remembered them now.I want to restart my Parayana.

I went through some posts here about the Upanishad and I found them to be quite informative.

In one of the posts,I found a link and it had

The Rsi of this Upanisad is Svayambhuva Manu. The Lord Hari (Visnu), known as Yaj�a for being the Lord of all sacrifices, is the Devata. The Lord incarnated as the son of Akuti, the daughter of Manu himself. Manu, when faced with the danger of some demons who were intent upon devouring him, praised the Lord with these verses, and overcame his dire straits thereby.



There is the ancient stern warning against commencement of Vedic study or sacrifice without knowing the seer, the Deity, and the meter(s) correctly. Hence these facts should first be attended.

The tenets to be stated later will only be taken to heart by the qualified, not by others; for this reason, to create the qualification for study, and to satisfy the curiosity of the student for the subject of study.

I did not find these in some versions of the Ishopanishad.Does the Upanishad have these verses?Are there any similar introductory verses for this Upanishad?


I was taught some mantras but should I chant the entire Upanishad or only the specific ones I was taught?

Should we append anything before chanting(I was taught one Shanti mantra beginning with Purna..).Also, I was taught a few other Shanti mantras but it seems they are meant for other Upanishads,should I chant them too at the conclusion of Parayana.


Is there anything else I should observe to do proper chanting of the Upanishad?


Last question,is Sri Ishavasya Upanishad a part of Veda mantra samhita?

savithru
09 November 2014, 09:52 AM
In one of the posts,I found a link and it had

The Rsi of this Upanisad is Svayambhuva Manu. The Lord Hari (Visnu), known as Yaj�a for being the Lord of all sacrifices, is the Devata. The Lord incarnated as the son of Akuti, the daughter of Manu himself. Manu, when faced with the danger of some demons who were intent upon devouring him, praised the Lord with these verses, and overcame his dire straits thereby.


The information given by that link is wrong. The rishi of Isha Upanishad is Yajnavalkya. Vishnu was a minor deity in the Vedas, he was not supreme. Puranas should not be taken seriously or literally instead it has to be interpreted allegorically.



There is the ancient stern warning against commencement of Vedic study or sacrifice without knowing the seer, the Deity, and the meter(s) correctly. Hence these facts should first be attended.
Yes, this is true. I would advice you to do your yajna seriously and with full purity. The mantras of this Upanishad are very powerful and one can practise it but it is always better to receive Mantra Diksha from a Guru. Otherwise I wouldn't recommend you to practise it.



The tenets to be stated later will only be taken to heart by the qualified, not by others; for this reason, to create the qualification for study, and to satisfy the curiosity of the student for the subject of study.
Yes Isha Upanishad is highly advanced and not for everyone. It requires some initiatory knowledge of the tradition and that gives you qualification to practice those mantras.




I did not find these in some versions of the Ishopanishad.Does the Upanishad have these verses?Are there any similar introductory verses for this Upanishad?


In the Lalitha Sahasranamam it is clearly stated these mantras should be kept secret and not to be given to anaryas as this might end up being a anartha. It is said that anyone who gives those mantras to an anarya their whole family will disappear into poverty.



I was taught some mantras but should I chant the entire Upanishad or only the specific ones I was taught?

Should we append anything before chanting(I was taught one Shanti mantra beginning with Purna..).Also, I was taught a few other Shanti mantras but it seems they are meant for other Upanishads,should I chant them too at the conclusion of Parayana.
It is always better to chant those mantras which you are already good at and on which you better understand and have a grip at.



Last question,is Sri Ishavasya Upanishad a part of Veda mantra samhita?
Yes, Isha Upanishad is one of the principal Upanishads.

Ram11
09 November 2014, 07:38 PM
Namaste Savithru Ji,


The rishi of Isha Upanishad is Yajnavalkya. I used to chant some Guru Smarana type shlokas before commencing the chanting.Along with them shall I add Pranava+Yajnavalkya Gurubhyo Namaha?

