VEDIC LITERATURE AND PHILOSOPHY

Vedic Literature

• The Vedas - Rig, Sama, Yajur, Atharva. Appended to which are the Bramanas, the Aranyakas and the Upanishads
• Brahmanas (900-600 BC)
  • Appended to the Vedas
  • Evolution form Vedas in that the Brahmin is in control of the sacrifice and so of the Gods
  • Duties of Brahmin priest discussed
  • Mystical power of ritual gave sanction to the ritual and gave the Aryans the confidence in the power
  • Roots of karma "action leading to result"
• Aranyakas (800-600 BC)
  • Sacrifice allegorical marking the decline of the physical sacrifice
  • Beginnings of philosophical and metaphysical speculation culminating in the Upanishads
  • Death rites - forest
  • Ascetic revelation
• Upanishads (700-500 BC)
  • Literally "sit close to". The student sitting close to the guru
  • Philosophical questions in the form dialogues
  • Discovering knowledge, questioning, exhaustively describing all logical answers

Vedic Religion

• Polytheism - many gods
• Monotheism - elevating one God to Supreme
• Henotheism - several Gods given the attributes of the Supreme Deity. Worship on one God without denying the existence of the others
• Monism - reality is one unitary organic whole, without parts

Vedic Philosophy

• Upanishadic - reaction to ritualism
• Supreme power "brahman" (ultimate reality)
• This ultimate reality is a manifestation
• Atman (individual soul). Philosophy of the Upanishad. Brahman = atman (tat tvam asi - that art thou)
• Maya - illusion, the illusory world
• Karma - action leading to result
• Moksha - release, freedom

Several systems of philosophical thinking developed from this early Upanishadic thought. These philosophies elaborated and articulated a lot of this early thinking. They developed interacting with each other and all accepting a different aspect of the Upanishadic philosophy.

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