Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrī Caitanya Caritāmrita Ādi 7.108

upanishat-sahita sūtra kahe yei tattva

mukhya-vrittye sei artha parama mahattva

SYNONYMS

upanishat — the authorized Vedic version; sahita — along with; sūtra — the Vedānta-sūtra; kahe — it is said; yei — the subject matter; tattva — in truth; mukhya-vrittye — by direct understanding; sei — that truth; artha — meaning; parama — ultimate; mahattva — glory.

TRANSLATION

"The Absolute Truth is described in the Upanishads and Brahma-sūtra, but one must understand the verses as they are. That is the supreme glory in understanding.

PURPORT

It has become fashionable since the time of Śańkarācārya to explain everything regarding the śāstras in an indirect way. Scholars take pride in explaining everything in their own way, and they declare that one can understand the Vedic scriptures in any way he likes. This "any way you like" method is foolishness, and it has created havoc in the Vedic culture. One cannot accept scientific knowledge in his own whimsical way. In the science of mathematics, for example, two plus two equals four, and one cannot make it equal three or five. Yet although it is not possible to alter real knowledge, people have taken to the fashion of understanding Vedic knowledge in any way they like. It is for this reason that we have presented Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. We do not create meanings by concoction. Sometimes commentators say that the word kurukshetra in the first verse of the Bhagavad-gītā refers to one's body, but we do not accept this. We understand that Kurukshetra is a place that still exists, and according to the Vedic version it is a dharma-kshetra, or a place of pilgrimage. People still go there to perform Vedic sacrifices. Foolish commentators, however, say that kurukshetra means the body and that pañca-pāndava refers to the five senses. In this way they distort the meaning, and people are misled. Here Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu confirms that all Vedic literatures, including the Upanishads, Brahma-sūtra and others, whether śruti, smriti or nyāya, must be understood according to their original statements. To describe the direct meaning of the Vedic literatures is glorious, but to describe them in one's own way, using imperfect senses and imperfect knowledge, is a disastrous blunder. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu fully deprecated the attempt to describe the Vedas in this way.

Regarding the Upanishads, the following eleven Upanishads are considered to be the topmost: Īśa, Kena, Katha, Praśna, Mundaka, Māndūkya, Taittirīya, Aitareya, Chāndogya, Brihad-āranyaka and Śvetāśvatara. However, in the Muktikopanishad, verses 30-39, there is a description of 108 Upanishads. They are as follows: (1) Īśopanishad, (2) Kenopanishad, (3) Kathopanishad, (4) Praśnopanishad, (5) Mundakopanishad, (6) Māndūkyopanishad, (7) Taittirīyopanishad, (8) Aitareyopanishad, (9) Chāndogyopanishad, (10) Brihad-āranyakopanishad, (11) Brahmopanishad, (12) Kaivalyopanishad, (13) Jābālopanishad, (14) Śvetāśvataropanishad, (15) Hamsopanishad, (16) Āruneyopanishad, (17) Garbhopanishad, (18) Nārāyanopanishad, (19) Paramahamsopanishad, (20) Amrita-bindūpanishad, (21) Nāda-bindūpanishad, (22) Śiropanishad, (23) Atharva-śikhopanishad, (24) Maitrāyany-upanishad, (25) Kaushītaky-upanishad, (26) Brihaj-jābālopanishad, (27) Nrisimha-tāpanīyopanishad, (28) Kālāgni-rudropanishad, (29) Maitreyy-upanishad, (30) Subālopanishad, (31) Kshurikopanishad, (32) Mantrikopanishad, (33) Sarva-sāropanishad, (34) Nirālambopanishad, (35) Śuka-rahasyopanishad, (36) Vajra-sūcikopanishad, (37) Tejo-bindūpanishad, (38) Nāda-bindūpanishad, (39) Dhyāna-bindūpanishad, (40) Brahma-vidyopanishad, (41) Yoga-tattvopanishad, (42), Ātma-bodhopanishad, (43) Nārada-parivrājakopanishad, (44) Triśikhy-upanishad, (45) Sītopanishad, (46) Yoga-cūdāmany-upanishad, (47) Nirvānopanishad, (48) Mandala-brāhmanopanishad, (49) Dakshinā-mūrty-upanishad, (50) Śarabhopanishad, (51) Skandopanishad, (52) Mahānārāyanopanishad, (53) Advaya-tārakopanishad, (54) Rāma-rahasyopanishad, (55) Rāma-tāpany-upanishad, (56) Vāsudevopanishad, (57) Mudgalopanishad, (58) Śāndilyopanishad, (59) Paińgalopanishad, (60) Bhikshūpanishad, (61) Mahad-upanishad, (62) Śārīrakopanishad, (63) Yoga-śikhopanishad, (64) Turīyātītopanishad, (65) Sannyāsopanishad, (66) Paramahamsa-parivrājakopanishad, (67) Mālikopanishad, (68) Avyaktopanishad, (69) Ekāksharopanishad, (70) Pūrnopanishad, (71) Sūryopanishad, (72) Akshy-upanishad, (73) Adhyātmopanishad, (74) Kundikopanishad, (75) Sāvitry-upanishad, (76) Ātmopanishad, (77) Pāśupatopanishad, (78) Param-brahmopanishad, (79) Avadhūtopanishad, (80) Tripurātapanopanishad, (81) Devy-upanishad, (82) Tripuropanishad, (83) Katha-rudropanishad, (84) Bhāvanopanishad, (85) Hridayopanishad, (86) Yoga-kundaliny-upanishad, (87) Bhasmopanishad, (88) Rudrākshopanishad, (89) Ganopanishad, (90) Darśanopanishad, (91) Tāra-sāropanishad, (92) Mahā-vākyopanishad, (93) Pañca-brahmopanishad, (94) Prānāgni-hotropanishad, (95) Gopāla-tāpany-upanishad, (96) Krishnopanishad, (97) Yājñavalkyopanishad, (98) Varāhopanishad, (99) Śātyāyany-upanishad, (100) Hayagrīvopanishad, (101) Dattātreyopanishad, (102) Gārudopanishad, (103) Kaly-upanishad, (104) Jābāly-upanishad, (105) Saubhāgyopanishad, (106) Sarasvatī-rahasyopanishad, (107) Bahvricopanishad and (108) Muktikopanishad. Thus there are 108 generally accepted Upanishads, of which eleven are the most important, as previously stated.

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