Do you have info about the Devata,Chandas etc. about this Upanishad?(Sankalpa or structure such as Asya Sri...)


but it is always better to receive Mantra Diksha from a Guru. Otherwise I wouldn't recommend you to practise it.Yes Ji,I agree and I have received this from my Guru when I was about 6-7 years old.I did parayana of these mantras for 8-9 years.(I'll make a post in the future about why I abandoned my practice and the consequences I faced)


Yes Isha Upanishad is highly advanced and not for everyone. Probably,that is why I was not taught all the mantras of the Upanishad at that age.


In the Lalitha Sahasranamam it is clearly stated these mantras should be kept secret and not to be given to anaryas as this might end up being a anartha. It is said that anyone who gives those mantras to an anarya their whole family will disappear into poverty.
True,it is mentioned in the initial part of this very powerful Sahasranama.There are also a series of requirements such as initiation into the SV Sampradaya,the different syllable mantras,Purascharana and the tithis to chant.I read a wonderful commentary on Sri LS that included many perspectives on each shloka based on Mantra,Tantra,Yantra,Chakra,Devata,Yoga,Vedanta etc. _/\_


It is always better to chant those mantras which you are already good at and on which you better understand and have a grip at.
Thanks a lot for clearing my doubts Ji.

savithru
10 November 2014, 11:30 AM
Namaste Savithru Ji,

I used to chant some Guru Smarana type shlokas before commencing the chanting.Along with them shall I add Pranava+Yajnavalkya Gurubhyo Namaha?


Yes that would be good. If possible you can chant 108 names of Shree Yogeeshwara Yajnavalkya Sahasranamavalli (http://www.shuklayajurveda.org/shlokas/108-Divya-Namas-of-Sri-Yagnavalkya_Rev.pdf) before chanting the Isha Upanishad.



Do you have info about the Devata,Chandas etc. about this Upanishad?(Sankalpa or structure such as Asya Sri...)


Savitr devata and the Isha Upanishad's 15th verse is the Sankalpa. Chandas I too don't know. Only the shanti mantra is recited in the beginning.



Yes Ji,I agree and I have received this from my Guru when I was about 6-7 years old.I did parayana of these mantras for 8-9 years.(I'll make a post in the future about why I abandoned my practice and the consequences I faced)


Please share your experiences with us after all that's how Hinduism has survived over the years.

yajvan
10 November 2014, 05:35 PM
hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~
namasté

Last question,is Sri Ishavasya Upanishad a part of Veda mantra samhita?

the īśāvāsyopaniṣad ( īśāvāsya¹ upaniṣad) is from the yajur-veda ( 40th chapter). In fact it is part of this veda - that is, the śukla yajur veda saṃhita.
It has just 18 śloka-s¹ , yet some think there are 5 sections to these 18. And some are also of the opinion the 18 śloka-s carry the same significance as the 18 chapters of the bhāgavad gītā ; that is how valued this upaniṣad is.

It is one of the 10 upaniṣad-s¹ śaṅkara bhagavatpāda wrote a commentary on. It is also one of the 10 ( some say 13) that are core to the brahma-sutras

iti śivaṁ

īśāvāsya = īśā + vāsya
īśa = Supreme; complete master;
āvāsya = inhabited by , full of
Hence īśāvāsya is the Supreme that inhabits or dwells (va) in all; We come to say from the 2nd śloka that it is īśa that covers all or everything (sarvaṁ)
18 śloka-s - this includes the initial peace invocation

10 upaniṣad-s worth one's time and study: http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?p=33491#post33491

brahma jijnasa
16 November 2014, 09:19 AM
Namaste

Should we append anything before chanting(I was taught one Shanti mantra beginning with Purna..).Also, I was taught a few other Shanti mantras but it seems they are meant for other Upanishads,should I chant them too at the conclusion of Parayana.

Gaudiya vaishnavas chant only one mantra as the invocation, it is oḿ pūrṇam adaḥ pūrṇam idaḿ ..., see at vedabase Śrī Īśopaniṣad Invocation.


Last question,is Sri Ishavasya Upanishad a part of Veda mantra samhita?

