chapter 4 The First and Foremost Sacred Texts🔗

Upaniṣads are the first and foremost books in the Vedic tradition, which is the first and foremost spiritual tradition of the world. The Upaniṣadic lifestyle gave birth to six liberated thinking trends, Ṣaḍ Darśanas, which in turn gave birth to innumerable Sampradāyas; Orders, Traditions, Religions.

The Vedic tradition is the first and foremost spiritual tradition on Planet Earth. Same way, Upaniṣads are the first and foremost books of the Vedic Tradition. Upaniṣads, they are the source of all the spiritual thought-trends, all the spiritual thought-currents.

In Vedic tradition, we developed six ways of liberated thinking. Liberated thinking means, the thinking style which constantly keeps you excited, enthusiastic, energetic, joyful, rejuvenating yourself, naturally intelligent, naturally aligned to the laws of life, and naturally blissful. By your very nature, you are blissful, intelligent, conscious, aware. You are hardwired to experience the peak possibility, the highest existence.

The thought-trends which awaken your highest possibilities, which make you live your highest possibilities, which make you feel fully excited, fully joyful, fully awakened, fully alive, those thought-trends, we call as liberated thinking trends.

The six systems of liberated thinking trends that the Vedic tradition developed are—Sāṅkhya, Yoga, Purva Mīmāṁsā, Uttara Mīmāṁsā, Nyāya, Vaiśeṣika. These are the six major liberated thinking thought-trends the Vedic tradition developed.

Sāṅkhya. By understanding the Existence, the laws with which Nature, Prakṛti is functioning and the laws with which it is associated to the Source, Consciousness; by understanding those laws and aligning yourself to it, through this having the liberated thinking, is Sāṅkhya.

Yoga. Whatever you think as you–your body and mind–tuning and aligning these two to the Existence, through this experiencing that ultimate completion, fulfillment, knowledge, joy, excitement, bliss, existence, and feeling the bliss and experiencing fulfillment, this thought-trend is called Yoga.

Purva Mimāṁsā. Through your actions, aligning with the various energies of the Cosmos and experiencing the ultimate, experiencing enlightenment, fulfillment and completion, experiencing the liberated thinking, is Purva Mimāṁsā, Karma Kāṇḍa.

And, just by aligning your understanding, buddhi, about you, god, and the world–Jīva, Īśvara, Jagat–and living the liberated thinking, is Uttara Mimāṁsā, Vedānta.

Just by dividing, dividing, dividing, analyzing, analyzing, analyzing, just through the logic itself, understanding and having a liberated thinking is Nyāya. Just by adding, adding, adding, including, including, including, through that experiencing the liberated thinking is Vaiśeṣika.

Sāṅkhya, Yoga, Purva Mimāṁsa, Uttara Mimāṁsa, Nyāya, Vaiśeṣika—these six liberated thinking trends, the liberated thought-currents developed by Vedic tradition, each one of them is independently complete to give you the experience of liberated thinking from A to Z.

If you are practicing Sāṅkhya, you don't need any support from Yoga or other liberated thinking trends. The Sāṅkhya is enough to take you from wherever you are to wherever you have to be. Wherever you are, It can reach out to you and take you to wherever you have to be. It is an independent, intelligent, independently sufficient thinking-trend, through which you can experience Liberated Thinking. Independent intelligence, independently capable of leading you from where you are to where you have to be. Sāṅkhya, if you are practicing, you don't need support from any other thought-trends.

A liberated thinking trend is what we call in Saṁskṛit as Darśana, the ability to perceive. In English, you cannot translate Darśana into philosophy. Philosophy is too poor, superficial word. I will use the new word—philosia, a new possibility to see.

Ṣad Darśanas, the six philosias that Vedic tradition developed, all the six are developed from Upaniṣads. Upaniṣad is the mother who gave birth, who delivered all the Ṣad Darśanas. Each thought-trend, each liberated thinking trend gave birth to thousands and thousands of Sampradāyas, Paramparās, Orders, which is equivalent to the word 'religion' in the west. What you understood as 'religion' in the western world, the equivalent for that word in Saṁskṛit is, Sampradāya, Order; because Sanātana Dharma, the Vedic tradition is the mother from whom the six thought-currents developed, from whom many religions are born. That is why the Vedic tradition or Hinduism cannot be framed into a small frame called 'religion.' It is too small a frame because each religion is just one set of lifestyles. The Vedic tradition, the Upaniṣadic lifestyle gave birth to six liberated thinking trends, Ṣad Darśanas, which in turn gave birth to innumerable Sampradāyas, Orders, Traditions, Religions.

Upaniṣads are too vast to be framed under one religion. Upaniṣad is the source of all the best thought-trends, the best liberated thinking currents—the way of existing, the way of living with such variety of choices, possibilities are expressed in Upaniṣads. Choice proves the depth, not confusion.

The glory of Veda Matā! The way She is standing for humanity, the contribution She has done to human consciousness. Anything you see in the world now, which you can appreciate, celebrate, is from Veda Matā (mother of Vedas). It is Her gift to humanity. Whether it is Mathematics, Astrology, Astronomy, Anatomy, whatever words you may use, all the thought-currents, thought-trends, anything best or good you see and hear, is Veda Matā's gift—the gift of the thought-trends developed from Upaniṣads.

Upaniṣads are kept as the highest books in Vedic tradition. In the sacred literatures of the Vedic tradition, Upaniṣads are kept as the topmost. Non-controversial! All Sampradāyas or Orders, all Śad Darśanas—Sāṅkhya, Yoga, Nyāya, Vaiśeṣika, Uttara Mīmāṁsā, Pūrva Mīmāṁsā—all the six Liberated Thinking trends accept Upaniṣads as the ultimate book, the first and foremost book.

The religious historians have done a big mistake of classifying Upaniṣads into one frame of religion and pushing it on Vedic tradition or described as Hinduism in the modern days. If we classify the Upaniṣads as books belonging to one religion, we may disrespect the glory and possibility of the Upaniṣads. So, first of all, Upaniṣads cannot be classified. If at all they are to be classified, I will classify them as—Source of all the liberated thinking trends, Source of all the lifestyles which evolves human beings to the higher levels. As Upaniṣads are the source of all the liberated thinking trends, which evolves human beings, obviously Upaniṣads are the first and foremost sacred texts.

Upaniṣads are Existence introducing and celebrating Itself to Itself, Existence showing itself how to become Itself. Each verse in each Upaniṣad, gave birth to a liberated thinking trend which liberated countless human beings.

Upaniṣads are the first and foremost sacred texts, based on which your lifestyle should be aligned. Upaniṣads should be read, re-read, understood, digested, realized, lived, radiated, spread, and worshipped. Upaniṣads are the purest, the pristine pure Truths.

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