The Isha Upanishad is located at the end as the last 40th chapter of the book Vajasaneyi-samhita, Samhita of the White (Shukla) Yajur Veda. For this reason some call it Vajasaneyi-samhita Upanishad, or Ishavasya Upanishad, or Isha Upanishad (Īśopaniṣad).
To my knowledge it is the only of the main or principal Upanishads that is a part of some vedic Samhita. It is said that vedic Samhitas are composed of mantras but other vedic texts which are not Samhitas are just called verses. This means that when you chant a verse from it you actually chant the Vedic mantras, but when you chant verses from other Upanishads that are not part of some Vedic samhita, you just chant verses. It is said thus.
So when you chant verses, let we say from Brihadaranyaka Upanishad or Katha Upanishad, you chant just verses but when you chant Isha Upanishad you chant Vedic mantras.



regards

Ram11
16 November 2014, 07:35 PM
Namaste


Gaudiya vaishnavas chant only one mantra as the invocation, it is oḿ pūrṇam adaḥ pūrṇam idaḿ ..., see at vedabase Śrī Īśopaniṣad Invocation.



The Isha Upanishad is located at the end as the last 40th chapter of the book Vajasaneyi-samhita, Samhita of the White (Shukla) Yajur Veda. For this reason some call it Vajasaneyi-samhita Upanishad, or Ishavasya Upanishad, or Isha Upanishad (Īśopaniṣad).
To my knowledge it is the only of the main or principal Upanishads that is a part of some vedic Samhita. It is said that vedic Samhitas are composed of mantras but other vedic texts which are not Samhitas are just called verses. This means that when you chant a verse from it you actually chant the Vedic mantras, but when you chant verses from other Upanishads that are not part of some Vedic samhita, you just chant verses. It is said thus.
So when you chant verses, let we say from Brihadaranyaka Upanishad or Katha Upanishad, you chant just verses but when you chant Isha Upanishad you chant Vedic mantras.



regards


Namaste,

Thanks to Savithru Ji,Yajvan Ji and Brahma Jijnasa Ji.
_______________________
Just an observation-
This could mean that this Upanishad is the oldest of all as it is a part of the Veda Samhita.I read in most Indian history books that Sri BrhadAranyaka or Sri Chandogya might be the earliest Upanishads.I wonder how historians did not notice that Sri Ishavasya is a Mantropanishad and therefore could precede others.

brahma jijnasa
17 November 2014, 05:59 PM
Namaste



I have downloaded an commentary on Sri Ishopanishad by Srila Prabhupada for reference(the initial old version,hmm,some body on some website claims that the newer editions are changed,edited and corrupted,is this true?)

Long ago, when Srila Prabhupada was still alive, he wrote his books in English which was a foreign language to him. To correct the text he appointed several of his disciples to serve as editors of his books. They were supposed to improve and edit the text, to correct mistakes. However, the editors continued to "improve" the text :) even after his departure from this world, and even to this day they continue with this task. Now, some people think that this is okay and some that it is wrong. I do not have a definite opinion about it, but I think the BBT (publishing house which publishes his books and led by his disciples) authorities should seriously address the issue. While doing the editing in the process editors can easily change the meaning of the text and original thoughts of the author. Of course it's not good let that happen.


Just an observation-
This could mean that this Upanishad is the oldest of all as it is a part of the Veda Samhita.I read in most Indian history books that Sri BrhadAranyaka or Sri Chandogya might be the earliest Upanishads.I wonder how historians did not notice that Sri Ishavasya is a Mantropanishad and therefore could precede others.

A traditional Hindu view is that the Upanishads are eternal Shruti texts. Now, how old is that which is eternal? :D


regards

Ram11
22 November 2014, 07:17 PM
Namaste


Long ago, when Srila Prabhupada was still alive, he wrote his books in English which was a foreign language to him. To correct the text he appointed several of his disciples to serve as editors of his books. They were supposed to improve and edit the text, to correct mistakes. However, the editors continued to "improve" the text :) even after his departure from this world, and even to this day they continue with this task. Now, some people think that this is okay and some that it is wrong. I do not have a definite opinion about it, but I think the BBT (publishing house which publishes his books and led by his disciples) authorities should seriously address the issue. While doing the editing in the process editors can easily change the meaning of the text and original thoughts of the author. Of course it's not good let that happen.



A traditional Hindu view is that the Upanishads are eternal Shruti texts. Now, how old is that which is eternal? :D


regards

Namaste Ji,

I think I'll utilize the one I have for the moment.

:)Yes,I think I should stop looking at scriptures from 'historical point of view'.